Git

[Chromeautofill]

Hello,

I was told last December I had glucose impaired tolerance after giving blood samples during my 5 year health m.o.t.
Long story short, I'm addicted to chocolate (6-7 bars per day) and lucozade, I've tried kicking both but I suffer withdrawal symptoms, I tried eating fruit but its bland and boring, I work between 75-84 hours per week so exercising is out the window at the moment, I'm 56 years old, anybody know how to teach this old dog any new tricks please ? Many thanks

 

[sally and james]

Welcome, @Chromeautofill . There are two ways of giving things up, either to go cold turkey and get through the withdrawal symptoms or reduce gradually. The latter way is how I gave up smoking, successfully, some 27 years ago. So, all next week, no more than 5 choc bars, the week after, it's 4 and so on. Then no chocolate on Mondays and never before lunch until, somehow, you are not eating chocolate any more. Of course the key thing is not to buy the chocolate/Lucozade, so that it isn't handy at all times. Also, make sure that you don't replace either with something equally bad. Another thought is try and alter the routines which you associate with chocolate/lucozade, such as, if you always pop into the corner shop on your way home and re-stock, change your route home, or go out without any money.
Only you can do it and only you (unless you have family) will suffer if you don't.
Sally

 

[Deleted Account]

Forgive me if I am wrong but your question reads as if you have an addictive personality: addicted to chocolate; addicted to lucozade; working 75 - 84 hours per weeks (I apologise if this is due to financial necessity rather than an "obsession").

If this is the case, could you direct your addictions somewhere else. If it's food and you find fruit bland, what about something spicy like chilli? You could "treat yourself" with high cocoa chocolate with chilli.

It is rare that working so many hours is good for anyone. Is it possible to cut down and spend your time doing something else like exercise? I know from personal experience, exercise can become very addictive ... I get a high after pushing myself one weight or doing more HIIT.

Whatever you do, please don't use age as an excuse: I think the only thing my 75 year old mother is addicted to is trying out something new be it sushi or tai chi or finding another recipe on the internet.

 

[Chook]

Hello,

I was told last December I had glucose impaired tolerance after giving blood samples during my 5 year health m.o.t.
Long story short, I'm addicted to chocolate (6-7 bars per day) and lucozade, I've tried kicking both but I suffer withdrawal symptoms, I tried eating fruit but its bland and boring, I work between 75-84 hours per week so exercising is out the window at the moment, I'm 56 years old, anybody know how to teach this old dog any new tricks please ? Many thanks

Hello @Chromeautofill and welcome to the forum. You are fortunate in that you've got a chance to correct your diet and avoid getting full blown Type 2 diabetes (assuming that you haven't got it already). A lot of us on this forum are reformed chocoholics and I used to really love Lucozade - so you aren't the only one with your addiction problem.

Whatever you do, don't move on to fruit because that has its own problems!!

What might give you an incentive to cut down or give up the sweet stuff is if you were to get yourself a blood glucose meter and see how the chocolate / lucozade fixes are affecting your blood. Testing regularly was certainly a wake up call for me!!

 

[Guzzler]

The ratio of fat to sugar in chocolate makes it so addictive. It has been shown in mri scanners that people who are given pictures of foods with the ratio have the pleasure centres of their brains lighting up like Blackpool illuminations. That is why we become so addicted. Now the hard part, you really need to cut down then cut out your chocolate habit. What is allowed is dark chocolate that has a high cocoa count such as Green & Blacks or Lindt at over 75%. Some diabetics can go lower.
If your job is sedentary then it would be wise to make some time for excercise and this could be walking to work if possible, using the stairs instead of the lift etc. As for Lucozade it is just liquid sugar and I doubt that you would avoid Type 2 if you carry on drinking it. In short, you are looking at lifestyle changes to lower your risk of becoming T2 with its inherant complications. The way I look at it is like this, do I want that pasty or do I want my big left toe?

 

[Chromeautofill]

Forgive me if I am wrong but your question reads as if you have an addictive personality: addicted to chocolate; addicted to lucozade; working 75 - 84 hours per weeks (I apologise if this is due to financial necessity rather than an "obsession").

If this is the case, could you direct your addictions somewhere else. If it's food and you find fruit bland, what about something spicy like chilli? You could "treat yourself" with high cocoa chocolate with chilli.

It is rare that working so many hours is good for anyone. Is it possible to cut down and spend your time doing something else like exercise? I know from personal experience, exercise can become very addictive ... I get a high after pushing myself one weight or doing more HIIT.

Whatever you do, please don't use age as an excuse: I think the only thing my 75 year old mother is addicted to is trying out something new be it sushi or tai chi or finding another recipe on the internet.

Thanks for the reply, I wish I could eat spicy food but I suffer with bad acid reflux so unfortunately spicy food is a no no, I occasionally divulge into a chilli con carne only to vomit it up within a few minutes

 

[Chromeautofill]

Thanks for the reply, I wish I could eat spicy food but I suffer with bad acid reflux so unfortunately spicy food is a no no, I occasionally divulge into a chilli con carne only to vomit it up within a few minutes, also I have an extremely low boredom threshold that's why I like to work long hours, I don't watch telly (I haven't owned one for 5 years) I read 1 book a year, I need to be constantly on the go, I just don't know how to relax

 

[Chromeautofill]

The ratio of fat to sugar in chocolate makes it so addictive. It has been shown in mri scanners that people who are given pictures of foods with the ratio have the pleasure centres of their brains lighting up like Blackpool illuminations. That is why we become so addicted. Now the hard part, you really need to cut down then cut out your chocolate habit. What is allowed is dark chocolate that has a high cocoa count such as Green & Blacks or Lindt at over 75%. Some diabetics can go lower.
If your job is sedentary then it would be wise to make some time for excercise and this could be walking to work if possible, using the stairs instead of the lift etc. As for Lucozade it is just liquid sugar and I doubt that you would avoid Type 2 if you carry on drinking it. In short, you are looking at lifestyle changes to lower your risk of becoming T2 with its inherant complications. The way I look at it is like this, do I want that pasty or do I want my big left toe?

 

[Chromeautofill]

I wish I could walk to work, unfortunately I live 20 miles away from work, I don't work in on place either, I started off in Liverpool at 7.30 this morning and it'll be close on 11pm tonight when I finish in Widnes, and weekends are usually spent working 8pm-8am in Birkenhead, I'm on my feet 80% of the day so my exercise is usually walking about rather that hard physical exercise

 

[Chromeautofill]

The ratio of fat to sugar in chocolate makes it so addictive. It has been shown in mri scanners that people who are given pictures of foods with the ratio have the pleasure centres of their brains lighting up like Blackpool illuminations. That is why we become so addicted. Now the hard part, you really need to cut down then cut out your chocolate habit. What is allowed is dark chocolate that has a high cocoa count such as Green & Blacks or Lindt at over 75%. Some diabetics can go lower.
If your job is sedentary then it would be wise to make some time for excercise and this could be walking to work if possible, using the stairs instead of the lift etc. As for Lucozade it is just liquid sugar and I doubt that you would avoid Type 2 if you carry on drinking it. In short, you are looking at lifestyle changes to lower your risk of becoming T2 with its inherant complications. The way I look at it is like this, do I want that pasty or do I want my big left toe?

Welcome, @Chromeautofill . There are two ways of giving things up, either to go cold turkey and get through the withdrawal symptoms or reduce gradually. The latter way is how I gave up smoking, successfully, some 27 years ago. So, all next week, no more than 5 choc bars, the week after, it's 4 and so on. Then no chocolate on Mondays and never before lunch until, somehow, you are not eating chocolate any more. Of course the key thing is not to buy the chocolate/Lucozade, so that it isn't handy at all times. Also, make sure that you don't replace either with something equally bad. Another thought is try and alter the routines which you associate with chocolate/lucozade, such as, if you always pop into the corner shop on your way home and re-stock, change your route home, or go out without any money.
Only you can do it and only you (unless you have family) will suffer if you don't.
Sally

 

[Chromeautofill]

I've tried cutting chocolate out but to no avail, I once tried cutting it out altogether and after 3 days I was ready to sell my soul to the devil for a twix, even worse still is I badly damaged my left knee in April last year and spent 12 weeks off work because of it and in that time I became addicted to fizzy drinks, I now have to have a 2ltr bottle of either lemonade or orangeade in my fridge at home, and when I get up for my customary middle of the night pee I have to take a few swigs out of the bottle

 

[sally and james]

@Chromeautofill You say that you "have to have" sugary drinks in the fridge at home and that you would sell your soul for a twix. Is there any point in you asking for help if you are so determined to head down the road to diabetes and all that involves? I might add that the "bad acid reflux" of which you complain, is often remedied by a low carb diet.
Only you can make the choice between illness and health, but we can help you, if you want to succeed and are prepared to help yourself.
Sally

 

[Goonergal]

Hi @Chromeautofill

I can certainly relate to your story - prior to diagnosis I was consuming vast quantities of sugary and carb laden products. I could easily get through a multi-pack of crisps and a multi-pack of chocolate in a day, sometimes with a large pack of Haribo thrown in. I knew it wasn't doing me any good, but was stuck in a vicious cycle of eating rubbish, feeling sluggish and getting more and more sedentary. Not pretty.

The diagnosis of type 2 was the kick up the proverbial that I needed to get serious about my health - as others have said, it really is down to you and your mindset.

In terms of practical advice, I'm going to tell you what I've done - but you need to find your own way. For food I went "cold turkey" - threw out all the bad stuff and went very low carb. For me, the easiest way to avoid eating something is not having it in the cupboard/fridge. Was hard at first - withdrawal symptoms of headaches and feeling hungry. But I persevered and after a while it gets easier - now my appetite is much smaller and I no longer crave sugar and carbs. That's not to say I don't fancy them if I see them, but I don't actively crave them, which make them much easier to decline in social settings.

For exercise I took a slower approach. I use public transport to get to work so was already doing a low level of exercise. I bought a pedometer to understand the base level - on a normal working day I was at about 6,000 steps. I started looking for small opportunities to increase that - going for short (10 minutes - so achievable in a busy day) walks in the lunch hour. Over time I've started getting off the train a stop earlier in the morning and then going back to that station in the evening. The endorphins from exercise make it quite addictive so it was easy then to start doing even more - going the long way round, going further at lunch time, even going for a walk before leaving for work if up very early (which I often am).

I guess what I'm saying is that even in a very busy schedule there are small steps you can take which will make a difference and help you to make bigger changes, but it's all about mindset. You have to want to do it - and coming here for advice suggests you do - and you need to identify the things that will fit into your schedule.

I wish you the best of luck.

 

[Chromeautofill]

Hi @Chromeautofill

I can certainly relate to your story - prior to diagnosis I was consuming vast quantities of sugary and carb laden products. I could easily get through a multi-pack of crisps and a multi-pack of chocolate in a day, sometimes with a large pack of Haribo thrown in. I knew it wasn't doing me any good, but was stuck in a vicious cycle of eating rubbish, feeling sluggish and getting more and more sedentary. Not pretty.

The diagnosis of type 2 was the kick up the proverbial that I needed to get serious about my health - as others have said, it really is down to you and your mindset.

In terms of practical advice, I'm going to tell you what I've done - but you need to find your own way. For food I went "cold turkey" - threw out all the bad stuff and went very low carb. For me, the easiest way to avoid eating something is not having it in the cupboard/fridge. Was hard at first - withdrawal symptoms of headaches and feeling hungry. But I persevered and after a while it gets easier - now my appetite is much smaller and I no longer crave sugar and carbs. That's not to say I don't fancy them if I see them, but I don't actively crave them, which make them much easier to decline in social settings.

For exercise I took a slower approach. I use public transport to get to work so was already doing a low level of exercise. I bought a pedometer to understand the base level - on a normal working day I was at about 6,000 steps. I started looking for small opportunities to increase that - going for short (10 minutes - so achievable in a busy day) walks in the lunch hour. Over time I've started getting off the train a stop earlier in the morning and then going back to that station in the evening. The endorphins from exercise make it quite addictive so it was easy then to start doing even more - going the long way round, going further at lunch time, even going for a walk before leaving for work if up very early (which I often am).

I guess what I'm saying is that even in a very busy schedule there are small steps you can take which will make a difference and help you to make bigger changes, but it's all about mindset. You have to want to do it - and coming here for advice suggests you do - and you need to identify the things that will fit into your schedule.

I wish you the best of luck.

 

[Chromeautofill]

I've only brought 1 bar of chocolate to work for lunch today, in fact that IS my lunch, after I finish work where I am at the moment at 3.30 I then have to work for 2 hours elsewhere, then over to Birkenhead for a 12 hour night shift, by the time I get home again it'll be around 9.30 tomorrow morning, so I'm going to try and survive on a single bar of chocolate, I pass chip shops and pizza/kebab houses but I don't usually eat fatty foods, just sugary ****, its going to be tough but as the saying goes "?"

 

[luceeloo]

I've only brought 1 bar of chocolate to work for lunch today, in fact that IS my lunch, after I finish work where I am at the moment at 3.30 I then have to work for 2 hours elsewhere, then over to Birkenhead for a 12 hour night shift, by the time I get home again it'll be around 9.30 tomorrow morning, so I'm going to try and survive on a single bar of chocolate, I pass chip shops and pizza/kebab houses but I don't usually eat fatty foods, just sugary ****, its going to be tough but as the saying goes "?"

I'm just gonna call this how I see it, because like a lot of people here, I've been where you are. I completely understand the chocolate struggle especially.
Taking one bar of chocolate to work to last you all of that time is setting yourself up for failure. You will get hungry, you will then find yourself reaching out for whatever is around to grab, and chances are that isn't gonna be healthy, is it?

With diabetes and pre-diabetes you have two choices in life. Choice one is that you don't try to help yourself, you end up on a lot of medication and insulin, and then the life changing side effects of prolonged high blood sugar set in. Choice two is that you take the bull by the horns and realise that you are in charge of your own destiny on this one, and you try to do better by yourself.

Everyone has given good advice on here, so I can't add anything to what has already been said. I'd recommend staying with this forum, learn what others do to control their blood sugar levels, and try it out for yourself.

 

[Chromeautofill]

I'm lucky in the fact that where I'm working there's nowhere near to buy anything to eat, except a subway nearby where I am at the moment and I don't like their food, absolutely tasteless, same goes for McDonald's, not had anything from there for almost 2 years, as long as I don't think about food too much I'll be fine

 

[Chromeautofill]

Just after 11.30pm and I've still only eaten 1 bar of chocolate today, any bizarrely i'm not even craving chocolate for my tea I grabbed a cheese and onion pasty, and for supper, 2 apricots, 2 plums and 1/2 dozen red grapes, roll on 3pm tomorrow when football season starts again \O/ "come on you yellows" \O/

 

[AloeSvea]

I don't know what I would do without my favourite brand of stevia sweetened milk chocolate. I know dark chocolate is good for you, in that the actual dark chocolate has nutritional value, but I just can't like it. Two squares are 1.6g of carbs. 5g for the whole bar. Get good at carb counting?

If we were drinking in the pub together, and you told me what you opened this thread with, I would look you in the eye and suggest strongly you ditched added sugars and definitely the fizzy sugary drinks. If you didn't want to progress onto T2D. And I would offer you a piece of my stevia sweetened milk chocolate. And would explain about carbs. After that - I absolutely know it is entirely up to you. And your health goals.

 

[Mark_1]

Is it chocolate or sugar your addicted to? Sainsbury's do a 85% bar that's split into 5 separate smaller packets. You could start cutting down by having a few of these smaller bars a day. Much less sugar.