Do you T2's ever just 'need a break' from this disease?

[NewdestinyX]

Hey gang,
I'll bet I'm not alone on this. But do you ever just need a BREAK from all the constant watching of carbs and wanting to get the 'dose' just right if you take insulin or of dealing with the side effects of the other oral meds?? :x

I've been on this journey now about two and a half years. Like most I was scared into really low carb early -- which helped me to start losing weight but in the end left me with no energy to exercise and I never 'adjusted' - felt like I had the 'flu' all the time. Then I realized Met didn't work for me after 8 months of intestinal he*ll and no real help with my BG levels- eventually went to insulin and never turned back.

I sorta saw Diabetes as my 'mid life project' to get back to my high school weight and get healthier. Which I HAVE been doing. Down a little under 32 kilos from where I started this journey. On another weight plateau which has been common along the way. I took on another job which has eaten into my cycling time a lot and some stresses at work have just increased. Though those things haven't helped me stay the 'straight and narrow' -- I've just gotten TIRED: of all the meter readings and staying away from certain foods all together.

I need a break. And I'm taking it.

The cool part is that I'm not 'hungry all the time' like I was before I knew about my disease. I basically eat totally differently though still 90-110g of carbs/day 'naturally' now. My weight is such that my pancreas can handle all my basal needs though I'm still high upon waking like most of us. I just bolus a little upon waking to take care of it.

But I'm just tired ---- I've gained about 2 kilos over the last 3-4 weeks loosening up my regimen a bit and cover for it with the fast acting insulin.

I pretty much know I can't 'go nuts' and undo all the work I've done -- so I guess I'm just wanting to hear from those of you who've BEEN WHERE I AM -- and what happened with you.. Did you lose A LOT OF GROUND in your 'break time' -- or did you adjust other things to make this 'new life' more bearable.. Is a little 'vacation from it all' okay? -- and you 'outgrow it/serves its purpose' and you eventually get back on the wagon?

I guess I'm just looking for a few others out there to 'commiserate' with.

What I'm not really interested in hearing is from people who want to tell me that if I 'ultra lo carbed' I would never 'need' "off the wagon" times. I've known many who got completely shipwrecked and gave up totally after trying strict reduction of carbs to under 50g/day. So I 'know' that's not the answer for me. So please no 'soap-boxing' about the 'evils' of carbs. :roll:

Thanks for any thoughts......

 

[ClaireG 06]

I am sort of in that place at the moment! I have other health issues and family problems at the moment and the old diabetes has taken a bit of a back seat these last couple of weeks. I have an appointment with a DN on Tuesday and am hoping to get back on track.

 

[pianoman]

I count myself amongst the "most" of which you speak and no-one "scared" me into doing anything. But yes I have found that I can ease back on testing etc... so long as I don't let it slide completely and occasionally "ramp it up" to see how I am doing.

 

[WhitbyJet]

I used to feel like there was no let up, day in, day out worrying what will my numbers be, am I eating the right things and more.
Nobody forced me to low carb eating, have done it for the past 4years, so comfortable with it, so used to it, it isn't a worry anymore.
I eat extremely well, I love cooking, baking, experimenting.
I don't fall off the wagon because I eat all i want to eat i don't feel deprived. I can more or less forget about diabetes.
I test bg weekly I am very stable, only reminders I have is slight numbness in fingers, used to be so much worse before low carb.

 

[Grazer]

What I'm not really interested in hearing is from people who want to tell me that if I 'ultra lo carbed' I would never 'need' "off the wagon" times. I've known many who got completely shipwrecked and gave up totally after trying strict reduction of carbs to under 50g/day. So I 'know' that's not the answer for me. So please no 'soap-boxing' about the 'evils' of carbs.

Wouldn't do that, I eat more carbs than you! About 150 to 180 a day. I'm probably lucky in that I can get away with that. Understand the need for a break. I don't need a break food wise because my levels of carbs aren't that restricted anyway, but I have stopped testing nearly so much which is nice, and I've made an effort to move away from the situation where it occupied so much of my waking thoughts; wondering why, investigating, analysing, etc. So my break is a mental one.
Word of caution about the "coming off the wagon" though - bit like smoking I guess! I smoked for many years, then about 6 years ago just stopped. Never had a puff since. My mate stopped at the same time, but had occasional holidays where he "just had a few", and is now back to about 20 a day. I suppose I'm saying enjoy your break, but be careful it doesn't go on too long or become too hard to come back from. Hope that doesn't sound too negative!
Good luck

 

[josie38]

I agree with Grazer about the break being a mental one.

I think that the odd break from the why and wherefores of it is,for me, a healthy one. Especially when the kids are on school hols, then i can devote my time and energy to them.

Josie

 

[borofergie]

I start to find it much easier (like they said it would) as my weight drops, and that I can increasingly build a few treats into my regime. But my philosophy on diabetes and carbohydrate counting is "aim low" to account for slip ups. Someone waved some trifle under my nose last night, I couldn't say no. I enjoy these things much more now that they are very occasional treats.

I know that it's cheating, but I also try and exploit the 3 month HbA1c cycle, by being a lot stricter about my control in the month before my test.

The key is sustainability. If "having a break" will help you from completely falling off the wagon, then I think that it is easily justifiable.

 

[Sid Bonkers]

I know that it's cheating, but I also try and exploit the 3 month HbA1c cycle, by being a lot stricter about my control in the month before my test.

I always smile when I read comments like this, who are you kidding? Are you trying to trick your doctor? diabetes nurse? I doubt if they could care less about the individual. When we do things like this are are just fooling ourselves.

Sorry but thats the bottom line.

 

[CollieBoy]

So Sid, you are amused when people admit they have coping strategies.
I too use my Hba1c cycle to cope. but do it positively. as I come to the test, it increases my resolve not to let things slide, and if there is an event which could cause lack of control, I schedule it for after the test and try to minimise consequences.
I KNOW I am fallible, when i have a set-back I need to deal with it. I will not give a HCP the ability to judge my control. They rarely have the knowledge/ability to correct our problems,resulting from our indiscretions, that is OUR job!!

 

[borofergie]

I know that it's cheating, but I also try and exploit the 3 month HbA1c cycle, by being a lot stricter about my control in the month before my test.

I always smile when I read comments like this, who are you kidding? Are you trying to trick your doctor? diabetes nurse? I doubt if they could care less about the individual. When we do things like this are are just fooling ourselves.

Sorry but thats the bottom line.

Not really it's like a training cycle, preparing for a race. It gives me a target to chase and keeps my motivation through the whole cycle. If the net result of this is that I have two months of good control, followed by one month of excellent control, then I can't see that I'm doing myself any harm.

Anyway. I check my HbA1c at home every month, and it is more or less constant @5.2%-5.3%.

I must be doing something right.

 

[NewdestinyX]

I too use my Hba1c cycle to cope. but do it positively. as I come to the test, it increases my resolve not to let things slide, and if there is an event which could cause lack of control, I schedule it for after the test and try to minimise consequences.
I KNOW I am fallible, when i have a set-back I need to deal with it. I will not give a HCP the ability to judge my control. They rarely have the knowledge/ability to correct our problems,resulting from our indiscretions, that is OUR job!!

I admit, Fergus, this is a concern of mine too. The 'entirety' of my control isn't expressed by any 'one HBA1c reading. And like you said it CAN be misinterpreted by our docs that use it as a gold standard. Never once in this 31 kilos of weight loss has my doc said he was proud of all that hard work. What exactly is their end game? I wonder.. :roll:

I know that it's cheating, but I also try and exploit the 3 month HbA1c cycle, by being a lot stricter about my control in the month before my test.

I always smile when I read comments like this, who are you kidding? Are you trying to trick your doctor? diabetes nurse? I doubt if they could care less about the individual. When we do things like this are are just fooling ourselves.

Sorry but thats the bottom line.

Not really it's like a training cycle, preparing for a race. It gives me a target to chase and keeps my motivation through the whole cycle. If the net result of this is that I have two months of good control, followed by one month of excellent control, then I can't see that I'm doing myself any harm.

Anyway. I check my HbA1c at home every month, and it is more or less constant @5.2%-5.3%.

I must be doing something right.

You are, BF! Good work! I'm happy and complication free (so far) at 5.7-5.8. Due for new blood tests this month. Interested to see where I am after some 'break taking'.

And thanks for the input everyone.

Please folks (Sid *sigh* ), let's not hijack this thread to other pointless arguments. Not welcome.

 

[viviennem]

For once I am in agreement with you, Grant, despite being a low-carb fan! I've eased off a little over the last 3 weeks, and am probably eating between 100g - 150g of carb a day at the moment. I'm also not testing as much.

I'm still conscious of the diabetes, I'm not eating sticky cakes or puddings or biscuits or pies or vast amounts of toast and marmalade (sigh!), but I've had a couple of curries and a few bottles of wine, and the odd sandwich here and there.

This week-end is the last of it, then it's back to my usual low-carb way of eating, and regular testing. It will be interesting to see how much weight I've put back on, and what my blood glucose is doing at the moment. I'd like to have another stone (7kgs) off by Christmas. That will give me a total weight loss of 70lb, roughly 32kg, in 20 months. I'll be happy with that.

I'm still trying to psych myself up for the home Glucose Tolerance Test. 410ml of Lucozade first thing in the morning - ugh! :lol: But a pity to waste the opportunity.

I find it's easier to cope if I don't punish myself, or beat myself up over every little slip. Maybe I'm growing up at last :lol: And I agreee with you too, Sid - If I'm cheating, I'm only cheating myself, and have no-one to blame but myself if it all (and I) go(es) pear-shaped. :wink:

Viv 8)

 

[Etty]

I manage by building in a loose structure of breaks. Two days eating whatever I want is all I can manage before my appetite starts to rattle it's cage. I do that at Xmas, Easter and birthday. Otherwise, I have dinners once or twice a month where someone else cooks and I just eat what's provided. These compromises seem to be enough to keep me honest so far. I don't take anything for granted.

 

[Sid Bonkers]

So Sid, you are amused when people admit they have coping strategies.

Not really it's like a training cycle, preparing for a race.

I often read on this forum about "Taking control of your condition" an admirable sentiment but meaningless if you are going to kid yourself that your control is better than it really is. I repeat, no one on your health team cares if you are well controlled or out of control, its their job, thats it, deal with it, the only person who can control your diabetes is YOU. You either take control or you kid yourself the choice is yours, but dont make excuses to me or anyone else because I and everyone else dont care. Only you and your loved ones really care about you, face the facts.

Please folks (Sid *sigh* ), let's not hijack this thread to other pointless arguments. Not welcome.

Oh I'm sorry NewKidOnTheBlock but the last time I checked this was a public forum and I am as entitled to my opinion as you are to yours, all I was doing was replying to a comment made, I was not going off topic unless you call taking control of your own destiny being off topic? I have said before on this forum many times that DIETS DONT WORK, if you are diabetic you need to change your lifestyle, diabetes is for life, if you diet you will fall off the wagon. I dont know any other way of saying this, I'm sorry if you are offended but the Emperor is definitely naked.

You can diet for the last 3 weeks prior to your A1c's, tell your doctor you drink two glasses of red wine a week and smoke 5 cigarettes a day (does anyone really smoke 5 cigs a day :lol you can stretch the truth all you want but you are only fooling yourselves.

 

[NewdestinyX]

Oh I'm sorry NewKidOnTheBlock but the last time I checked this was a public forum and I am as entitled to my opinion as you are to yours, all I was doing was replying to a comment made, I was not going off topic unless you call taking control of your own destiny being off topic? I have said before on this forum many times that DIETS DONT WORK, if you are diabetic you need to change your lifestyle, diabetes is for life, if you diet you will fall off the wagon. I dont know any other way of saying this, I'm sorry if you are offended but the Emperor is definitely naked.

You can diet for the last 3 weeks prior to your A1c's, tell your doctor you drink two glasses of red wine a week and smoke 5 cigarettes a day (does anyone really smoke 5 cigs a day :lol you can stretch the truth all you want but you are only fooling yourselves.

All of what you're saying there is true - but, as usualwith you, Sid, entirely beside the point.. Tune in, Sid. No one said anything about dieting. I surely didn't/don't.... They don't work.. My 'break' I want to take is from 'over-obsessing' about meter readings, when I'm very healthy and insisting on getting rid of certain carbs which are necessary to stay on track. The question and issue are about - taking a break from 'obsession'. Please read the original poster's comments and comment on that.. Rabbit trails start from commenting on a non related item in a response comment that then has nothing at all to do with the original poster's questions. And yours was needlessly provoking. Why is it when you enter the thread you feel the need to pick a fight? And why don't our moderators warn you about it? Interesting. :roll:

 

[borofergie]

Not really it's like a training cycle, preparing for a race.

I often read on this forum about "Taking control of your condition" an admirable sentiment but meaningless if you are going to kid yourself that your control is better than it really is.

I don't want to hijack Grant's thread, mainly because it's an interesting and honest insight into coping with diabetes long term (and not getting "burned out" on the low-carb bandwagon). I was responding in that spirit of honesty and admitting my own short-comings (I said it was cheating).

But as for "kidding myself that my control is better than it is", as I explained above, I obsessively test my own HbA1c monthly (no-one here, apart from markd does it more often):

March 28th (Lab) = 10.2%
June 10th (Lab) = 5.2%
June 24th (Home) = 5.5%
July 22nd (Home) = 5.2%
August 16th (Home) = 5.3%
September 18th (Home) = 5.3%
(I should also point out that I pulled myself off Metformin in July).

The point is that it works for me. If I can extreme low-carb for a month and knock my next lab score down to 5.1% say, then I'll have set a new standard and motivated myself to try a bit harder for the next 3 months.

I repeat, no one on your health team cares if you are well controlled or out of control, its their job, thats it, deal with it, the only person who can control your diabetes is YOU.

Actually, part of my motivation in doing better is to prove my Doctor wrong on the whole low-carb thing. He might not care, but it suits me to think that I'll make him eat his words.

 

[borofergie]

(Separate post to try and pull this back on topic).

Grant, my original point (which apparently I didn't make very well), is that, even though it feels like you're "taking a break", compared to your pre-diagnosis regime, you are probably only slipping slightly. You can probably even justify this with the health benefits you've gained in getting you HbA1c down to 5.8%. With less weight, and less fatty deposits around your liver, you can probably afford to relax the regime a bit. If you can't, then you'll find out, and you can readjust.

I think this is all just fine tuning to find a regime that you can sustain for the rest of your natural life.

I admire your honesty.

Stephen

 

[josie38]

Sid said "diabetes is for life" - are you trying to tell us something we dont know :roll: :roll: :roll:

I know i shouldn't really comment on this - T1 not T2 as put in title of thread - but i feel that if someone wants to ease off on their testing and not be so intense on it for a couple of days and it makes them feel beter then fair play to them :wink: :wink: :wink:

I also think that it shows that someone is comfortable with their diabetes and what they are doing to have a "break".

Josie

 

[AMBrennan]

Actually, part of my motivation in doing better is to prove my Doctor wrong on the whole low-carb thing

Good luck with that; I'm sure an non-blinded non-randomised study with sample size n=1 will really impress your consultant.
Besides, you'll need much, much more for that - remember insulin pumps? They improve HbA1C as well. However, they also increase mortality massively (odds ratio 7.2 compared to NPH - cf NICE TA 53)

 

[Sid Bonkers]

Yet again another rude and arrogant post from you Grant.

Tune in, Sid. No one said anything about dieting. I surely didn't/don't.... They don't work

I AM tuned in Grant thats why I answered your thread, let me remind you what you said in your opening paragraph:

Hey gang,
I'll bet I'm not alone on this. But do you ever just need a BREAK from all the constant watching of carbs and wanting to get the 'dose' just right if you take insulin or of dealing with the side effects of the other oral meds?? :x

Hmmmm, "constant watching of carbs" sounds just like a diet to me Grant.

As for taking a break from testing, isnt that what we do once we get our bg levels under control and know what we can and cant eat, I know I dont test regularly any more, I can go weeks without testing at all now as I know pretty much within a % where my levels will be at any given time. It sounds to me like you have just been dieting and not training yourself to a new life long lifestyle of eating.

So please stop being rude whenever I post and if you actually bothered to read and digested some of what I say you may actually learn something from it. You say you know diets dont work and yet you want to take a break from yours