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Carb flu - how to get past it?

This young man needs more help than he can ever get here. His food and cola addiction is as real as a heroin addiction and just as hard to break without some serious professional help Just telling him to stop eating the carbs won't work that is like telling a drug addict to stop using heroin they can't do it without help and neither can he with his food addiction. He needs his diabetic teams support and counselling to help him with it
 
I managed to break my cola and food addiction without help. I know they are real. The diet coke one took me a very long time to kick. I suggest akindrat starts with the food, that's much easier. Then he can substitute the diet coke with sparkling mineral water. He has already taught me that cucumber water is an amazingly refreshing drink, so I reckon he has the wherewithal to do this. I don't see akindrat as any less able to succeed than me.

Yes professional support would be wonderful, but as we all know HCPs aren't always that good at giving it. I never got any help when I asked for help with my weight problems. We have told him that he needs professional help already, if that isn't forthcoming should he just stop trying?

@Pinkorchid I don't find your post very helpful, to me you are simply endorsing akindrat's fears that he can't do it alone. It sounds like you are telling him that if he doesn't get the professional help that many of us have been saying he needs (and saying it repeatedly for many months) he is doomed. The fact is he may have to do it alone, but hopefully now with his Mum's help too. It would be wonderful for him to have his diabetic team supporting him, but good quality counselling is even more important for him in my book.

@akindrat18 you really can do this. Many of us here believe you can or we wouldn't still be posting here. AndBreathe shared her story with you because she thought you would use it to help yourself. Don't let her down, I reckon that cost her alot to reveal, it really is a precious gift to you, and you alone. Much of what I said to you was experience from my past too. When you rely on others they have a tendency to let you down when you most need support. The only person you can truly rely on is yourself. I know you can do this and I would love to see you here telling your success story to newbies in the future.
 

Annie - I don't believe anyone has said the OP should turn his back on professional help, but the hard, hard fact of the matter is that in situations such as his, his doctors, nurses, therapists or whomever are only facilitators. They may give him ideas, provide support and work through the talking therapy many find so useful, but when it comes down to it, there is only one person puting food in his mouth, and at 2am or whenever, he doesn't have peer pressure or professional support at his elbow. His driving need to buy and to put questionable food in his mouth has to be deflected to something more positive. The act of putting chocoltae/pizza/crisps or whatever in his mouth may be an impulse at 2am, but it isn't that simple. Eating is a many stepped process, and there are at least three steps he goes through in satisfying his binge. The steps are:

Deciding to acquire food (enter a shop and select whatever it is)
Prepare the food (whether it is merely opening a packet or heating a pizza)
Actually consuming it.

So, along the way there is way more than one mindless act in play.

There is no doubt the OP has a difficult journey ahead of him, but he to actually start the journey, rather than continually seem to prepare for it then to abort. Life isn't infinite.

Not one single one of us knows when any given scenario will be too late; whether it's travelling around the world, dying our hair purple (not my colour), buying an open topped sports car, or fixing our health, but one thing is for sure, and that is that right now the OP isn't playing the smart odds.
 
Hi Akindra18 ; Just after last Christmas, I was 62 and weighed in at 29 st 10 lbs and was well off the blood glucose scale. Having tried all that the Specialists, dietitians and Specialist Nurses advised mainly with mixed results, but seldom stabilised for more than a couple of weeks, I decided that I needed to control my diabetes and not the other way round
Now, some ten months later and six stones lighter, but more importantly with blood glucose levels in single figures. I feel that I have the 'Beast' under control. How did I do it? A question that my Specialist asked a month ago. I told him that all previous advice had been consigned to the dustbin along with all the carbs! I now eat protein, fats whenever I want, But very, very little in the way of carbs. I have been able to reduce insulin by 30%. I feel fitter and am much healthier. My aim - to stop taking insulin completely by this time next year, and then become a non diabetic As a previous reply said, have a store of meats and cheeses to hand and a generous supply of nuts, but not peanuts! drink loads of water, and if you must drink alcohol - leave the beer alone and plump for a wine and soda. Good Luck
 

That's quite a turn around you have made there. You must be rightly proud.

If I may ask, was there something pivotal that catalysed your change? For each and every one of us, who wants or needs to change something, there has to be sufficient motivation and usually a clear "what's in it for me?".

If you'd rather not say anything you feel to be private, just ignore my post.
 
AndBreathe said:
If I may ask, was there something pivotal that catalysed your change?
Click to expand...
I see one key difference: he/she seems to set direct and quantifiable goals. Ex: I want to be off insulin by this time next years.
That's a goal they will either succeed or fail at. It's easy to measure and there is an exact time frame it much be accomplished.

Unfortunately, I didn't see one instance where akindra18 did the same. I've seen it many times in people that fail in their attempts to lose weight. It's basically the mindset of "I'll start tomorrow." It often accompanies the mindset "I'm different. I just can't lose weight."

That's the absolutely worst thing you can do because you're comforting yourself by saying you'll change, yet you never actually do anything.


Bottom line:
You want to lose weight? How much? By when? What are you going to do to make a change?
You want to quit sodas? By when?
You want to be more active? What are you going to make yourself do each day?

I've never met a single person that woke up one day, decided to make a difference in their life and it just happened without any effort.

Set goals- make some easy and some harder. It's important to have short-term successes to remind yourself that what you're doing is working

Build a plan- tell yourself EXACTL how you are going to reach your goals. "Eat better and exercise" is not a plan. "Consume less than 2500 calories and walk for 1 hr each day" is much better.

Give yourself deadlines- what's your target weight loss number by the end of this year?

Reward yourself when you reach your goals- I personally believe this is incredibly important for long-term success. When you eat healthy for 14 days straight maybe reward yourself with a small treat. That doesn't mean go out and eat a whole pizza, but you should always have something to look forward to and especially if you've eaten poorly your entire life. These small rewards help make the transition less harsh to eating healthy.
 
I agree with the idea of a treat, but strongly suggest that for people like me and akindrat, this should be a non food treat until the BGs are under good control. He and I have both fallen at that hurdle before.

Akindrat how about saving the money you would waste on junk for something you would like to buy....new clothes in a smaller size maybe?
 
I don't disagree and I'm just throwing out ideas in hopes we can find something that works for him.

My concern is that he had issues beginning a low carb diet much less sustaining one.

Sometimes, the "best" approach may not be the best diet (scientifically speaking). I'm a financial advisor by profession and have to consider each client's behavior and emotional traits. I can objectively recommend the best plan/approach, but if the client doesn't follow it, it's useless.

Several years ago I lost about 60 pounds in less than 6 months (25% of my body weight). I worked my a** off during that time, but I still allowed myself to have these rewards. It was never more than 1 every two weeks and I always worked extra hard in the gym the next week. However, in many ways these rewards were just as important as the rest of my diet and exercise.

Call me crazy, but that's part of the reason why i don't think the Eatwell Plate approach is entirely useless. It's certainly not the best approach and especially not for a diabetic, but it's far better than eating a diet of fast food and candy. In some cases it can be an easier transition to a healthier lifestyle which hopefully will also lead to the "best" approaches (i.e.-LCHF)
 
TorqPenderloin said:
"Eat better and exercise" is not a plan. "Consume less than 2500 calories and walk for 1 hr each day" is much better.
Click to expand...

I can't discern the difference but I agree with the thrust of it. Provided he listens. Knowing him, he won't. Like the guy but heck, just how much support can you give. He must me on here 24/7, not every 2nd or 3rd day. Dumb decisions mean dumb outcomes. To lose your life at such a young age?

I give up on him ..... for now Prove to me you're doin' something son. Otherwise we are done. Did that one get thru?
 

Torq – I understand Change extremely well, having working in cultural, system, behavioural and personal change for year, with great success. What I was trying to achieve from @bowtimeiwon was to hear how he did it, so that, with luck, the OP has a number of examples of what can be achieved, how and why. Right now, I don’t believe the OP believes he can make the changes he needs, so seeing more and more people who have walked the walk might just stir something in his loins.

I agree goals and milestones are important in any change process, but there is something important missing in what you suggest and that’s the “Why?” and what I often call the “What’s in it for me?”

In context: Every single adult, with unimpaired cognitive function knows that carrying excess weight is far from ideal and that they should lose it, but a good proportion of folks in that situation simply don’t. For a time, I was one of those people. I didn’t carry a lot of excess, but I was carrying more than was ideal for my height and tiny frame. I’m not stupid. I have a background in sciences, including physiology and medicine, but I still didn’t do anything about it. I could go into the reasons why I didn’t along the way, but I won’t. My reason for getting in shape was my out of the blue diagnosis with T2, coupled with it being at a very inconvenient time, in terms of lifestyle choices and life plans. My initial, sole objective was to get my bloods into the excellent control range, and for me weight loss was almost a collateral impact. For me, the “What’s in it for me?” was to minimise the impact of T2 on my health and way of living, the steps (goals) were to reduce my bloods into the Excellent control range, then review. As it turns out, I appear to have gone further than that, but that’s unimportant in this context.

So, it is my belief that unless the person being expected to change sees a real benefit they can identify with, they’ll tinker around the edges.

I’ll get off my soapbox now.
 
I don't think the problems and possible solutions are black and white.
This article does explain some of the reasons as to why people overeat and asks some questions..

Making sense of compulsive overeating
Is compulsive overeating:

  • A dieting disorder?
  • A food addiction?
  • A bad habit?
  • A lack of willpower?
  • Comfort eating – to manage difficult and troublesome feelings?
  • A stress disorder?
  • A body image problem?
  • A sign of a deeper emotional problem
http://eating-disorders.org.uk/information/compulsive-overeating-binge-eating-disorder/

Until the OP can identify why he sabotages his eating plan we will never understand because it seems alien to most of us and no amount of common sense answers or frustration with him will alter the problems he faces.
 
I didn't use the best examples, but the difference is that you can't quantify "better." "2500 calories" can be quantified and there is an exact moment when you reach that number.

I understand your viewpoint and I realize you're not just saying these things to be hurtful. Your approach would work great on a person like me (I hate pleasantries), but I'm not sure it works for everyone. Someone like me knows he can lose weight, but needs a "kick in the a**" every so often.

Someone like Akindra18 may not (yet) believe he can make these changes. Im sure he's dealing with a lot of uncertainty combined with mental and physical pain at this point. I think he's aware of the big picture but I'm sure the road to changing is a bit scary.

I get a strong sense that he needs a few "wins" right about now. Maybe that's walking for 20 minutes, going a week without eating anything sweet, or even hearing some good news that isn't related to his health.

Again, I see some fantastic advice in this thread, but I imagine it can be overwhelming. This isn't a change that will happen overnight so maybe we can help him achieve some of those smaller goals first and work towards the larger ones in time.
 

I am certainly not saying he is doomed and I am not endorsing his fears far from it. My point was that he need more than just support from this group. A lot of people here seem to think it is just simply a matter of him stopping the carbs and I think he really wants to change his diet but because he admits he has a food addiction he says he is finding it really hard so he needs his HCP's on his side to help him and his family to support him and hopefully he will get that.. I think he did say he is waiting for a counselling appointment . What he does not need is people using scare tactics as some have done on this thread by telling him all the bad things they say will happen to him if he does not change because no one knows that.
 
I had a 6 can a day Diet Pepsi addiction and I weaned myself off it by keeping a couple of emergency cans in the fridge and telling myself I didn't need it and congratulating myself every time I didn't reach for them. I did have blinding headaches at first, and GP said I should take paracetamol for them. The headaches went away and I started drinking water instead. Better to have a body that's 90% Evian or whatever than 90% Diet Coke.
 
I think everyone posting on this thread is well meaning and considerate to have given their time.

I think, however, its pretty obvious that the only person that can help someone like Akindrat is Akindrat. He has had lots of advice, support, recommendations and suggestions made on this thread and he seems to have followed none of them. As we have established that he spends a lot of time on this forum he must know the health problems he will experience if he carries on down the road he is travelling but its pretty obviousl that he will carry on just the same until he decides otherwise. If he ever does.

Yes, it is frustrating for most of us because we want to get our bg under control and don't understand why someone would want to carry on feeling awful the way Akindrat is with the real potential of losing his eyesight, having bits of him chopped off or even developing heart problems. I'm sure you've all heard of 'death by cop' well I think this is a real case of 'death by chocolate'. Its something he's chosing to do. Nobody is forcing him to eat the wrong things. Well, sorry, he needs to get a grip - either accept that he's doing this to himself and stop asking for advice or do what the rest of us have done, change our diet and give up the stuff causing all the problems.

I don't think a health professional or counsellor would be much help to him if he isn't telling them what he is actually doing. I suspect they already know, though, they aren't daft which is why he isn't getting prioritised for talking therapy or any other kind of medical assistance. Like us they know that bg doesn't just shoot up extremely high unless something happens to provoke it.
 

To be fair to @akindrat18 , I doubt he's toddling downstairs at 2am thinking I'm going to stuff every carb I can find in my mouth and sod it all. If he's anything like I was when I was deeply gripped by my anorexia, I used to have lovely food at home, I would even prepare it, but just could not make myself eat it. I am a highly intelligent, highly qualified woman who was working in a clinical medical environment at the time, so I knew what was happening to me. I knew there was a potential for the worst outcome. But, I again, I just could not make myself eat. Until I had something happen that made me seek truthful help, then more importantly the incidents I talk about earlier in this thread, I couldn't find a way of changing my life.

It is a highly, highly complex situation. Any addiction (whether it be eating, not eating, drinking, gambling or drugs) is highly personal to the sufferer and until their time is right for them, little will happen to break the cycle. The difficult we have with food (too much or too little, it's irrelevant) is that we do need to take nourishment, unlike, say gambling where life goes on without using slot machines or betting on horses. Treating something requiring moderation is a real challenge. Treating something requiring abstinence is still very ,much a challenge; I'm not belittling that challenge at all, but it can be dealt with by complete abstinence.

I remain a very driven, strong, determined, stubborn (some would say cussed) personality, but to this day, I am mindful of not allowing behaviours to become too obsessive. There are still times when I have to give myself a bit of a talking to, but, as with life in general, it's a work in progress.

So, nothing changes in akindrat needing to dig very deep to find his reason to change, but I do think I need to acknowledge some of the thoughts probably screaming at top pitch in his brain when he reads this thread. I don't believe he is enjoying life much at all at the moment, but just hasn't found the compelling enough reason to change, yet.
 
A fundamental difference between a food addiction and say a drug or alcohol addiction, is that recreational drugs and alcohol aren't essential for life and food is. That means it's not a question of going cold turkey and giving it up, it means exercising more control.

My carb-loving serial dieting mother wouldn't know a balanced diet if it hit her over the head. No amount of me making suggestions, buying her books, watching YouTube videos with her, going shopping once a week with her, makes any difference. It goes in one ear and out the other.She says the right things but does none of them and ignores her GP too.

You can lead a horse to water...
 
True, but he doesn't need others leading him into complacency either, the clock is ticking. I really care about this young man that's why I have said all that I have said.
 
@catherinecherub I totally agree with what you said in your post. Do you know if there is anyway akindrat18 could get quicker access to really good quality counselling? It's clear to me that he doesn't have all the keys as to why he self sabotages and sometimes appears 'weak willed' . I don't believe he is weak willed at all.
 
Unfortunately, that's EXACTLY why they are so similar. Over time, drug/alcohol users develop a physical dependency (assuming the substances has physically addictive properties) to the substance which eventually becomes essential for their life. There's a reason methadone exists: many heroin users are physically unable to quit without it.
 
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