different kind of christmas

[pugster75]

Hi, I've recently been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes and still trying to come to terms with it and trying to learn what I can and cant have anymore. Its that time of year when all the shops are filled with all the nice Christmas foods, the magazines are full of Christmas recipes and the tv food channels have got the celebrity chef's doing their versions of Christmas. It has suddenly hit me this afternoon, how different Christmas is going to be for me this year. I'm a foodie and loved baking for my friends and hubby especially this time of year. Anyone got any ideas, recipes or tips on how to get through the Xmas period and still enjoy it (and the food) as everything traditionally for Xmas is high in carbohydrates or sugar. I really need some expert help as I'm really struggling. Thanks

 

[Flashtash2014]

Can I be perfectly honest with you I've been type 2 for just over 2 years hit me like a tonne of bricks at first but I went from a HbA1c count of 139 the highest me gp had ever seen and I dropped like a stone ever 6 months for my tests. I'm now at 28 mmol the way I have done it is you should be good for 90% of the time but that 10% just eat within reason have the odd piece of cake potatoes etc. Don't let it panic you after all were only human. I'm not on meds ever had been but I allow myself a few days off at Christmas and my 4 weeks holiday a year I go nuts. It works for me it may not work for everybody best of luck and just enjoy the festive season no point in being miserable over a joyous period

 

[13lizanne]

Hi @pugster75 and welcome to the forum. @daisy1 will be along soon with some information which should be of help to you. If you browse the Food and Nutrition subforum here you will find lots of brilliant low-carb recipes including ones for celebration meals. Personally, we have steak at Christmas dinner with pigs in blankets and loads of vegetables followed by a low-carb, sugar free trifle plus chocolate gateaux (for everyone else) I eat the steak, bacon and special trifle. When family are having Christmas cake/mince pies I eat cubed cheese and nuts or cold meat wrapped round cheese. l also have a couple of glasses of red wine with the main meal. It's very doable once you adjust your thinking Good luck!

 

[daisy1]

@pugster75

Hello again Pugster Mentioned above is the information which I posted for you on your other thread. In my signature you will see the link to this so you can find it easily. I do hope everything will go well for you at Christmas and you will be able to enjoy the Christmas fare. Ask as many questions as you want and someone will be able to answer.

 

[Brunneria]

Hi and welcome!

Firstly, let me assure you that you CAN still bake, and you CAN still enjoy your Foodieness. I do.
It just needs a bit of a shift in perspective, a meter so that you can find the foods that work for you, and a bit of curiosity.

Try googling the foods you want to eat, but add 'Low Carb' and you will find a heck of a lot of recipes.
Of course, they will be a bit different, and use a few different ingredients, but you will also find a good few surprises - and if you are choosing to go Low Carb you get a few ingredients that you have probably been avoiding - butter, double cream, etc etc.

Here are a few to start you off:

http://www.ditchthecarbs.com/2015/12/01/low-carb-christmas-mince-pies/

http://www.ditchthecarbs.com/2014/04/15/chocolate-mint-truffles/

https://www.verywell.com/sugar-free-cranberry-sauce-2242132

http://nobunplease.com/my-crispy-cheddar-crisps/

 

[pugster75]

Thank you,, its a very daunting time, with so much to take in and being told to watch the carbohydrates and. Sugars. It doesn't help with all the mince pies, stolen and all the chocolate which is available. I've been good, as. Because of my surgery, I did cut out all of that kind of stuff, but I'm finding it really hard at the mo and missing the. Occasdional cake and chocolate bar.

 

[pugster75]

Thank you,, its a very daunting time, with so much to take in and being told to watch the carbohydrates and. Sugars. It doesn't help with all the mince pies, stolen and all the chocolate which is available. I've been good, as. Because of my surgery, I did cut out all of that kind of stuff, but I'm finding it really hard at the mo and missing the. Occasdional cake and chocolate bar. jf

 

[pugster75]

Thank you,, its a very daunting time, with so much to take in and being told to watch the carbohydrates and. Sugars. It doesn't help with all the mince pies, stolen and all the chocolate which is available. I've been good, as. Because of my surgery, I did cut out all of that kind of stuff, but I'm finding it really hard at the mo and missing the. Occasional cake and chocolate bar. jf

 

[ellagy]

I have bought some mini-mincepies and I intend to have one each day for the Christmas holiday. We will have turkey and trimmings of which I will have a couple of roasted potatoes and some roasted parsnip along with the other veg and stuffing with a little gravy. I will have a tablespoon of Christmas pud with some cream and a glass of something sparkly. And that will be that! Mr E will have all the other bits.. such as the chocolates and the biscuits. We have the same all over again on boxing day and new years day so I reckon by the 2nd of Jan I will be more than ready to be back on the LCHF diet Oh yes...for tea I will have some turkey and some low carb rolls and jelly with cream! Sorted!

 

[geefull]

I feel it about Xmas too, I was given my diagnosis n the last day of May this year, I'm doing fairly low Carb and higher fat eating. The forum has been very helpful to me so far and there are some great recipes and ideas in the various threads.

Currently I'm pondering adapting some recipes, I enjoy baking too but I haven't done much adapted baking so far and I'm encouraging myself that it's going to be a new adventure.

On my list to try at the moment over Xmas is a chocolate and orange sort of cheesecake (with unsweetened cocoa), an orange and red wine jelly desert with raspberries, cheese and flax crackers, stuffing with sausagemeat, onion, herbs and some toasted oatmeal (I'm lucky and can eat a little bit of oatmeal).

 

[pugster75]

Can I be perfectly honest with you I've been type 2 for just over 2 years hit me like a tonne of bricks at first but I went from a HbA1c count of 139 the highest me gp had ever seen and I dropped like a stone ever 6 months for my tests. I'm now at 28 mmol the way I have done it is you should be good for 90% of the time but that 10% just eat within reason have the odd piece of cake potatoes etc. Don't let it panic you after all were only human. I'm not on meds ever had been but I allow myself a few days off at Christmas and my 4 weeks holiday a year I go nuts. It works for me it may not work for everybody best of luck and just enjoy the festive season no point in being miserable over a joyous period

Thanks for your reply. My hbac1 a month ago was 111 I've just had it done again and its 64, so its coming down. I think once I get my head around it all I will master it but its just learning what different foods do to the BG. What kind of foods do you eat?

 

[pugster75]

Can I be perfectly honest with you I've been type 2 for just over 2 years hit me like a tonne of bricks at first but I went from a HbA1c count of 139 the highest me gp had ever seen and I dropped like a stone ever 6 months for my tests. I'm now at 28 mmol the way I have done it is you should be good for 90% of the time but that 10% just eat within reason have the odd piece of cake potatoes etc. Don't let it panic you after all were only human. I'm not on meds ever had been but I allow myself a few days off at Christmas and my 4 weeks holiday a year I go nuts. It works for me it may not work for everybody best of luck and just enjoy the festive season no point in being miserable over a joyous period

Thanks for your reply. My hbac1 a month ago was 111 I've just had it done again and its 64, so its coming down. I think once I get my head around it all I will master it but its just learning what different foods do to the BG. What kind of foods do you eat?

 

[pugster75]

Can I be perfectly honest with you I've been type 2 for just over 2 years hit me like a tonne of bricks at first but I went from a HbA1c count of 139 the highest me gp had ever seen and I dropped like a stone ever 6 months for my tests. I'm now at 28 mmol the way I have done it is you should be good for 90% of the time but that 10% just eat within reason have the odd piece of cake potatoes etc. Don't let it panic you after all were only human. I'm not on meds ever had been but I allow myself a few days off at Christmas and my 4 weeks holiday a year I go nuts. It works for me it may not work for everybody best of luck and just enjoy the festive season no point in being miserable over a joyous period

Thanks for your reply. My hbac1 a month ago was 111 I've just had it done again and its 64, so its coming down. I think once I get my head around it all I will master it but its just learning what different foods do to the BG. What kind of foods do you eat?

 

[Flashtash2014]

I tend to eat high fat foods no rice potatoes and very little bread lots of veg and fruit and exercise everyday walk all the time oh and no cereals it may seem bland but I look forward to my treats on holiday and Christmas so that keeps me going and plenty of water everyday

 

[pugster75]

I tend to be eating the same kind of food at the mo. I'm really struggling with breakfasts at the moment, when I wake up my Bg is normally in the 7--8s. This then. Doesn't leave me with a lot. Of scope as been told to keep it under 10 at all times. Cereals seem to send them quite high. So I usually end. Up having a banana and a yogurt. But tbh, I'm getting a bit fed up of it now

 

[Flashtash2014]

Try different things one day I will have fruit next day scrambled eggs but when I do have toast I go for wholemeal or granery bread tends to raise bloods at a slower rate so can be burned off quicker

 

[Prem51]

Hi @pugster75 Reading your other thread, you said your meter bs readings are usually between 5-8, and you have done well to breing your HbA1c reading down from 111 to 64 in only a month.
You are obviously still shocked about your diagnosis which is understandable. It does take a bit of time to get your head round it all.
I would suggest you relax a bit for a while over the Christmas period, maybe from Christmas Eve to Boxing Day, and allow yourself a few treats, a mince pie, a slice of Stollen, whatever you like. But just one, don't get carried away! A couple of days aren't going to make much difference.
As the others have said there are low carb alternatives to the traditional Christmas fare too.
And as well as recipes and low carb alternatives in the Recipes and Nutrition section of the forum, @ewelina , a forum member, has recipes for low carb cakes and biscuits on her blog: http://www.diabeticgoodbaking.com

 

[PenfoldAPD]

My first Christmas as type II also, and I love to cook, entertain and eat! Have decided to be slightly more relaxed over Christmas, well principally on the 25th - just with smaller portions. So I will have Christmas pud as I love it, just a very small portion with homemade brandy cream! I'll research some low carb recipes and just keep a gentle eye on it - you can easily save carbs on simple things like the small sausages etc. Low carb cauli cheese will do me and the it'll be the best cheeseboard of the year

So don't be despondent, if you are a good diabetic the rest of the year you deserve a treat on Christmas Day!

 

[pugster75]

Thanks for that prem51, I'll have a look. Its just all happened so quickly, if you read my other post, you'll know what I mean. I guess its just changing the way you think and adapting recipe's to make them friendly.,

 

[ellagy]

I tend to be eating the same kind of food at the mo. I'm really struggling with breakfasts at the moment, when I wake up my Bg is normally in the 7--8s. This then. Doesn't leave me with a lot. Of scope as been told to keep it under 10 at all times. Cereals seem to send them quite high. So I usually end. Up having a banana and a yogurt. But tbh, I'm getting a bit fed up of it now

Today I had pancakes, I can not remember who posted it but it is 200g philidelphia, two eggs and a tsp granulated sweetener with some cinnamon added...blend the ingredients in blender till smooth. Let stand for 2mins to settle and then cook in frying pan in butter with a dash of olive oil. They were delicious! I also have omelette, to which I can add tomatoes, mushrooms and cheese, also cooked in butter, Yoghurt with a few nuts is easy if you have less time. I often have some low carb rolls (if you search the forum, put in Low Carb Rolls) or message me. There are only 2 carbs per roll and they are lovely... they can be toasted and you can top them with anything... I like fresh tomato on mine. Bon appetite! PS. I love bananas but have given up all fruit! Try Lidl kippers too..with or without scrambled egg!

My Blood Sugars were 98 three months ago... I had my Hb1Ac and they were down to 76 after only a month on this plan!