Struggling with diet

[chja1963]

On a recent diabetes review my HBA1C was 13.4% and I weigh 19 stone 13 pounds, so our discussion was around diet and weight loss for obvious reasons, I have lost 3 stone over he past 3 years but due to a serious back issue exercise is difficult, but am starting swimming soon. I had thought I was eating a reasonably healthy diet for type 2 diabetes, but informed that I need to cut the carbs. My vegetable intake has always been good, but fruit is a different matter, I only eat strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, mango, pineapple, bananas and easy peel oranges, I thought one portion a day of one or another of these was good, but I have been told to stop eating these as they contain sugars. I was also told that I don't eat enough protein. I generally try and incorporate a protein in eat meal, but due to a really tight budget I can only afford 2 meals a day, either breakfast and dinner or dinner and tea, breakfast is usually porridge with milk being the closest thing to protein, dinner is usually some form of casserole dish which has some form of meat (usually mince, which judging by the look I got was a criminal offence) or beans with vegetables, served with rice, pasta or potatoes (which I use to fill up on), and tea will be either a sandwich or beans/tomatoes/eggs on toast. Unfortunately my diet is not particularly varied, this is because I have to live on between £10.00 - 15.00 a week, I also live on my own so cooking for one is difficult and protein is the most expensive item, so I cannot spend more than £3.00 max on protein. If anyone has any ideas on how to get cheap protein without converting to a vegetarian diet, would welcome any advice, sorry it's a bit long winded.

 

[Alison Campbell]

Hi and welcome. You will get some great advice here.

This thread has some ideas and also there have been a number of threads asking similar in the low carb diet section
http://www.diabetes.co.uk/forum/threads/low-carb-on-a-tight-budget.98749/
http://www.diabetes.co.uk/forum/threads/low-carb-on-a-tight-budget.98749/
Tagging @daisy1 for the general new member information

 

[Brunneria]

Hi and welcome!

That is a very tight food budget. You have my sympathy.
Can you transfer the money you were spending on fruit into your protein budget?
I have no problem with mince as a protein source. I would certainly consider it a much better option than beans or lentils, since mince doesn't affect my blood glucose, and beans do!

I think I would buy the largest whole chicken that I could with the protein budget. That would give me anywhere from 4 to 8 meat portions, depending on size of chicken and size of portions. Once those were gone, I would gently simmer the chicken bones to make a lovely chicken broth, and use that as soup - probably another 4-6 mugs of broth, depending on what veg I used.

Other meat options would be belly pork (£4.30 a kilo in our local Tescos, but you don't have to buy a whole kilo)
and turkey thigh mince (at £2.45 for 500g)

You must be using carbs like bread, rice, pasta or potatoes to fill up, because they are cheap, but I am afraid that they are probably driving your blood glucose up more than the fruit.

I appreciate that you are in a tricky situation!

 

[Hiitsme]

Hi and welcome @chja1963
What about fish. Mackerel can be cheap. Eggs and cheese are also good forms of protein,
If you look at the low carb sections of this website there will be suggestions. I've just noticed @Alison Campbell has already given a link.
When Daisy posts her information there will be a link to a low carb program which you might find helpful. I think to eat on only £10-15 a week must be very difficult. Hopefully someone can come up with some suggestions.

 

[Freema]

On a recent diabetes review my HBA1C was 13.4% and I weigh 19 stone 13 pounds, so our discussion was around diet and weight loss for obvious reasons, I have lost 3 stone over he past 3 years but due to a serious back issue exercise is difficult, but am starting swimming soon. I had thought I was eating a reasonably healthy diet for type 2 diabetes, but informed that I need to cut the carbs. My vegetable intake has always been good, but fruit is a different matter, I only eat strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, mango, pineapple, bananas and easy peel oranges, I thought one portion a day of one or another of these was good, but I have been told to stop eating these as they contain sugars. I was also told that I don't eat enough protein. I generally try and incorporate a protein in eat meal, but due to a really tight budget I can only afford 2 meals a day, either breakfast and dinner or dinner and tea, breakfast is usually porridge with milk being the closest thing to protein, dinner is usually some form of casserole dish which has some form of meat (usually mince, which judging by the look I got was a criminal offence) or beans with vegetables, served with rice, pasta or potatoes (which I use to fill up on), and tea will be either a sandwich or beans/tomatoes/eggs on toast. Unfortunately my diet is not particularly varied, this is because I have to live on between £10.00 - 15.00 a week, I also live on my own so cooking for one is difficult and protein is the most expensive item, so I cannot spend more than £3.00 max on protein. If anyone has any ideas on how to get cheap protein without converting to a vegetarian diet, would welcome any advice, sorry it's a bit long winded.

welcome here chja1963


the best you can do is to count the number og grams of carbs you eat on a day , and start around 80-100 grams a day, some do need to go even lower like under 20 grams a day to get their blood glucose down to normal like non diabetic people or close to... try that for some days and you´ll find out that you can indeed lower your numbers if not you are in a lack of insuline from more servere type 2 or type 1

the quit the oranges the mangoes and the bananas and the pineapples as they all of them spikes ones blood glucose extremely berries are a good choice but only in smaller amounts like 50grams a day

proteins most people do need about 0.8 grams pro kg body weight like if one weigh 100 kg 80 grams would be the at least needed amounts for a man and maybe a little less for a sedentary woman.. Proteins eaten in excess can also affect ones blood glucose as the excess protein can be transformed by ones liver into glucose as well...but most well controlled diabetics type 2 cn eat a little more than the lowest needed amouts without much effect.

fat is actually the only kategory of makro-nutrients that do not affect ones blood glucose (or of any substantional effect)

proteins : eggs, meats all kinds and all kinds of fish , in lesser amounts green beens and kidney beans as they do also contain carbs..

fats animal fats, cream olive oil and rapeseed oil and coconut-oil are good... and also from the very healthy nuts, almonds and brazil nuts and macadmia nuts, hassel nuts and in lesser amounts peanuts as they also contain some more carbs than the other kind of nuts.. almost all kinds of cheese, and full fat yoghurts...(fresh cheese contains a lot more carbs so it depends on how insuline resistant one is how much one can eat)

most vegetables grown above the ground only contain very few carbs ; like tomatoes, cucumbers spinach , avocado , peppers all kinds leeks (do contain a little more carbs ) and kale the same..

I´ll tag @daisy1 so you´ll get the welome information very valuable information

I myself eat cottage cheese and cold chicken to get some of my proteins..when I am round and about, and also sometimes a lean protein bar of 20 grams of protein... it is a little candy-like food but at least not as unhealthy as a full chokolate bar and other kinds of temptations... always carry some nut on you so you have something of a healthier choice to choose when feeling tempted...

 

[Resurgam]

Replacing the fruit with vegetables might help - it will at least stop all that sugar getting into your system. Eating cheaper, fattier cuts of meat will be more cost effective, as they will keep you from being hungry and cost less - I buy chicken thighs which are quick to cook and delicious too. I used to use a pressure cooker to speed cooking and create an ongoing dinner, adding different things so that there were two or three meals from the same base protein with different things added and cooked in five minutes - saved on the gas too.

 

[Alison Campbell]

http://www.diabetes.co.uk/forum/threads/low-carb-on-a-low-budget.115701/
This might also help @chja1963

 

[CherryAA]

On a recent diabetes review my HBA1C was 13.4% and I weigh 19 stone 13 pounds, so our discussion was around diet and weight loss for obvious reasons, I have lost 3 stone over he past 3 years but due to a serious back issue exercise is difficult, but am starting swimming soon. I had thought I was eating a reasonably healthy diet for type 2 diabetes, but informed that I need to cut the carbs. My vegetable intake has always been good, but fruit is a different matter, I only eat strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, mango, pineapple, bananas and easy peel oranges, I thought one portion a day of one or another of these was good, but I have been told to stop eating these as they contain sugars. I was also told that I don't eat enough protein. I generally try and incorporate a protein in eat meal, but due to a really tight budget I can only afford 2 meals a day, either breakfast and dinner or dinner and tea, breakfast is usually porridge with milk being the closest thing to protein, dinner is usually some form of casserole dish which has some form of meat (usually mince, which judging by the look I got was a criminal offence) or beans with vegetables, served with rice, pasta or potatoes (which I use to fill up on), and tea will be either a sandwich or beans/tomatoes/eggs on toast. Unfortunately my diet is not particularly varied, this is because I have to live on between £10.00 - 15.00 a week, I also live on my own so cooking for one is difficult and protein is the most expensive item, so I cannot spend more than £3.00 max on protein. If anyone has any ideas on how to get cheap protein without converting to a vegetarian diet, would welcome any advice, sorry it's a bit long winded.

I am really into quality food cheaply, it makes me feel good to know I am using thing other people do not and getting better food as a result almost for free. The following things can all be done well within your budget assuming you have access to a fridge/freezer and a stove. In practice if you don't have the storage facilities, you can do the same things, just scale down the sizings. I live on my own too.


some ideas for you

Bone Broth
One of the best things for you is bone broths. Find a local butcher as the supermarkets don't do this . If you ask the butcher he will set aside bones from all sorts of animals for you. lamb, beef, oxtail, chicken. I usually take whatever he has .Chicken is the best one because you get more from it.

Chicken broth

When the butcher joint chickens, the carcass is left behind. Butchers keep there because they can sell them to the abbattoir and they are then put into animal feed.

The meat remaining on a chicken carcass is just as good as any of the meat on the legs of breast and depending how good a butcher he is, there may well be a lot of meat left on the bones, which will almost certainly include much of the offal which is also extremely good for you

Today I went to my local butcher and asked him for bones. He sold me a bag of chicken carcasses for £2.00. When I got home I found there were 7 carcasses inside. I put each one in the oven to roast as one would a normal chicken. After it had been cooked I ate one - Henry V111 style with a salad. It yielded 130 gm of good quality meat.
In total I have stripped 900 grams of meat off the carcasses which at 100 gm per meal is 9 meals.

There was a lot of fat and juice remaining in the oven pan. I filled a jam jar with each. One will be used to cook with, the other to add flavour to future dishes. The meat has been divided into 100g packs for the freezer which will form the basis of 8 more meals.

I then to added the carcass bones into a stock pot along with an onion, a couple of cloves of garlic, some apple cider vinegar and 7 pints of water. That will simmer overnight before it is strained. That stock will then be used either as a bone broth stock, or as the seasoning in any meat based dish. The volume will depend on how much I reduce the stock and intensify the flavour. The stock itself will turn into a nourishing gel when its cold. There will be at least 4 pints of it - enough to make at least 10 soups or meal bases .

Thus for my 2.00 I have got the basis for - two weeks frying, concentrated flavouring for at least 2 weeks of cooking, Enough main chicken to be the basis of 9 meals and enough stock to make a dozen soups. The actual protein part of my meals for the forseeable future will be costing me less than 10p per meal.

LIVER AND KIDNEY

For some reason , these are not popular in the UK, which is a pity as they are some of the best foods for you and its very tasty.. I always keep an eye out for these on the butchers counter in the local supermarket. A couple of days ago I bought 400 grams of lamb liver and 600 grams of beef kidney. The total cost was £3.60 ( from Waitrose!) I have since divided this into 10 100g bags of mixed meats for the freezer. So the basic cost of that will be 36 pence per meal. These can be fried with an onion and some vegetables, or used as an accompaniment to eggs, there are hundreds of recipes out there for offal.


VEGETABLE BROTH
Nothing in my house gets thrown away. every couple of weeks or so, I take all remaining vegetables, off whatever type and put them into a stockpot along with various spices and seasoning and some coconut oil and cider vinegar. Again with about 7 litres of water. I leave this to cook and then reduce to about half. I then blend and store in the freezer.

OXTAIL
Much underrated - usually on sale for around £7 per kilo, makes a great stew, enough for at least 6 people, plus a bone broth. i usually cook as a stew with some vegetables, but then remove the oxtail separately so i can drink the stew freely and add in a set quantity of meat depending on how much protein I want in that meal.


With the above ingredients I can feed myself a satisfying meal full of flavour for less than £1 per meal . One can vary flavours by combining the two broths, adding additional spices, I often do that then add some mustard and cream to create a really satifsying base , with some freshly cooked vegetable and one of my 100g portions of meat.

I have spent £7 on the protein content of the next 30 ish meals leaving the remainder for the vegetables, seasonings , mustard, cream and eggs.

I hope this helps !

 

[AndBreathe]

On a recent diabetes review my HBA1C was 13.4% and I weigh 19 stone 13 pounds, so our discussion was around diet and weight loss for obvious reasons, I have lost 3 stone over he past 3 years but due to a serious back issue exercise is difficult, but am starting swimming soon. I had thought I was eating a reasonably healthy diet for type 2 diabetes, but informed that I need to cut the carbs. My vegetable intake has always been good, but fruit is a different matter, I only eat strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, mango, pineapple, bananas and easy peel oranges, I thought one portion a day of one or another of these was good, but I have been told to stop eating these as they contain sugars. I was also told that I don't eat enough protein. I generally try and incorporate a protein in eat meal, but due to a really tight budget I can only afford 2 meals a day, either breakfast and dinner or dinner and tea, breakfast is usually porridge with milk being the closest thing to protein, dinner is usually some form of casserole dish which has some form of meat (usually mince, which judging by the look I got was a criminal offence) or beans with vegetables, served with rice, pasta or potatoes (which I use to fill up on), and tea will be either a sandwich or beans/tomatoes/eggs on toast. Unfortunately my diet is not particularly varied, this is because I have to live on between £10.00 - 15.00 a week, I also live on my own so cooking for one is difficult and protein is the most expensive item, so I cannot spend more than £3.00 max on protein. If anyone has any ideas on how to get cheap protein without converting to a vegetarian diet, would welcome any advice, sorry it's a bit long winded.

Hello there.

I see the others have already given you lots of good advice.

I would echo the suggestions for effs and chicken. I was actually going to suggest chicken thighs, which I find to be the meatiest part, but agree with @Brunneria a that a whole chicken gives you the options for soup and so on. When we have chicken, I'm always astonished how much meat comes off the carcas when I've made stock.

I appreciate that if you're on your own, and as Brunneria suggests a chicken can yield around 8 portions of protein, that could be a week or more of meals, but the wonderful thing about chicken is the flavour of the underlying meat can be changed so much by the way you cook it. Sometimes if we have a nice chicken, I'll butcher it to remove the legs, wing quarter, breasts, and make very different meal form those cuts.

Do you have an Aldi or Lidl close by you could shop in? Some of their offers look very good, and although I never buy frozen vegetables, I understand theirs are very good and often less expensive than fresh.

Do you have a freezer? That could help mix things up a bit, in terms of repeatedly having chicken or whatever.

Good luck with it all. You budget must make things trickier.

 

[RosieLKH]

I'm not on such a tight budget, but I hate spending more than I need to, so I always shop at times when I know food will be reduced. I can make 4 lovely meals from a chicken. I make great use of the freezer, so will cook bigger meals and freeze portions. I miss the fruit, but not the pasta, rice or potatoes. I can eat pulses luckily and swede, turnip & parsnip. You need to test your BS and find out what is fine for your body.

Good luck. It's hard losing the weight, especially if you're on drugs which slow that down a bit, like Gliclazide. If you've spent your life trying to lose weight, and failing on low calorie diets, it's hard at first to get your head round a low carb diet. I am now eating higher fats, but am still (slowly) losing weight.

Best wishes for this.

 

[daisy1]

@chja1963

Hello and welcome to the forum To add to the many replies you have had already, here is the basic information we give to new members and I hope you will find it useful. Ask more questions when you need to and someone will be able to help.


BASIC INFORMATION FOR NEW MEMBERS

Diabetes is the general term to describe people who have blood that is sweeter than normal. A number of different types of diabetes exist.

A diagnosis of diabetes tends to be a big shock for most of us. It’s far from the end of the world though and on this forum you'll find well over 147,000 people who are demonstrating this.

On the forum we have found that with the number of new people being diagnosed with diabetes each day, sometimes the NHS is not being able to give all the advice it would perhaps like to deliver - particularly with regards to people with type 2 diabetes.

The role of carbohydrate

Carbohydrates are a factor in diabetes because they ultimately break down into sugar (glucose) within our blood. We then need enough insulin to either convert the blood sugar into energy for our body, or to store the blood sugar as body fat.

If the amount of carbohydrate we take in is more than our body’s own (or injected) insulin can cope with, then our blood sugar will rise.

The bad news

Research indicates that raised blood sugar levels over a period of years can lead to organ damage, commonly referred to as diabetic complications.

The good news

People on the forum here have shown that there is plenty of opportunity to keep blood sugar levels from going too high. It’s a daily task but it’s within our reach and it’s well worth the effort.

Controlling your carbs

The info below is primarily aimed at people with type 2 diabetes, however, it may also be of benefit for other types of diabetes as well.

There are two approaches to controlling your carbs:

• Reduce your carbohydrate intake
• Choose ‘better’ carbohydrates

Reduce your carbohydrates

A large number of people on this forum have chosen to reduce the amount of carbohydrates they eat as they have found this to be an effective way of improving (lowering) their blood sugar levels.

The carbohydrates which tend to have the most pronounced effect on blood sugar levels tend to be starchy carbohydrates such as rice, pasta, bread, potatoes and similar root vegetables, flour based products (pastry, cakes, biscuits, battered food etc) and certain fruits.

Choosing better carbohydrates

The low glycaemic index diet is often favoured by healthcare professionals but some people with diabetes find that low GI does not help their blood sugar enough and may wish to cut out these foods altogether.

Read more on carbohydrates and diabetes.

Over 145,000 people have taken part in the Low Carb Program - a free 10 week structured education course that is helping people lose weight and reduce medication dependency by explaining the science behind carbs, insulin and GI.

Eating what works for you

Different people respond differently to different types of food. What works for one person may not work so well for another. The best way to see which foods are working for you is to test your blood sugar with a glucose meter.

To be able to see what effect a particular type of food or meal has on your blood sugar is to do a test before the meal and then test after the meal. A test 2 hours after the meal gives a good idea of how your body has reacted to the meal.

The blood sugar ranges recommended by NICE are as follows:

Blood glucose ranges for type 2 diabetes

• Before meals: 4 to 7 mmol/l
• 2 hours after meals: under 8.5 mmol/l

Blood glucose ranges for type 1 diabetes (adults)

• Before meals: 4 to 7 mmol/l
• 2 hours after meals: under 9 mmol/l

Blood glucose ranges for type 1 diabetes (children)

• Before meals: 4 to 8 mmol/l
• 2 hours after meals: under 10 mmol/l

However, those that are able to, may wish to keep blood sugar levels below the NICE after meal targets.

Access to blood glucose test strips

The NICE guidelines suggest that people newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes should be offered:

• structured education to every person and/or their carer at and around the time of diagnosis, with annual reinforcement and review
• self-monitoring of plasma glucose to a person newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes only as an integral part of his or her self-management education

Therefore both structured education and self-monitoring of blood glucose should be offered to people with type 2 diabetes. Read more on getting access to blood glucose testing supplies.

You may also be interested to read questions to ask at a diabetic clinic.

Note: This post has been edited from Sue/Ken's post to include up to date information.

Take part in Diabetes.co.uk digital education programs and improve your understanding. They're all free.

• Low Carb Program - it's made front-page news of the New Scientist and The Times. Developed with 20,000 people with type 2 diabetes; 96% of people who take part recommend it... find out why
• Hypo Program - improve your understanding of hypos. There's a version for people with diabetes, parents/guardians of children with type 1, children with type 1 diabetes, teachers and HCPs.

 

[chja1963]

Thanks to all with advice, have started the low carb programme, and am currently trying melons as a alternative to my fave sugar loaded fruits, my aunt has also loaned me the weight watchers switch handbook which looks at changing your approach to food and making healthier choices to form better eating habits. So we'll see how it goes. Aldi is my main supermarket for pretty much all my shopping with to odd exception, like single portions of veg or fruit, as generally it's sold in bags and I can never use them quick enough before they go off. My freezer space is very limited, so really only keep emergency rations of veg, meat and fish, as I do prefer fresh.

 

[Avocado Sevenfold]

Hi @chja1963 If that is your garden that a beautiful kitty is guarding in your profile pic, I recommend planting courgettes. The seeds cost pennies and the plants thrive on neglect so will ensure you have plenty of low carb courgettes all summer.

 

[chja1963]

Hi @chja1963 If that is your garden that a beautiful kitty is guarding in your profile pic, I recommend planting courgettes. The seeds cost pennies and the plants thrive on neglect so will ensure you have plenty of low carb courgettes all summer.

You are correct, and another good idea, not having done gardening before, will need to get assistance with digging due to severe back issues.

 

[AndBreathe]

You are correct, and another good idea, not having done gardening before, will need to get assistance with digging due to severe back issues.

When the warmer weather comes, you could grow tomatoes too. If you have concerns about bending, there are varieties that can be done in baskets, or alternatively in raised beds or raised planters.

I have a lovely staggered level herb garden and grew chillies outside last summer too. I have almost 200 chillies hanging in the cool pantry having dried them for the winter.

It's amazing how creative we can be whether we have a large garden or just a patio.

 

[kittypoker]

Thanks to all with advice, have started the low carb programme, and am currently trying melons as a alternative to my fave sugar loaded fruits, my aunt has also loaned me the weight watchers switch handbook which looks at changing your approach to food and making healthier choices to form better eating habits. So we'll see how it goes. Aldi is my main supermarket for pretty much all my shopping with to odd exception, like single portions of veg or fruit, as generally it's sold in bags and I can never use them quick enough before they go off. My freezer space is very limited, so really only keep emergency rations of veg, meat and fish, as I do prefer fresh.

Careful with the melon as it can have quite a bit of fructose. I can't eat it as it makes me very hungry and I have metabolic syndrome, not actually T2! You might have better luck as we're all different.

 

[chja1963]

I just thought that I'd share this, week 1 completed of low carb, low, sugar and low fat diet, 7lbs lost, am feeling more than slightly pleased and smug with myself.

 

[covknit]

You are correct, and another good idea, not having done gardening before, will need to get assistance with digging due to severe back issues.

Check out google images for great ideas on economical no dig gardening and recycled stylish containers. Cougettes and tomatoes like plenty of nourishment and water so source some comfrey for free feeds. If you plant comfrey in your garden make sure it is bocking 14. People with lotties always have more plants than they need so mention your gardening needs to friend and neighbours and you will be awash with beans, squash and tomies. Failing that seeds can be aquired very reasonably at Wilko, aldi nd lidl. I know lots of people that get their seeds at pound shops. Be sure to research seed saving so you have free seeds for future years.

A lot of herbs (sage, rosemary, thyme) like soil to be dry side so choose a good location in your garden for them. Peas, beans, courgettes and outdoor cucs meed plenty of water so you may wish to consider putting an attractive water receptacle nearby for convenience especially if you do not have a hose already.

 

[covknit]

Check out google images for great ideas on economical no dig gardening and recycled stylish containers. Cougettes and tomatoes like plenty of nourishment and water so source some comfrey for free feeds. If you plant comfrey in your garden make sure it is bocking 14. People with lotties always have more plants than they need so mention your gardening needs to friend and neighbours and you will be awash with beans, squash and tomies. Failing that seeds can be aquired very reasonably at Wilko, aldi nd lidl. I know lots of people that get their seeds at pound shops. Be sure to research seed saving so you have free seeds for future years.

A lot of herbs (sage, rosemary, thyme) like soil to be dry side so choose a good location in your garden for them. Peas, beans, courgettes and outdoor cucs meed plenty of water so you may wish to consider putting an attractive water receptacle nearby for convenience especially if you do not have a hose already.

btw it is possible to get edible and attractive cabbage and kale. Lots of seed for pennies. It all depends what you like to eat as there is no point growing something you will not eat or enjoy. Acquire herbs for free by taking cuttings of a friends an remember old cultery is a perfectly acceptable tool set for handling seedlings.

 

[ME_Valentijn]

Full-fat mince is a good cheap option if you need the fat and calories - ignore the looks, or give them a dirtier look right back A small amount could last a while, if you can freeze raw portions to cook later. If bored with normal beans, there are many types of peas and lentils, possibly in the international section of the supermarket. I like the flavor of the orange and yellow ones, though a Dutch split pea soup is nice from time to time too. And chickpeas can make for a nice addition which will stay pretty solid instead of going mushy.

Veggies are tricky, since they're often costing a lot for the amount of calories you get, and they go bad so fast. A daily multivitamin might be a possibility if you're struggling with this. I also like to keep some frozen spinach around to throw into whatever I'm cooking, if I'm out of fresh greens. And growing your own veggies is a great idea, especially if you can get cheap raised beds put in so you don't have to do any bending or otherwise stress your back. I can't stand up for long due to my blood pressure getting too low, so the plan for the garden of our newly built house is to have several raised beds with a wide ledge I can sit on.