# Byetta Breakfasts



## Lizzie53 (Jul 21, 2010)

Just wondering what the Byetta crowd have for breakfast. I have been getting great weight loss and BG levels with a scrambled egg on Burgen toast. However I have hit a problem, since moving onto the 10 dose nausea from 9-11am has been troublesome to the point that last week I felt too ill to work in the mornings. I feel so bloated with it and tired about an hour after eating. So today I have tried something different - half a banana, a few raspberries and a tablespoon of yogurt. So far I feel OK, I haven't tested BG's yet to see what effect it has had. I read somewhere that you need about 30-40g of carbs per meal with Byetta. I'm not good at counting carbs unless it is on the packet and I don't know what that came to but I'm sure it was higher than the egg on toast. I'll have to get a book I think. I think that perhaps the slice of Burgen and egg may not have been enough carbs. I used to really enjoy that egg for breakfast but will have it as an omelette and salad for lunch today.


----------



## Steff (Jul 21, 2010)

Hi Lizzie my breakfast varies i split the week in half i have cornflakes with semi skimmed 3 times in the week and 4 times i have 2 pieces of grilled bacon and scrambled egg.If the nausea does not pass or at least die down go back and have a word with your DSN hun about going back to the 5 mg, the 10 just does not suit everyone.


----------



## Lizzie53 (Jul 21, 2010)

Funny thing with it is I feel vile between 9-11 and then suddenly I am fine again. It hasn't been quite as bad this week and today after the change in breakfast I'm fine (fingers x). I've steered clear of cereal as I thought it was too high in carbs but maybe trying to stay lowish carb doesn't work with Byetta. I'm off to test now to see what blood is doing.


----------



## Steff (Jul 21, 2010)

Very strange that 2 hour thing,the expert thedame may be able to shed some light lol.I've always been fine with the corn flakes .Come back and let me know what your levels are hun.x


----------



## Lizzie53 (Jul 21, 2010)

I'm having a lazy day today lol. Anyway have just tested 2 hours after breakfast and it was 7. This is a little higher than the egg on toast readings but I suppose it is OK. The bonus is no nausea today just the slightly over full feeling. I'm off for a swim now which might help with that.


----------



## Steff (Jul 21, 2010)

Lizzie53 said:


> I'm having a lazy day today lol. Anyway have just tested 2 hours after breakfast and it was 7. This is a little higher than the egg on toast readings but I suppose it is OK. The bonus is no nausea today just the slightly over full feeling. I'm off for a swim now which might help with that.



Ok maybe just watch out for the banana i know that can cause a spike .Have a nice swim x


----------



## Lizzie53 (Jul 21, 2010)

Yes and I just love bananas but I had half. They don't seem to be too bad with me. I have one nearly everyday. I'll try the yogurt brekkie tomorrow but just with berries and see what the difference is.


----------



## Steff (Jul 21, 2010)

Lizzie53 said:


> Yes and I just love bananas but I had half. They don't seem to be too bad with me. I have one nearly everyday. I'll try the yogurt brekkie tomorrow but just with berries and see what the difference is.



I'm weird my tastebuds cant take fruit early in the morning lol.


----------



## diadeb (Jul 21, 2010)

*carb counting*

Hi Lizzie3 with regard to your carb counting, just to let you know that Lloyds chemist sell Nutriscale food scales. They are excellent and show the amounts of Calories, carbs, saturated fat, total fat, cholesterol, sodium and protein in all foods weighed and you get a booklet to show you how to do this accurately, thay also weigh foods in grams or piounds and ounces.
I got mine about 2 years ago and they retailed at ?8-50 and I find them invaluable, best of luck


----------



## Steff (Jul 22, 2010)

Hi Lizzie how are things after this mornings brekkie and how were your reading yesterday?


----------



## thedame (Jul 22, 2010)

Hi Lizzie

Sorry - not had much chance to post on here recently so only just picked up this thread - don't believe Steffie - she is fast becoming an "expert" herself, but Steffie, thanks for the title

Re the sickness: when I started out my worse time was post lunch - bloating like you wouldn't believe, tired although the sick feeling did pass after eating...when I could face food that is! I had it worse with the 5 does and not so bad with the 10 - from seeing what others said at the time (different forum where they had some posters who had been on it for longer) it is a lottery and affects everyone differently. 

Now funny you should say 9-11 though cos I still can feel a bit sick at around 11 each morning which is about 2 hours after my brekkie- it is only mild and funnily enough a coffee will sort it - couldn't face the stuff the first few weeks. Now I have a theory - don't quote me on it though! Cos of the fasting pre-brekkie, I reckon the Byetta makes me sicker in the morning than the evening cos it doesn't have so much food to work on as it does come  the evenign meal. Of course, I don't know what your eating patterns are but if you have eaten an hour or two earlier- say 7ish, then have you tried a something like a plain biscuit - rich tea are pretty bland but a ginger one is nicer but more sugar! If you fancy it, try a drink with a bit if oomph-like milk- might be enough to stem the sickness?

As far as carbs and Byetta go, I have not seen any official research on this ...possibly as there isn't any! But I did my own little tria**l and found that cutting out carbs at brekkie ane reducing them at lunchtime did bring my levles which were reasonably by then, even lower. I discussed this with my DSN who was really pleased with the progress I made but still thinks we need some carbs - I like my carbs so am happy to settle for a compromise. A bonus was no more bloating so bread is a no-no for me at lunch now

**I took readings first thing, 2 hours post brekkie and then before lunch for a week, Then on week 2 I cut out the brekkie carbs (had yoghurt and a little fruit plus seeds for a  crunch; grilled bacon, tomatoes, mushrooms, Lizi's Granola; kippers). Week 3 I did the same as week 2 but then reduced the lunch carbs- I would cut them out completely but feel deprived, so opted for something like ryvita with ham, salad etc. After the 3 weeks I compared the readings and they came down each week 

I am now sticking to that regime as I feel good on it and the levels are pleasing. Not been losing weight very quickly recently but I am working on that! After years of struggling I decided to attack one thing at a time!

For what it is worth, I would not try to mess too much with your diet until you have settled on the Byetta and the sickness has passed as you won't be abelt to tell what is affecting you but as Steffie says, if the sickness gets too much then speak to your team and see what they advise.


----------



## Steff (Jul 23, 2010)

thedame said:


> Hi Lizzie
> 
> Sorry - not had much chance to post on here recently so only just picked up this thread - don't believe Steffie - she is fast becoming an "expert" herself, but Steffie, thanks for the title
> 
> ...



LOL dame im a poor second behind you hehe x

Hi Lizzie how are things 2 brekkies after your original post.


----------



## Lizzie53 (Jul 25, 2010)

Thanks Steffie and the dame. Well I'm hanging in there!  The nausea isn't so bad now. I suppose in all I had 2 bad weeks when I couldn't think about going to work and now it's the summer hols so now work anyway. I got some ginger tea which I quite like and it helps a bit. I'm not eating much at all and am losing 1kg per week which is such a bonus and BG's seem pretty good for me. I have been trying out testing at all kinds of times and it is always within the nice guidelines. I'm now coping well when I go into the low 4's. It used to feel like a hypo but now just a bit hungry. It's actually nice to feel a bit of hunger as most of the time I feel stuffed lol.
I wish I could remember where I saw about the carbs, I think it was on another forum and the nurse at the hosp mentioned it also. It wasn't the plenty of complex carbs rubbish many spout but just that Byetta needed some and I'm pretty sure it was 30 g that was quoted. Any way I ditched my egg on toast and started making a fruit salad and plain yogurt which has helped a lot. It doesn't seem to sit so heavily. Bananas don't seem to affect me too much so I usually have that in my salad along with some berries. I am finding the tiredness quite debilitating. I'm wondering if it's because I'm not eating very much or if I am low in any nutrient. I haven't really had any red meat for 6 weeks as I don't fancy it, the protein has come mainly from fish and eggs. So I wonder about iron. I checked during a few days how many calories I was having and I'm lucky to get 1000 in. So my mission now is to try and find something nutritious for a snack to up it a bit. I was finding that with an egg for breakfast I couldn't face lunch until about 2 which made squeezing a snack in between lunch and dinner difficult. Now I can manage lunch earlier so a snack around 4'ish is OK. I used to be such a grazer I would never have thought trying to eat more would have been problematic for me!! Do any of you take vitamin tablets? I don't but am wondering about it now.
Anyway I am off on my holidays next week and have been enjoying rummaging in the thin section of my wardrobe. I have 3 sections lol. Fat, thin and in between. I have dropped 2 dress sizes and so that makes up for all the nausea. I'll start tinkering with my carbs and things more when I get back from my hols. Most of my pre-meal blood tests are about 4- 5 but the waking ones are between 6-7 so I'd love to get those down a bit. The 2 hour after ones are usually 7 and that seems to be the spike. Before Byetta I was rarely out of double figures so it is a huge improvement. I'll then be due for the hba1c and will have an appointment at the hospital so I can go armed with all my questions. Thanks for your advice both of you - all suggestions welcome. Sorry I have rattled on but I don't mention it much to friends and hubby isn't really that interested so it's nice to have some one who knows about it to chat to.
Oh just spotted the post about the scales - thanks for that I'll get some.


----------



## thedame (Jul 26, 2010)

Hi Lizzie

If you are getting levels between 4 ish and 7 then you are spot on in my book- the HBA1C will be an average of all your levels so could see a very satisfactory result next time I asked my DSN what level a non-diabetic might see 2 hours after eating and she said 7!!!!

Wallycorker, in his excellent guide to lowerering your carbs, suggests snacking on seeds and nuts- does wonders for your plummage Joking aside, I find that if I add a few seeds to my fruit and yoghurt mix, it does make for a fuller feeling. If I get a bit peckish, I try to avoid a biscuit and have a nibble on a mix of seeds and nuts. Aldi do packs of nut and seed mixes at reasonable prices - I don't like the raw peanuts much so go for the one with the sunflower and pumpkin seeds and a few other strange bits. Watch out for dried fruits in these mixes though - concentrated sugar - not good (tasty though!). If you like seeds, then you can alo add to a saled of course to give it a bit of oomp. 

Funny you should mention red meat- I have always been a great steak lover but can only manage a tiny piece now....wish I could say the same for cakes, biscuits and choccie though! I don't like chicken much so that takes care of your average pub grub menu- good job I don't go pubbing isn't it


----------



## Lizzie53 (Jul 26, 2010)

I used to eat quite a few nuts especially almonds and cashews but when my appetite went I kind of forgot them. I have got a packet of seeds to sprinkle on salalds so I'll get sorted with my shopping today and add them into my diet again. In the market where I'm going for my hols next week there are loads of stalls selling nuts and seeds so I'll have a good look at what they have to offer. I shall come home chirping. 
I'm very pleased with the BG numbers, not one has been in double figures since I started Byetta - woops I lie, there was one incident with a flap jack that I didn't really enjoy and it went up to 10. Apart from that nothing. I have tried to catch my blood out by having a few days when I tested 1,2 and 3 hours after eating. The spike seems to come at 2 hours and is almost always 7 ish. Despite having a tiny snack of cheese and oatcake before bed I haven't managed to do much about the waking numbers. They are generally in the high 6's and then come down to 5's during the morning and often 4's during afternoon. But I'm not going to worry about that anymore as it is miraculous compared to what I was getting a couple of months ago. My last hba1c was 10.5.  I'm going to have a test free few days now and give my fingers a rest lol. I think for the last 6 weeks my every waking moment has been taken up with thinking about diabetes which I suppose I needed to do as prior to that my head was firmly stuck in the sand. I know I'm not going to overeat for now as the Byetta won't let me so I'm going to try to not exactly put it out of my mind but put it further back so it doesn't take over my life.
I just hope I can rely on the Byetta to continue to work so well for me. How long have you been on it thedame? My DSN said she has been reading an American report about some patients who have been using it for 5 years and still doing well. Off for a little swim now, trying to get there early before all the kids descend.


----------



## Steff (Jul 30, 2010)

Hi Lizzie hope the numbers have been continuing (sp?) to get better and you have found something your bloods like for brekkie lol/


----------



## Lizzie53 (Jul 30, 2010)

Hi there Steffie. I'm feeling quite a lot better now. Nausea has virtually gone . While it was bad I switched to plain yogurt with some fruit for breakfast and that seemed to sit much better in my stomach. I seem to find that I'm better with cold food too. I also discovered ginger and lemon tea and love it. I drink loads now instead of coffee or normal tea. I tried an egg on toast today and have been ok. I still have issues with tiredness and headaches but have read this should pass. I just give in and have a snooze when I want one and luckily it's the school holidays now so I'm not working. Mind you not much is getting done around the house and I haven't bothered to go swimming this week. I'm off to Turkey for a month next week and we have a pool so I will flop into that every day and will be walking a bit. Weight loss is still ok and my BG's are really good and that is what keeps me hanging in there. I shall have my hba1c in September so I'm really looking forward to that. How are you doing now, is your BG behaving itself and what about the weight?


----------

