DESMOND........

[MAGGYNHERKY]

I've just come back from the DESMOND course and I have learnt that:

I can have two Weetabix or Shredded Wheat for breakfast

Two slices of bread and half a tin of beans for lunch (try not to eat four slices or you won't lose weight)

Meat and mashed potatoes for tea

and two 100 calorie snacks in the day, ie: two finger KitKat and 1and a half squares of Turkish Delight

Also I don't need to test my blood because if I did and saw a high result I would panic....................................

WOW! and there's me going low carb high fat, losing 11lbs and making an effort to keep my blood sugar stable and as low as possible! I tried to put forward the LCHF and testing point of view but was quickly shouted down by the Diabetic Nurse, and it was a Dietician who suggested the above menu for Diabetes Type 2. I eat to my meter and find I cannot tolerate a lot of carbs before my blood glucose goes high, but what do I know?

I'm really shocked to be honest..........................there was 8 other people there, one said she doesn't even eat that much and has pre-diabetes, I think with these guidelines she will soon have diabetes!!

 

[Sancho panza]

I have mine in a couple of weeks and I'm dreading it to be honest,
I wouldn't go but don't want anything saying I refused treatment on my records.
I know my nature and if I get similar advice and attitude from my specialists ( and I use the term lightly) I won't be able to hold my tongue.
So nope not really looking forward to it

 

[sally and james]

Don't be silly @MAGGYNHERKY , of course you can eat all those things. Just make sure your funeral plan payments are up to date!
Well, you've got to laugh.
sally

 

[MAGGYNHERKY]

I have mine in a couple of weeks and I'm dreading it to be honest,
I wouldn't go but don't want anything saying I refused treatment on my records.
I know my nature and if I get similar advice and attitude from my specialists ( and I use the term lightly) I won't be able to hold my tongue.
So nope not really looking forward to it

It is worth going as they explain in graphic detail how damaging to your system high blood glucose is........................................ironic though in that they say don't test and eat plenty of carbs! But I went as I didn't want my DN to moan that I hadn't attended something that was offered, especially as so little is offered. She also said I don't need to self test but after much pushing gave me a meter and 50 strips, my doctor says I am entitled to 50 strips every three months which is ridiculous.

 

[cold ethyl]

Similar to mine really, though they did let me talk about my success with Low carbing- think they had to as someone asked how I'd lowered my HBa1c from 71 to 47 in 7 weeks. After that they just kept saying, but this advice doesn't apply to D as she is doing something different. I can't understand why they can't be more honest and just say it all boils down to cost- to get best from low carbing, you do need a meter as then you can see what effects the carbs are having on you which will either spur you on to do better or allow you some leeway which will help you sustain the diet as no one wants to think they can never have a few chips or whatever your own carb treat is again.

 

[JohnD54]

I've just come back from the DESMOND course and I have learnt that:

I can have two Weetabix or Shredded Wheat for breakfast

Two slices of bread and half a tin of beans for lunch (try not to eat four slices or you won't lose weight)

Meat and mashed potatoes for tea

and two 100 calorie snacks in the day, ie: two finger KitKat and 1and a half squares of Turkish Delight

Also I don't need to test my blood because if I did and saw a high result I would panic....................................

WOW! and there's me going low carb high fat, losing 11lbs and making an effort to keep my blood sugar stable and as low as possible! I tried to put forward the LCHF and testing point of view but was quickly shouted down by the Diabetic Nurse, and it was a Dietician who suggested the above menu for Diabetes Type 2. I eat to my meter and find I cannot tolerate a lot of carbs before my blood glucose goes high, but what do I know?

I'm really shocked to be honest..........................there was 8 other people there, one said she doesn't even eat that much and has pre-diabetes, I think with these guidelines she will soon have diabetes!!

So I refused the Desmond course, I refused to go on max Metformin, and so far BG down to normal levels, weight down by nearly 3st, 15st to just over 12st this since June this year. I could have followed NHS advice and needed the extra drugs but my aim was and still is to control D as best I can as long as I can. It was suggested strongly that I could be refused medication, so what, as has been said many times on here it's our body and with a little effort and control we know what is working for us.

I am not for a second saying that the NHS are trying to hurt any of us, but the basic rules are written for the basic model of person ie one size fits all, that is not the case and never will be. I will continue to go about things my way and hope that my medical team are allowed to change their minds.

Rant over, by the way I have also been off cigs for 3 days, first time in over 45 years, diagnosis of diabetes has helped me with this also, D won't beat me and neither will the cigs. Rant really over now.

Keep well all downward and downward.

 

[cold ethyl]

It is worth going as they explain in graphic detail how damaging to your system high blood glucose is........................................ironic though in that they say don't test and eat plenty of carbs! But I went as I didn't want my DN to moan that I hadn't attended something that was offered, especially as so little is offered. She also said I don't need to self test but after much pushing gave me a meter and 50 strips, my doctor says I am entitled to 50 strips every three months which is ridiculous.

They spent quite a bit of time reassuring one lady that complications were a distant and not likely event as long as she controlled her BS levels- the irony of them praising her swap from two slices of bread to a pitta and a tupperware pot of melon, pineapple and grapes pudding was not lost on me. I felt really sorry for many of them on course as they were a bit older and not as computer savvy and probably happy to hear to the message that they could keep eating what they had always eaten.

 

[DeejayR]

Yesterday I attended the first part of DESMOND for Type 2. We were told what diabetes is! I look forward to the diet discussion in Part 2. Having read previous postings about this, there seems no more to say atm.

But it reminded me how grateful I am to you all for giving me a few simple rules and a goal. Uncertainty is wearisome and scary. The room was full of it, but I felt the force of the forum within me. It wasn't just the coffee, honest.

 

[novorapidboi26]

wow, that's quite a suprise...........

i think with most of these educational programs they can vary from postcode to postcode...........and of course the healthcare professionals can be a more open minded.......

i believe that when the nurses don't let any other ideas in, its because they don't really know much more than what they have been told to say.....

 

[Sancho panza]

I've just come back from the DESMOND course and I have learnt that:

I can have two Weetabix or Shredded Wheat for breakfast

Two slices of bread and half a tin of beans for lunch (try not to eat four slices or you won't lose weight)

Meat and mashed potatoes for tea

and two 100 calorie snacks in the day, ie: two finger KitKat and 1and a half squares of Turkish Delight

Also I don't need to test my blood because if I did and saw a high result I would panic

Well I've just been for mine and that just about hits the nail on the head.
I was quite amused when the tea and coffee and a great big plate of digestive biscuits came out at the break. I haven't had a biscuit since I was diagnosed
That said they took pains to answer the questions they were asked about. So not a total waste of time

 

[MAGGYNHERKY]

Well I've just been for mine and that just about hits the nail on the head.
I was quite amused when the tea and coffee and a great big plate of digestive biscuits came out at the break. I haven't had a biscuit since I was diagnosed
That said they took pains to answer the questions they were asked about. So not a total waste of time

After Desmond I thought I would have a go at adding some carbs to my diet, the other day I had chicken and rice (about 30 g carbs) and my blood sugar was 12.6 after two hours. Yesterday I had two breakfast biscuits type thingys, they were 7.5 carbs each and my blood sugar was 10.6 after two hours. If I have oats(20 g carbs) my blood sugar is high again. If I didn't test my blood how would I know? Without testing but following their dietary advice I would have constant high blood sugar and all the damage that that entails! I obviously cannot eat much in the way of carbs, but would have no idea about this if the Diabetes nurses had their way, after all, we don't want diabetics to panic do we..........................................grrrr

 

[Sancho panza]

I pretty much had to bite my lip when they were discussing food I told the nurse I was testing and low carbing but she wasn't going to get into that conversation and to be honest I didn't want to muddy the waters with the other people attending the course.

 

[DeejayR]

Now I've been to part 2, which apparently is the section everyone wants to know about, namely food. So it was surprising that only two thirds of the previous session's subjects turned up this time.
Weirdly, diabetes was clearly the elephant in the room. Nobody wanted, or indeed was asked, to talk about theirs. The lecture was confined to the official non-diabetic healthy plate diet with a slightly smaller carb portion. People chatted about swimming and Facebook.
I realise how difficult it is to introduce even a modicum of change to people who don't want to change at all, so I have no complaint against the healthcare presenter. It's useful to know what the food industry isn't telling us on the label, and how much sugar is in a glass of orange juice, and so forth.
At halftime I ate my home-made cauliflower cheese bites while some of the others enjoyed the custard creams provided. I didn't consider mentioning this lovely forum. Maybe I should have have some business cards made to slip into people's bags & pockets, but then I'd probably be arrested.

 

[Kezzer4321]

@DeejayR cauliflower cheese bites sound nice - did you get the recipe on here's?

 

[DeejayR]

I tried posting this in a message but it's too long
It's basically the recipe for pizza base with extras ... grate half a cauliflower & add some non-wheat flour (soya, coconut, quinoa, almond or buckwheat) and plenty of grated cheddar, and beat one or two eggs with some olive oil and stir it in. Then flatten the mixture as thin as poss into a baking pan lined with greaseproof paper and bake for about 20 mins or until it browns. Slice into convenient squares. Useful snack when you're out and about or it will toast and you can put ham etc on it.
Hope this helps