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Binging

T

Thecrazy_1

Well-Known Member
Messages
47
Location
London
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Hi all,
I have tried to stick to a healthy diet but years of abuse on my body is difficult to undo. I suspect I am preaching to the choir on this one. Anyway, tonight I got home and really didn't want to cook so I ordered a takeaway. Now, I will be totally honest, I can eat enough to food to sink the Titanic. Long story short, by blood went from 5.8 to 10.1
So what do you do when you don't want to cook? It has been decades since I last eat normal food everyday.
 
Ah. You have my sympathy.

My experience - It depends on your access to factory-made or restaurant/takeaway low-carb food. And your planning in advance! I, alas, do not have access to low-carb made by others' food that I could order and have delivered to my door, one it doesn't exist in my entire home country (NZ), and, two, it's the summer hols and I am not urban-side (even if it did exist, which it doesn't, etc etc).

I have often been online shopping and felt very envious of folks living States-side for the amount of low-carb in supermarkets and orderable options, living in and amongst big populations. And I guess London/GB generally of course would be likewise etc etc. So for you - do a good online low carb food shopping research session! In advance.

For me, due to lack of access and availability of orderable low carb, I must cook it myself. I hate cooking actually, but I do it a lot in order to live as long as I can etc etc with T2. So I cook in bulk certain items, and keep the excess frozen or in the fridge, with some low-carb staples always available. And, I have gotten very meat/poultry/fish/seafood and salad focussed. Very easy to cook and great LCHF fare and takes next to no time, especially as I buy the pre-prepared salads so I just pour it into a bowl and add my own LCHF dressings. In the cold season(s) I use wokked frozen veg a lot, with the meat/poultry/seafood/fish thing - very quick and easy and very LCHF. This entails good shopping - and good freezer space! And a microwave of course to defrost frozen meats etc quickly. Konjac root noodles and pasta substitutes are a must in my own pantry, as a safe filler when necessary, or just when desired and I can't be bothered spiralizing zucchini for 'zoodles'. The konjac root noodles are really easy and quick to prepare. I have heaps in my pantry.

What do I cook in excess and freeze? Fathead pizza bases. Homemade sugar free pasta/pizza/red sauce. Low-carb baked goods, especially almond flour breakfast rolls. I also do bone broth and have lots of it frozen - but that is for the serious LCHFers probably and IFers/fasters for when low-fooding or fasting, and I don't know if you are going that route also. I have lots of frozen prawns and frozen veg mixes so I never get caught out. For fun - low carb/sugar free fun drinks in the summer, stevia sweetened chocolate at all times. As I am very carb intolerant and love my food, I make sure I don't get caught out by not having these staples at home.

I hope you do have access to orderable and deliverable low-carb fare! Otherwise - you may have to do what I did and learn to cook afresh, and have a very pleasant and efficient cooking space/kitchen.
 
Thecrazy_1 said:
So what do you do when you don't want to cook?
Click to expand...
That happens too frequently, but I simply don't cook or eat. Perhaps I'll have a cup of tea, and if I'm lucky my husband will take the initiative.
In dire emergency order a burger and throw the buns in the bin. Depending on how carb resistant you are, you might also consider doing away with condiments.
 
When I don't want to cook, I order out for places that cater to my needs.... Fried chicken (no batter, just crispy skin), gyros/shoarma, burgers without the buns, salads (I'm yet to try Subway)... It's all meat, all the time, mostly. And around the house I have stuff to snack on which is low carb, like cheese, olives, extra dark chocolate, cold cuts, pork scratchings... It pays off to have stuff laying around that's low carb when you really want to dodge cooking.

Years of abuse... I actually did pretty good, following my dietician's advice to the letter, but then, her advice was eat lots of carbs, low fat, so.... It was supposed to be a healthy diet. Except it wasn't, not for me. My only vice was putting a lot of sugar in my coffee and tea, but since I didn't drink very much of that, I thought it was okay. Quite a few of us are diabetic while actually adhering to the EatWell plate and such nonsense. Ah well. Turning things around is hard, but it helps if you have handholds, find things that work for you, know what your pitfalls are and work around them. It takes a while to get the hang of it, but you'll get there.
 
Simple.

Kebab meat and salad. You can be the one in the shop sober and happy to fill your boots with kebab meat.
Really shock em and ask for Extra salad. (just mayo though)
 
An idea for Chinese take away is to order crispy duck. Eat just the duck and the veggies. I can get away with a couple of pancakes with a merest smudge of sauce but you’d need to test to see what your body tolerates too.
 
Really? How long does it take to make an omelette? You could make and eat one in a shorter time than it takes for your take away to be delivered.
Cheese, mushroom and red pepper three egg omelette with plenty of seasoning and cooked in butter. Job's a goodun'.
 

Agree. I’d rather just crack a couple of raw eggs into my gob than binge on food that I know isn’t going to do me any good. But we’re all different and and have walked a different path along our diabetic journey so far. To be honest half a small pot of double cream contains enough energy to fuel me for half a day, so I rarely get caught hungry.

Each to their own!
 
I do agree it is quicker to eat an omelette. However, it is more a mental thing rather than physical. It is like someone is stopping you from cooking, making you feel sick at the thought. For me when I binge it is about punishment and if I'm going eat this illicit food then I have to eat until I hurt. If I can conquer that then the rest will follow.
 
I understand your "can't be bothered to cook", when I'm in that mood I eat cold cuts (chicken, ham, salami)and cheese, maybe with salad or pickles. I also batch cook and I've usually got several "proper"meals in the freezer - pasta sauce, low carb chilli, curry etc that I can just bang into the microwave
 
Dry curry if you are have Indian.. Chicken Tikka or the like with a low carb veg curry. Spinach, aubergine, cauliflower no rice, no naan and no poppadums.
 

I honestly don't think tackling this problem by having take aways will help, in my experience there is almost always too much food in the portions and of course the cheapest ingredient makes up the bulk of the order.
Having said that, I do not have an eating disorder so I cannot advise.
 
I get where you are coming from and don't think its about the ease or time to make an omelette rather the unhealthy relationship some of us have cultivated with food. While I may not have a binging disorder, I struggle going low carb because of previous eating habits but find that cutting out carbs gradually over time or greatly reducing the quantity than going cold turkey on all carbs helps me avoid binging or "falling of the wagon". There are many great recipes on this site and very many helpful people that can give alternatives to your usual meals. All the best on fighting the binging urge
 
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