can any one give some diet advice pls?!

Hi Ladybird,

Many of us diabetics find low carb reduces their glucose levels quite dramatically...I have started by trying to have no more than 30g of carbs per meal which seems to work for me. It means no rice or pasta and limited amounts of brown bread (normally Weight Watchers or Nimble). I weigh all of my food before cooking to work out the carb content - tedious but you do get used to it! You might miss the carbs at first but the cravings will stop and your appetite should decrease, plus there are so many yummy carb free foods you can eat and not feel guilty about, eg cheese, steaks, cream etc etc...!

Good luck with everything.

Jessie's right and all you need in addition to a good set of scales is Collins Little gem Calorie counter. costs less than a fiver and will fit into your handbag. contains over 350 pages of info on basic and branded foods.

Hi Ladybird,

if you cut out the starches (bread, pasta, rice, potatoes) your blood sugar will fall much closer to normal levels. Your body will produce much less insulin. As your insulin level drops, so will your weight.

fergus

Hi Labybird,
i need to lose some serious weight, But due to health problems i can't exercise for long periods or walk too far!
I started a low carb diet, Since feb of this year i have lost some weight! well a big chunk!
But i have more to lose! I have cut out, Bread,rice,pasta, I have also don't have juice or milk! The milk is because i am allergic!
I bought the collins gem carb counter book! It is great, You can get it from amazon or play.com for around £2.99 delivered to your front door!
I eat 1 egg, 1 slice of bacon for breakfast,
Lunch is usually a salad at minute,
Evening meal is usually a salad with a egg thrown in, I like lemon chicken i do myself!
Also tuna salad etc!
I sometimes have half a apple and a bit of cheese if my blood sugar is low or been gardening!
I have found personally that the low carb approach has worked for me so far!
I am diet only no pills!
I hope this helps in some way!
Sandy

Start here

http://loraldiabetes.blogspot.com/2006/10/d-day.html

then have a look through the Stickies and Success Stories threads for more ideas

Hi Ladybird,
I would endorse the comments about low carb diet. I was diagnosed in March 2008 and managed to lose 2 stone very quickly ( in 3 months) but then stuck! Since changing to low carb diet ( after much reading around this forum) in January of this year I have lost a further 2.5 stone and counting,and the wonderful thing is, I don't feel hungry and I no longer miss the bread, pasta and potatoes or even the cakes and biscuits! I try to keep to less than 75g carbs a day and evenly spread across the meals. I have gone from size 24 on diagnosis, to currently size 14 /16

Before you panic, there are loads of lovely tasty things to eat apart from veg. The one thing that I gave up originally was cheese, but on low carb I can eat cheese which is wonderful 'cos I love it.
The recipe pages on the forum are excellent for ideas.
My average daily menu is
6.30am small bowl of porridge (1 oz) made with water, skim milk and artificial sweetner about 25g carb
12.00 noon - a cheese salad, lettuce, celery,tomatoes, spring onions and coleslaw - about 15g carb
6.00 pm - fish / steak / chicken with loads of green veg and sometimes carrots - about 20g carb

If I feel peckish in the evening, or bg really low, I sometimes have an apple and some cheese.

I try to walk about a mile a day, it is surprising how easy it is - park furthest point from supermarket / office - doesn't take much longer but it all helps.

Low carbing can be expensive though - all those new clothes 'cos nothing fits - used ebay, sold all me 'big stuff' and bought smaller stuff.
Hope this helps and good luck with the weight loss.