Just returned from dog walk feeling wobbly , had 4 jelly babies( advised by clinic) and a few Brazil nuts , plus lots of water , I've settled down now.
I am on a no carbs since I was diagnosed 5 days ago.
My question is what do you guys take when you run out of steam. Would like an alternative to the jelly babies , non carb?
Hi
@Rog
When I was first diagnosed in late January this year, I wanted to get control of my Diabetes straight away. Like yourself, I decided to eat no carbs...no obvious carbs anyway. Ruled out all cereals, breads, fruit, flour/wheat based foods, beans, lentils & of course anything with sugar. My allowed vegetables were very low carb & small portions only. I even ruled out tomatoes & onions. I'd seriously restricted my food choices in an effort to completely get on top of my blood glucose levels. However, after eating ultra low carb for a month, I found the diet completely unsustainable. I was bored stupid with the food I was eating, so ended up skipping meals as I couldn't face eating the same old stuff anymore. Food had become my enemy & I no longer got pleasure from eating. All because I was determined to control my illness & wanted to be a "healthy" diabetic.
I'm guessing, being newly diagnosed yourself, that you may be trying to do what I did. Believe me, it's unsustainable & will make you miserable. Experienced members were advising me of this, but I didn't want to believe them. I convinced myself that the way I was managing my diabetes was the best way for me. So, I carried on with VLCHF. Easy for a week or so. But as I say, totally unsustainable in the long term. Maybe like me, you need to find that out for yourself. OR, you could put yourself out of the misery of such a restricted diet. Why not try a slice of toasted Burgen bread with butter, cream cheese, pate, pure fruit jam or any other topping of choice. This soya & linseed bread can be tolerated by many diabetics due to its slow digestive absorption meaning it doesn't make your blood glucose levels spike too high. Just eating one slice of bread, & thoroughly enjoying it, helped me realise that i was overdoing the restrictions. From then on, I introduced "normal" or "banned" foods back into my diet. I started with small pieces of fruit, a couple of roast parsnips with a dinner, Hovis crackers with spreadable cheddar...until I built up a list of foods that I could safely eat. I used my meter to test after 2 hours using the guidelines on this forum.
http://www.diabetes.co.uk/diabetes_care/blood-sugar-level-ranges.html Maybe I'm completely wrong, but I just wanted you to know my experience when I was newly diagnosed. I too had carb withdrawal symptoms, rather than a full-on Hypo. Very similar...feeling weak, dizzy, lightheaded etc, due to quickly restricting carbs.
My diet is much more varied now. I eat healthily, have small portions of anything I want, I'm still losing weight, have stable blood glucose levels & eventually I even have a once a week takeaway now. I honestly thought I'd never be able to have a takeaway again when I was first diagnosed. I'm happier overall & eat pretty much what my family do, with a few adaptions to accommodate my dietary needs.
I hope I've been able to help. My very best wishes to you.
Ali. X
