Bad news from DH's doc

kit_kats_mom wrote: Not only is his blood pressure high (he's been on meds for awhile for that) but now his good cholestorol is too low and his bad cholestorol is too high, he also is borderline diabetic.

Too much for me to take in right now. I really know very little about any of these since my family's always been pretty healthy. I kind of feel sick to my stomach. I want him to be around to walk his daughters down the aisles at their weddings etc. My best friend lost her dad when she was a sophmore in college and I was there to see the devistation that it wreaked on her.

Ok, I am not even going to go there....Im getting upset.

I just wanted to ask if you guys have any really yummy low fat recipes that you want to share, good websites, or any tips on things we can do about the diets. I've been doing WW so I know the high fiber/veggies/etc but my Dh is not really a big fan of many veggies. he's a real meat and potatos (homestyle type of food) guy....oh and pizza! I mainly don't know much about diabetes so if you have any personal stories or websites that you want to share, I'd appreciate it.

The thing that will make it easier is that he really is commited to working on his diet (seeing me try to hold back my tears when he told me did the trick I think) so I won't have to nag but I want to make it as easy on him as I can. I plan to pack his lunches and try one new recipe a week to find some good ones.

He has to stick to 30g/fat per day or less.

amynicole21 replied: Oh no! I'm so sorry to hear that. It sounds like it has been caught early and can easily be managed by diet and excercise, though. I don't know a lot about it, but my grandfather was a diabetic and so is a good friend. It really takes a lifestyle change to manage it properly. I have a 56 page WW crockpot recipe file that I can send you. There's not that much veggie stuff in there, and even has some great meatloaf recipes Let me know if you want me to email it to you.

kit_kats_mom replied: sure, that would be great. Thanks!

ediep replied: My DH was told the same thing last year. His blood pressure was borderline, high good chlos was too low and his bad was creeping up.....his doc told him to try the south beach diet, exercise more, and to take omega 3 fish pills. He has lost 30 poundsand his blood pressure is better. He hasn't been back to the doc for a follow up on the chlos yet.

jdkjd replied: My grandparents are all diabetic and I had gestational diabetes so I can help with the diet choices. He doesn't have to cut out sugar/carbs but he does need to watch the portions.

And FYI, my cholesterol always drops dramatically when I lose weight, so you really need to focus on exercise. And with guys having so much more lean muscle mass, it's easier for them.

Besides, since he USED to exercise, he should at least have a base knowledge of how to get started.

And it sound like he needs to help is good/bad cholesterol ratio: does he like salmon? If you have that for your protein a couple days a week-it helps the ratio (omega 3s)

Maybe try little steps like thin-crust pizza and low fat sour cream (not fatfree), you may need to have him write down EVERY good thing he likes and we could help with recipes...

(From another wife married to a NO VEGGIES guy)

~Roo'sMama~ replied: I'm so sorry! www.allrecipes.com has a ton of great recipes... it can be kind of time consuming to go through them all but they give you the nurtrition information for each recipe and I've found lots of yummy healthy meals there. I have a super-easy Chicken recipe that's awesome and really low fat if your hubby likes chicken too.

DansMom replied: Just sending hugs right now---and will be thinking about the diet question. How is he with exercise? That helped me manage my gestational diabetes---it does make a big difference in how you metabolize your food to exercise regularly.

kit_kats_mom replied:
First of all, thanks to everyone who responded. I know he will be ok, it's just scary to have someone tell him that he either changes or he will die. Yikes!

He is pretty good with exercise but he has foot problems (which I suspect is made worse from the weight). He likes to do weights and is joining the gym again so that he can do that. He also walks with Katherine almost every night after dinner. Most cardio causes his feet to start hurting so he rarely keeps up with it...even bikes. We have a recumbant stationary bike and he can't use that unless he loses some weight first.

jcc64 replied: He sounds like just about everyone in my family- and it's not like we're all out eating fast food or anything- sometimes it's a strong genetic component.
Luckily for him, there are lots of changes/meds he can take to get it under control.
He'll be totally fine, Cary, it's all fixable. Don't worry, you preggo lady.

MomToJade&Jordan replied: It looks to me like you have gotten pretty good advice so far. All of this is fixable, but I know it's not wanted to hear right now. Fish is always a good thing. I am going to look through my WW cookbook and see if I can find some good recipies for you. The blood pressure should start to drop as he loses weight. I know when mine gets up there a bit as soon as I start to lose weight it starts to get better. Just take some deep breaths. Everything is going to be all right. You found this out early so you should be able to fix it before it gets serious.

Kirstenmumof3 replied: I'm so sorry to hear this! I would suggest talking to a dietition about all of this and see what they can suggest. I know it will mean some changes to his diet! I hope things improve! Keeping you and your family in my thoughts and prayers!

aspenblue1 replied: I am sorry. I will have to look and see what recipes I have.

mummy2girls replied: Send some of your idea my way also please! Aron just found out he is diabetic and has always had high bp... he is a very finicky eater though so i could just be wasting my breath here...

A&A'smommy replied: Oh no I'm SO sorry! ((((HUGS))))

redchief replied: My sympathy goes out to you... And I forgot to take my Lipitor today. My cholestorol is 248 (and both good and bad are too high). I'm gearing up for a major lifestyle change as I've done the diet and exercise thing before. I'm terrible at it!

I like nothing better than a steak and a nice baked potato, but I also know I just can't eat that anymore. I've begun walking instead of taking the car everywhere (I used to take the car two blocks on a convenience store run). I've stopped grazing (you know, eating because it's there). I truly am my own worst enemy and I'm facing my enemy down now. I suspect your husband is much like me.

I used to play softball three days a week, threw horseshoes and swam a couple miles a week (always hated running... don't think I'll ever be able to do that). Over the years, I've become much more sedentary (Sp?), but I haven't decreased my food intake. Therefore, that which I used to work off now gathers at my middle.

I'm learning, despite what I've always liked, to eat more vegetables and cook with less fat. Here are a few things that I've tried that really hit the "I can DO this" bell.

Tonight I had Ramen chicken soup. I'm not talking about the nasty stuff you get for next to nothing in the supermarket that resembles a wormy brick. Real rice noodles with skinless chicken breast in stock with broccoli and asparagus. I was never a great fan of asparagus, but it was GREAT in this dish. I ate at 7:00 PM. It's now 11:35 and I'm still satisfied. On top of that, I'm at work and we've gone on two jobs after dinner. http://busycooks.about.com/library/recipes...ixramensoup.htm

Again, you can substitute nearly ANY two vegetables and this comes out good. There's almost no fat in it and the rice noodles are really satisfying. We doubled the recipe for 5 people and it made plenty

Another dish that I absolutely loved was grilled turkey breast. If you have access to a BBQ grill, this is so easy to make (I'm sure it can be done in the oven too, I'm just particular about the flavor that I get when I grill this). I rub the skin with canola oil and put a healthy shot of poultry seasoning and cajun spice on the outside. I place it on the grill and run the grill at medium (about 350') until the meat is 180' next to the bone. The meat is juicy, the flavor from the smoke and seasonings goes right through the meat. With that, instead of the usual mashed potatoes, we took redskin potatoes and microwaved them until they were soft through. Instead of butter or gravy we dressed them with sour cream and chives. I've prefer greenbeans with this dish.

I'm learning how to eat all over again. It's hard, but I've lost 6 pounds in 3 weeks. I know that's only two pounds a week, but it's a trend downward... something I haven't done in 15 years. I think the hardest thing so far is walking past those damned cookies.

coasterqueen replied: I'm sorry he got bad news Cary It sounds like you both are devoted to keeping it under control so that's half the battle . I don't have any tips but I wanted to offer you hugs and don't worry...he will be around for a long time . I have many many family members that are diabetic and they are still around, lol. Some of them longer than most would want them to be, hee hee. As long as you keep his diet under control, he'll do fine .