New and scared - eating disorder

spud78

Member
Messages
14
Hi all,

Quick background. I was diagnosed type2 a week ago. Haven't seen a dr in person due to covid. My mum is type 2, I'd been feeling rubbish so mum suggested I buy a cheap meter so I could decide whether to call gp in these difficult times. My sugar was 14.9. Immediately cut out sugar and white bread. Tested morn, pre and post meal over next few days and stayed between 9 & 13. Saw nurse and had bloods. Came back type 2 and high cholesterol. GP said to increase my metformin (was already on 2 a day due to PCOS) to 4xday and started me on statins. I'm to see diabetic nurse in 8 wks and have bloods done again. I have no clue what my numbers were as hubby took the message and I've just assumed they're bad given my previous eating habits and home readings.

I've been reading all I can and freaking out because I can't find anyone with an eating disorder managing diabetes. I have many mental health problems and am on many different drugs -like Mirtazapine and quietiapine for eg. They tend to mess up your metabolism and make you permanently hungry. I also have asperger's syndrome and I have major issues with food. I'm 5ft3 and 17 1/2 stone (was 18stone 3 weeks ago) I'm painfully honest and tend to waffle so I apologise if I give too much info. My diet was disgusting. All junk food and as I'm unfit for work Im home all day, so constant picking. I can't leave house alone due to agoraphobia/anxiety.

So I'm a bit of a mess to start with but my main problem is I have ARFID/Selective eating disorder as a part of my Asperger's. As a baby I ate anything and everything but aged two my body started rejecting foods with skin/flesh (only way I can think to describe it sorry) I've been unable to eat fruit/veg/meat ever since. I can hold a small piece on my tongue but i can't bite into them, chew or swallow. It's textural and taste. The best way to explain it is that if I were to ask you to bite into your own arm and eat it - sorry for the awful visual but that's how so many foods are to me. Things look lovely, smell lovely and I crave a normal diet but I've had to accept it won't happen for me. I have an extremely restricted and repetitive diet. Safe food, predictable textures etc. My mainstays were cheese, cottage cheese and instant mash although my 'safe' foods list is more than just that - I won't list what i can eat unless someone wants to know. I've had in hospital therapy, graded exposure therapy, cbt, and even paid a fortune to try Felix Economakis on line hypnosis. I've tried literally everything.

I'm 42 now so it's not likely to change. I know it's a shot in the dark but would anyone be willing to look at the foods I CAN eat and make any suggestions? At the moment I'm substituting 2 meals with low sugar exante shakes - hence the 1/2 stone weight loss. I've also bought an aerobics step to do a daily workout at home. Having to do low calorie, low carb AND low fat seems impossible without fruit and veg etc. Not to be dramatic but I'm well aware I won't live a long and healthy life with my diet issues BUT I want to do the best I can and I don't like bothering dr/nurse cos I doubt they'll know either. Basically I'm a huge challenge but I do/can eat about 20 things. I have willpower, I just need knowledge - or maybe a miracle?

Obviously I take vitamins religiously and I've never been deficient in anything. My specialists ultimately decided I can eat enough variety to keep myself ticking along ok but the further restrictions from diabetes is going to make this harder.

Please be kind, I beat myself up enough. TIA
 

Antje77

Oracle
Retired Moderator
Messages
19,284
Type of diabetes
LADA
Treatment type
Insulin
I'm painfully honest and tend to waffle
Waffle away, this is a forum, it's perfectly fine to waffle! Besides, the more information you provide, the bigger the chance someone comes up with useful ideas for your situation :)

Sounds like a right puzzle to solve with the different issues you have, but not impossible.
Having to do low calorie, low carb AND low fat seems impossible without fruit and veg etc.
Why do you want to eat low calorie, low carb and low fat at the same time? That sounds pretty much impossible to me, with or without vegetables. Low calorie diets are very hard to follow for a longer time because they're starvation diets. The body is programmed to not want to die (or we would've been extinct a long time ago) so it tries every trick to keep you from starving yourself.

Many people on here have improved their diabetes with a low carb higher fat way of eating, at the same time losing weight without going hungry. Would that be something for you to try?
My mainstays were cheese, cottage cheese and instant mash although my 'safe' foods list is more than just that - I won't list what i can eat unless someone wants to know.
Cheese and cottage cheese are perfect foods, no or hardly any carbs. Instant mash is not such a good choice. Many use cauliflower or celeriac as a substitute for mash (cook, mash, add a little salt and some cream or butter if you like) but that may be a bridge too far, considering the problems you have with food.

Listing your safe foods would be helpful, we have many members who are happy to have a look at it to see if they can come up with something.

Let me add a link to our info-sheet for new members, you might find it useful: https://www.diabetes.co.uk/forum/threads/basic-information-for-newly-diagnosed-diabetics.26870/
 
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JoKalsbeek

Expert
Messages
5,937
Type of diabetes
I reversed my Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
Hi all,

Quick background. I was diagnosed type2 a week ago. Haven't seen a dr in person due to covid. My mum is type 2, I'd been feeling rubbish so mum suggested I buy a cheap meter so I could decide whether to call gp in these difficult times. My sugar was 14.9. Immediately cut out sugar and white bread. Tested morn, pre and post meal over next few days and stayed between 9 & 13. Saw nurse and had bloods. Came back type 2 and high cholesterol. GP said to increase my metformin (was already on 2 a day due to PCOS) to 4xday and started me on statins. I'm to see diabetic nurse in 8 wks and have bloods done again. I have no clue what my numbers were as hubby took the message and I've just assumed they're bad given my previous eating habits and home readings.

I've been reading all I can and freaking out because I can't find anyone with an eating disorder managing diabetes. I have many mental health problems and am on many different drugs -like Mirtazapine and quietiapine for eg. They tend to mess up your metabolism and make you permanently hungry. I also have asperger's syndrome and I have major issues with food. I'm 5ft3 and 17 1/2 stone (was 18stone 3 weeks ago) I'm painfully honest and tend to waffle so I apologise if I give too much info. My diet was disgusting. All junk food and as I'm unfit for work Im home all day, so constant picking. I can't leave house alone due to agoraphobia/anxiety.

So I'm a bit of a mess to start with but my main problem is I have ARFID/Selective eating disorder as a part of my Asperger's. As a baby I ate anything and everything but aged two my body started rejecting foods with skin/flesh (only way I can think to describe it sorry) I've been unable to eat fruit/veg/meat ever since. I can hold a small piece on my tongue but i can't bite into them, chew or swallow. It's textural and taste. The best way to explain it is that if I were to ask you to bite into your own arm and eat it - sorry for the awful visual but that's how so many foods are to me. Things look lovely, smell lovely and I crave a normal diet but I've had to accept it won't happen for me. I have an extremely restricted and repetitive diet. Safe food, predictable textures etc. My mainstays were cheese, cottage cheese and instant mash although my 'safe' foods list is more than just that - I won't list what i can eat unless someone wants to know. I've had in hospital therapy, graded exposure therapy, cbt, and even paid a fortune to try Felix Economakis on line hypnosis. I've tried literally everything.

I'm 42 now so it's not likely to change. I know it's a shot in the dark but would anyone be willing to look at the foods I CAN eat and make any suggestions? At the moment I'm substituting 2 meals with low sugar exante shakes - hence the 1/2 stone weight loss. I've also bought an aerobics step to do a daily workout at home. Having to do low calorie, low carb AND low fat seems impossible without fruit and veg etc. Not to be dramatic but I'm well aware I won't live a long and healthy life with my diet issues BUT I want to do the best I can and I don't like bothering dr/nurse cos I doubt they'll know either. Basically I'm a huge challenge but I do/can eat about 20 things. I have willpower, I just need knowledge - or maybe a miracle?

Obviously I take vitamins religiously and I've never been deficient in anything. My specialists ultimately decided I can eat enough variety to keep myself ticking along ok but the further restrictions from diabetes is going to make this harder.

Please be kind, I beat myself up enough. TIA
First off, I don't have an eating disorder, unless you want to call some moderate emotional/comfort eating (which about 75% if not more of people do), a disorder. There are others here though on the spectrum who have similar issues, and they follow a low carb diet with varying success, within their possibilities.

Basically, there are 3 macro nutrients. Protein, fat and carbs. If you cut all of those down, you're living off of air, which is what you're suggesting now. So, first thing you need to do is get your numbers from your test results. Some practices have them available online, but you might have to call the assistant, or if you're uncomfortable with that, request it per mail or e-mail. Cholesterol is deemed "high" in people when it really isn't all that bad, so you need to know where you are where that's concerned, the breakdown is important rather than total cholesterol. Statins can up your blood glucose considerably, and if you don't need them , you might want to consider discussing ditching them with your doc. (If you've had a cardiac event in the past consider me shutting up). I had high-ish cholesterol when first diagnosed, but with switching to low carb that all went away. Together with my non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.

You were on met because of the PCOS, which also gives one insulin resistance, (the PCOS, not the Met), so it's a bit weird no-one kept an eye on you to see how your blood sugars were doing. Then again, no-one bothered to tell me my results either, so... Par for the course, I suppose. Metformin doesn't do anything about what you eat though. It may suppress hunger some, though it doesn't sound like it does that for you. The most it does is keep your liver from dumping too much glucose. Reducing the output with up to 75%. It's not going to so anything about the carbs you ingest, and all carbs turn to glucose once ingested. (Exception to the rule being sugar alcohols, as they can't penetrate the bowel and never enter the bloodstream).

So what's next? You give us that list of "can"s, maybe add the most dire "can'ts" as well. You be as specific as possible so we can suss out what is still doable within the restrictions on your diet and what isn't. Good news being, the cheese is a keeper. Is cauliflower mash or cauliflower rice an option? No skin on that, should hopefully be able to replace regular mash. (Goes well with cheese and/or butter. :))

https://josekalsbeek.blogspot.com/2019/11/the-nutritional-thingy.html <-- this is going to include a lot of foods that will make your skin crawl, but maybe it'll help. Sorry about the yucky stuff in advance.

I don't know how much I'll be around in the next few days, but if I don't respond, there's a whole bunch of people here who know exactly what's what. And you might want to read Dr. Jason Fung's the Diabetes Code, and visit Dietdoctor.com. You might come across things that can be adjusted to work for you.

Good luck!
Jo
 

xfieldok

Well-Known Member
Messages
4,182
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Agree with the above. List all the foods you like to eat. We can tell you if there are anything bad and offer possible alternatives. Think of it as a puzzle to solve rather than a battle.
 
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spud78

Member
Messages
14
Really confused now. I don't use the phone so I got my hubby to ring for numbers (he's registered to speak for me) and they don't seem that bad,unless I'm reading them wrong. They gave him a range rather than a figure so I'm guessing it's pretty useless info. They are wonderful with me but they do keep some things from you when you have severe mental health issues. In case it triggers anything really. I have yearly full tests and apparently my last one was borderline. I've been told to be careful with my weight and diet but that's all. I think they were adopting a wait and see approach.

HBA1C 20-41 high
Cholesterol 0-5

Is that any use? I'm guessing they will go through it with me when I see the diabetic nurse.

I'll do my food list now.
Thanks so much. I really wasn't expecting any replies.
 

xfieldok

Well-Known Member
Messages
4,182
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Your hba1c numbers make no sense to me. Leave that aside for now, speak with your nurse first
Ideally you need to know your score, it is your starting point.

A personal word on statins. We cannot advise you what to do. I wouldn't take them unless they were prescribed by a cardiologist. Some raise your glucose levels.
 
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xfieldok

Well-Known Member
Messages
4,182
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Just out of interest, I googled your medications along with diabetes. You might want to do the same.
 

JoKalsbeek

Expert
Messages
5,937
Type of diabetes
I reversed my Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
Really confused now. I don't use the phone so I got my hubby to ring for numbers (he's registered to speak for me) and they don't seem that bad,unless I'm reading them wrong. They gave him a range rather than a figure so I'm guessing it's pretty useless info. They are wonderful with me but they do keep some things from you when you have severe mental health issues. In case it triggers anything really. I have yearly full tests and apparently my last one was borderline. I've been told to be careful with my weight and diet but that's all. I think they were adopting a wait and see approach.

HBA1C 20-41 high
Cholesterol 0-5

Is that any use? I'm guessing they will go through it with me when I see the diabetic nurse.

I'll do my food list now.
Thanks so much. I really wasn't expecting any replies.
I don't think there's anyone alive with a HbA1c of 20, or they might be hypo-ing all the time? And 41 is in the normal range, so.... That's absolutely useless. Maybe they meant that's the normal range and you're higher than that? Ah well. My GP knows I'm nuts, (Clinically depressed introverted borderliner with PTSD, to be a bit more specific) but she also knows I can take care of myself, medically speaking. So she'll give me any and all data I ask for. Heck, I even have a bunch of my x-rays and such. No matter, because you can take charge of this yourself by getting a meter. (One with cheap strips, because that's where the wallet will hurt if you go for the expensive ones). That'll tell you how you're responding to foods, so it really is an invaluable tool. I know it could trigger certain behaviours though so you might want to mull it over, but for me... It showed me I was making progress. And that's both encouraging and empowering. Your cholesterol is another mention of what the range of total cholesterol should be, rather than a breakdown of the components, so... Beats me what that's supposed to mean. But without the "high" behind it... I'd question the need for them. If you feel up to it, of course.

If there are no replies to a query, ask again. Sometimes a post'll slip through the cracks. But you'll never have to face any of this alone, if you don't want to.
 

spud78

Member
Messages
14
Carbs - Bread/crackers/cereal.......... all changed to wholemeal now. Using the mini wholemeal loaves 1/2slices

Dairy - cheese - but not melted
cottage cheese
eggs
yoghurt -not greekstyle, i like muller lights
milk - switched to skimmed
butter - switched to flora light and not using much at all
cheese spread

Meat/fish - A bit of chicken I've made myself - but it has to be certain bits off a roast, with no veins or membrane stuff my husband says no one else notices lol.
Tinned tuna
Cod - battered or fishfingers/fish cakes
Salmon spread

Fruit and veg - Golden delicious apple minus skin - needs to be going a bit soft, this variety needs less chewing.
Frozen banana blended - a struggle cos of taste but i can manage a few bites.
frozen cauli and brocc - only if boiled to death and masked into mashed potato and covered in gravy, has to be
mashed so I can swallow without chewing and enough mash and gravy to remove taste.
Love fruit juice (no bits) and innocent kids smoothies (no bits)

Nuts and peanut butter are great and I can manage baked beans if I'm careful with skins.

Tinned - spaghetti hoops
tomato soup
chicken soup -i take the chicken bits out as they're sometimes slimy.

I think that's everything. I've already cut out all added sugar,crisps, chocolate etc as well as white bread.
 

xfieldok

Well-Known Member
Messages
4,182
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
People are going to pile in with advice. Before they do, how are you and/or hubby in the kitchen?
 

spud78

Member
Messages
14
The ranges made no sense to me at all. I think the receptionist read it wrong off the computer. Probably a range rather than the exact number. But even if it's a range they don't seem that high to me. But I know my fasting test would have been high cos it's been between about 9 and 12 since I started testing - can't remember off the top of my head. Maybe that's what tipped the diagnosis. I'm not going to get this until my next check cos hubby wont hassle them.

I was so dehydrated when they took my blood my veins were collapsing so I cant help but wonder if some of the results might be off anyway.

I know my medications cause all sorts of nasties inc diabetes and will probably kill me. I've been on them all and these,along with lamotrigine, are the only once that have got me somewhat functional. Not to be dramatic but I'd be dead much faster without them. I'm bipolar/social phobia/PTSD/ agoraphobia and for some reason a separate diagnosis of severe anxiety and depression. So it's a lot to deal with. Stopping meds isn't really an option. I'm hoping things might improve with weight loss, maybe improve my self image a bit.

I'm in a difficult and complicated situation and just trying my best to manage all I can but a lot's out of my hands.
 

JoKalsbeek

Expert
Messages
5,937
Type of diabetes
I reversed my Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
I’m going to comment on each of these, so I don’t miss anything.


Carbs - Bread/crackers/cereal.......... all changed to wholemeal now. Using the mini wholemeal loaves 1/2slices There is low carb bread out there. Livlife for instance. Crackers too. (Atkins maybe?) I don’t know the brands, as I’m dutch, but others here might be able to help. Any kind of bread, cracker or cereal’s too full of carbs, wholemeal or no… So the low carb breads are the way to go if you absolutely need it.


Dairy - cheese - but not melted

cottage cheese

eggs

Cheese, cottage cheese and eggs: perfection, practically no carbs!


yoghurt -not greekstyle, i like muller lights

Anything light is to be avoided. Full fat is the way to go. Most light products are given flavour with carby fillers, and they won’t keep you feeling full. For satiety as well as vitamins and minerals, AND to slow/mediate any spike of carbs that go with the yoghurt, you need fats. Greek would be ideal, if you could give that a try. If not, you might want to try some other full fat, low carb brands maybe?


milk - switched to skimmed

Again, full fat is better. Milk contains milksugars (lactose), and if a carb is liquid, it hits the system faster. Full fat would at least slow the spike down. (Better option? Cream!!!)


butter - switched to flora light and not using much at all

Use real butter from a cow if possible. Again, light’s not all that healthy, and I take it that Flora light is a margarine? That’s a whole different can of worms (and not my area, so I won’t go there.).


cheese spread

Depends on what’s in there, carb wise. But sounds alright.


Meat/fish - A bit of chicken I've made myself - but it has to be certain bits off a roast, with no veins or membrane stuff my husband says no one else notices lol.

Meat and fish are absolutely fantastic for a diabetic! Knock yourself out!


Tinned tuna

Have it almost every day myself, so we have another winner. Better to have the kind in oil than in brine though, again the fat thing. But it’s up to you.


Cod - battered or fishfingers/fish cakes

Cod’s fine, the batter… Isn’t.


Salmon spread


And another fatty fish. Yay! Good eatin’.


Fruit and veg - Golden delicious apple minus skin - needs to be going a bit soft, this variety needs less chewing.


Fruits are pretty much out, save for berries, which have skin so I guess those are a no-go.Avocado doesn’t have skin on… You could peel a tomato…


Frozen banana blended - a struggle cos of taste but i can manage a few bites.

If it’s a struggle: Banana’s are one of the most sugary fruits out there. You can leave them absolutely alone.


frozen cauli and brocc - only if boiled to death and masked into mashed potato and covered in gravy, has to be

Excellent!


mashed so I can swallow without chewing and enough mash and gravy to remove taste.

Mashed is fine.


Love fruit juice (no bits) and innocent kids smoothies (no bits)

Lots of fructose in those… So it’s sugary and a liquid. Better not go there. Sorry.



Nuts and peanut butter are great and I can manage baked beans if I'm careful with skins.

Beans are different for everyone. I can’t have them without my sugars going up, some others here are fine with them. So that’s something to test. Nuts and peanuts are fine in moderation. Keep an eye on the peanutbutter, as some companies’ll toss a lot of sugar in. (You could even make your own, just toss peanuts in a chopper. Maybe add a little salt.)

Tinned - spaghetti hoops

Carb bomb, sorry. ☹


tomato soup

Depends on who made it. Lots of pre-made soups have a lot of sugar in. If you make your own it’s a different story.

chicken soup -i take the chicken bits out as they're sometimes slimy.

Same as above. If you didn’t make it yourself, check the tin for nutritional info.

I think that's everything. I've already cut out all added sugar,crisps, chocolate etc as well as white bread.

Extra dark chocolate is fine. I like 85% Lindt, or darker. (If it’s too dark, a gulp of cream’ll make it palatable.)



Others’ll probably chime in, and be of mor use as I don’t know brand names etc, but… Hope this’ll help a little.
 

spud78

Member
Messages
14
I’m going to comment on each of these, so I don’t miss anything.


Carbs - Bread/crackers/cereal.......... all changed to wholemeal now. Using the mini wholemeal loaves 1/2slices There is low carb bread out there. Livlife for instance. Crackers too. (Atkins maybe?) I don’t know the brands, as I’m dutch, but others here might be able to help. Any kind of bread, cracker or cereal’s too full of carbs, wholemeal or no… So the low carb breads are the way to go if you absolutely need it.


Dairy - cheese - but not melted

cottage cheese

eggs

Cheese, cottage cheese and eggs: perfection, practically no carbs!


yoghurt -not greekstyle, i like muller lights

Anything light is to be avoided. Full fat is the way to go. Most light products are given flavour with carby fillers, and they won’t keep you feeling full. For satiety as well as vitamins and minerals, AND to slow/mediate any spike of carbs that go with the yoghurt, you need fats. Greek would be ideal, if you could give that a try. If not, you might want to try some other full fat, low carb brands maybe?


milk - switched to skimmed

Again, full fat is better. Milk contains milksugars (lactose), and if a carb is liquid, it hits the system faster. Full fat would at least slow the spike down. (Better option? Cream!!!)


butter - switched to flora light and not using much at all

Use real butter from a cow if possible. Again, light’s not all that healthy, and I take it that Flora light is a margarine? That’s a whole different can of worms (and not my area, so I won’t go there.).


cheese spread

Depends on what’s in there, carb wise. But sounds alright.


Meat/fish - A bit of chicken I've made myself - but it has to be certain bits off a roast, with no veins or membrane stuff my husband says no one else notices lol.

Meat and fish are absolutely fantastic for a diabetic! Knock yourself out!


Tinned tuna

Have it almost every day myself, so we have another winner. Better to have the kind in oil than in brine though, again the fat thing. But it’s up to you.


Cod - battered or fishfingers/fish cakes

Cod’s fine, the batter… Isn’t.


Salmon spread


And another fatty fish. Yay! Good eatin’.


Fruit and veg - Golden delicious apple minus skin - needs to be going a bit soft, this variety needs less chewing.


Fruits are pretty much out, save for berries, which have skin so I guess those are a no-go.Avocado doesn’t have skin on… You could peel a tomato…


Frozen banana blended - a struggle cos of taste but i can manage a few bites.

If it’s a struggle: Banana’s are one of the most sugary fruits out there. You can leave them absolutely alone.


frozen cauli and brocc - only if boiled to death and masked into mashed potato and covered in gravy, has to be

Excellent!


mashed so I can swallow without chewing and enough mash and gravy to remove taste.

Mashed is fine.


Love fruit juice (no bits) and innocent kids smoothies (no bits)

Lots of fructose in those… So it’s sugary and a liquid. Better not go there. Sorry.



Nuts and peanut butter are great and I can manage baked beans if I'm careful with skins.

Beans are different for everyone. I can’t have them without my sugars going up, some others here are fine with them. So that’s something to test. Nuts and peanuts are fine in moderation. Keep an eye on the peanutbutter, as some companies’ll toss a lot of sugar in. (You could even make your own, just toss peanuts in a chopper. Maybe add a little salt.)

Tinned - spaghetti hoops

Carb bomb, sorry. ☹


tomato soup

Depends on who made it. Lots of pre-made soups have a lot of sugar in. If you make your own it’s a different story.

chicken soup -i take the chicken bits out as they're sometimes slimy.

Same as above. If you didn’t make it yourself, check the tin for nutritional info.

I think that's everything. I've already cut out all added sugar,crisps, chocolate etc as well as white bread.

Extra dark chocolate is fine. I like 85% Lindt, or darker. (If it’s too dark, a gulp of cream’ll make it palatable.)



Others’ll probably chime in, and be of mor use as I don’t know brand names etc, but… Hope this’ll help a little.
Thank you so much, that's a huge help!
 

JoKalsbeek

Expert
Messages
5,937
Type of diabetes
I reversed my Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
The ranges made no sense to me at all. I think the receptionist read it wrong off the computer. Probably a range rather than the exact number. But even if it's a range they don't seem that high to me. But I know my fasting test would have been high cos it's been between about 9 and 12 since I started testing - can't remember off the top of my head. Maybe that's what tipped the diagnosis. I'm not going to get this until my next check cos hubby wont hassle them.

I was so dehydrated when they took my blood my veins were collapsing so I cant help but wonder if some of the results might be off anyway.

I know my medications cause all sorts of nasties inc diabetes and will probably kill me. I've been on them all and these,along with lamotrigine, are the only once that have got me somewhat functional. Not to be dramatic but I'd be dead much faster without them. I'm bipolar/social phobia/PTSD/ agoraphobia and for some reason a separate diagnosis of severe anxiety and depression. So it's a lot to deal with. Stopping meds isn't really an option. I'm hoping things might improve with weight loss, maybe improve my self image a bit.

I'm in a difficult and complicated situation and just trying my best to manage all I can but a lot's out of my hands.
Couple of things to touch on:

The post in which I responded to your food list? I forgot to mention something very important. It's a diet that has to work for you. If you force yourself to eat stuff that makes you miserable, you're not going to stick with the diet. So find something that works for you eh, some middle ground. If a diet is like doing jail time, you won't keep it up for long. Try and find some joy on your plate, if you can. A diet isn't just a nutrition-in / energy-out thing, as you know it's all very much a mental thing as well. And you need to find what fits for you specifically.

Secondly, I've mentioned a couple of my issues. With the "introverted borderline" comes anxiety, both generalised and social, so yeah... Thing is, with a low carb diet I started feeling better. High blood sugars feed into depression and anxiety. I'll always be a mess, but before Corona struck I'd made great strides, walking to the GP, Hospital and physical therapist by myself (While I'd refused a therapist for my shoulder for years because I was too scared to go. All of a sudden I was seeing one twice a week!). I never ever left our flat without my husband or someone else I trusted to get me out of situations fast. I'll never be able to have a job or a "regular" life, but I can say my quality of life improved drastically. Do I still have thoughts of suicide? Sure. I don't think that'll ever quite go away, and I'm not sure if they're habitual thoughts now more than anything else... But that's a possibility. My depression's still there, it always will be, but it doesn't feel like an enormous gaping black hole in my chest anymore. I have quality of life. I can enjoy myself. Before all this, that was just about unthinkable. Not eating carbs made a big difference to my physical health, but for my mental health too. So that's a bit of hope you might want to hold on to, too. Don't expect miracles, but... Just hope for something better than what you've got now.
 

xfieldok

Well-Known Member
Messages
4,182
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Normally we would tell people to avoid mash. The more stuff is mashed the quicker the sugar hit. I make cottage pie or shepherd's pie and roughly mash either cauliflower or celeriac as the topping. In your particular case I would mash until you are happy. Compromises have to be made. :)
 

xfieldok

Well-Known Member
Messages
4,182
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
We are going to suggest stuff that makes you gag! Bear with us!

You didn't mention bacon, that's tragic. Or mushrooms. I make mushroom soup. Could you make your own soup? A stick blender can be worth it's weight in gold.

Have you tried pork scratchings? There is a less fatty version. They are useful not only as a snack, they can be blitzed and used instead of breadcrumbs.

You don't like melted cheese. I get gouda slices. Split into 3. Sprinkle with something you like, I use black pepper. Shove it in the oven for 10 minutes. Allow to cool and it should harden. Makes good crisps

Do you like chocolate cake? Google keto chocolate mug cake. Ready in 90 seconds serve with double cream.
 
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copilost

Well-Known Member
Messages
354
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
Dairy - cheese - but not melted
wow this was me as a kid (not so much now but as a kid no way, smelt like sick!)
yoghurt -not greekstyle, i like muller lights
greek style is good diabetes wise, is there something in particular you don't like?
all changed to wholemeal now.
wholemeal, brown etc etc makes no (very little difference) I have 1/2 slice now with various fat heavy things and instead of feeling worried about the fat I now worry about the carbs!
cheese spread
squeezy cheese, yay I love "laughing cow"
no veins or membrane stuff
known in my family as "suspect bits" and one particular family member can't be doing with them :)
As a baby I ate anything and everything but aged two my body started rejecting foods with skin/flesh (only way I can think to describe it sorry)
lots of evidence that eating patterns change at this age from eating everything in sight to a more cautious approach which is probably linked to child mobility/independence and is a good survival strategy (don't eat the purple berries!).

Basically I'm a huge challenge
you're an inspiration, so many things to cope with and yet still seeking answers.
 
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Geordie_P

Well-Known Member
Messages
849
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Your food list is quite encouraging: some of it is high carb so not ideal for diabetes, but luckily *plenty* of the food you can have is good for diabetes: there's a bit of a learning curve involved, but honestly, if you stick to the better foods on that list, I think you can manage diabetes quite well: I would also expect benefits with weight loss and general condition. Let us know how you get on, and if you're having any problems- there's usually someone on the forum who has some experience for just about any issue.
Good luck!
 

spud78

Member
Messages
14
Couple of things to touch on:

The post in which I responded to your food list? I forgot to mention something very important. It's a diet that has to work for you. If you force yourself to eat stuff that makes you miserable, you're not going to stick with the diet. So find something that works for you eh, some middle ground. If a diet is like doing jail time, you won't keep it up for long. Try and find some joy on your plate, if you can. A diet isn't just a nutrition-in / energy-out thing, as you know it's all very much a mental thing as well. And you need to find what fits for you specifically.

Secondly, I've mentioned a couple of my issues. With the "introverted borderline" comes anxiety, both generalised and social, so yeah... Thing is, with a low carb diet I started feeling better. High blood sugars feed into depression and anxiety. I'll always be a mess, but before Corona struck I'd made great strides, walking to the GP, Hospital and physical therapist by myself (While I'd refused a therapist for my shoulder for years because I was too scared to go. All of a sudden I was seeing one twice a week!). I never ever left our flat without my husband or someone else I trusted to get me out of situations fast. I'll never be able to have a job or a "regular" life, but I can say my quality of life improved drastically. Do I still have thoughts of suicide? Sure. I don't think that'll ever quite go away, and I'm not sure if they're habitual thoughts now more than anything else... But that's a possibility. My depression's still there, it always will be, but it doesn't feel like an enormous gaping black hole in my chest anymore. I have quality of life. I can enjoy myself. Before all this, that was just about unthinkable. Not eating carbs made a big difference to my physical health, but for my mental health too. So that's a bit of hope you might want to hold on to, too. Don't expect miracles, but... Just hope for something better than what you've got now.
Thank you so very much for sharing that with me. I know it's isnt easy. I can reel off my laundry list of problems but find it very hard to actually explain what these things are like in real life. You sound incredibly similar to me, especially the needing someone to step in when you're out. It's just like that for me. I do still get depressed. It's always there, in exactly the way you describe! solar plexus area if you know what I mean, it aches and drags at me but not as much as it did. I'm better at recognising it and stepping back now instead of falling right down the rabbit hole. I get the slow, feel like a slug, days a couple times a week but I still get suicidal thoughts but i only have to fight them about once a month. I'm sure you know what an improvement on all day every day that is. I haven't acted on it in 7 years, this month actually!I've had a wonderful support worker for two years and she's really helped me, as have the meds - I have to be honest. she's the one who picked up on Asperger's and helped me understand the impact not being spotted had on my mental health. I've still got to do the second part of my assessment as this virus has meant there's a wait, but because of that they've told me not to worry,I'm classic and it's pretty much a formality now. That's helped me hate myself a bit less.I managed to go to the local park with her because she 'get's' me and I felt safe with her. Unfortunately it couldn't last forever and i've had to stop seeing her. I seem to have reached the edge of my bubble for now. My therapist said it's fine as long as I don't regress. Just keep going. I do better in a bubble, less stress, less people, more calm - but I will always try and make the bubble bigger. She says that if that's what helps then that's what I need. I am hopeful that eating better and losing weight will help. I'm so so pleased it has for you and massive well done on your progress!

I think I'll be eating a lot of cheese and scrambled eggs -yum:) I do like dark choc too so I'll see if I can be good and ration myself. Thanks for the support.