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Carb craving - side effects

Mike d

Expert
Messages
7,994
Location
Australia
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Other
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idiots who will not learn
Hi one and all and good morning to most of you

i don't "think" I suffer from carb cravings given my dietary changes (that's my strong will coming into play) but I DO wonder what the side effects are. For example, I feel irritable, impatient, intolerant, longing for home if I'm out shopping, anxious and constantly worrying about what's coming next.

I'm only five months in to this and my BS readings have been really good having lost all the excess weight (down to 76 kgs at 6 foot) and switching to a LCHF diet a few weeks back. Is this common and do I just battle thru it? If that's the case, I'm more than happy to do it to get the results .... but I'd LOVE the input from others.

Cheers Mike
 
I started low carb when I was suffering from the expected complications of the DUK/NHS diet.

As my health rapidly improved, & is now free from complications, there is no temptation or craving to revert to the foods that were crippling me.

Low carb becomes a lifestyle rather than a diet.
 

Hi @Mike D
I don't think this is anything to do with your dietary changes but seems more like anxiety.
Anxiety can be brought on by a stressful event and although you may not consider your diagnosis as a stressful event this could be classed as such. There are a lot of emotions that we display, privately or publicly when it happens.

Think about it in a rational way. We all think we are invincible until something like this happens and although we may not show any outward signs we ruminate about it, change our lifestyle and eating but we also have that niggly feeling about what the future may hold.

Sometimes it can be described as a normal reaction to an abnormal event. If someone had told you 10 years ago that you would have Type 2 diabetes you would have thought they were joking but now it has arrived and you have to deal with it.

You may be constantly thinking about what you are eating, wondering if any little unexplained pain is related to your diabetes, testing your blood sugars and hoping that the number is acceptable etc.... All these changes have been brought about by your diagnosis and you may feel that you have lost that spontaneity that you had before when there was no meal planning, no testing, no voice in your head telling you not to eat that, not to sit about but get up and exercise.

You have not been diagnosed for very long and it does take over in the early days but as you get used to it you will find that it gets easier.

This is only my opinion but it makes sense to me and I hope it helps you. If these feelings carry on then I would discuss it with your G.P.
CC.
 
Hi Mike, that sounds like hunger. Are you sure you eat enough? Enough fat?
 
Reading your description of how you feel, hunger was the first thing that went through my mind as well.

Wonder if a between meals snack would ease matters.

Also as @Totto asks are you taking in enough fat? You need to have energy from somewhere?

Pavlos
 
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Sounds to me also that you are not eating enough.As well as high fat you also need a decent amount of proteins. You would probably need around 80-100 grams of protein /day.

In any event you should calculate you macro nutrient composition and the total calories you are getting.

I remember feeling a bit too hungry some time ago and tried upping the fats, didnt do the trick for me, so I tried some more protein and very soon felt much much better.

I also tried very low carb, about 20 grams a day ,worked well and gave excellent BG values, but I dumped it as being too nutrient limiting. I have since settled on 25 grams of carbs a day.

Hope that this may help a bit.

Pasha.
 
Thanks to all of you for your input

OK, here's the rundown of my daily meals which, although they vary a bit, is reasonably constant.

Breakfast - Scrambled eggs, bacon, onions and zucchini ... full plate. That's @ 7a.m.

Lunch Midday - Pork chops and four quarter lamb chops (2) and perhaps an avocado.

Dinner 5p.m. - Full plate of roast chicken (or meat patties x 2) mixed with vegetables

Water in between. After dinner perhaps 5 glasses of red wine. Then bed.

I don't feel that hungry. As for the anxiety, I do wonder about it (yes, I have a big overseas move planned but it's progressing well) but my readings haven't exceeded 9.0 for quite some time and have been as low as constant 5s or 6s.

What is an easy fat to add? Same applies for an easy protein ... any suggestions guys?

Thanks

Mike
 
 
easy fats/oils , olive oil,coconut oil, sour cream.

easy proteins,smoked salmon,cheese, sprats ,sardines etc.

I envy those 5 glasses of red wine.[ "those were the days me friend"]
 
Pasha said:
easy fats/oils , olive oil,coconut oil, sour cream.

easy proteins,smoked salmon,cheese, sprats ,sardines etc.

I envy those 5 glasses of red wine.[ "those were the days me friend"]
Click to expand...

Thanks Pasha.

I'll enjoy the tips

Dunno if the red wine (and no, I don't overdo it ..... but five glasses is my new limit) is all that good for me but I can tell you it's MUCH better for the BS than Guinness ever was

Next thing is to cut down smoking. Was doing 50+ a few weeks back and now cut that in half.

My best

Mike
 
Hi Mike,

I used to smoke 80 cigarettes a day, that was 25 years ago. I did not stop smoking,it stopped me, ended up in hospital with a heart attack and as you may know there is no smoking allowed in the intensive care unit.
 
Pasha said:
Hi Mike,

I used to smoke 80 cigarettes a day, that was 25 years ago. I did not stop smoking,it stopped me, ended up in hospital with a heart attack and as you may know there is no smoking allowed in the intensive care unit.
Click to expand...

Heck !! Glad to see you made it thru it brother

They cost $1 each down here so even more reason to cut it back. Hate the damned things but I have to keep it up
 
Pasha said:
easy fats/oils , olive oil,coconut oil, sour cream.

easy proteins,smoked salmon,cheese, sprats ,sardines etc.

I envy those 5 glasses of red wine.[ "those were the days me friend"]
Click to expand...
Don't forget cheese, butter, goose fat, duck fat, mayonnaise and nuts.

One of my recent favourites is coleslaw.
 
Olive oil dressing on your veggies/salads is a healthy way of adding fat.
 
Mike,

Our paths are similar, myself born Aug 1954, pre May 2014 prognosis, Guinness & Smokes, guinness now replaced with Vodka, smokes stopped with a vapour Ecig for now.
Weight down 3stone (19kg) since June. Getting rid of the cigs will help with everything else.

Good luck on your journey .
 
Thanks for the good wishes
 
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