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Decision to abandon LCHF just for Christmas

melliemars

Well-Known Member
Hi everyone,

I’ve been t2 for a year and a half and my last a1c was 5.1. I follow a low carb diet and have lost 13 stones so far with 6 more to go. I keep low carb every day and last Christmas I was too scared to eat so I had cheesy sprout for Christmas dinner.

I’ve come to the realisation that life is for living. I’m 32 nearly 33 and I want a few days where I just let the spike happen on my birthday day and Christmas Day. A whole two days a year eating what I want.

However, I’m scared. I keep such close control all year (I’m not on meds or insulin) I want to know if I can get away with two days out of the year just indulging and not have any repercussions from it long term.

Anyone else doing this or thinking about it?

Thank you
 
I’m going to do the same thing....... sort of. I will eat treats but will also watch the amount of treats I indulge in. I want to enjoy myself and that will include foods of all kinds. I may however do an extended fast in early January to fast track myself back into the low carb eating.
 

Same! I’ll not cane it, I’ll be watching and measuring and won’t over do it but I want to taste the tastes and not worry. I was thinking of doing quite a few fasts in early jan as well, more than usual to counteract it.

A couple of days out of the year will hopefully not do anything, it’s constant highs that mess with us.
 

Instinct (rather than any knowledge!) makes me think that a 2-day blow out per year is probably like having one cigarette a year. Not healthy, and if you're extremely unlucky it could cause a big problem, but relatively speaking possibly not as risky as driving a car.

The problem I would have is that I get instantly addicted to food, and would worry that I couldn't quickly switch out of binge mode after 2 days.

So I guess it's all about knowing your own level of self-control based on an honest appraisal of your past behaviour!

Just an interesting logical note that I can't resist: "life is for living" could be used to either justify having a blow-out, or avoiding one!
 
Hey Melliemars! You have really accomplished something great with LCHF this past year! I know how you feel about wanting to really enjoy the holidays with total abandon, but I think you also need to ask yourself how you will feel when you are out of keto, spiking BGs and wanting to eat more and more of the stuff that got you into this journey of diabetes in the first place....that's the conversation I am having with myself right now....it may sound harsh, but is it really worth it in the long run? For myself, I don't view LCHF as something that I can pop in and out of - too hard physically and emotionally - and frankly, I can't honestly say I enjoy the "lapses" of indulging in foods that I no longer consider healthy for me....Have tried, but no go....It is up to you, but do look at where you are and where you have come from and maybe decide on one or two treats like a glass of wine or a couple of squares of a lovely dark chocolate to savor...I think your body will thank you Cheers/L
 
Hi @melliemars. As a T1 I'm in no place to advise you about diet , control or Christmas.
You are so right about one thing though. Life is for living. Live life.
Me personally, well I make sacrifices throughout the year, sacrifices that I'm happy with. Come Christmas and my birthday I make no sacrifices. Life doesn't stop, the previous 360 days don't just count for nothing, it causes a blip but it's a fun blip.

So when's the birthday?
 
Firstly your body is not used to carbs therefore expect it to be very unhappy if you have lots of carbs. My wife does not have diabetes, but as I do all the cooking, she has been mostly eating low carb, when she went out for afternoon tea with some friends it took the rest of the day for her to recover from the carb overload.

Personally I am not going to limit my protein over Christmas, I may even have one or two mince pies, but I am going to skip the pudding on Christmas day but overload on the cheese board. If I have Christmas cake, I will remove the icing.

Some people find that if they eat carbs, they become very hungry and it takes a lot of will power to go back to low carbs the next day – but this does not affect everyone. I don’t get this problem provided I have a lot more protein then carbs.

Eating lots of carbs may put fat on your liver, but a few weeks of strict low carbs will remove it.

These may help you http://blog.virtahealth.com/keto-holiday-guide/
 
You have done so well, my hat of to you, as for me T1, also low carb eating, but will be having some roses chocolate, and a mini mince pie with fresh cream, no spuds or Yorkshire pudding, what ever you do enjoy, then it's a new year and you can start again, still so pleased for you for your weight loss, happy Christmas to you
 
@melliemars
Do you get carb cravings and/or food hangovers?

One makes it very difficult to stop after 'just two days' and the other makes it easier to get back on the wagon because you feel so d**n grotty that you get motivated.

One thing I will say is that I've seen several christmases on the forum now.
Pre-Christmas there are excited threads planning all sorts of food delights.
Then some people disappear from the forum (talking T2s here, because obviously T1s have a completely different experience with food and carbs, and can therefore probably not appreciate these experiences - unless they also have severe enough insulin resistance to get the cravings).
Then some of the disappeared T2s straggle back, weeks or months later having fallen off the wagon and not been able to climb back on for weeks or months... Because the cravings got them.

Others have their day or days off and effortlessly return to their normal way of eating.

I guess we all have to decide what will work best for each of us.

(Personally, i have found my carb tolerance. It took a long time to find it. Above it, i get cravings and spiral upwards and out of control. Below it I stay comfortable and in control)
 
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I am going to enjoy Christmas and if that means having a few nibbles (I mean maybe 5 or 6)or a mince pie and brandy cream or a bit of Christmas pud then I will but I know my body will not want anything more but at least I won’t feel like I am missing out.
 
Thanks for the input everyone!

I am so afraid of getting complications from t2 that I will never allow myself to spiral. I would become severely depressed and it’s just not worth it. I’ll be taking Christmas Day and Boxing Day and my Birthday and that’s it for the year. I’ve found so many wonderful foods that I can eat on LCHF that match my carb tolerance so I’m not worried. Fear rules my diet and I’m thankful for that keeping me in check.

I had a custard tart yesterday (I have been craving one for a year) and it was beautiful but the feeling after was horror. I kept imagining tingling and numbness in my feet and wanting to google retinopathy and strokes. I don’t find giving into my cravings enjoyable at all and have no emotional connection to food anymore. I feel ok that I’m diabetic when I’m eating LC, the anxiety and depression goes away with the control. I don’t have to worry sort of thing. But I’ve already had a couple of blips and tbh, I don’t enjoy it. I enjoy the taste in the moment and then the hours afterwards are not a happy place to be.

I have had carb grogginess after yesterday. Wow, it is real. I’m so tired and feel hungover almost!

The thoughts in my head are how many Christmases am I going to have with my mother and being able to experience her cook a Christmas dinner for me and us enjoying it together (her favourite thing to do). How many will I have in general?! How many birthdays and memories missed? I want to be able to look back and say I had those lovely memories rather than yes, living longer but arriving at the destination we all eventually arrive at without allowing myself a freedom with food a small number of times on meaningful occasions.

In regards to someone mentioning that something big can happen from one day of a spike? Respectfully, I just don’t think that can happen. It’s prolongued abuse that gets us. My birthday is Jan 7th and I plan to eat a Big Mac or a pizza lol. Maybe not, I don’t know if I could emotionally handle it.

Sorry if I seem a little prickly or emotional in this comment, I just feel frustrated about even having to take it into consideration.
 
I have read all the nutritional information on food stuffs and decided that I just can't 'do' Christmas cake, pudding or mince pies. I am however going to have a few glasses of wine (been teetotal for 3 months) and enjoy some roast potatoes and parsnips. I haven't yet decided whether or not to test during this period! Do I want to know if I have done any 'damage' or do I just restart lchf on 27th as if nothing has happened? If I test and I have 'got away with it' then it could be the start of the slippery slope back to eating more carbs and I don't want that!
 

The last part of your comment, wow, I so agree. I don’t want to know. I just want to do what I know works long term and allow the blip.

Btw I drink quite a bit but just spirits and Diet Coke. I have no spikes at all. Am I doing diabetes wrong lol?
 
Interesting. Last year, I was just a few days into my diagnosis, and only just starting to learn about my carb addiction and so on. To be honest because it was so new, I said I was going to have the day off, but on the other hand my favourite foods were the ones that I now found are good for me, so for the most part I actually ate well for me. I was kind of surprised when I tested my BG at the end of the day and it wasn't actually that bad considering where I was at the time. On the other hand, my numbers are way better this year, and while I have every intention of enjoying myself, I have no intention of eating stuff that I know is bad for me given that I love the stuff I can eat.

I'm not preaching here to anyone about anything. It's everybody's own choice, I'm simply saying where I am these days.
 
@melliemars . A few years ago I was what would be described as a " drinker, " in my eyes not an alcoholic, but I definitely liked a good few drinks if a weekend.
After one specific holiday I just decided I didn't want to do it anymore. I decided that my next alcoholic drink would be the next Christmas (5 months) . That Christmas arrived and I really was desperate for that drink, strangely enough, as much as I enjoyed the drink, it wasn't like it used to be. The craving and previous sensations were gone. I enjoyed the drink but found it easy to stop after just a few glasses and after a few days.
I now only have a drink twice a year, summer holiday and Christmas. I enjoy it but can't go crazy, it's a different type of pleasure nowadays.
You may find that you will find it similar with food. The treats, carbs will seem a good idea but something inside will make there appeal different. A few carbs and your body will say ..... that's enough, I'm happy .........let's get back to feeling normal and in control. This is how it was and is for me with regard to alcohol.
Happy birthday for Boxing Day.
 
melliemars said:
In regards to someone mentioning that something big can happen from one day of a spike? Respectfully, I just don’t think that can happen. It’s prolongued abuse that gets us.
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I think you may mean me

Just to be clear, my thinking was that in the same way that just one cigarette *could*, if you are extremely unlucky, be the one that sets off a serious lung condition, I think it's feasible that for a diabetic, just one day of big spikes *could*, if you are extremely unlucky, be the one that stiffens an already stiff artery (for example) beyond a critical point.

It's worst-case thinking, and I did say you'd have to be *extremely* unlucky, and I reckoned it was less dangerous than driving a car, my point being everybody does that, in spite of the risks, so why worry too much?

So I think I'm possibly far more in line with your thinking than you realise. For me the *only* concern I'd personally have is my past history: I get addicted quickly. You clearly are very different and I admire your self control!

melliemars said:
The thoughts in my head are how many Christmases am I going to have with my mother and being able to experience her cook a Christmas dinner for me and us enjoying it together (her favourite thing to do). How many will I have in general?!
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I can relate to that totally. I could almost have written that myself. Exactly what me and my sister have been saying to each other recently about our own mum.

melliemars said:
Sorry if I seem a little prickly or emotional in this comment, I just feel frustrated about even having to take it into consideration.
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Not at all. Asking for opinions is certain to get some responses you don't agree with, but you've been very straightforward in dealing with them.
 

And I've just realised you didn't actually ask for opinions. You just asked if anyone else was planning to do what you are planning to do.

Sorry.
 
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