Type 2 but love eating loads of chocolate

[Susikav]

You MUST get off chocolate, it is killing you, I found eating a lot of fruit helps and I found a shop that now keeps sugar free acid drops, they are really strong like they used to be and make a change from mints. I used to eat chocolate but only have the odd HOT CHOCOLATE (Options) now. I am on insulin now and have been since July and found I do not like most chocolate now, I have the odd peice of Lindt 70% or higher chocolate it is quite bitter but satifies the craving.
I also joined slimming world as a way of relearning what is good and bad and how to control it, I found fruit is really good both for diabetes and to lose weight, it has changed how I view food

Hi drakman... Well done on your achievements.... Lots of fruit is not good for diabetics? It's full of sugar.... only berries in moderation are good for diabetics... sorry.... The meds do not give us a licence to eat sugar... sadly... Check out the Low Carb - What have you eaten today thread...

 

[Susikav]

20 carbs a day!?....that can't be easy.

Hi Paulblatch.... You'd be surprised how easy it is... The weight-loss and cutting down of meds makes it easy... check out Low-Carb-High-Fat sites and see what you can eat... it's a very nice way of life - and I have no meds at all on it...

 

[Susikav]

Hi, I'm new here and I would say that I am a chocoholic but you have just scared me. I will be restricting and hopefully giving up chocolate now.

Hi SusanMaries... check out post number 39 on this thread... the lovely chap on there will tell you how to make your own chocolate... it really is lovely, although I don't feel the need for it often... There are lots of wonderful threads on this site you can visit, full of clever people with loads of experience and advice, should you need it... There are also many sites available to research low-carbing to control your D2... Good luck...

 

[Gudrun]

My advice is: whenever you feel like eating chocolate, eat a pickled gherkin instead. That'll take away any thought of chocolate. My second advice is to google foot amputations. You may need to shock your way out of eating chocolates, Neil.
My mother and aunt went blind due to diabetes, my mother also had gangrene in her foot, but died before it had to be amputated. My sister died of kidney failure just shortly before going blind due to diabetes. I know what I'm talking about when I warn against the complications.
As for me... I am still prediabetic but have found that low carb / high or medium fat is bringing my blood sugars nicely down into the normal range. Check out www.dietdoctor.com. They not only give advice on how to deal with diabetes (and to bring the sugar levels down), but also have talks / presentations on sugar addiction. Well worth listening to.
Anyway, good luck. I hope you will succeed and live longer, being able to see and walk on your own feet.

 

[pleinster]

Hi have been a type 2 diabetic for 12 yrs,I take 6 tablets a day I have the red dots in the back of my eyes and I am loosing the nerve endings in my feet,the thing is that I am a chocoholic I eat roughly 300gram bar of chocolate a day and I am addicted to it need help

Neil, mate...you need to take control of your diet..I was up at 20.0 when diagnosed and 14 wasn't unusual a lot of the time. Even then, my lowest readings were maybe about 9.0 or so...your lowest is way too high to leave alone. i seriously recommend dropping all carbs that are above 10g in every 100g. If you're eating bread, cereals, spuds...consider stopping completely. It will make a difference...really. You have time to minimize damage done and avid further ****, or at least keep it away for a while. On the chocolate front...I loved chocolate...omg...but I have got used to 90% cocoa chocolate bars from Sainsburys, and look forward to half a large bar at night...go get some now!! Start a diary of grub and readings, and start avoiding those carbs. Good luck.

 

[Munkki]

I am lucky in that I can eat a small amount at a time so a 100g bar can last a week. It is a bit more expensive but Lindt do a 90% cocoa solids bar with about 7% sugar. I try to pick it up when it's on offer, the last time I saw it was in the Lindt shop in Clark's Village Street, 2 bars for £3.

Sainsbury's is selling them now. You get at 200g for £3.

 

[Pinkorchid]

The first thing I did when I got diabetes was learned to make my own chocolate. Raw organic cacao powder and cacao butter sweetened with liquid stevia. You can add nuts or desiccated coconut. It takes about a 2 minutes to make a batch and 20 mins in the freezer to firm it up. I would make some every night and eat as much as I liked. I would make a hot chocolate with the remnants of the mix and drink that while I was waiting for the chocolate to firm up. I was using coconut oil at first but cacao butter completes the deal cause of the smell. I normalised my blood sugar from 7.8 to 5,8 in six months eating my own chocolate everyday. It doesn't taste like cadbury but it satisfies the addiction while your withdrawing from sugar

Wow I have some raw organic cacao usually just sprinkle it on my greek yogurt but I will have a go at making chocolate with it

 

[Suzie Quartly]

You can buy Adkins diet chocolate bars in many supermarkets. Some of the Adkins stuff is like what I imagine eating play doh would be like, but this is OK. So eat that instead whilst you are weaning yourself off chocolate. Also if its the cocoa hit your body is craving but the really black chocolates like Lindt 80% and eat just a couple of squares of it at a time. try to limit yourself to 2 squares as a treat after dinner each day, and one Adkins bar for snacking on - wouldnt mind betting that if you eat too much of the Adkins stuff you get the squits, which happens with many of the no sugar sweets! That will help you not eat too much!

 

[Pookie33]

Hi have been a type 2 diabetic for 12 yrs,I take 6 tablets a day I have the red dots in the back of my eyes and I am loosing the nerve endings in my feet,the thing is that I am a chocoholic I eat roughly 300gram bar of chocolate a day and I am addicted to it need help

I work in a dialysis unit and have done for 13 years. Seeing the toll that diabetes takes on some of our patients is sometimes hard to stomach, especially as a lot of it is preventable. We are lucky in this day and age that we can get much more help and education than in the past. Although we know what we should do it is very hard to restrict your diet, but yes, it is a lifestyle choice.
I was diagnosed with type 2 a couple of years ago, did really well with diet and exercise (have belonged to a gym for years) but my HbA1c shot up earlier this year and I'm now on metformin. I wish I could say it was due to eating choccy, sweet or carb filled foods but its not, its most probably due to other treatments I'm on for other health conditions, we've just got to giggle meds til we know what works for me.
If it's in your power to help lower your blood sugars please do it, if you fail ask if you can arrange a visit to your local dialysis unit.....seeing first hand the life you could be heading for is very sobering.

 

[Oldman1952]

Naltrexone?? Sorry Peter, but you have got to be kidding!

Edit - The rest of your post I would tend to agree with but using Naltrexone for this purpose? I could be wrong but I don't believe it is licensed for this use, maybe for eating disorders but even that would be very unusual. Personally I think it would be totally inappropriate.
I notice Neil hasn't posted since the beginning of the month, he has had some understanding posts, others more forthright but I think he has probably got the message that something will need to give.

Hopefully he will come back and let us support him to make the changes he needs quickly and without judgement.

Hi ladybird, Naltrexone is an opiate antagonist for cravings but it can have the same effect on any addiction craving. Check out (Treato.com) regarding people who have had a good success rate and have lost quite a lot of weight. It is commonly used in Bulimia and Anorexia Nervosa. It is licensed for addiction, hence cravings. I nursed a young lady with Anorexia Nervosa and she was also Bulimic. She was at the point of total organ failure and Naltrexone worked very well for her. However if you have never nursed or dealt with the psycho-pharmacology of Naltrexone when cravings need to be halted I take your point. Best regards Peter: Oldman1952

 

[Tweets]

Hi have been a type 2 diabetic for 12 yrs,I take 6 tablets a day I have the red dots in the back of my eyes and I am loosing the nerve endings in my feet,the thing is that I am a chocoholic I eat roughly 300gram bar of chocolate a day and I am addicted to it need help

My heart goes out to you ... as I am finding resisting chocolate very, very hard. I try to keep to 2 squares a day. Maybe you could start by going to half a bar, then a quarter bar, then a square ? That might help ? Best of luck, Tweets

 

[Michael2457]

Sorry to hear about your predicament Neil. I too WAS a huge Chocolate eater for 40 years. Then I got told I had T2 diabetes and the health dangers that are associated with it. That was enough to make me stop Immediately. I have not had any Chocolate now for 3 months,yes I have cravings for it,but I fight them and usually grab a avocado and sprinkle it with triple zero stevia 100% natural sweetener.

Please do try to give Chocolate up,for the sake of your long term health. If you cannot then try diabetic Chocolate. All the best Neil..

 

[Tom Green]

I love chocolate so I eat no sugar added chocolate.
I test atleast 5 times a day and mostly after I eat. Usually I start with a fasting or pre breakfast check to make sure I'm not too low.
I never took care of my diabetes until my eyesight went. I've had 21 laser surgeries in each eye
I just had a quintuplet bypass surgery back in December 2014 which the Doctor said was directly related to diabetes. My. Cholesterol was always great and my kidneys are also functioning well.
I have some minor neuopothy in my toes
To me the most dangerous word related to diabetes is the word Pre Diabetes. I didn't take it seriously at all. Considering everything, I consider myself very lucky at 71 years old and still enjoying life.
No sugar added products have helped to keep my sugars low.

 

[pjs]

Stop eating chocolate completely. It will be tough for a week or two but you will then stop craving it. Keep yourself busy, tell those around you what you're doing & get their support. If you only cut down on the amount you eat you'll always crave it. If you must eat something instead of chocolate how about an almond, but most importantly do something that diverts you. Good luck.

 

[Tom Green]

I've been injecting insulin for over a year. Best thing I ever did and I can eat pretty much what I want.
My diabetic nurse medicated to achieve the results I have. She doesn't believe in depriving ones self of the enjoyment of food you love.
I use 60 units of Lantus at night and 20units of Nico Rapid prior to a meal. I also use pills to their Max amount. My sugars early go above 7 and early below 4. Fact is life isn't worth living without great food. I'm 71 and have no intention of depriving myself of food I love.

 

[ladybird64]

Hi ladybird, Naltrexone is an opiate antagonist for cravings but it can have the same effect on any addiction craving. Check out (Treato.com) regarding people who have had a good success rate and have lost quite a lot of weight. It is commonly used in Bulimia and Anorexia Nervosa. It is licensed for addiction, hence cravings. I nursed a young lady with Anorexia Nervosa and she was also Bulimic. She was at the point of total organ failure and Naltrexone worked very well for her. However if you have never nursed or dealt with the psycho-pharmacology of Naltrexone when cravings need to be halted I take your point. Best regards Peter: Oldman1952

Hi Peter. I'm very familiar with Naltrexone and its uses in drug and alcohol addiction, I have heard of it being prescribed off books in cases of ED but was certainly not aware of it being "commonly used" for this purpose? Given that it would usually be prescribed by a pdoc, I honestly can't see it being prescribed for chocolate cravings - as you know, this is a world away from Bulimia or Anorexia.
Nor do I think it should be prescribed for this purpose - altering diet and eating habits is something most of us have to deal with. There are plenty of great suggestions on this thread, and i think that given the wait for psychological support/counselling,he would be better to deal with it himself. Hopefully he will come back and let us know how he's doing

 

[ladybird64]

I've been injecting insulin for over a year. Best thing I ever did and I can eat pretty much what I want.
My diabetic nurse medicated to achieve the results I have. She doesn't believe in depriving ones self of the enjoyment of food you love.
I use 60 units of Lantus at night and 20units of Nico Rapid prior to a meal. I also use pills to their Max amount. My sugars early go above 7 and early below 4. Fact is life isn't worth living without great food. I'm 71 and have no intention of depriving myself of food I love.

Different strokes Tom. For me, the fact that a medical professional who is supposedly an expert in tbeir subject, actively advises someone to go on a powerful medication just so they can eat what they want, is just awful.
There are issues like driving and having to report to the DVLA, having to test before doing so, the risk of hypos and the responsibility that goes with that..

I would actually class it as irresponsible, if there isn't a real medical need for it. My daughter, 25, is on insulin 4 times per day too and I would give anything for her to not to be - but she hasnt a choice. I'm genuinely glad that you are happy to manage your diabetes this way, but as a T2 myself, who enjoys some very good food indeed, I would rather make the adjustments to my diet that are needed, rather than have to inject insulin unnecessarily.

Just my opinion.

 

[Scouser58]

The lowest reading o get is 14,1

Hello Neil73, lowest 14.1,,,erm,,you need help in a big way,,,,,I too like a smidge of chocolate,,,but that amount is frightening,,,,,,I get some nice diabetic chocolate from Holland & Barrett, it only has 6 pieces on it, so there is not too much,,,,,or if I cannot get there,,,,,chop up a bar into squares, or two squares,,put it in the fridge and let it get really cold and it hardens,,,,,then have a square,,allow it to melt on your tongue (no chewing), and the roof of your mouth,,,,,now have a cup of tea, and sip,,you will get good 'hit' from this small amount, if you cannot get the diabetic bars.

But being very serious Neil, naughty boys who dice with their long term health is asking for major problems just down the line,,,,we need our sight,,,we need our feet and legs,,,, they are all responsible for our progress in life,,,,,and without them life stops,,,,Neil it is up to you,,,ttfn from Karen.

 

[Susikav]

My advice is: whenever you feel like eating chocolate, eat a pickled gherkin instead. That'll take away any thought of chocolate. My second advice is to google foot amputations. You may need to shock your way out of eating chocolates, Neil.
My mother and aunt went blind due to diabetes, my mother also had gangrene in her foot, but died before it had to be amputated. My sister died of kidney failure just shortly before going blind due to diabetes. I know what I'm talking about when I warn against the complications.
As for me... I am still prediabetic but have found that low carb / high or medium fat is bringing my blood sugars nicely down into the normal range. Check out www.dietdoctor.com. They not only give advice on how to deal with diabetes (and to bring the sugar levels down), but also have talks / presentations on sugar addiction. Well worth listening to.
Anyway, good luck. I hope you will succeed and live longer, being able to see and walk on your own feet.

Hi Gudrun... such sage advice... I hope Neil listens to it... You really can make your own chocolate treats that absolutely kick any cravings to the kerb....

 

[Midnightdawn]

Hi have been a type 2 diabetic for 12 yrs,I take 6 tablets a day I have the red dots in the back of my eyes and I am loosing the nerve endings in my feet,the thing is that I am a chocoholic I eat roughly 300gram bar of chocolate a day and I am addicted to it need help

Hi
Like you I love chocolate, also cake, biscuits and everything else I shouldn't, I had gone from 9:6 to 11:3 and knew I had to do something so I decided to have hypnotherapy, it has been the best £120 I have ever spent, I no longer want anything sweet, I live healthy food and look forward to going to the gym, my blood sugar has not been above 8 since going, previously it was between 13-20 most days, give it a go, I'm so glad I did
Good luck
Midnight