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Disappointed

E

Eve_line

Active Member
Messages
25
Type of diabetes
Type 2
So well I just had my first check up after been diagnosed with diabetes type 2 in november. I went on a carb free, high fat diet. My HBA1C went from 50 to 43, i had expected more of it. Also the first was tested in the lab, the second time (so today) was with blood from the top of the finger, and the nurse said that was always a difference too. She didnt say anything of the drop so i come to believe its not a significant change.

I also have hard time losing weight, not sure what im doing wrong. Or maybe i do know.. im still a bit messy with the eating, tend to overeat maybe ? on some days i eat veryyy little, on other days like 10 eggs and a whole package of cheese (like 200 gram) and then even more. It's not normal.. but i think well at least it are no carbs, and i compensate by eating very little the next day. I guess my relationship with food is still totally messed up.
 
Hi. Be aware that fats and proteins can contribute to both BS increase and some weight gain. Carbs may be the biggest villain but the other foods can contribute. Yes, it does look like your relationship with food is a bit 'out of the ordinary'!. You don't need me to say that 10 eggs and a whole pack of cheese is asking for problems. I think you may need to seek some help with the food issues as it will be causing lack of weight control. However, you have obviously achieved some success with the carb reduction.
 
Daibell said:
Hi. Be aware that fats and proteins can contribute to both BS increase and some weight gain. Carbs may be the biggest villain but the other foods can contribute. Yes, it does look like your relationship with food is a bit 'out of the ordinary'!. You don't need me to say that 10 eggs and a whole pack of cheese is asking for problems. I think you may need to seek some help with the food issues as it will be causing lack of weight control. However, you have obviously achieved some success with the carb reduction.
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yes ive sought help now, will have a meeting with someone next week. Im also reading a book "eating less" thats really helping me. I guess its not only the overeating but also that, despite being quite an intelligent person, i just dont know anymore what IS normal and good when it comes to food. I find it hard to make wise choices and sometimes i read conflicting advices too. From "Fat is good, you have to eat it to survive low carb diet" to NO fat is not good, u should limit it. "u cant have enough protein" to "no protein is raising blood sugars as well". Those conflicting messages make me anxious if i can ever do it right, and thus harder to stick on my diet because "whats the point anyway?"
 
Hey Eve_line, congrats on the 43 from 50! That is progress in the right direction, so don't forget that little point:) As for the eating, perhaps you would consider taking the dietdoctor.com two week challenge for LCHF - two weeks isn't too long a time. It just might help you see what a "normal" portion is like on a daily basis and give you the consistency you may be looking for....just a thought. And you will probably see a difference on the scale!Blessings/L
 
Hi there, iv not been on for ages as i had things under control at hb1c at 42 my lowest since diagnosis 2yrs ago was 63.
Iv just had latest bloods & back up 2 54! Am gutted! Have drifted away slightly from low carb, shows how the lchf has to be a way of life.
 
Well done on your excellent HbA1c! That’s fantastic!

I’m finding I’m so tempted to snack, even though I’m not hungry on LCHF, just because I enjoy eating so much. I’ve started having a big mug of marmite in hot water when I get the savoury munchies, and I’ve found it’s really helping. Gives me that salty fix and also the liquid helps with the (false) feeling that I’m peckish.
 
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Eve_line said:
yes ive sought help now, will have a meeting with someone next week. Im also reading a book "eating less" thats really helping me. I guess its not only the overeating but also that, despite being quite an intelligent person, i just dont know anymore what IS normal and good when it comes to food. I find it hard to make wise choices and sometimes i read conflicting advices too. From "Fat is good, you have to eat it to survive low carb diet" to NO fat is not good, u should limit it. "u cant have enough protein" to "no protein is raising blood sugars as well". Those conflicting messages make me anxious if i can ever do it right, and thus harder to stick on my diet because "whats the point anyway?"
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Hi again. Although protein causes a small increase in BS, I wouldn't worry about that. Similarly for fat but the increase is small compared with carbs. There is endless discussion about fat being good or bad for you. The evidence that it is bad and raises blood cholesterol is weak and suspect. I understand that perhaps 90% of blood cholesterol is produced by the liver and not from what you eat and that can easily come from carbs. Some say omega 3 oils such as in fish are healthier than sat fats so you can always mix your fats. My advice would be to have a low'ish level of carbs and have enough protein and fats to keep you feeling full. Some people's hunger mechanism (like my wife's) doesn't work properly and doesn't switch off when 'full' so weight monitoring may be the best way to manage quantity,
 
Eve_line said:
Or maybe i do know.. im still a bit messy with the eating, tend to overeat maybe ? on some days i eat veryyy little, on other days like 10 eggs and a whole package of cheese (like 200 gram) and then even more. It's not normal.. but i think well at least it are no carbs, and i compensate by eating very little the next day. I guess my relationship with food is still totally messed up.
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Ya think?
 
maybe tell us what your eating and we can see if there are any obvious whoopsies
 
Food relationships are so complicated. It’s horrendous to be addicted to the one thing we need to sustain us - unlike booze and fans, we can’t just give it up. And when food is an integral part of our diabetes treatment, it just screws it up even more. Totally melts my head sometimes.

@Eve_line - I’m online a fair bit (I work from home), so if you want a chat, pm me. I’ve had/got binging issues myself, but things are relatively stable at the moment.
 
paulus1 said:
maybe tell us what your eating and we can see if there are any obvious whoopsies
Click to expand...

Oh yes I would like that! Yesterday I ate:

* 2 scrambled eggs with a bit of (Turkey) chorizo (68 gram)

* 1 handfull of almondnuts
* 1 atkins cracker with butter and cheese

* 200 gram chicken kebab
* 3/4e of a whole broccoli
* 2 tablespoon of mayonaise
* 80 grams of mozzarella
* fresh sundried tomatoes

Is this good or not good? I first thought it was good because i was hungry and had to fight against taking more food (and was succesfull in it) , but now i see this whole list i feel it is too much.
 
Mel dCP said:
Food relationships are so complicated. It’s horrendous to be addicted to the one thing we need to sustain us - unlike booze and fans, we can’t just give it up. And when food is an integral part of our diabetes treatment, it just screws it up even more. Totally melts my head sometimes.

@Eve_line - I’m online a fair bit (I work from home), so if you want a chat, pm me. I’ve had/got binging issues myself, but things are relatively stable at the moment.
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Yes exactly this! Its an addiction but you can't go cold turkey .. and i cant guiltfree eat what i like ever again. That realization makes me seriously anxious. I keep telling myself ; it's just food. But it seriously made me happy, or less unhappy i might say.
 
I am not a diet expert and am firm believer in a little of what you fancy being good for you ( chocolate is kept in the fridge to be eaten a square at a time as a special treat. Your body knows what it needs better than any nutritionists. What I found worked for me was keeping a food diary and recording everything I ate and drank everyday for several weeks with the bg result and a note about my mood. I then began to see patterns of eating when I was feeling down or anxious, not wanting to eat so much when I had been drinking black coffee or a hot yeast extract drink. It is a discipline and my manager was very good about allowing me to 'drop out' of the front line for a couple of minutes to check my bloods and then return. I find now that if I get the munchies a drink will usually sort it out until the next meal and as that is planned I don't over eat. Eat until the first sigh and then stop. The extra exercise also meant that I lost weight steadily until I reached my target, so don't worry about not losing a lot of weight quickly, it took a long time going on it will take a while to come off and to stay off. It takes thought and planning initially but you will soon drop into a habit.
 
@Eve_line do you have the MyFitnessPal app on a tablet or smartphone? Or you can access their database on a computer, just google their name. It will give you carb, fat protein and calorie counts for millions of foods. So for your meals yesterday:

2 eggs = 2g carbs; 10g fat; 12g protein; 140 cals
1oz Turkey = 2g carbs; 0.5g fat; 9g protein; 50 cals
68g chorizo = 2.4g carbs; 19.4g fat; 9.7g protein; 231 cals

Which gives you 6.4g carbs; 29.9g fat; 30g protein; 421 cals for breakfast.

1/2 cup almonds = 15.4g carbs; 35.7g fat; 15.1g protein; 414 cals
Atkins cracker = 1.8g carbs; 0.8g fat; 1.3g protein; 86 cals
1 tsp butter = 3.8g fat; 34 cals
1oz cheese = 9g fat; 6g protein; 110 cals

I had to guesstimate quantities here, but lunch would have been around 17.2g carbs; 49.3g fat; 22.4g protein; 644 cals.

Chicken kebab = 4.3g carbs; 1.6g fat; 22.2g protein; 121 cals
Broccoli = for 300g = 19.9g carbs; 1.1g fat; 8.5g protein; 102 cals
Mayo = 20g fat; 180 cals
Mozzarella = 3.5g carbs; 21.2g fat; 24.7g protein; 282 cals
1oz sundried tomatoes = 3.5g carbs; 3.5g fat; 2.3g protein; 61 cals

Again, guesstimates on some quantities, but dinner would have been 27.7g carbs; 47.4g fat; 57.7g protein; 746 cals.

If you add this up, for the day we get 51.3g carbs; 126.6g fat; 110.1g protein and 1811 calories.

So that’s not massively over the recommended calories a day for women, but the excess is what adds up. Your liver can also convert protein into glucose (clever but annoying) as well as the carbs.

What can also happen, if you’re eating to the point of feeling stuffed, is that an overstretched upper intestine can stimulate the pancreas to produce glucagon - which make the liver dump glucose into your blood, raising the BG for no apparent reason.

I’ve found using a smaller plate has helped me to reduce portion sizes, and waiting 20 minutes before refilling it. It can take that long for the stomach to register that it is full helps to avoid the feeling of being over full.
 
Hi

43 is fab, now you have that as a victory I would ask you to think about a few things. What is it about cheese and eggs that draws you to them? If you could replace them with another option would you and what are the things you would do to help you maintain the change?

Sounds silly but when you decide to change habits, and you know "why" then it is easier, (not easy, we all need support). There are tonnes of alternatives that will make your belly feel full and content and potentially offer a better quality of calories that bodies need to support a great life.

Start small, test, investigate and enjoy what you eat.
 
Eve_line said:
Oh yes I would like that! Yesterday I ate:

* 2 scrambled eggs with a bit of (Turkey) chorizo (68 gram)

* 1 handfull of almondnuts
* 1 atkins cracker with butter and cheese

* 200 gram chicken kebab
* 3/4e of a whole broccoli
* 2 tablespoon of mayonaise
* 80 grams of mozzarella
* fresh sundried tomatoes

Is this good or not good? I first thought it was good because i was hungry and had to fight against taking more food (and was succesfull in it) , but now i see this whole list i feel it is too much.
Click to expand...

Looks pretty **** good to me!

It doesn't look to be too much, and it looks a good mix of foods.
Stopping when you are still hungry also looks to be good as your reports suggest that you don't have a working "stop" button at the moment.

As others have suggested the best thing to go for is a scripted diet plan with measured quantities because that might relieve the worry about too much/ too little.

As an aside, my parents always used to say "don't have a drink just before your meal, you'll ruin your appetite".

If you turn that on its head, and also recognise that is often difficult to tell the difference between hunger and thirst, then having a big drink of water shortly before your meal may help to ease the hunger pangs. I know that I sometimes feel hungry when it turns out that I am thirsty (and vice versa).

On your 10 eggs and 200 grams cheese; I wouldn't be worried for myself if I ate a 200 gram pack of cheese over the day. Say a cheese omelette in the morning, cheese rolled in ham as a snack, and grated cheese over a chilli in the evening.
10 eggs seems a little much, though. I wouldn't expect to eat more than 5-6 on an "eggy" day. However that is just me and my normal way of eating. I don't think that it is harmful and it is also far better than bingeing on carbohydrates.
Let me see;
  • fry up for breakfast with 2 fried eggs.
  • 2 boiled eggs for lunchtime snack
  • 3 egg omelette with cheese for evening meal
  • {starts considering mild laxative at this point}
Well, looking suitably LCHF and up to 7 eggs already. I think your main issue is worrying about how much you are eating. What you post on this thread seems more or less on target.
 
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