Appetite suppressants

I'm fairly certain that there is nothing that your GP can prescribe to supress your appetite, unfortunately one of the drawbacks of insulin is the increase in appetite, I don't know if this occurs in type 1's or not.

I am loathe to mention your diet because you have said that you will not make any changes but I honestly think that and the insulin may be causing you problems. I seem to remember you posted a typical days diet which consisted of practically all carbohydrate and nothing else, a high level of carbs do have the effect of causing hunger more quickly especially as you don't eat vegetables or salad at all. (this info courtesy of my daughter's Endocrinologist consultant).

Do your HCP's not ask about your diet? Would you mind me asking what your HBA1C is Sarah? Reason being, nurses and docs have a tendency to say "oh that's fine" when it is actually pretty high. That HbA1C translates as your bg levels over a period of time and if that is high, it means you are running high levels of bg almost constantly..that would also make you feel hungry.

I am not a judge and jury and nor would I want to be. Thing is if you eat a diet that is almost totally carby then it will without a doubt have an adverse effect..and no, I'm not a low carber. I hate having to give up some of the things I love and accepting the fact that if I want to be well, I HAVE to make changes. With the greatest respect, while you continue to eat the diet you are on, this is going to affect your health, your insulin may cover it but you are missing out on vital vitamins and nutrients that will keep you feeling well.

What about things like soups, where you can cook and process the veggies down into a puree? I'm sure if you could just make the odd change here or there you would feel better for it but of course, it is totally your choice.

+1

Good post Angie-I'm with you on this one

Actually insulin normally acts to suppress appetite.. makes sense, you have enough glucose to fuel your body . Insulin amongst other hormones act to stop you adding unnecessary fuel .
But I don't think that's the issue and for the most part I agree with ladybird. I'm also not a low carber, but even so half of my plate is non starchy veg. I won't go into the science but at the very least it adds bulk.
The second consideration is to eat fewer manufactured foods. These foods are designed to make people eat lots of them It's in the manufacturers interests to do this and they spend a lot of money researching the best ways to do it.
Try to eat food more like your great grandparents ate ie cooked at home. (meat and 2 veg + a portion of starch isn't such a bad idea)

Please, please, please don't go down the road of appetite suppressants. I am on Metformin and it has had that effect on me, but to a huge degree. I am now struggling, and I really mean fighting with myself to get food in. I can't even manage 500 calories a day. It seems like a great idea, but from someone who really is having a very, very difficult time with this, please don't. Try anything and everything available before even begin to think about ways to cut your appetite. Not being able to eat is no fun believe me. I was a real foodie, now the thought of eating makes me gag. Please beware of what can happen.

Sarah69 said:

My last hbac1 was 7.7. I understand what you are saying about the foods I eat but ive always eaten this way. I can't help the fact I don't like much veg or salad I can't eat what I don't like. I will eat some veg with a roast dinner as long as I have roast potatoes to eat with it and covered in gravy. Salads I only eat when I have a BBQ it's not something I could eat everyday or once a week/month etc. I have seen a dietician and went on a course for a few hours to carb count which I didn't totally understand but use a book to help with that. I haven't always felt hungry like this, I would say its only been in the last few years. I just seem to have weeks of it.

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Sarah... The simple answer is your are hungry because the majority of your diet from looking at this post and others is carbohydrate and hi GI carbohydrate at that... this means that within a couple of hours post meal your body has processed all the energy from the meal and is demanding more fuel... You have options.. unfortunately you may not like the answers but that doesn't mean they aren't right... you need to start eating meals that are more balanced.. containing low GI carbohydrate and fats and proteins.. your meal will then take much longer to digest and you will feel fuller for longer.. on top of this it will improve your blood glucose control.

At the end of the day the choice is yours.. its not for any of us to tell you how to live your life... but the facts are the facts.. you run a high HbA1c that is increasing your chances of diabetic complications.. and you eat a diet that is far from ideal for someone in your situation.. Perhaps whilst you can still get away with it you should make small changes to that diet now... because you will reach a point where small changes won't be enough and then you will be stuck with a very stark choice to make.. that may not happen for 1, 5 or even perhaps 10 years but that is the road you are currently walking.

An HbA1c of 7.7% sits just above the maximum NICE recommended rate of 7.5%... it also equates to an average blood glucose of 11 mmol/l which is quite a lot more than the recommended 4 - 7 mmol/l pre meal and 8.5 mmol/l post meal... Your diabetic team quite rightly were happy with the progress that you made and so should you be but that does not mean that you have reached a level that is 'safe' in the long term.

In this thread and many others you have received a lot of advice; the advice may not be what you want to hear but it doesn't mean it isn't sound. You can make some very simple changes now... such as swapping high GI carbohydrate to low GI carbohydrate and increasing your protein in take that would not only resolve you hunger problems but also would improve your blood glucose control.. or you can look to continue to eat as you do... at the end of the day it is your life and none of us can tell you how to live it..

GI (Glycemic Index) is a measure of how quickly carbohydrate effects your blood glucose... Glucose (the purest form of carbohydrate) has a GI of 100.. other food is then ranked between 0 - 100 depending how quickly it will increase your blood glucose... In general hi GI foods are processed quicker by your body and cause your blood glucose to rise higher.. they also don't satisfy your hunger for very long... they are good foods for energy replacement post exercise for instance...

As a diabetic you want to avoid high blood glucose as this will cause you damage.. prolonged high blood glucose will lead to diabetic complications such as; blindness, amputation, loss of sensation, kidney failure, heart attack (you get the picture)....

Hi GI foods (70+) include: white bread, rices and pasta... breakfast cereals, sweets, chocolate, etc...
Medium GI foods (56 - 69) include: whole wheat products (breads, pasta, rice), root vegetables (such as baked potatoes)
Low GI foods (55 or less) include: most fruits and non root - vegetables, legumes/pulses, nuts, beans, beets, chick peas, etc..

Note: Generally the longer you cook pasta / rice or vegetables the higher GI they become as you break down the starch... this makes it easier for the body to release the glucose

Ideally you want to start replacing the 'white' high GI foods with medium / low GI foods.. these take longer to digest and will keep your fuller... You may also consider reducing your carbohydrate intake and replacing it with proteins / fats... less carbohydrate in your diet will improve your blood glucose control.

Protein can be found in meat (especially chicken and fish) it is also found in a lot of pulses and beans... vegetarian products such as Quorn are also a good source..

Here's a list giving the GIs of some basic carbs.
http://www.the-gi-diet.org/lowgifoods/

phoenix said:

Here's a list giving the GIs of some basic carbs.
http://www.the-gi-diet.org/lowgifoods/

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A link to remember thank you for posting it

Sarah, I can understand where you are coming from as I am not a veg/salad person either. However, due to having diabetes we HAVE to change our diet if we want to avoid complications in the future.

I am still struggling with the snack/chocolate problem. However, I have managed to change my main meals to control my BG. Try to think of some veg you like then try to think of different ways of cooking it. I realised that my problem was that veg/salad was too boring and lacked taste-boiled carrots were just so bland. Then I discovered stir fry and cauliflower. My main meal is now meat/chicken with either the oriental stir fry mix from asda or some cauliflower with grated cheese sprinkled on top.I often just have the cauliflower and cheese for a snack. For lunch I have 2 slices burgen soya and linseed bread with some cold meat and sometimes cheese too. It is a tasty combination.

From reading other posts on here you can get some really good ideas for eating and making veg more interesting. It is possible to change your diet if you really want to. Just make small changes at a time and try lots of different things.

Try the "White Rule" for a while. This is : Nothing white except cauliflower. No white pasta, rice, pastry,bread, potatoes etc. It's simple and it has very good effect.

It's not all about salad and veg. For me it's mainly about meat, eggs, cheese and cream.

For 39 years I couldn't understand the appeal of salad, and I didn't paticularly like cheese, until in America this January someone asked me if I wanted to shared a blue cheese salad. Changed my perception of salad forever. Now I eat it almost every lunchtime, with half a Tescos roast chicken, and I'm hardly ever hungry.

I like that rule - chocolate is brown :lol:

sweetLea said:

Try the "White Rule" for a while. This is : Nothing white except cauliflower. No white pasta, rice, pastry,bread, potatoes etc. It's simple and it has very good effect.

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What about chicken, cream and mayo? That's about 70% of my calorie intake. I'm going to starve to death now

borofergie said:

It's not all about salad and veg. For me it's mainly about meat, eggs, cheese and cream.

For 39 years I couldn't understand the appeal of salad, and I didn't paticularly like cheese, until in America this January someone asked me if I wanted to shared a blue cheese salad. Changed my perception of salad forever. Now I eat it almost every lunchtime, with half a Tescos roast chicken, and I'm hardly ever hungry.

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What is it exactly? And please don't tell me it's Iceburg with Danish Blue...

borofergie said:

sweetLea said:

Try the "White Rule" for a while. This is : Nothing white except cauliflower. No white pasta, rice, pastry,bread, potatoes etc. It's simple and it has very good effect.

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What about chicken, cream and mayo? That's about 70% of my calorie intake. I'm going to starve to death now

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Nah...........They are all cream coloured.