Decent lunch

[redhand010]

Any suggestions on making a decent packed lunch. Im very down to earth and dont eat hummus or trendy foods cant stand cold pasta etc love pies and ham sarnies on white bread. But obviously its not helping things so any suggestions. Needs to.be something i cant put together at 6.00 in a morning.

 

[Antje77]

Any suggestions on making a decent packed lunch. Im very down to earth and dont eat hummus or trendy foods cant stand cold pasta etc love pies and ham sarnies on white bread. But obviously its not helping things so any suggestions. Needs to.be something i cant put together at 6.00 in a morning.

Hi @redhand010 , welcome to the forum.

How long have you been diagnosed for, and how do you calculate your insulin doses?

What types of food work well for you with your diabetes?
We have T1's who are very good at dosing their insulin for higher carb meals, and T1's who prefer to stay on the lower carb end because they find it easier.
Whichever way works best for us, we still have to adjust our insulin dose and timing to our foods.

I see you are on Humulin M3, a mixed insulin, likely taken twice a day.
This type of insulin needs meals and snacks at set times, with a set amount of carbs.

Most of us use a basal and bolus regime, so a long acting insulin to deal with our background insulin need, and a quick acting one to deal with our food.
To work out our insulin dose for every meal, we count the carbs and dose according to them.
This means more injections and more work, but also more freedom with food, and a chance at tighter control.

Are you being seen by a hospital team with an endocrinologist and a diabetes specialist nurse or are you being treated by GP nd practice nurse?

 

[redhand010]

Been diabetic 16years. I dont adjust my dosage unless i start getting a lot of hypos. Then i up it by a few units til the hypos stop. Other than that i just eat normally and try to avoid sugary foods. . I tend to eat breakfast about 6.30 always the same 3 weetabix with sweetner and a cup of tea with 3 digestives. The ill have a packed lunch at 12 usually a ham sarnie pkt of crisps a banana and a blue riband or similar. And for tea ill have potatoes and burgers or sausages etc abiut 6.30ish.

 

[In Response]

@redhand010 can you elaborate on why you think your current lunch of ham sarnie, packet of crisps, a banana and a blue riband are “obviously” not helping.
I also wonder why you are on a mixed insulin and not a basal bolus regime which is normal for managing Type 1. A basal bolus regime gives you freedom to change what and whe. You eat and is much easier to adjust when you experience hypos or hypers.
The mixed insulin you are taking is old fashioned and dated from way before you were diagnosed. I was diagnosed over 20 years ago and took the mixed insulin for less tha. 6 months.

 

[Antje77]

Been diabetic 16years. I dont adjust my dosage unless i start getting a lot of hypos. Then i up it by a few units til the hypos stop. Other than that i just eat normally and try to avoid sugary foods. . I tend to eat breakfast about 6.30 always the same 3 weetabix with sweetner and a cup of tea with 3 digestives. The ill have a packed lunch at 12 usually a ham sarnie pkt of crisps a banana and a blue riband or similar. And for tea ill have potatoes and burgers or sausages etc abiut 6.30ish.

I would consult your diabetes nurse or endo with your questions.
The amount of insulin you take is tailored to your eating pattern.

If your blood glucose goes high after lunch, you could try having a little less carbs. For instance, swap the banana or the crisps for a hard boiled egg or two.
But don't change too much, you're on a very static insulin regime, which needs a regular food intake.
If you don't go high after lunch, do not eat less carbs or you'll go low!

Are you on this type of insulin by choice? If so, all good!
But if you'd like a bit more flexibility, you might want to discuss your treatment with your endo.

 

[redhand010]

I would consult your diabetes nurse or endo with your questions.
The amount of insulin you take is tailored to your eating pattern.

If your blood glucose goes high after lunch, you could try having a little less carbs. For instance, swap the banana or the crisps for a hard boiled egg or two.
But don't change too much, you're on a very static insulin regime, which needs a regular food intake.
If you don't go high after lunch, do not eat less carbs or you'll go low!

Are you on this type of insulin by choice? If so, all good!
But if you'd like a bit more flexibility, you might want to discuss your treatment with your endo.

Ive only just started seeing a diabectic specialist this year. Before that it was just my local surgery once a year and a annual retinal photography visit. But ive just been told my hcb1 or whatever its called has never dropped below 65 at any of my reviews. And it needs to be below 50. And so ive got to change my diet. Hence the request for better lunch options.

 

[In Response]

Ive only just started seeing a diabectic specialist this year. Before that it was just my local surgery once a year and a annual retinal photography visit. But ive just been told my hcb1 or whatever its called has never dropped below 65 at any of my reviews. And it needs to be below 50. And so ive got to change my diet. Hence the request for better lunch options.

But you have Type 1 not type 2.
With Type 1, BG is managed by matching your insulin to your diet. Not the other way around.
However, as you are using the very old mixed insulin, you do not have this flexibility.

If I was you, I would be pushing your new diabetic specialist for a change in insulin to give you the tools to reduce your HBA1C rather than changing the diet which suits you.

 

[EllieM]

Hi @redhand010 can I clarify something?

Have you been on insulin for 16 years? It does seem somewhat remiss of your surgery not to refer you to a diabetic specialist earlier, but I am wondering if you are a T2 on insulin rather than a T1? (Your insulin regime is more commonly seen for T2 diabetics). Are you using a blood testing sensor (libre or dexcom)? If you are T1 you qualify for one automatically, (if T2 you can still ask but they don't have to give it to you.)

Given your insulin regime I don't see how you can change your diet too much without input from a specialist on both your insulin regime and how to adjust it for diet.

I was diagnosed in 1970 and on fixed doses for more than my first ten years of T1. They required meals at fixed times of day with fixed amounts of carbohydrates. That was fine at the time but it's not a regime that I miss. Do you know how to count carbohydrates?

Whichever type of diabetes you have, I second the suggestion to talk to your endo about your insulin regime.