• Guest - w'd love to know what you think about the forum! Take the 2025 Survey »

Can someone start me.

C

Cosy

Well-Known Member
Messages
108
Location
United Kingdom
I have been avoiding the idea of low carbing for a good few years now, but as i have been trying to eat sensible, joined Slimming World but with no success re sugar levels going down, feel this might be the time to look into the low carbing. I know there are things on here explaining it but I am getting confused. Can anyone just give me advice on how to start or websites to look on, is it very complicated. I have a daughter with an eating disorder and dont want to make too much of a deal about it, if you know what I mean. My GP is about to put me on isulin the next time I go to him so would like to try and get them down without this. I am on a few different medications but I would need to get my prescription out to say what they are and it is not handy at the moment. This diabetes is really getting me down at the moment, sometimes I think I am in denial........

Sorry about the moan but I need to get myself sorted !!! I am just about to retire and dont want to be eating all day if in the house more.
 
Hi Cosy

Unfortunately slimming world is not a good diet for diabetes. (I did slimming world last year (before diabetes) and worked well I lost 1.5 stone. But for diabetes it's too full of carbs, eat as much potatoes , rice, pasta, etc. it's a no no now.

Low carb is he way to go. I am sure someone will be here with the "list"

Scot
 
Hi there!
. The total number of carbs per day you can eat depends on how advanced your diabetes is. It’s perhaps worth starting at about 50% of normal levels for a non-diabetic then adjusting up or down according to how you get on. That’s 150 grams of carbs per day for a man, 125 for a woman. Make sure you're including ALL carbs in your count. You can read the total carb content of food under “nutritional info” on the packet or wrapping, or look it up on the internet for loose food. Just google “carb content..”
You also need to stop or reduce the bad carbs; that is the starchy ones that make your BG go up quickly.
So obviously no sugar or glucose! But also no white bread, white rice, pasta, flour products like pastry, cake and batter. You can eat a little basmati rice, wholewheat pasta or the tri-color pasta fusilli ones in small quantities. A few boiled new potatos are OK but not old pots mashed, boiled or in their jackets. (Roast is not so bad, the fat slows their absorption and conversion to glucose in the blood) Amongst other veg, parsnips are about the worst for BG, and carrots not great but ok in smaller amounts.
Multi grain bread (not wholemeal) is not SO bad, but lots of us eat Burgen soya and linseed bread from tescos and sainsburys, although all bread should be in limited amounts.
All fruit has carbohydrates, and needs to be included in the amounts of carbs you eat in a day. For most people, bananas are about the worst for pushing our BG up and berries (like strawberries, raspberries etc) are the least bad.
Good luck!
 
Definitely meat, fish, egs and cheese with veggies. Mainly green leafy stuff.
Look in an Atkins diet book. Atkins is pretty good for diabetes.
Hana
 
hanadr said:
Definitely meat, fish, egs and cheese with veggies. Mainly green leafy stuff.
Look in an Atkins diet book. Atkins is pretty good for diabetes.
Hana
Click to expand...


I was just going to suggest Atkins Hana, you beat me to it. :D
 
Thank you all for your replies. I am still a bit confused but will go into look at the Atkins Diet as I would also like to loose weight as well as bring my sugars down, although it will be a bonus. I will look at websites you have advised of. I just feel I dont know if I can do it sucessfully although most people on here seem to like it. Can you still eat out occasionally ? It might take me a few days to get my head round it but I will certainly try. I will let you know in a few weeks how I get on when testing my sugars.

Thank you again, any advice is very welcome. :)
 
Cosy said:
... I just feel I dont know if I can do it sucessfully although most people on here seem to like it.
Click to expand...
It's a bit overwhelming at first, but some find it easier to start with just one lo-carb meal and get used to the diet gradually. For example, for dinner have some meat or fish and a cooked green vegetable or two.
If you look at the Swedish websites Xyzzy put up, you'll see that this is a healthy diet not just for diabetics, but for people who want to lose weight, or just improve or maintain their health. You don't need to say anything to anyone, just drop the potatoes and bread and see if they notice.
 
I have still not started low carbing, had a bit of a blow out the last couple of days. Off to Tesco to shop, bought carb counter book so trying to find out carbs in things, hopefully will manage to shop and get low carb things and get started. I am still a bit confused but will take my glasses so I can read labels !!! I am still fretting re what to have with a coffee, can I have things like crispbread ? Also if I go out for coffee in say John Lewis or Costa Coffee is there anything I can have with my coffee ? I would be gratefull for any advice. Hope you all have a good day in this lovely weather :)
 
Do you really need anything with your coffee?
I have T1 diabetes, and have to use insulin with anything I eat. Injecting the right amount of extra insulin mid way between meals is difficult , so I was told from day 1 not to snack. I know that the dietitian at my hospital also gives the same message to people with T2.
You soon discover that you really don't need to unless you have done some extra exercise.
I'm lucky to live in an area where the temptation isn't as great as in the UK (no coffee shops) but even when I'm in the UK and even though I know how to manipulate my insulin I stick to just coffee.
Take a look at the Costa nutrition info, most things are high in both fat and carbs .
http://www.costa.co.uk/media/22162/Food ... -Apr12.pdf
They are mostly energy dense,nutritionally devoid calories. The only thing below 100cal is a mini muffin, many contain 400cal or more. Are they worth it, I don't think so.
 
Cosy said:
I am still fretting re what to have with a coffee,
Click to expand...

As phoenix suggested I try not to have a snack with tea or coffee, I drink so much some days that I would put on weight if I did :) I found whilst trying to lose weight that rather than snack I would look at my watch and think its only x hours till lunch/diner I will wait and will enjoy my lunch/diner more by not snacking. And that worked for me.

I watched 'Would I Lie To You' on the telly last night and some one said, I think it may have been Jossie Lawrence, that she met someone who was giving up smoking and had a cigarette packet which was full of carrot sticks and every time he wanted a cigy he had a carrot stick instead, perhaps you could adapt a similar strategy for your snacking :thumbup:
 
Hi Cosy, don't panic, help is here in this forum. Take on board all the advice from above and take alook in the LOW CARB THREADS of this forum, especially VIV'S MODIFIED ATKINS DIET and LOW CARB DIET - A GUIDE FOR NEWBIES, the relevant information is all there. See also the section on low carb recipes, there are many various recipes there to point you in the right direction, best of luck x
 
Thank you again for advice, I just feel I cannot have a coffee without something to eat usually when in Costa it is lunchtime whith my daughter who has an eating disorder and I dont like to make a big deal out of not eating anything! At home I could have a crispbread, I am just learning how to do this. I am not caring about loosing weight just getting my readings down. :?
 
Back
Top