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31M type 2 diagnosed sugar addict with autism/ADHD

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DiabeticDaddy

Member
Messages
13
Hello,

I was diagnosed mid pandemic. I cried a lot grown man with tattoos couldn’t take his own bloods. But here we are my bloods where 20 now at 12 I think I’ve come through the denial and want to start looking after myself properly. I am neurodiverse so I struggle with adapting to new routines taking bloods and re-arranging diets etc.

I need some support and to meet peeps on here going through the same. I want to get this under control as I’m 28 stone.

Best wishes
DiabeticDaddy
 
Well, as I’m also a grown man with plenty of tattoos, type 2 and also neurodiverse… you are not alone and the forum is here to help

what have your doctors/nurses said? Sone can be helpful but not always in sync with what the diabetic community have found works well

now… there is a saying that if you have met someone with autism then you have met someone with autism and it’s totally true. Same for all neurodiverse conditions. There are similarities but a whole load of differences. We all present differently and can handle things in different ways. So I don’t want to say my situation matches yours as clearly it doesn’t but maybe I can relate a bit

So, new routines can be hard, I get that. Changing your diet is also hard, so let a start by what do you currently eat? Maybe there are tweaks that can be made. Many of us have found lowering carbs is a way to reduce both blood levels as well as weight. Also, exercise can help, is there anything there you currently do or think you can start?
 
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Welcome @DiabeticDaddy
Can we assume from your username that you live in a family, and perhaps there's a partner?
It can be harder to manage type 2 in a family when others around are eating different foods, takes extra will power.
Best with any change is to start from a position of strengths, so what positives are there you can focus on? Are you perhaps organised, meticulous, eager to learn? Make a list of your own. Also a list of food likes and dislikes.
As regards the sugar addiction, as with any addiction there are basically 2 routes, the slow and steady or the quick and hard, known as cold turkey. Both can work and only you know yourself well enough to know which might suit you best.

The good news is how well you have so far, 20 down to 12 is very good, and there's no need to rush into any panic response. You can build a plan before you start it. After all these changes need to be for life so they must be maintainable.
 
are you on any medication for your diabetes?
 
I am really bad at routine - it is part of my dyslexia - so kept my testing kit by the kettle to remind me to take my first (fasting) test, then set alarms on my phone each day for the post meal tests.
Now I only test once a week, and mark it on my google calendar.
I was very strict at first with low carb, measuring everything I ate and logging it on the lowcarbprogram site. If I logged it all after my evening meal then I knew what I could eat/drink later in the evening.
I thought about food I liked, happily adding in more cheese, plus full fat yogurt and milk and double cream; switching to 85% chocolate; having a few fresh raspberries each day.
Ad finding decent substitutes for foods I knew I would miss.
All this made the change to low carb much easier than previous attempts at low fat diets.
 
Hello,

I have a partner, no kids though...

I’ve definitely found it hard to manage with my partner though she’s incredibly supportive sometimes it’s hard to align our meals

Cold turkey for me I can’t do little makes me want more

Thanks for your help


 

Thank you
 

Yeah I tried a no carb week when I first started and crashed them down to a normal range but didn’t really look any further into it after that... got a lot of learning to do...
 
DiabeticDaddy said:
Yeah I tried a no carb week when I first started and crashed them down to a normal range but didn’t really look any further into it after that... got a lot of learning to do...
Click to expand...
Sometimes going all in is a major struggle and leads to falling off the bandwagon. Some people can drop to keto or very low carb and stick to it but easy to creep in the carbs or just get overtaken by the cravings for others.

Getting a routine that’s sustainable in whatever form that takes, that’s an option. So you may not need to drop to very low carb, but depending what you eat now a few changes building up to more may help

so for example, I stopped bread and pasta and rice. Looked to other options to go with food like salad, veg and cauliflower rice. I found those 3 main were the majority of my weekly carbs. Then looked at things like reduced to no potatoes with dinners. It’s not always easy and if I do have a small amount can feel the urge for more but focus on the blood results and also for me focussed on the fact good control means I could have another tattoo I had planned or that each week my weight dropped a bit

just small wins or things outside of food to reward myself and keep my focus on.
 
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