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Anyone else eating just one meal a day?

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Xinte

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16
For quite some time after insolvency, I have only been able to afford to eat one meal a day on my £30 a week grocery allowance.
I am on 24 units per day of Tresiba Insulin, my fasting bg is always around 14, (it was in the high 20s before Tresiba) then drops to around 11 mid afternoon. I eat at around 6pm, results 2 hours after meal are around 9 I cannot make sense of these numbers at all and my GP is phoning me on Wednesday to discuss twice daily Insulin injections, I'm really not sure how this is going to work with my numbers the way they are and the fact that I only eat once a day. I cannot access food banks as I am not on any means tested benefits, so does it really matter that I only eat once per day and does anyone else still manage to control their Diabetes in these circumstances? thank you
 
I’m afraid I don’t have any experience with insulin and luckily am able to eat more than once a day. I don’t know where you live but people in our area are able to access food without being in receipt of benefits. Is it worth you having a discussion with someone like social worker even that might be able to help?
 
A lot of us are on One Meal A Day (omad). Me too. Although fortunately not because of budget issues but by choice because it works for us. But that one meal a day, what does it consist of? As eating healthy is pretty expensive I guess not what you should be eating? And yes that will generally translate to higher readings in the morning. Assuming you don't have something called dawn phenomenon which would only make it worse. Personally I am still on pills but insulin should be able to help there as eating low carb or low carb high fat is probably not an option for you. Much is different for many of us, but how about exercise? For some it really helps counteracting the morning spike and subsequently the rest of the day.
 
@Xinte, I am so sorry that you are struggling to manage to eat regular meals. Your doctor needs to know, as this can impact your diabetes management.

There are organisations springing up everywhere that are attempting to address the problem of food poverty. This is one of them:-
http://fareshare.org.uk/ assuming you are in UK.
There could be others near you. Do an internet search for ‘community food hubs’ My understanding is that you become a member, then you are allowed to pay a small amount for food items that would cost much more in the shops. So you are not receiving charity hand outs, which many people feel too ashamed to access.
Do tell your doctor too, perhaps there will be more help available in your locality.

edit: typos, and to add,: Some members choose to eat one meal a day as a method of controlling their diabetes. That ought to be a choice, though, not something forced on you due to financial circumstances.
 
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Thank you both for your replies, EBe66, yes I guess we are all different in how we find ways to manage our condition, I have taken pills for over 12 years, but they just stopped working and I was swapped to Insulin , and now its all about injecting/testing/what I eat, I have had quite a few hypos due to testing, injecting prescribed units, not eating, doing my usual dog walk, then bg dropping. I try to eat well, but dont avoid carbs as they fill me up and are cheap, thank you for taking time to reply, Pipp, I appreciate the link, but it seems to be mainly for supplying organisations, and as these organisations and charities stipulate that you must be claiming benefits, I dont fall into that category, but your suggestion of asking my GP for help is something I am definitely going ask about on Wednesday, so thank you for that. I have heard about the intermittent fasting as a way of controlling diabetes with some good results, but it seems not to be recommended for insulin users, or so my diabetes nurse told me anyway, hence her always nagging me to eat regular meals ! how ironic lol, It's just hard for me to get my head around as both my parents were Insulin dependent diabetics who used to make such a big fuss about eating within 30 minutes of their injections, and although their insulin was short acting, its just something that has stuck with me, I appreciate your replies
 
I wonder if this is a better option, @Xinte ?
https://www.yourlocalpantry.co.uk/what-is-a-pantry/
 

As a T1, so completely dependent on injected insulin, I can choose to eat as often or as little as I like (subject to hypos) because my insulin is organised to match my food, not the other way round. I have a long acting dose (equivalent to your tresiba) in the background, and short acting insulin which I inject when I eat and can adjust to match what I eat. It seems to me that your current regime partly works because your blood sugar is high most of the time, so you don't have to worry about hypos (much)? I definitely second the suggestion that you tell your GP that you are only able to eat once a day and ask him/her to give you an insulin regime that will work with that. If they look at you blankly and say it isn't possible ask them how T1s on a basal/bolus regime manage? (Disclaimer, I appreciate you are T2 but insulin is insulin.) And I don't understand why your blood sugar is lowest after you eat but can only guess/theorise that it's got something to do with the fact that you are still producing some of your own insulin???

I am really sorry you are in a position of food poverty. I hope some of Pipp's suggestions work and also that your GP offers you an insulin regime which will give you more flexibility about what and when you eat.

Good luck and virtual hugs.
 
Hi Xinte I just wanted to say that a food bank in our area will accept a referral by someone’s GP. I think as a T1 diabetic that would work. Also some Church based food banks (even if you are not a church goer) are usually not limited to people on benefits. It just might be worth exploring whats around. You have contributed to the system so you fully deserve any help you can get. Best wishes.
 
Xinte said:
my fasting bg is always around 14, (it was in the high 20s before Tresiba) then drops to around 11 mid afternoon. I eat at around 6pm, results 2 hours after meal are around 9
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So if you're hovering between 9 and 14 throughout the day without high peaks and lows, it looks like the Tresiba is doing a pretty good job keeping you stable, if a bit on the high side.

A twice a day insulin can mean different things.
It can be another brand of long acting insulin to be taken twice a day, in which case it's fine to eat once a day (from an insulin perpective, it's definitely not fine to not have the means to eat more often!).
Or it can be a mixed insulin with long acting mixed with a mealtime insulin. On mixed insulins you do have to eat at set times.

I truly hope you can get help with the food issue. It may also help to do a google search on budget friendly recipes, things like cabbage and onions are cheap and healthy fillers for many meals.
Good luck, I hope things will turn for the better shortly for you!
 
Thank you Antje77 for explaining the twice a day that is being suggested to me, it really helps to be more prepared when I speak to GP on Wednesday, it would have been great if I was offered a face to face appointment to help me understand more clearly, but my GP surgery keeps GP appointments to what they class as emergencies and the rest is left to the diabetic nurse, who I've only seen once this year when she had to check my ability to inject. Telephone appointments seem so impersonal but seem the way of things since covid . Believe me Antje I have become very creative with what I can cobble together for meals
 
Thanks for your reply PenguinMum, I'm actually a T2 on Insulin and as such dont qualify for a lot of things, (such as the Libre) I actually volunteered for many years at a church based homeless shelter so know first hand the strict criteria they use for weeding out the free loaders and believe me there are many of them. Because I receive a paltry widows pension it is classed as income, so I am unable to claim benefits and the insolvency bureau take it anyway!
 
Hi Sue, not sure if its because I live in a small town that really doesnt have many facilities that the ones that are here are forced to ration so strictly, but I understand it and would sooner it go to the homeless or folks with a family to feed, Social services might be an idea
 
Thank you EllieM, great advice, thank you, big hugs back
 
I have had an awful lot happen to me in the last two years of so!
For the first time I had to use the government for finance to pay for my disabled wife and we had to get clued up on what I could get. Bearing in mind, I worked from fifteen until 65! Never a day on benefits!
And if I hadn't got advice from the citizens advice organisation, I would have gone hungry from Christmas onwards. If the government don't stop the rise in energy costs, then I'll be joining the millions of others unable pay for it.

However, with my condition, it is easier for me to eat in a small window because of intermittent fasting. It has been a great choice for me. You have the freedom of choice when and if you want to eat.
The reasoning about eating breakfast, mid morning break, lunch, afternoon tea, dinner, supper and snacks. It is ridiculous and insane, the need to continually fill your face is in fact so unhealthy!

With any endocrine condition, finding your healthy balance of nutrition is essential to control the ever present threat of hypos!

Stay safe and even though it was so embarrassing for me to ask for help from those who can help you, I did realise that I was glad I did!

My best wishes.
 
I would urge you to alert anyone who might be interested to your situation as I am sure that it is not all that safe for you to be in such a precarious situation due to all the various factors at work in your life.
Am I right to think that you are living alone? As you could be about to start using insulin and being on low income you might be due some extra assistance from somewhere in order to keep you safe.
 
I think a basal/bolus insulin arrangement might suit you better in terms of controlling blood glucose levels.
For the basal insulin (long acting) you don't need to eat - it's what your body needs (or the top-up your body needs) to cover things which don't involve eating.
The bolus insulin (short or rapid acting) is used to compensate for the food you eat or to correct high blood glucose levels.
The time of day you eat may also help - the main effects of food and short acting insulin complete before you go to bed.
You will need to talk to your medical support team about this ... all the best
 
I am actually now feeling very ashamed and embarrassed about starting this thread, my reason for doing so was to ask about how eating once a day might affect my Diabetes control now that I am on insulin and only eating at a certain time of day, I really never meant it to be about my financial situation, and although I did mention that in my original post, it was really for context, not for anyone to feel sorry for me, although I appreciate very much the suggestions you have all made, thank you. As it was getting closer to my GP telephone appointment about changing my treatment, I wanted to feel "armed" with some knowledge of what has perhaps been helpful to others who only eat once a day, whether they can afford to or not. I really hope I've not come across as rude to all that have reached out , certainly not my intention, my situation is what it is and I am trying to do the best with what I have, just not sure how my diabetes fits in with that, but I have had some amazing answers and feel fully informed before I speak to GP and I have you all to thank for that, big hugs
 
Fully understood, though no reason for you to feel ashamed or embarrassed, @Xinte .
If you would like moderators to lock the thread to further replies, just ask.
Wishing you well, and hope you will continue to contribute to the forums, and, should you choose, let us know how you are getting on.
 
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