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Carbs are out!

J

jclare

Member
Messages
8
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Hi All
I have been diagnosed with T2 since 2010 but probably had some symptoms well before that. I went through the usual mental issues such as ignoring it altogether, having a go at dropping nice food and lying to the Doc about how hard I was trying to 'sort it out'. Last January I had a clinic session and my BS was way up there in the sky. For some reason I decided to have a go at getting the readings down. I am on Metformin 1000, Replagine and a couple of Blood pressure tabs. Since reading the forum on a load of topics I had a go at the Low Carb idea. My last visit (couple of weeks ago now) was an eye opener for me. The Doc nearly fell off his chair when he saw the results of my regime of three months. My average reading was well in the normal range of 5.6, which made him ask what I had been doing to cause it. I said Low Carb and he smiled and congratulated me. At no time in the past did anyone there tell me what I should be doing to reduce the readings. All I got was the usual nutritional blather about 5 a day and eat spuds etc. This forum has probably had a big effect on my life - if not helped to save it or at the least extend it. I can't thank all of you enough for all the good advice and discussion I read everyday. We are all far more involved in this diabetes thing than the NHS and we are all far more supportive of each other. Recently (having missed Chicken Curry a lot) I found that I could tolerate one from the Indian Restaurant but not from the Chinese. I reason that the Chinese recipe uses flour to thicken sauce but the Indian uses Dhal (lentils). This has improved my outlook (daft as it seems) and I now indulge in foods that I thought previously were out of reach - great. Rice and Pasta are very much a no no still, as was bread until I read about the Bergen loaf on this forum. Again, this bread didn't have any real effect on my BG and now I can enjoy a butty again. I even have a burger but using the crusts - no BG effects. I have been testing every day since January. Sounds obsessive but its the only way to find out what works for me. I use the Gluco Nexus machine from the Doc. The strips are £17+ at Boots, Coop, and Lloyds pharmacy. At Asda they are £10. Why the discrepancy and how come they are allowed to make a profit out of someones illness? I am waiting to try the other 'new' loaf I read about here - LivLife - even lower carbs per slice than Bergen. Currently I think Waitrose is the only one and thats 20 miles away. Long journey for a loaf costing £1.99. My morning phenomena readings have come down over the 3 months but remain strangely high at between 6 and 9. I haven't yet found anything that drops it consistently but I keep trying.

Anyway, many thanks to all of you for your 100% support of others like you and for getting me out of the 'denial' stages and into getting on with it.
 
Very well done, great effort!

I like curries too, I've found that some Thai curries are not too bad for carbs, try the Thai green made by Charlie Bigham's at 3.6g/100g, they also do a chicken satay at not much more. Can get them direct apparently, or they sell through Sainsbury and Waitrose.
 
Well done jclare! When I was diagnosed in January 2014 the doctor did not mention carbs - I found all that information on this site! Like you as soon as I began to cut them out my readings dropped dramatically. I am shocked that there is so little education from the health professionals. I have a DESMOND day later in May and will be interested to see what they advise for eating. Like you I love curry, so might try an Indian but a tikka or a tandoori without any sauce. I have been on the Newcastle diet since January and have lost 49lbs - 17st 7lbs to 14.00st this morning. Only 4 stones to go. I also now do 30 minutes exercise per day and my blood pressure is well down. Statins for 2 months, but no more. Blood pressure meds reduced. All levels down significantly. No diabetes meds. So, keep going with very low carbs - it is worth it on so many health levels.
 
paulins said:
Well done jclare! When I was diagnosed in January 2014 the doctor did not mention carbs - I found all that information on this site! Like you as soon as I began to cut them out my readings dropped dramatically. I am shocked that there is so little education from the health professionals. I have a DESMOND day later in May and will be interested to see what they advise for eating. Like you I love curry, so might try an Indian but a tikka or a tandoori without any sauce. I have been on the Newcastle diet since January and have lost 49lbs - 17st 7lbs to 14.00st this morning. Only 4 stones to go. I also now do 30 minutes exercise per day and my blood pressure is well down. Statins for 2 months, but no more. Blood pressure meds reduced. All levels down significantly. No diabetes meds. So, keep going with very low carbs - it is worth it on so many health levels.
Click to expand...



Paulins, You have done something amazing. But you know that already. Your story shows you have great courage - it's hard to change. You've told us about your physical and behaviour changes. I'm interested in the emotional journey you have taken during this time. That's where I struggle and fall off the wagon....
So glad you shared with us.
Hugs

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Miriamy, the emotional journey has been hard, I won't deny it, but I have been hugely supported by my husband who can do wonderful tasty things with vegetables (a curry to die for!) and my sister started to diet on the same day to support me. I want to see if I can reverse this diagnosis, and so keep myself focused on that. I know this may not happen, but even if I achieve remission then it is worth it. I am not into scare tactics, but was shocked to see what the complications could be, and I did witness my uncle who had diabetes, did not look after himself, and lost toes then his foot to the disease. I also saw the huge increase in the risk of early heart attack and stroke for diabetics - and this was also sobering. I do believe we can take responsibility for ourselves - and I decided to do this. Rather than food for treats I buy a smaller size in jeans and enjoy the fact that I can wear them again. I look at my levels and my weight and my BP coming down and chart them (thanks Andrew Colvin for this suggestion) so I can actually SEE progress. That's really an incentive. I never cheat - if I do then I'm only cheating myself, nobody else. But if I do I'll forgive myself then get straight back on the diet. I want to live as long and as healthy a life as possible. I am overweight because I ate too much and the wrong things - but I am coming to understand that I did this for a reason and that I have the power to change things for myself.
Gosh - this is sounding like a therapy session! Hope it gives you some insight into my journey.
 
paulins said:
Miriamy, the emotional journey has been hard, I won't deny it, but I have been hugely supported by my husband who can do wonderful tasty things with vegetables (a curry to die for!) and my sister started to diet on the same day to support me. I want to see if I can reverse this diagnosis, and so keep myself focused on that. I know this may not happen, but even if I achieve remission then it is worth it. I am not into scare tactics, but was shocked to see what the complications could be, and I did witness my uncle who had diabetes, did not look after himself, and lost toes then his foot to the disease. I also saw the huge increase in the risk of early heart attack and stroke for diabetics - and this was also sobering. I do believe we can take responsibility for ourselves - and I decided to do this. Rather than food for treats I buy a smaller size in jeans and enjoy the fact that I can wear them again. I look at my levels and my weight and my BP coming down and chart them (thanks Andrew Colvin for this suggestion) so I can actually SEE progress. That's really an incentive. I never cheat - if I do then I'm only cheating myself, nobody else. But if I do I'll forgive myself then get straight back on the diet. I want to live as long and as healthy a life as possible. I am overweight because I ate too much and the wrong things - but I am coming to understand that I did this for a reason and that I have the power to change things for myself.
Gosh - this is sounding like a therapy session! Hope it gives you some insight into my journey.
Click to expand...



yes therapy! its amazing, if you could bottle what you have and sell it, youd be a gazillionaire :) uplifting reading thankyou
 
Actually, 'good' therapy is worth having. Your post is definitely good therapy today. I have been in a therapy group and it was there that I learnt that understanding is one step in the right direction but the point is to change. That's another step....and so on. Sound familiar?
A famous quote by Karl Marx and the Inscription on his gravestone:
'The philosophers have only interpreted the world in various ways. The point, however, is to change it.'
I'm a philosopher trying to become an activist.

Sent from the Diabetes Forum App
 
sanguine said:
Very well done, great effort!

I like curries too, I've found that some Thai curries are not too bad for carbs, try the Thai green made by Charlie Bigham's at 3.6g/100g, they also do a chicken satay at not much more. Can get them direct apparently, or they sell through Sainsbury and Waitrose.
Click to expand...

I do my own version of Thai red and green curries and you are right, they don't affect my BG very much at all. Also I sling in any veg I happen to have around and it always comes out fine. I have also come to appreciate the cauliflower far more than pre-diagnosis. I always loved these in curries but now I seem to have it with everything. I will keep an eye out for Charlie Bighams though - I'm always open to change and variation in my food.

BG last night was 5.2 and this morning 5.6 so no morning phenomena. Had a piece of toast - no change after half an hour then dug the allotment for three hours and now reading is 7.7. Its a frustrating disease that is clearly different for each person. Still, 7.7 is way down on pre low carb days so I need to start feeling happy instead of glum about it.
 
Low carb has certainly helped me . That and exercise.
It has helped control my diabetes and my cholesterol . Still have a little bit of chocolate every day.

Sent from the Diabetes Forum App
 
Everyone is quiet on this thread ... how is the low carbing going?
 
Very encouraged by this thread. This is the direction I am trying to head in. So happy to see it works.
 
I have been great for a couple of weeks , found I can allow myself a bit more carbs since I have been exercising. ...went mad tonight and had a chinese ...We will see what happens in a couple of hours. I just couldn't face healthy food again.

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Jclare
jclare said:
Hi All
I have been diagnosed with T2 since 2010 but probably had some symptoms well before that. I went through the usual mental issues such as ignoring it altogether, having a go at dropping nice food and lying to the Doc about how hard I was trying to 'sort it out'. Last January I had a clinic session and my BS was way up there in the sky. For some reason I decided to have a go at getting the readings down. I am on Metformin 1000, Replagine and a couple of Blood pressure tabs. Since reading the forum on a load of topics I had a go at the Low Carb idea. My last visit (couple of weeks ago now) was an eye opener for me. The Doc nearly fell off his chair when he saw the results of my regime of three months. My average reading was well in the normal range of 5.6, which made him ask what I had been doing to cause it. I said Low Carb and he smiled and congratulated me. At no time in the past did anyone there tell me what I should be doing to reduce the readings. All I got was the usual nutritional blather about 5 a day and eat spuds etc. This forum has probably had a big effect on my life - if not helped to save it or at the least extend it. I can't thank all of you enough for all the good advice and discussion I read everyday. We are all far more involved in this diabetes thing than the NHS and we are all far more supportive of each other. Recently (having missed Chicken Curry a lot) I found that I could tolerate one from the Indian Restaurant but not from the Chinese. I reason that the Chinese recipe uses flour to thicken sauce but the Indian uses Dhal (lentils). This has improved my outlook (daft as it seems) and I now indulge in foods that I thought previously were out of reach - great. Rice and Pasta are very much a no no still, as was bread until I read about the Bergen loaf on this forum. Again, this bread didn't have any real effect on my BG and now I can enjoy a butty again. I even have a burger but using the crusts - no BG effects. I have been testing every day since January. Sounds obsessive but its the only way to find out what works for me. I use the Gluco Nexus machine from the Doc. The strips are £17+ at Boots, Coop, and Lloyds pharmacy. At Asda they are £10. Why the discrepancy and how come they are allowed to make a profit out of someones illness? I am waiting to try the other 'new' loaf I read about here - LivLife - even lower carbs per slice than Bergen. Currently I think Waitrose is the only one and thats 20 miles away. Long journey for a loaf costing £1.99. My morning phenomena readings have come down over the 3 months but remain strangely high at between 6 and 9. I haven't yet found anything that drops it consistently but I keep trying.

Anyway, many thanks to all of you for your 100% support of others like you and for getting me out of the 'denial' stages and into getting on with it.
Click to expand...

A big well done so nice to here
 
Hi, I almost cheered as I was diagnosed I finally knew what was wrong with me. I also knew I was going to have a mental fight on my hands. My biggest issue is I work away from home for 5 days a week and live in hotels, so eating wonderful hotel food. But I have managed to change everything thing around. In 3 months my Hba1c has dropped from over 11 to 5.1,ive lost 17kgs so far, 25kgs to go, I've improved my cholesterol by 0.2. I've done all this by ignoring the advice from my practices diabetic nurse and doctor. I was told I only have type 2, it was my fault I had it and I needed to reduce food intake, try to eat jacket potatoes, rice etc as it would help me loose weight. I am refused test strips as I only have type 2,so I fund my our, keep scores and food logs in fy fitness pall. ALL VERY IMPORTANT in my view.
 
mark51 said:
Hi, I almost cheered as I was diagnosed I finally knew what was wrong with me. I also knew I was going to have a mental fight on my hands. My biggest issue is I work away from home for 5 days a week and live in hotels, so eating wonderful hotel food. But I have managed to change everything thing around. In 3 months my Hba1c has dropped from over 11 to 5.1,ive lost 17kgs so far, 25kgs to go, I've improved my cholesterol by 0.2. I've done all this by ignoring the advice from my practices diabetic nurse and doctor. I was told I only have type 2, it was my fault I had it and I needed to reduce food intake, try to eat jacket potatoes, rice etc as it would help me loose weight. I am refused test strips as I only have type 2,so I fund my our, keep scores and food logs in fy fitness pall. ALL VERY IMPORTANT in my view.
Click to expand...

Mark 51 I totally relate to what you are saying. I was told to eat wholemeal bread pasta etc etc , eat fruit .... you know the story.
Gradually by reading things on here I am in control and happy.
Buying my testing kit and exercise bike are the best investments I have ever made.


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DESMOND day tomorrow! Will be intrigued to see what they suggest I eat! As of today I have lost 4 stones - 56 lbs/25 kg. This has taken me since end of January, so about 4 months. All BS readings for past month in normal range. Was doing well on treadmill until last Friday when I had eye surgery (not in any way related to diabetes) so being careful and refraining from the very brisk walking until eyes healed completely. Weight loss has slowed but staying positive - all in the right direction. Saturday bought a DRESS! First in years and years. Next size down in jeans - can't get into them yet but determined to be wearing them by the end of June! By summer will be able to wear T-shirts and jeans comfortably. SO, all you low carvers - it is worth it, definitely.
 
Excellent Paulins. Only 4 more pounds and you over take me. I seem to have completely plateaued so may need to reduce my carb and or nut intake or alternatively up my exercise which I currently seem to be struggling with.
 
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