Could do with your thoughts..

[ladybird64]

As it says in the title, I could do with a bit of advice/suggestion. Some background..

Diabetic T2 since 2011, I also had problems with my weight and binge type eating issues, mostly connected to psychological stuff that has been with me all my life. Fast forward to last year, when I was diagnosed with a rare cancer and lost an adult child, both within 6 months of each other. I had lost a significant amount of weight, approx 3 stones by this point, mainly by lower carbing, the only food I cut out completely was bread, I could manage small amounts of potatoes, rice, pasta etc without it impacting on my bg's.
Last year I lost another 3 stones mainly due to the effects of the cancer treatment (which was very aggressive), I was unable to eat at all and mainly survived on ice lollies, this in turn led to me being unable to face food in any quantity, to this day I still eat meals from a tea plate, but can eat anything with no problems. My bg's have been at the "non-diabetic" level for a good couple of years, so much so that I was told I was no longer diabetic lol. Which brings me to now, or rather the past couple of months. My weight has yo-yoed up and down a bit, only with a range of about 5 pounds, bg's are fine but I'm battling the old urges to binge, this is probably linked to a severe depressive episode that I have had recently, more than likely the fallout from everything that happened last year (forgot to mention that I had moved house half way up the country at the end of Aug 2013 too).

I want to drop at least another half a stone, preferably more. I find myself debating over whether to follow low carb or low cal now, I don't have the same incentive as I had before when my meter pointed me in the right direction and I'm struggling. I also have the added delights of an instant menopause chucked in for good measure thanks to radiotherapy so I have a feeling that will slow things down too on the weight loss front.

It's daft that such a small issue should be causing me so much stress but it is, I don't think I would ever go back to how things used to be but the fear is there and I want to do something positive. Bear in mind that hunger and satiety is not the issue for me, I just want to get a handle on the weight and the urges to binge, which are fuelled by feeling out of control.

Thanks in advance.

 

[Celeriac]

@ladybird64 wow you have had a really tough time of it ! I think you're doing really well just hanging in there.

Though I'm a low carber myself, I think if it were me and I had been through Hell and back and was struggling to have an appetite at all, I would not want to be struggling to eat lots of fat.

My suggestion, is that you concentrate on nutrition, i.e. look around the internet (maybe check out some cancer survivors' websites if they exist) for ideas and try and give your body as many vitamins and minerals, antioxidants etc as you can to help it rebuild - and if something spikes your BG try cutting down the amount of it before eliminating it altogether.

Xx

 

[ladybird64]

@ladybird64 wow you have had a really tough time of it ! I think you're doing really well just hanging in there.

Though I'm a low carber myself, I think if it were me and I had been through Hell and back and was struggling to have an appetite at all, I would not want to be struggling to eat lots of fat.

My suggestion, is that you concentrate on nutrition, i.e. look around the internet (maybe check out some cancer survivors' websites if they exist) for ideas and try and give your body as many vitamins and minerals, antioxidants etc as you can to help it rebuild - and if something spikes your BG try cutting down the amount of it before eliminating it altogether.

Xx

Celeriac, thanks so much for replying. My appetite is fine now, I eat good amounts, I just squish it onto a tea plate! Daft I know, but the big plate puts me right off! I don't know what my BMI is, as someone who has been a size 22, I'm not interested in anything that makes me feel worse about myself!
I'm a size 14, have had a couple bingey days recently but seem to get a handle on it reasonably quickly but I would like to drop about another half a stone, hence the carbs/cals debate. Having normal levels makes it more difficult to decide! I think I will go with decreasing the carbs a bit more, and bringing out the sugar free jellies! Many thanks, really appreciate your reply (eating good grub too x)

 

[copey399]

@ladybird64 I'm not much good on the dietary advice I'm afraid but good ideas from Celeriac. I just wanted to say that I, too, have suffered the loss of an adult child and I can't begin to imagine how awful dealing with cancer and that was for you. Just wanted to send you a (((hug))) xxxxx

 

[Pipp]

Sorry I haven't noticed your post until now, @ladybird64 .
Sorry too for your loss of your child, and for the health difficulties.
I think you probably have the knowledge and ability to work out what you need to do about your eating regime, but may need some help with the emotional and psychological issues connected with your bereavement, and your cancer treatments. Does your hospital have a support group, or could you access MacMillan services?
Best wishes, Pipp

 

[ladybird64]

Thanks for your posts Copey and Pipp, I do appreciate you taking time to reply. Copey, I know I don't need to explain, and I'm sorry for your loss - it is something that no parent ever thinks they will need to face. Somehow we do, and we carry on - we have life and the chance to live it as best we can, although it is so hard xx
Pipp, the issues re food are from childhood really, the urge to dampen emotions have been there a very long time, since childhood, so aren't actually related to last year.
It's silly really, I know that cutting the carbs lowers weight as well as the bg's but all the low calorie blurb still hovers in the mind, more so because the db is under control.
Psychology/counselling isn't something I think I could do (although I totally understand the suggestion), sitting talking to someone would make me feel really uncomfortable. I know it works for many but to me, it still boils down to taking some sort of action, no matter the underlying reasons. It is tough but I think I'm going to stick with lower carbing and hope I can get the weight off, I just need to make sure I follow it properly.

Thanks again for the support xx

 

[Pipp]

Thanks for your posts Copey and Pipp, I do appreciate you taking time to reply. Copey, I know I don't need to explain, and I'm sorry for your loss - it is something that no parent ever thinks they will need to face. Somehow we do, and we carry on - we have life and the chance to live it as best we can, although it is so hard xx
Pipp, the issues re food are from childhood really, the urge to dampen emotions have been there a very long time, since childhood, so aren't actually related to last year.
It's silly really, I know that cutting the carbs lowers weight as well as the bg's but all the low calorie blurb still hovers in the mind, more so because the db is under control.
Psychology/counselling isn't something I think I could do (although I totally understand the suggestion), sitting talking to someone would make me feel really uncomfortable. I know it works for many but to me, it still boils down to taking some sort of action, no matter the underlying reasons. It is tough but I think I'm going to stick with lower carbing and hope I can get the weight off, I just need to make sure I follow it properly.

Thanks again for the support xx

Best wishes with it @ladybird64
There is the new low carb programme on here, perhaps that would help?