It's tough

[SoTyred (Tony)]

Hello

I was diagnosed with Type 2 a week or so ago. The diabetes has also raised my blood pressure and cholesterol.

I am trying to get it back under control with diet but am having a hard time with it. Going round the supermarket, it seems impossible to find anything that hasn't got sugar added to it. And I can't even have the odd glass of wine because of sugar but because alcohol interacts with the BP meds.

Maybe I am just feeling sorry for myself but tonight it just seems like everything I really enjoy eating or drinking is now on a banned list. Except for my two rich tea biscuits a day

 

[DaveNN]

Well....I've rediscovered chilled vodka!
A few glasses have been lovely.

I've shed just over a stone in 3 weeks, gorging on tuna, green salads, ham, chicken, haddock, mackerel, tortilla wraps, the occasional hovis cracker....

What I will say that this place s excellent, has taught me a lot and reminded me of loads too.

Keep the faith !


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[initforlove]

Hello

I was diagnosed with Type 2 a week or so ago. The diabetes has also raised my blood pressure and cholesterol.

I am trying to get it back under control with diet but am having a hard time with it. Going round the supermarket, it seems impossible to find anything that hasn't got sugar added to it. And I can't even have the odd glass of wine because of sugar but because alcohol interacts with the BP meds.

Maybe I am just feeling sorry for myself but tonight it just seems like everything I really enjoy eating or drinking is now on a banned list. Except for my two rich tea biscuits a day

yes totally 90% of food in the shop is unsuitable for a low carb diet

go to the meat section and then go to the veggie section

I have just found one meal that seems to be working miracles for me

I steam a little broccoli and celery in an electric frypan and when the water evaporates I place a slice of cheese over that to melt it a little

this is yummy

I have fried eggs for breakfast too

if pushed and unable to cook you can pick up a bbq chicken but discard the skin as they put high carb flavour over the skin.

 

[Yorksman]

Maybe I am just feeling sorry for myself but tonight it just seems like everything I really enjoy eating or drinking is now on a banned list. Except for my two rich tea biscuits a day

It is more difficult to begin with because you are both trying to get your sugar levels under control by reducing carbs and trying to lose weight. Once you lose weight you just have to watch your carbs and the diet is more relaxed.

Have a look at the recipes section on this site. You more or less have to make your own meals, there is little on the shelves by way of ready meals. I have found that whole grains are OK for me, much better than refined white flour, so rye bread or wholemeal bread rather than standard white, long grain brown rice rather than white rice, wholemeal pasta rather than the usual yellow pasta. It is easy then to make the rest, or have fish or lean meats.

Snacks are a problem. You can eat some fruits but you get a longing for things with a bit of bite or crunch. Rye cripsbreads with thinly slice low fat cheese and slice pickled onion, ryvita with fish paste, pumpernickel with smoked salmon are all the sort of things to allow you to chew or crunch. Even a small bag of pork scratchings, at the cost of 120 kcal, can take away that urge to make a chip buttie.

There are a lot of great low carb meals to make, soups and stews, pseudo oriental dishes using king prawns, some very satisfying big salads using tinned fish such as tuna or salmon. Lamb chops or pork chops grilled and with the excess fat cut off and lots of the right sort of veg are easy to make. Mashed potatoes cause my BG to go up but a small amount mashed with turnip or celeriac, or both makes a good sized portion which is well within limits. But it all takes time to prepare, so you have to make time. It will be time well spent though, you'll eat a lot better and enjoy what you eat.

It gets easier though as you build up stocks of basics in your kitchen and as you learn about what foods work for you. Within a short period of time it becomes second nature.

 

[Chrisspiller]

I couldn't recommend this as a sensible diet choice but I had a large Doner Kebab (with garlic mayo and lashings of chilli sauce) for dinner last night, I left the bread (I was stuffed!) and after 2 hours my bg was 6.6 and I was a happy bunny! So you don't have to give up everything you like, and what's more my weight this morning is continuing downwards!


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[DaveNN]

Chris... Whilst the mayo could be a bit carby, I use to have 2 or 3 kebabs ( in a tray with lettuce, no pitta bread) a week, when I did the Atkins some time back.
Sure, the elephant's foot on a spike may not be the leanest meat on the planet but my god does it fill you up.
If you stick to chicken, then that must be a healthier option.


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[Yorksman]

Donner meat has a high calorific value, roughly 325 kcal per 100 gm. Corned beef has about 250 kcal per 100 gm and fillet steak about 200 kcal. They are all very low on carbs however. The meat is fattier but it's the pitta bread which does for the carbs.

I'm more worried about Pancake Tuesday, not because of the following period of Lent, but because of the pancakes, and the maple syrup.

 

[foreverdelayed]

I want a big greasy kebab now!

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