Not doing very well......

[graemerobinson73]

Morning

I'm Graeme,new to the group

I was diagnosed with type 2 when I was 26 stone about 13 years ago... they told me that it was because i was massively overweight......11 stone lost now and still the same bloods, and I just seem to get threats from the GP to scare me and the dietitian just said 'Well just eat less'.... Losing the will now, seems theres nothing I can do..... I exercise when I can, but I work long hours, but I need help with what foods I can eat and when, not just eat less and get threatened by the fact that if my blood sugar doesn't improve I'll lose a leg or something...... just need help, not bullying I'm male and 41

Looking for foods I can buy that are sugar free and low GI, I work all over and its difficult to prepare food

When I am not working I can easily control my diet as have time to prepare food that can lower my blood levels, as well as exercise. I told my GP that its difficult to fit in exercise when I work a 70 hour week, and he put in my notes that I wasnt willing to exercise.

I'm staring to get very down when my bloods go up.....

Any help would be appreciated as he NHS cant help...feeling very lost, lonely and down about it all

Thanks in anticipation

Graeme

 

[Bluetit1802]

Hello Graeme and a warm welcome to the forum.

You are in a mess, and frankly it isn't unusual to get no help regarding diet from the NHS as they push the "healthy plate" at everyone. This isn't terribly suitable for diabetics.

Has anyone told you that ALL carbs turn to sugar once inside your system, not just high GI ones? Some people do well on a low GI diet, and so might you BUT you also have to reduce the portion sizes of ALL the carbs not just the high GI ones. Wholemeal grainy bread will still turn to sugar, it just takes a bit longer. Bread, rice, pasta, potatoes, and everything made from flour (whether white or brown) such as batter and pastry must be reduced. Likewise, you need to be careful with milk and fruit as they also contain too much sugar.

Perhaps you could give us a typical day's menu and we may spot things that could help.

Brilliant weight loss by the way. Well done.

 

[pavlosn]

Hi Graeme and welcome

Funnily enough I was just thinking today that having to go to work does seriously interfere with my own efforts for glycemic control, particularly on stressful day like today, but needs must. I guess I should start buying lotto tickets!

The short of it is that you should avoid or limit your consumption of carbohydrates, anything made of flower, pasta, rice, sugar, cereals. To keep you from going hungry you may have to eat more food that is high in protein and fats eg meat, fish. Butter, cream.

To know how much you should limit carbs you need to test glucose levels before and after meals and adjust accordingly - you should aim for after meal counts to be within 2 mmol of before.

Hope this helps

Pavlos

 

[graemerobinson73]

Morning

Thanks for the reply..and for the information that Ive never had I didn't realise milk...that's off my list now

Typical diet

Breakfast
Slice of wholemeal toast or 2 weetabix with milk and sweetner

Lunch
wholemeal bread sandwich...or what ever I can get at the supermarket near where i am working

Tea
same as lunch

Ideally i need some sort of ready food I can buy that I can store in the car and eat, without it affecting my bloods....

or advice on what foods are not sugar and don't turn into sugar when I eat them

I didnt realise that even low GI stuff turns into sugar...

Thanks

G

 

[graemerobinson73]

Yeah thanks dibbles, they can be scathing, as if I didnt get bullied enough for being fat as a kid, the doctor seems to think that and scare tactics work

Pavlos...great info thanks.... what your suggesting is almost like atkins diet?

Thanks all...im starting to think more positively

G

 

[Bluetit1802]

Hi Graeme,

I didn't know that any carbs turned to sugar. No-one told me. I was told to eat carbs by my nurse. Only people on this forum helped me.

OK. My initial thoughts are you are eating far too much bread, and nowhere near enough nutritious foods.

Breakfast. Weetabix and milk would send my blood levels sky high. Could you try a full fat Greek yogurt (plain) and add a few strawberries, raspberries or other berries? Just a few, not many. Or how about a fry up - no bread though to begin with. Bacon, eggs, toms, mushrooms. Or scrambled eggs. Eggs any which way in fact.

Lunch. What about some cold meats from the supermarket? Chicken drum sticks, ham etc. Boiled eggs, cheese, a few cherry tomatoes. A packet of salad leaves or mixed lettuce. You can eat as much meat as you like, and as much fish as you like. Tinned salmon or tuna can be lovely with a boiled egg and plenty of real mayonnaise (not the low fat rubbish)

You could make yourself a picnic in some suitable containers with all the above. All you need then is a spoon.

@pavlosn is quite right. You need to test all your meals with a meter. You may be in for a big shock with the food you are eating at the moment. Have you got a meter?

 

[graemerobinson73]

Yes...the bread was for ease, but your right, it must be whats going wrong...greek yogurt sounds good, Ive always avoided yoghurts as they send my levels sky high, so thats really interesting

Im about to head for lunch so I will see what I can concoct with that list

what about something to snack on whilst I am working...is there anything snack friendly with no sugar or carbs?

Im actuualy looking forward to lunch, I cant thank you enough

G

 

[Bluetit1802]

Good luck!

You were probably eating the flavoured yogurts, which contain sugar, or even the low fat ones, which many also have added sugar. You need to read the nutrition labels on EVERYTHING you buy, and look for the "total carbohydrate" amount. Forget the "of which sugars" as the sugars are included in the carb count. Compare brands and pick the one with the lowest carbs per 100g. Full fat Greek yogurts are delicious with a few added berries. Some lower fat Greek yogurts are also OK but do check the labels.

People on the forum often snack on nuts, but I don't like nuts. I just don't snack! Pick a no carb snack preferably, like a cheese. Remember, if you eat between meals your levels may be higher when you reach your next meal as they won't have had enough time to drop back.

 

[graemerobinson73]

good tip, thanks

the snack thing comes as the gap between lunch and tea can sometimes be 10 hours.... so handy to have something in my laptop bag to keep me going.

What kind of values should I be looking for to be safe in the total carbs per 100g?

Thanks

G

 

[sally and james]

Just a tip. If you are out on the road a lot, why not buy some of those freezer cold blocks for keeping picnics safe, along with an insulated picnic/lunch box. That way, except perhaps on the very hottest days, you can safely take out some prepared food from home and it will keep for many hours.
Sally

 

[graemerobinson73]

Great idea.....
so what kind of nuts are no/low carb and sugar?

I tried some nuts once and put my sugar high again

so looking to move

Breakfast
Eggs or Greek yogurt

Lunch/tea
Meats and salad with full fat mayo....

any other suggestions are appreciated

Thanks...this is very positive for me

G

 

[Bluetit1802]

Nuts

Almonds 2 carbs per 30g
Brazils 1 carb per 30g
cashews 6 carbs per 30g
Hazelnuts 2 carbs per 30g
peanuts (roasted) 2 carbs per 30g
Walnuts 1 carb per 30g
Pistachios 2 carbs per 30g
Pine nuts 1 carb per 30g
Dried fruit and nuts 14 carbs per 30g

So cashews and dried fruit & nut are the worst.

 

[graemerobinson73]

lol.....it was cashews.....

I think I've established my main issue is the confusion of me reading the labels....

Previous to today ive just made sure the sugars were low.... not looked at carbs

G

 

[Bluetit1802]

Keep up this motivation Graeme. Keep posting, let us know how you go on today with your food choices and BS levels. Ask as much as you like. Just remember READ LABELS and CARBS = SUGAR.

 

[Ruth B]

Welcome to the forum. The advise you have received so far is good, keep of the carbs, and if possible test before and 2 hours after a meal to see if it has effected you blood sugar too much, look for a rise of no more that 2 - 2.5 points.

There is also a thread on low carb lunch recommendations on the next page of threads you might want to have a look at (sorry i'm no good at links) and there is a whole forum dedicated to low carbing that might give you some ideas.

Labelling of foods is really deceptive, I came across something that was showing green for sugar, and less than 1%, checked the back and it was over 70% carbs, needless to say it went back on the shelf.

 

[graemerobinson73]

Lunch was a pack of silverside beef...so I know I'm ok there

I'm going to keep a food diary and test bloods and post the results....

Where do we stand on porridge made from porridge oats for breakfast...that seems to be ok?

Thanks

G

 

[Bluetit1802]

Porridge is an odd one, and better made with water than milk. Some people are OK with it. Others are not. You can only test it out to see - immediately before and 2 hours after.
Lunch was a good one.
Keeping a food diary and recording your levels next to it is an excellent way to learn. It's what I do.

 

[graemerobinson73]

Ive been ok with porridge so far so I'll add that in for breakfast.

Ive struck off cereal now...

are there any other sauces to add to cold meat and salad that are ok? ive got full fat mayo....any others?

Cant thank you all enough,after 13 years of type 2, 6 years not caring and 7 years of worry, I actually think I can get positive about this

Cheers

G

 

[Lenny3]

You've been given great advice here. I'd like to say WELL DONE for losing all that weight. Care to share how you did it?

 

[sally and james]

Sauces for salads:
Olive oil and balsamic vinegar. (yes, I know, balsamic contains sugar, but you are only having a few drips of it)
Olive oil and lemon juice, with crushed/chopped garlic.
Olive oil, good mustard and lemon juice, squeezed from a real lemon!.
I'm sure I've seen a recipe for home made, low carb, tomato sauce somewhere recently - try googling it.
Sally