struggling

[ally1]

you are so right that plates are bigger. my mum has some smaller plates so i will get one from her

 

[Loobles]

Hi @ally1, my name is Louise and I'm an overeater and binge-eater. There, I said it...

A little something about me...I've always had a funny relationship with food but after a horrible trauma in 2001 my eating spiralled out of control to the point that I literally could not control it. It basically stayed like that with only brief periods of "normal" eating. I starved, I made myself vomit (or tried to), I binged. I had some hypnotherapy and that has given me much more control over my eating, but hasn't really impacted the weight much (about 2 stone, still better than nothing). I am a hypnotherapist myself so I'd naturally recommend looking into that if I were you...make up your own mind.

Although I can control my eating more than I used to, I still have periods (usually when stressed) where I feel strong compulsions to eat and get very anxious and distressed if I can't. My GP was no help but, luckily, with my health being rubbish lately I went to Occ Health and asked what help they could give me. They've put me in touch with a nutritionist, the company doctor and has got my manager to agree to pay for some CBT. I haven't used CBT before but I will take whatever they're offering. I will let you know what I think of it. I haven't had any of this yet as it is all in the process of being arranged.

What's helped me in the past - since I have HUGE eyes...bigger than my belly...almost! - is to gradually reduce the carbs. This keeps your eyes happy. This is for illustrative purposes and I'm not suggesting you start with this....

I got out the amount of rice I'd normally make myself and I weighed it. Say for example it weighed 100g. I cooked that for my meal. The next time I made 95g, then 90g, then 85g....right until I got to 65g...a level which Weightwatchers were telling me was reasonable. That gradually got my eyes used to smaller amounts of food but the downside is it's a lot of weighing...but that's a habit that came in handy as I'm now back to weighing everything!

I don't want to assume what you're feeling, but I'm familiar with beating myself up about it, feeling desperate, feeling helpless and just not really knowing where to start. If you'd like to talk about it, feel free to reach out to me. And best of luck, you deserve to be healthy and happy

 

[Loobles]

Just FYI @ally1 I have been eating lower carb and high fat (about 100g carbs a day) for the last week. I've dropped 9 pounds, have more energy, my stomach feels more comfortable, I sleep better, my BP is better, I'm less anxious, less compulsive about eating, have no desires to binge and am beginning to feel really good. If you haven't done it yet I do urge you to try it.

 

[donnellysdogs]

Ally
As you are buying yourown strips, I would recommend that you do not test every hour... Its totally unecessary


Loving life

 

[Bluetit1802]

Ally
As you are buying yourown strips, I would recommend that you do not test every hour... Its totally unecessary


Loving life

I agree, and not only unnecessary but also it can be demoralising because your numbers are currently so high. Stick to morning fasting, bedtimes, and before then 2 hours after eating.

 

[Mushroom]

TBH - don't even do the morning one (Dawn Phenomenon) or the evening one. The two hour after a meal is more helpful for me. And not every meal -just when I have over-done the carbs and/or portion size. The great thing about getting your blood sugar (and weight) under control is that you can get on with your life and stop being 'medicalised'. I have just told my clinic that I don't want yet another fasting blood test at 6 months and I am not having it done. I am controlling my blood sugar myself at the moment and once a year blood testing is fine for me.
Loobes - Hi! Glad to hear the LC/HF is working. well done!

 

[Loobles]

I've just been checking before/after one meal a day (pick a different one each day) and on waking. My figures don't look too bad but I think I'm probably prediabetic. Want to get it under control now though. I have a hge amount of weight to lose so I'm hoping it can only get better!

 

[AndBreathe]

TBH - don't even do the morning one (Dawn Phenomenon) or the evening one. The two hour after a meal is more helpful for me. And not every meal -just when I have over-done the carbs and/or portion size. The great thing about getting your blood sugar (and weight) under control is that you can get on with your life and stop being 'medicalised'. I have just told my clinic that I don't want yet another fasting blood test at 6 months and I am not having it done. I am controlling my blood sugar myself at the moment and once a year blood testing is fine for me.
Loobes - Hi! Glad to hear the LC/HF is working. well done!

@Mushroom - after 3 years you may feel comfortable with your strategy, I would suggest that for me, at almost 10 months in, it seems too light touch; for me. I was told at my last, and only UK review that if my next test was at a similar level to the. Test being discussed (37), then I would move onto annual testing. I'm pretty motivated and strong-wills, but that feels too distant to me.

In my early days regular testing was my great educator and reinforcer of the lessons I was learning. Some others are having a harder time getting consistent results from their finger prick tests. I'm not advocating a long term 7 or 8 times daily, and certainly not hourly, but something daily is,surely advocated.

On an aside, I do intend to do one, or maybe two nights of overnight testing, as I have a niggling question I want to address, for me. For 99% of others that would be several steps too far.


Perhaps I have misinterpreted your message, and I apologise if that is the case.

 

[Mushroom]

Hi Loobes, you are so lucky you have found out before you developed full diabetes. I wish I had known about prediabetes before I put all the weight on. Why I let myself get so big, I really don't know. Kept telling myself I was big but healthy. Just so stupid. The human body can't cope. Best wishes to all.

 

[equipoise]

TBH - don't even do the morning one (Dawn Phenomenon) or the evening one. The two hour after a meal is more helpful for me. And not every meal -just when I have over-done the carbs and/or portion size. The great thing about getting your blood sugar (and weight) under control is that you can get on with your life and stop being 'medicalised'. I have just told my clinic that I don't want yet another fasting blood test at 6 months and I am not having it done. I am controlling my blood sugar myself at the moment and once a year blood testing is fine for me.
Loobes - Hi! Glad to hear the LC/HF is working. well done!

Sorry Mushroom, I don't follow your logic here at all. Having a 6-monthly blood test isn't 'being medicalised' -- it is giving you more information so that you can control your diabetes effectively. Presumably they are not just testing hba1c, but also triglycerides, liver, kidney function etc -- all of which is important if you are diabetic. My diabetes clinic couldn't wait to put me onto annual tests rather than 6-monthly, but that is about saving them money. Well done you for getting your blood sugars under control, but if they are offering 6-monthly tests I would take them and be grateful! Information is power, especially for diabetics.

 

[Mushroom]

@Mushroom - after 3 years you may feel comfortable with your strategy, I would suggest that for me, at almost 10 months in, it seems too light touch; for me. I was told at my last, and only UK review that if my next test was at a similar level to the. Test being discussed (37), then I would move onto annual testing. I'm pretty motivated and strong-wills, but that feels too distant to me.

In my early days regular testing was my great educator and reinforcer of the lessons I was learning. Some others are having a harder time getting consistent results from their finger prick tests. I'm not advocating a long term 7 or 8 times daily, and certainly not hourly, but something daily is,surely advocated.

On an aside, I do intend to do one, or maybe two nights of overnight testing, as I have a niggling question I want to address, for me. For 99% of others that would be several steps too far.


Perhaps I have misinterpreted your message, and I apologise if that is the case.

Think my point is that if you don't do something to help yourself at home then tests and the nurse isn't going to solve anything. My own doctor told me not to buy a meter and not to test, then admitted she knew nothing about diabetes.
I was on one year tests (after the initial flurry of blood test in the first few months) until last month. Then I get a form last week from the clinic, 5 months after my last one, saying I need to go for another fasting test. I rang and queried it. Then told them I wasn't going.
At the moment, I am doing better than the majority of my DSN's patients. For my personal case, the reason for that is that I am controlling my eating and weight and for me that is keeping my blood results results down and I know this from testing myself at home regularly.
If someone is still overeating, overweight, getting high readings then 6 month testing should be done. But you will only get the results that you already know. The least controlled people I know are the ones that have totally handed their care and personal responsibility to someone else with very predicable results.
On the other hand, if you are doing all you can and testing results are going up (your pancreas/beta cells are failing) then regular monitoring should be done and advice should be sought from the medical profession as to the next step.

 

[Loobles]

Oh gosh i don't think anyone "lets" themself get that big. I believe people dont always know how, don't believe they can or feel helpless though. I have a shed-load of weight to lose but i'm glad i know now before any real damage is done.

Sent from the Diabetes Forum App

 

[Mushroom]

Sorry Mushroom, I don't follow your logic here at all. Having a 6-monthly blood test isn't 'being medicalised' -- it is giving you more information so that you can control your diabetes effectively. Presumably they are not just testing hba1c, but also triglycerides, liver, kidney function etc -- all of which is important if you are diabetic. My diabetes clinic couldn't wait to put me onto annual tests rather than 6-monthly, but that is about saving them money. Well done you for getting your blood sugars under control, but if they are offering 6-monthly tests I would take them and be grateful! Information is power, especially for diabetics.

Yes, hubby told me I was being silly. With hindsight, the liver/kidney function would have been sensible. However, I won't take statins so the cholesterol result is of no use. I know my results are under control through regular testing at home. The 6 month test will not change what I am currently doing and that is what it is for.
My DSN says my results are far better than most of her patients and if only they could all be so good.
For me 'medicalised', is relinquishing control to someone else. Every time, I go to the clinic, they ask if I am depressed - another tick box. If I spend all my time down the clinic, I will be depressed. The blood test can wait 6 months.

 

[Mushroom]

Oh gosh i don't think anyone "lets" themself get that big. I believe people dont always know how, don't believe they can or feel helpless though. I have a shed-load of weight to lose but i'm glad i know now before any real damage is done.

Sent from the Diabetes Forum App

I have discussed this on the forum before.
All the time I could find clothes that fitted, avoided having photos taken, no-one saying you are too 'fat', being given large portions in restaurants then I 'let' myself get that big.
I cringe now when I see articles about accepting big people for who they are. Fat is not good - how can it be? I found out the hard way.
The most obvious heads-up should have been going to France. Very few people are overweight compared to here in England. I believe the medical profession there have a more honest/pro-active approach to health.
I am still 'big' but definitely not the biggest person in Tescos (as my hubby used to point out).
Hey, there is nothing worse than a reforming 'foodaholic'. I will now go and hide!! lol.
Best wishes and good health to all.

 

[sascha2]

i,m going to see my psychiartrist next week and am going to see about coming off or change my meds for depression/ptsd

Dont be hard on yourself, its very difficult,so take one day at a time, and dont take your bloods every hour, just before a meal and a couple of hours after, to get a better idea.

 

[ally1]

thank you sasha

 

[Loobles]

@ally1 you can do this...remember you're not alone, yo have a team of supporters here. Did you see my posts above? I hoped you might just imagine that it is possible to gain some control over your eating. It isn't easy though

 

[JTL]

Hard thing about losing weight is it just doesn't happen like it says in the ads.
You lose you put it back for no apparent reason you lose and can't seem to lose any more for ages then it goes back up a bit then it comes off ... it tends to yo yo and that's normal.
Easy to give up the diet.
That's why you shouldn't diet.
Changing your habits permanent is what's really needed and this treat mlarky is often or can become habit.
I plan on being a low carber for the rest of my unnatural now.

 

[Loobles]

Exactly what Jackthelad said, the best way to reduce your size is to NOT go on a diet - at least not with the intention of reducing your size. I think that's why I'm finding it easier now, because although I need to reduce my size, my primary goal right now is to control my blood glucose. The fact that I love numbers and experimentation kind of helps

 

[donnellysdogs]

Its a lifestyle change not a diet. I was brought up as a low carber (without knowing it) and it been my lifestyle since a kid.. Now 50+. So it is totally possible. I only recently realused I was "classified as a low carber" and realised I should add fat in to my diet, thanks to info on this forum.
Only difference is xmas when I have lots of extras and lots of carbs for all of December...

I mentioned somewhere on another post that I disliked the word diet, as to me "diet" is something that people do ona temporary basis only.


Loving life