Cannot cut off carbs

[seadragon]

"For example, I love pizza and the fact that I would still be able to eat the toppings, while on low carb, was something alleviating, however now I crave the pizza base and cannot eat only the toppings.
I really want some chips with my meat, I got bored of eating meat with salad.
I also really want something sweet every day, either a cake-like or chocolate-like sweet.
If I eat only once per day and try to fast for 2-3 days every week, will I still be able to rip the benefits of ketosis/autophagy/hypoinsulinaemia?"

One of the problems with diabetes is that the damage that the food we eat is doing to us is not obvious and humans are great at only seeing the immediate future and being able to happily ignore the consequences further down the line. Trouble is they will get you eventually. A neighbour decided to be stubborn and not take advice on his diabetes as he wanted to eat and drink whatever he wanted - probably an alcoholic too, as he always had a beer in hand. People tried to help him but he wouldn't accept the help and now he is dead in his early 60's after a few miserable years of declining health ending up with a miserable bedridden existence. Does that prospect frighten you because it should? Did he he feel bad every time he drank a beer or ate the bread and the crisps and the pizza's. No he didn't but they killed him in the end. It's a choice and I can only guess he'd given up on life which is sad.

The only way you'll break the carb addiction is to go cold turkey. There are plenty of sites that can help you such as dietdoctor.com where there is a two week low carb challenge. Recipe ideas and shopping lists which make it easy. If you try to just cut down you are not breaking the addiction and you will go back. After two weeks you are well on your way - will hopefully have come through the carb flu which can make you feel unwell for a few days and will experiencing the amazing benefits to your health and energy levels that low carb high fat brings. A few months and you have made new habits for life.

Don't focus on what you can't have but on what you can have, bacon and egg breakfasts, glorious belly pork with steaming hot vegetables smothered in butter or stir fried with lashing of creme fraiche. If you don't like salads don't have them. Use above ground veg but serve it in interesting ways. Adding peri-peri flakes is great if you like spicy food. I thought I hated vegetables but now I love them and will sometimes have a veggie meal (any veg stir fried in coconut oil for 5 minutes then add lashings of creme fraiche , a dollop of mustard and some peri peri flakes. Or add grated cheese if you like cheese. You can finish it off by baking in the oven for 15 minutes but depends on the veg involved.) It tastes fantastic and something I'd never have dreamed off in the old high carb low fat (remember miserable steamed veg with no butter - Urghhh!)

Desserts if you must have them is a few berries with double cream.

Tastes change and after a few months you should find cravings disappear and the benefits to your health are the treasure that makes your future worth having. Always plenty of people on here for support and loads of great recipes available here and on diet doctor and ditch the carbs etc.

Good luck with changing your health and your life for the better.

 

[PNJB]

It may appear "WithoutSugar", that people are giving you hard statements, but EVERYONE of them is doing so, in your best interests. I was suffering peripheral pneuropathy (nerve damage in the legs causing constant "burning" sensations and pain in walking, as well as swollen feet, ankles and legs (Oedoema) requiring me to have to have hand made fitted shoes. Being successful on my HCLF diet has meant me reversing all those ailments and having a much more positive view on the future. Bite the bullet, and kick Pizza's etc into touch, and embrace a diet/ re-education that offers you a healthy future! You will find many better peers on this site better able to guide and advise you, but I bet there are few more committed than I to remain in my (now) Pre-diabetic classification.

 

[smw99]

Rose Elliot's low carb vegetarian cook book has a great pizza recipe using egg and cheese as a base is cheesy heaven. Lindt 90% is the lowest carb dark chocolate that I have found. All things are possible but I would never suggest fasting as it is difficult to sustain. Far better is to meet the low carb challenge head on and experiment with new foods and flavours. Try "sweet" spices

Montezuma make a 100% chocolate which I low and is very low carb. After a few months it tastes quite sweet to me! Sainsburys sell it.

 

[Deleted member 308541]

The only way you'll break the carb addiction is to go cold turkey.

This is how I gave up smoking three to four packets of cigarettes a day close to 25 years ago. I did not use nicotine patches or nicotine chewing gum to help me either.

Recommending eating cauliflower based substitutes in the OP's case is futile.

You have to want to give up, and you do not weaken from that resolve.

 

[maglil55]

I have made a lovely aubergine pizza tart. Cut aubergine in to slices, brush with oil and grill until cooked but still holding its shape. Line a tart dish with the cooked aubergine then layer on the toppings of your choice and cook.

I am another fan of the fat head pizza. It seems a gaff when you first make it but it gets easier every time. My non diabetic husband loves it.

You've reminded me Chook I haven't made Aubergine Parmigiana for ages and everyone in my family loves it.

 

[Kristin251]

I have made a lovely aubergine pizza tart. Cut aubergine in to slices, brush with oil and grill until cooked but still holding its shape. Line a tart dish with the cooked aubergine then layer on the toppings of your choice and cook.

I am another fan of the fat head pizza. It seems a gaff when you first make it but it gets easier every time. My non diabetic husband loves it.

Look how creative we are!! That sounds like a better crust. Where there's a will there's a way. Lots of time it's even better than the original and guilt free!!!

 

[WithoutSugar]

I forgot to mention that I have other addictions too, so it's not just a matter of willingness, it's not that easy for some people!

 

[Resurgam]

There is a Facebook low carb support group with loads of recipes and advice - even food porn pictures - all low carb.
There is pizza - or as close to it as possible, and it really is possible.
I have never eaten much pizza, so it holds no attraction for me, but if it has you in thrall to it, you can still eat pizza-ish meals

 

[dawnmc]

Forgot, there is a recipe (on the net) for meatza, I have made it, it's ok just too much meat for me, but you get the flavour.

 

[Freema]

why not try pizza toppings on wholewheat chapati
just a thought

wholewheat has almost the same amunt of carbs... still bad for diabetics.. the fibres do not take away the other many many carbs

 

[zand]

I forgot to mention that I have other addictions too, so it's not just a matter of willingness, it's not that easy for some people!

Me too. I found counselling has helped me a lot, but I still have difficulties sometimes.

 

[serenity648]

I dont think there is anyway round the difficulty except just keeping going, hour by hour, and keeping in mind why we are struggling with out addictions.

I think of that phrase from the book "We're going on a Bear HUnt"

We can't go over it.
We can't go under it.
Oh no!
We've got to go through it!

Because some part of life are just like that. No way round, so we just have to get our heads down and struggle through it. Eventually the hours turn to days, then weeks, then the cravings get less, the habit unwinds and loosens, and one day we find we havent had to struggle anymore that day. Thats the way it worked for smoking for me, and the way it seems to be working for my carb addiction.

Have some more hugs. You can do this, you have a whole bunch of fellow travelers with you.

 

[Chook]

Unless you are INCREDIBLY strong willed then every addiction has to be fought head-on individually. From my own experience I know that successfully fighting one addiction gives you confidence when you come to tackling other addictions.

You need to decide which is the most life threatening / altering of your addictions and start there. If the one that worries you the most is any developing or threatening symptoms with diabetes then you are in the right place to get help but its no good asking for help then just saying 'I can't ' because you can, you just need to want to badly enough Only you can chose to take that first step to be more disciplined with your diet.

It's worth remembering that most people on this forum have had to take the difficult decision to completely alter the way they have eaten for all of their lives and we are here to support you if you want us to but its no good you saying its impossible because we have all done it.

 

[serenity648]

It's worth remembering that most people on this forum have had to take the difficult decision to completely alter the way they have eaten for all of their lives and we are here to support you if you want us to but its no good you saying its impossible because we have all done it.

I agree with all you have said, but especially the bolded bit (my bolding). It can be done, it has been done, One small step at a time.

 

[ExD]

You are lucky!
You are very lucky!
Would it be true to say you are feeling just a teeny weeny bit sorry for yourself? Could it be time to grow up?
Thats harsh I know, but its your choice.
I'm surprised that no one on here has told you that amongst all the other things that can fail a diabetic, such as blood supply to the feet and eyes, is your libido.
I am also a coeliac which means I can't eat flour made from wheat, barley, rye, spelt or most oats - not even a crumb. You can get gluten free flour but anything made with this usually contains so much sugar it spikes your blood sugar off the radar.
I really really WANT pastry, cake, pizza, pies, real baker's bread - but I can't have any of these - but I still WANT them, badly, and always will - in fact walking past Greggs literally makes my mouth water.
You could walk in there and buy a pie and eat it, and you won't spend the next 48hrs on the loo, you can count it as today's carb allowance. You do add up your carbs each day don't you? and test your blood?
How many carbs do you allow yourself?

 

[nemiabonny]

Hello!

Unfortunately I find it extremely hard to cut off carbs.

For example, I love pizza and the fact that I would still be able to eat the toppings, while on low carb, was something alleviating, however now I crave the pizza base and cannot eat only the toppings.

I really want some chips with my meat, I got bored of eating meat with salad.

I also really want something sweet every day, either a cake-like or chocolate-like sweet.

If I eat only once per day and try to fast for 2-3 days every week, will I still be able to rip the benefits of ketosis/autophagy/hypoinsulinaemia?

thanks!

WithoutSugar,

By telling you my story, I don't mean to encourage you to follow my lead. What I wish to suggest is for you to experiment and see if you get the results you want.

When I was diagnosed as a type 2 diabetic in July 1991 (my first blood sugar reading was468 mg/dl), I was required to take several anti-diabetes pills. I refused to take them. I begged the doctor to allow me to manage my diabetes my way. He agreed on condition that I should pass a stress test first. The following day, after passing the stress test, he gave me 2 weeks to prove to him that my diabetes control was effective. In 10 days, my daily blood sugar readings were already in the 130 mg/dl - 140 mg/dl range. The doctor told me to continue doing what I was doing. What did I do? I ran the stairs a total of 2 hours per day in as many sessions as I could squeeze in in a day and ate only heart-healthy, natural, fresh (raw or cooked), unprocessed, and whole foods which were mostly carbohydrates. After 3 1/2 years, I reduced my stair running time to 1 hour per day.

Long story short, I still run the stairs, have the same HCLF diet, and I strongly believe that I am the first untreated 25+year T2D with no D complications.

Bonny Damocles
Male, 81 years old, 137 lbs., 5'7"
I am not on any pharma drugs for any health problems

 

[Trebor2516]

Hello!

Unfortunately I find it extremely hard to cut off carbs.

For example, I love pizza and the fact that I would still be able to eat the toppings, while on low carb, was something alleviating, however now I crave the pizza base and cannot eat only the toppings.

I really want some chips with my meat, I got bored of eating meat with salad.

I also really want something sweet every day, either a cake-like or chocolate-like sweet.

If I eat only once per day and try to fast for 2-3 days every week, will I still be able to rip the benefits of ketosis/autophagy/hypoinsulinaemia?

thanks!

You might find it hard to cut the carbs, the surgeon will have no trouble cutting off a limb, your choice.

 

[Brunneria]

I strongly believe that I am the first untreated 25+year T2D with no D complications.

I have seen you make that claim several times on this forum.

And i think you should stop saying it, unless you can provide some actual proof to support your claim. There are a heck of a lot of T2s out there, on varying diets and with varying medication (or none). There is no way on earth that you can know your claim is valid.

Having said that, congratulations on your blood glucose control. It is impressive. And I hope that you never have knee, or back, or hip (or any other) problems that prevent you from stair climbing.

 

[douglas99]

It would be an empty forum indeed if everyone had to verify all their posts with supporting evidence.
I think it would be better to let every member here decide for themselves who are the credible posters, and leave it to the moderators to decide who can post?

 

[Brunneria]

It would be an empty forum indeed if everyone had to verify all their posts with supporting evidence.
I think it would be better to let every member here decide for themselves who are the credible posters, and leave it to the moderators to decide who can post?

Bonnie has his opinion.
I have mine.
You have yours.

We are all expressing them, aren't we?