Struggling

[viv]

Is anyone else struggling to cut down on carbs? I am fine for a week or so and then I have to have some bread in the form of a sandwich as I am hungry.My problem is once I have had some I crave more and binge on it. Food has always been my way of coping with stress as it is a form of comfort. In these times of lockdown, living alone and not able to see your children, grandchildren and friends It is extremely difficult. Just been put on Metformin and feel that after ten yrs of being pre diabetic I have let myself down.The only positive is I have managed to give up sweets chocolate and cakes.

 

[viv]

By the way it says I'm insulin dependent which I am not. No idea where that came from.

 

[mojo37]

Is anyone else struggling to cut down on carbs? I am fine for a week or so and then I have to have some bread in the form of a sandwich as I am hungry.My problem is once I have had some I crave more and binge on it. Food has always been my way of coping with stress as it is a form of comfort. In these times of lockdown, living alone and not able to see your children, grandchildren and friends It is extremely difficult. Just been put on Metformin and feel that after ten yrs of being pre diabetic I have let myself down.The only positive is I have managed to give up sweets chocolate and cakes.

The short answer to that is yes ...I love carbs and find it very hard to go low carb and because they are addictive the more we have the more we crave them .They are comfort food . Many people on here find that once they do succeed in going low carb then the craving stops . I haven't achieved that ...yet

 

[TeddyTottie]

I struggled to give up bread for so many reasons - it’s so darned convenient for conveying tasty food into the mouth, it can be delicious, it makes toast etc etc. I loved the stuff and it was often the basis of my weekend breakfasts, whereby I made myself a posh Latte and some toast with home-made bread and lots of butter and lounged around on the sofa indulging in that not-working feeling. My weekend breakfasts are a really important part of my life, psychologicallly-speaking.

But.... bread was impossible for me, it caused horrendous spikes. As did milk, so no more lattes for a while until I started frothing diluted double cream instead. So, after trying all the keto and low-carb alternatives, I just gave up and made peace with the fact that bread was gone forever. You really do adapt and fill the void with other things, and for me, yes - the carb cravings are mostly gone now. My motivation for keeping my BG as low as possible is very strong - I suffered the blurred vision thing for at least 6 weeks at diagnosis and couldn’t drive for 2 or 3 weeks. This was enough of a taster of impaired vision to impress on me that I really didn’t want to go that way if I could avoid it. But it’s still hard to stop eating food you love.

I often make keto scones for my weekend breakfast, they sort of hit the same spot in my psyche. And today I had boiled eggs with lovely bacon ‘soldiers’ to dip, and I have a keto chocolate cake cooling for a second breakfast, hobbit-style.

So there is light at the end of the tunnel!

 

[viv]

The short answer to that is yes ...I love carbs and find it very hard to go low carb and because they are addictive the more we have the more we crave them .They are comfort food . Many people on here find that once they do succeed in going low carb then the craving stops . I haven't achieved that ...yet

Good to know I'm not alone

 

[viv]

I struggled to give up bread for so many reasons - it’s so darned convenient for conveying tasty food into the mouth, it can be delicious, it makes toast etc etc. I loved the stuff and it was often the basis of my weekend breakfasts, whereby I made myself a posh Latte and some toast with home-made bread and lots of butter and lounged around on the sofa indulging in that not-working feeling. My weekend breakfasts are a really important part of my life, psychologicallly-speaking.

But.... bread was impossible for me, it caused horrendous spikes. As did milk, so no more lattes for a while until I started frothing diluted double cream instead. So, after trying all the keto and low-carb alternatives, I just gave up and made peace with the fact that bread was gone forever. You really do adapt and fill the void with other things, and for me, yes - the carb cravings are mostly gone now. My motivation for keeping my BG as low as possible is very strong - I suffered the blurred vision thing for at least 6 weeks at diagnosis and couldn’t drive for 2 or 3 weeks. This was enough of a taster of impaired vision to impress on me that I really didn’t want to go that way if I could avoid it. But it’s still hard to stop eating food you love.

I often make keto scones for my weekend breakfast, they sort of hit the same spot in my psyche. And today I had boiled eggs with lovely bacon ‘soldiers’ to dip, and I have a keto chocolate cake cooling for a second breakfast, hobbit-style.

So there is light at the end of the tunnel!

Thanks for your reply, where can I get a recipie for ketog bread?

 

[JAT1]

My cravings are stronger than I am. I've had no trouble giving up pizza, pasta, potatoes and rice but have no resistance for home made bread and fruit.

 

[Resurgam]

Just use a search engine for low carb bread - though there is Livlife bread, which I find in Waitrose or Asda had a protein bread which looks like a brown brick - though I make cheese waffles and eat them with extra thick rashers of bacon.

 

[Jo123]

Livlife bread is good, 3.8 carbs per slice, small slices.
If you're really hungry nuts or avocados are good for filling you up low carb.
Or full fat Greek yoghurt.

It is difficult but try and eat low carb when you are down it will satisfy you without making you crave more carbs.

 

[Ronancastled]

Being able to tolerate 30g of carbs in the form of 2 slices of bread makes your food options so much easier. Those who can have a much easier journey in their BG management. Given that most popular sandwich fillings only have trace elements of carbs it really only leaves you carb counting for dinner.

 

[PenguinMum]

Is anyone else struggling to cut down on carbs? I am fine for a week or so and then I have to have some bread in the form of a sandwich as I am hungry.My problem is once I have had some I crave more and binge on it. Food has always been my way of coping with stress as it is a form of comfort. In these times of lockdown, living alone and not able to see your children, grandchildren and friends It is extremely difficult. Just been put on Metformin and feel that after ten yrs of being pre diabetic I have let myself down.The only positive is I have managed to give up sweets chocolate and cakes.

Hey Viv giving up chocolate cakes and sweets is a big positive so well done. No you have not let yourself down at all and you want to get the low carbs sorted or you wouldnt have posted. You may be able to have a couple of squares of high cocoa choc if you like it, you could also melt it cool a bit and stir through a portion of extra thick double cream which would be filling. A chunk of cheese is surprising good as a snack if you get hungry. I decided to give up regular bread as in sandwiches but the one thing I couldnt manage without was a slice of toast with a cup of tea for brekkie. It was a comfort thing and I found I liked HiLo (available in some bigger Sainsburys) 5g a slice. It is a small slice but I did a deal with myself I would have one slice only every day but wouldn't bother with bread otherwise. The way I looked at it the filling was the most important part of a sandwich and thats how people choose their sandwich. You could research and try some LC bread. There is a great recipe just posted on the “what have you eaten today” thread. Some people buy bread by mail from the Seriously Low Carb Company. Its hard to get it right all the time and I think its more about getting into new habits. Wishing you allbthebest Viv, all things considered you are doing great.

 

[KennyA]

ASDA's protein bread is IIRC 4g carb per (small) slice. It is more like a rye or pumpernickel - definitely not a trad white loaf. Keeps for months. I normally fry mine in bacon fat.