test_positive said:
I'm on my first holiday since having being diagnosed with T2 a few weeks ago. With two young daugthers, we have gone to Dorset and have been down the beach every day enjoying the fantastic weather. Only thing is that beaches always used to mean ice cream (with a flake of course) and fish & chips. No good now as I'm trying to keep carbs low. But our daughters both have ice cream and chips. And I sit and watch trying not to be miserable.
The ice cream van advertised a "diabetic" ice cream but I am very suspicious of any food labelled diabetic after seeing comments on this forum.
So I managed not to eat ice cream or fish and chips (well only a little taste). But I'm not sure whether I can keep going like this.
How do you guys hold your resolve?
I came to low carb after years of uncontrolled diabetes and had already developed some complications as a result. I was very ill at the time, so to be honest I was too frightened to fall off the wagon, I wanted to get well again. Oh I missed the food that I was used to eating, the food that I enjoyed eating, but it was also the food that helped make me ill in first place.
I did a lot of crying in those days and I did feel deprived and resentful. But gradually, as my bg numbers improved I also managed to change my attitude to food, so I prepared things ahead, if people go on the beach and have fish and chips I would take along my picnic basket filled with low carb goodies, more often than not people looked at me in envy, they'd finish their fish, leave most of the chips and started to pick on my food!!
Now all my family, husband and 3 children eat low carb meals with me, they do have extras eg new potatoes, fruit, I dont want to eat new potatoes or fruit apart from berries or the odd nectarine, I want to keep very tight control of my bg levels, I suppose I could relax the rules slightly if I wanted to.
Most of the food that I missed can be adapted to be low carb, or there is a substitute, I bake low carb breads, non low carb people enjoy it, its only odd to them because these breads arent available in the supermarkets, if they were I dare say more people would eat that bread.
My children know that if they want to have something carby they have free reign, I am happy to say that they are carbwise and make good choices. I am not missing out, you eat your sugary sticky ice cream I will have my own treat if its outside chocolate mousse with berries will keep in the coolbag wont it, if its at home. well I have 4 different luxuriously creamy ice creams in the freezer.
I have learnt to be prepared, and cook ahead, and freeze food, my children enjoy the cakes and muffins and home made chocolates, they enjoy experimenting along with me, its fun to try out something new.
Have a look through the low carb recipe thread and the chocolate paradise thread, be flexible, try something new, I think you will find its just as delicious and your health will improve.
Once you are over the initial shock you will find it all becomes much easier.