What is the view or position on Cheat Meals. For those that are type 1 and type 2, notionally am I to assume that these are off the books until Blood Glucose levels are in the Normal range?
Cheat meals allowed?
- Thread starter Prince4
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It's all personal choice.
And the definition of a 'cheat meal' can be very different from person to person.
I supposed anything that will spike BG by 6 or 8 Points. So around 14 MNOL. I am a Type 2 diabetic.
Also as a Type 2 diabetic are there any techniques for quickly lowering BG after eating ( without Insulin). I have heard walking or even skipping on spot for 20 minutes if effective....?
I don't know what is a cheat meal.
I am lucky to be at the "right" weight and very active. I am also happy in the way I manage my diabetes - my hba1c is lower than the type 2 "cut off point".
As a result, I do not restrict what I eat.
I love vegetables and often find a dish with lots of carbs (e.g. pasta) boring.
That said, I enjoyed a wonderful portion of fish and chips last weekend after a 10 mile hike in Wales (not flat). Was that a cheat meal? I do not think so because I dosed my insulin to keep me in range.
I believe a healthy diet for someone with Type 1 is the same as a healthy diet for someone without diabetes. Treats are definitely allowed. I do not consider that cheating.
I cannot comment for type 2.
I am lucky to be at the "right" weight and very active. I am also happy in the way I manage my diabetes - my hba1c is lower than the type 2 "cut off point".
As a result, I do not restrict what I eat.
I love vegetables and often find a dish with lots of carbs (e.g. pasta) boring.
That said, I enjoyed a wonderful portion of fish and chips last weekend after a 10 mile hike in Wales (not flat). Was that a cheat meal? I do not think so because I dosed my insulin to keep me in range.
I believe a healthy diet for someone with Type 1 is the same as a healthy diet for someone without diabetes. Treats are definitely allowed. I do not consider that cheating.
I cannot comment for type 2.
I define my allowed carbs per day such that I can have occasional 'treats' (in my case a few squares of dark 90% chocolate or binging on nuts or cheese or more than a few berries) without exceeding my target provided I plan for it. So my wife says I'm quite strict with myself, though in truth most of the food I used to love has little appeal after 4 yrs of Low Car has changed my tastes.
However I have never and would never knowingly eat a meal that would spike my BG by more than 2.0 mmol. I want to live a long and healthy life with all my limbs and my sight too much to play fast and loose with it.
However I have never and would never knowingly eat a meal that would spike my BG by more than 2.0 mmol. I want to live a long and healthy life with all my limbs and my sight too much to play fast and loose with it.
AloeSvea
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This is as a person with type 2 - I deal with longing for high carb sweet food (yes, still) by having two to three treat days during the year. This depends on how the 'control' is going. The treat days coincide with celebatory and seasonal festive days - so three celebrations max. I have learnt the hard way to make sure 1 or 2 days doesn't extend to 4-7 days (Xmas, and Easter) - easy to do with the social family element. I drop Easter if my 'control' is not going so well.
What is really awful is if my treat food turns out to be disgusting or ruining - as in thinking a BBQ sauce last year on a kebab on my birthday would be nice. It was so sweet and ghastly I had to throw the whole kebab out - and let me tell you - that really hurt! So my tastes, too, after nine years have definitely changed. If I go for high carb I go for the real thing - a dessert, a pancake or hash brown breakfast, garlic naan bread with Indian food - that kind of thing, and not waste my time with now ghastly to me condiments and too sweetened meat (for me - sacrilege.) My birthday treat food is done by eating out, so I don't bring it into the house.
Note I don't say 'cheat' for a reason. I don't see how it is possible to cheat yourself in this way. One does what one can - there's no cheating involved from my point of view. For me to have a carby breakfast on my birthday for instance is a very real and joyous treat. We all have ways of dealing with the long haul aspect of type two. Absolutely without question, for me, healthwise to not have treat days would be better for me. But it's my way of dealing with the loss of beloved sweet food, and being low carb the rest of the year, and yes, for the rest of my life.
What is really awful is if my treat food turns out to be disgusting or ruining - as in thinking a BBQ sauce last year on a kebab on my birthday would be nice. It was so sweet and ghastly I had to throw the whole kebab out - and let me tell you - that really hurt! So my tastes, too, after nine years have definitely changed. If I go for high carb I go for the real thing - a dessert, a pancake or hash brown breakfast, garlic naan bread with Indian food - that kind of thing, and not waste my time with now ghastly to me condiments and too sweetened meat (for me - sacrilege.) My birthday treat food is done by eating out, so I don't bring it into the house.
Note I don't say 'cheat' for a reason. I don't see how it is possible to cheat yourself in this way. One does what one can - there's no cheating involved from my point of view. For me to have a carby breakfast on my birthday for instance is a very real and joyous treat. We all have ways of dealing with the long haul aspect of type two. Absolutely without question, for me, healthwise to not have treat days would be better for me. But it's my way of dealing with the loss of beloved sweet food, and being low carb the rest of the year, and yes, for the rest of my life.
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Hi,
T1 is a bit different in regards to dosage for the carb count & timing of the dose…
Sometimes it don’t always quite go to plan for me when I try something new. (Which I can do.)
Did I cheat? Lol, only if I was dining out romantically with someone other than my wife..
Even as a T1 on MDI. My “wonderful” portion of fish & a few chips a few weeks back with my 91:year old mum could have held up better on the graph if It maybe possible to fortunately get funded & granted a pump.?
What does your meter or sensor say.?
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Mrs HJG
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Hi @Prince4 I balance my treats/cheats with 'are they really worth it?' I agree with @AloeSvea and try to keep them for my birthday and real special occasions, but depending on your age, physical and mental health, you may 'need' to have more 'treats' than others to keep yourself to a more restricted lifestyle most of the time.
If I get to 90 I think I may well bin off the low carbing and eat all the cake and pizza. But if 'eating low carb', and to be honest at times it feels like 'living low carb' makes you miserable then you have to get the balance right for you, your mental health and longer term goals.
To answer your other question, getting active for at least 10 minutes after eating, no matter how many carbs, can help to reduce/curtail a glucose spike as you will be getting your muscles to use, not store, the glucose.
PS Looks like your are going in the right direction with your reducing weight and HbA1c results
Bravo!
If I get to 90 I think I may well bin off the low carbing and eat all the cake and pizza. But if 'eating low carb', and to be honest at times it feels like 'living low carb' makes you miserable then you have to get the balance right for you, your mental health and longer term goals.
To answer your other question, getting active for at least 10 minutes after eating, no matter how many carbs, can help to reduce/curtail a glucose spike as you will be getting your muscles to use, not store, the glucose.
PS Looks like your are going in the right direction with your reducing weight and HbA1c results
Bravo!
MissMuffett
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I’m still at the craving stage although I’ve been type 2 quite some time but ive been in denial until recently and now having to go on 2 types of medication and very low carb so my retinopathy doesn’t get worse and I don’t end up with kidney problems and neuropathy!
I heard someone once say, when they were talking about controlling T2D ’If you were an alcoholic or a drug addict, would you allow yourself the occasional shot of vodka or a line of heroine?‘ I think if you ‘cheat’ it starts off all the usual cravings, besides if you go on YouTube there are all sorts of alternative of savoury and sweet treats Check out ketofocus, if you want some kind of food she will almost always have a low carb version.
I heard someone once say, when they were talking about controlling T2D ’If you were an alcoholic or a drug addict, would you allow yourself the occasional shot of vodka or a line of heroine?‘ I think if you ‘cheat’ it starts off all the usual cravings, besides if you go on YouTube there are all sorts of alternative of savoury and sweet treats
Check out ketofocus, if you want some kind of food she will almost always have a low carb version.My take is: pause and consider who or what you are actually cheating.
Yourself, that's who.
Like yourself more! Be kinder to yourself. You are in control.
Yourself, that's who.
Like yourself more! Be kinder to yourself. You are in control.
I would personally prefer to make keto versions of my old 'treats' so I just incorporate them into normal life. Eg almond flour pancakes, keto cheesecake, peanut butter cookies etc. 85-90% chocolate. Berries and cream
