A treat

Pe11

Newbie
Messages
1
Hi all, I have just been told I have type 2. I have completely changed my diet and most days only have 2 meals and already lost quite a bit of weight. I have ordered a blood meter so I check what foods make me spike. As I am new to it, my question is can you occasionally have a treat like over Christmas have a couple of beers one evening, then fast the next morning to counter it etc?
Thanks
 

catinahat

Well-Known Member
Messages
3,386
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
Dislikes
Reality tv
Welcome to the forum
Of course you can if you want to, your body, your diabetes, you make the rules.
Just keep in mind that alcohol and other yummy things can seriously scupper any progress you have made.
Well done on the weight loss and getting a meter, it will be your best friend over the next few months.
 

Geordie_P

Well-Known Member
Messages
849
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Hi all, I have just been told I have type 2. I have completely changed my diet and most days only have 2 meals and already lost quite a bit of weight. I have ordered a blood meter so I check what foods make me spike. As I am new to it, my question is can you occasionally have a treat like over Christmas have a couple of beers one evening, then fast the next morning to counter it etc?
Thanks
You could have whisky instead of beer: that wouldn't raise your blood sugar at all.
 

jaywak

Well-Known Member
Messages
722
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Insulin
Dislikes
Cold weather, angry people, queues,
As a type 1 I can have a treat now and then and give myself more insulin to cope with it , As a type 2 you cannot do that as much and do realise that every time your test is outside the range you are doing yourself harm so you can but do not go overboard !
 

jaywak

Well-Known Member
Messages
722
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Insulin
Dislikes
Cold weather, angry people, queues,
Beer does tend to spike my levels but you could try dry wine that works for me .
 

TriciaWs

Well-Known Member
Messages
1,727
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Other
If you are looking for substitutes for traditional Christmas foods there are some great options.
I use kohlrabi instead of roast potatoes, just one or two with extra meat and green veg. They do need extra cooking so I boil them first. I make stuffing with ground almonds, loads of sage and grated onion and a little butter to bind it.
I never liked cranberry sauce, etc but find dried cranberries sweetened with erythritol, with plenty of spices, make a good fruit cake or mince pie filling. Just stock up on ground almonds!
 

Mr_Pot

Well-Known Member
Messages
4,573
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
Hi all, I have just been told I have type 2. I have completely changed my diet and most days only have 2 meals and already lost quite a bit of weight. I have ordered a blood meter so I check what foods make me spike. As I am new to it, my question is can you occasionally have a treat like over Christmas have a couple of beers one evening, then fast the next morning to counter it etc?
Thanks
I spent 67 years having a fairly high carb diet with no obvious ill effects, so if I now have the occasional carb based treat it seems unlikely to suddenly have some disastrous effect that it didn't have before I was diagnosed. The biggest danger I think is carb creep, an occasional treat becomes a regular treat and your diet gradually unravels. You mention getting a meter, that seems the best idea, find out the scale of the problem before you try to solve it. I have a beer every evening, my meter and my HbA1c tell me it's ok, but I stick to one pint.
 

KennyA

Moderator
Staff Member
Messages
2,913
Type of diabetes
Type 2 (in remission!)
Treatment type
Diet only
Hi all, I have just been told I have type 2. I have completely changed my diet and most days only have 2 meals and already lost quite a bit of weight. I have ordered a blood meter so I check what foods make me spike. As I am new to it, my question is can you occasionally have a treat like over Christmas have a couple of beers one evening, then fast the next morning to counter it etc?
Thanks
This is what happens to me when I drink beer. The alcohol depresses my blood glucose levels (it's a well-known effect of alcohol) because the liver switches to processing the alcohol rather than maintaining my BG. Readings look great! However, I've still taken in the carbs and I will find myself out of ketosis pretty quickly - one pint or so of beer is the equivalent of my normal 20g daily carb intake. My readings in the days following will usually be substantially higher than usual. Fasting the following day (I usually don't eat before the afternoon anyway) does little to affect that - I expect my BGs to rise and stay higher.

I don't drink beer much these days for just that reason. I missed it a lot to begin with but that's passed. There is a low-carb beer which is acceptable - Marston's Resolution, which has about 4g carbs/bottle. There are others which I tried but won't touch because they taste awful. Instead I'll sometimes have a red wine (fewer carbs) but usually if i want a drink it'll be whisky, grappa, or rum etc - zero carbs.

That's what happens for me - they only way you can find out what happens for you is to test and find out. If you can handle it, fine.