Don't you get bored?

[Sarah69]

May I ask .. why are you not able to do it ?

I'm a very fussy eater, at the moment I'm having serious issues with food. I don't have much of an appetite. I have no idea why I am the way I am with food. I work in a hospital and when it's lunch time I have to take the food trays to the patients. The food on the trolley just makes me feel ill. My son has recently been asking me to make him a tuna pasta bake. The thought of tuna hot revolts me to start with. Then I actually made the whole dish I could of thrown up. Mixing it altogether oh my god was disgusting! I opened the tin of sweet corn it absolutely stank. I had to have all my kitchen windows and door opened while it was cooking. I eat a roast dinner once a week and that's it for a cooked meal in 7 days. When I'm working I don't get in till 8pm I'm not cooking that time of night and it's too late for me to eat then. I hate cooking smells and if I have made something I like I just can't eat it because I feel sick. Ive seen a psychologist but she didn't think I had any problems, I know I do but I don't know who I can see about this. I'm was supposed to be seeing a dietician next month but I've had to cancel because I'm working. It seems like all people eat is meat and veg, I could not eat veg every day as I don't enjoy it. It's ok with a roast covered in gravy with mint sauce when I have lamb, mustard when I have beef and stuffing when I have chicken. I don't know where I can go for help! I'm desperate because all I eat really is chocolate, biscuits and cake the only things I really enjoy!

 

[Winnie53]

@Sarah69 so interesting, and I am so curious. I have two questions: 1) Are you in your 20's, 30's, 40's. 50's... ? and 2) have you always had an aversion to anything but grains and sugar? Or did it start at a specific age? Also, I probably should throw this in there too, do you have any other health issues?

Oh, and at any point in your life were you treated with more than one round of antibiotics or a lot of antibiotics?

When my son was growing up, his best friend ate a very limited diet. It's not an easy way to live.

 

[Alison Campbell]

@Sarah69 I hope you get the help you need to be as healthy as possible.
Most people eat a moderately limited diet of the meals they like, I would get sick of biscuits, cake and choc's everyday but at least you are eating some real food. Are you taking vitamin suplements?

 

[Winnie53]

@Sarah69 I realize you're likely sound asleep now if you're in the UK. The reason I asked the above questions is because the microbes in our gut influence what we want to eat. In the case of our son's best friend, he did eventually eat a more varied diet, but not sure how much he added. I need to ask his mother.

 

[kittypoker]

I read a lot about low carb on this forum and jealous I can't do it. I just need to ask don't you get bored with it, to me it looks the same food re hashed and your eating it over and over again.

A great question which has resulted in some terrific replies.

Do I get bored with low carbing? Not for a second, and I largely avoid fruit and veg. I love my lifestyle, love not having to fear the scales or the doc telling me I'm right on the edge of developing heart disease and T2. I eat butter, meat, cream, full-fat Greek yogurt, chicken, fish, the occasional tomato and onion, lots and lots of garlic, chili and ginger, yet the weight keeps peeling off.

I seriously couldn't be happier. My mood has lightened, my eczema has cleared and even my dandruff has gone, probably connected to the eczema. Love it, will never change it, and it's lost me 5 stone. Only 2 stone to go and it's comparatively effortless.

 

[Indy51]

all I eat really is chocolate, biscuits and cake the only things I really enjoy

And you think LCHF seems boring?!? I couldn't imagine anything more sickly than your diet. That sounds like a serious sugar addiction you have going on there.

 

[Winnie53]

@Sarah69 after reading some of your posts, I see that you're sincere in your pleas for help. What you're describing concerns me too.

A number of people have shared with you previously that metformin affected their appetite. Perhaps that's the problem. I don't know. Only you can figure that out.

One way to sort out what's happening to you is to create a timeline of your diagnoses, what you're eating, treatments, symptoms and how you feel. Perhaps by doing that you'll be able to see a relationship between what you're doing and your symptoms.

I'm curious as to why your doctor hasn't tried switching you to a different diabetes medication. If metformin causes loss of appetite in some people, why is that being ignored?

 

[Sarah69]

@Sarah69 so interesting, and I am so curious. I have two questions: 1) Are you in your 20's, 30's, 40's. 50's... ? and 2) have you always had an aversion to anything but grains and sugar? Or did it start at a specific age? Also, I probably should throw this in there too, do you have any other health issues?

Oh, and at any point in your life were you treated with more than one round of antibiotics or a lot of antibiotics?

When my son was growing up, his best friend ate a very limited diet. It's not an easy way to live.

I'm 48. I haven't always had such a problem with food it just seems to be getting a lot worse lately. No other health issues. I really can't remember about having had antibiotics. I don't mind you asking these questions but are you thinking of something specific that may be affecting me?

 

[Sarah69]

@Sarah69 after reading some of your posts, I see that you're sincere in your pleas for help. What you're describing concerns me too.

A number of people have shared with you previously that metformin affected their appetite. Perhaps that's the problem. I don't know. Only you can figure that out.

One way to sort out what's happening to you is to create a timeline of your diagnoses, what you're eating, treatments, symptoms and how you feel. Perhaps by doing that you'll be able to see a relationship between what you're doing and your symptoms.

I'm curious as to why your doctor hasn't tried switching you to a different diabetes medication. If metformin causes loss of appetite in some people, why is that being ignored?

I don't see my GP about my diabetes I go to a clinic at my local hospital, I'm going to be making an appointment to see my GP about another problem I'm having (all of a sudden I come over quite feeling sick). I will mention the metformin to him.

 

[PenfoldAPD]

Head over to Diet Doctor if you want to discover great low carb recipes. Or Ditch the carbs - both great websites.

Low carbing is anything but boring - it does takes effort but taking the easy option (a carb filled diet of pastries, bread etc) is never going to control my diabetes.

Best of luck, I do hope you find a diet that works for you.

 

[Winnie53]

@Sarah69 thanks for filling in those additional details.

To answer your questions, my understanding is that what we eat influences the type of microbes we have in our gut, and interestingly, the type of microbes we have influences what foods we crave.

Also, when we eat foods made with sugar and grain based flours, the effect is similar to morphine on the brain. It's pleasurable. That's why sugar and grains are so addictive. So your comment about feeling good when you eat these foods makes sense. To this day, I still allow myself one muffin a week, though it's a paleo muffin made with almond flour. And I should add here that I thoroughly enjoy it.

If the metformin is causing your loss of appetite and aversion to food, switching to a different medication hopefully will result in you eating a more varied diet again, including vegetables. That said, go slow. I've read that when you begin eating a food that you've not eaten for a long time it's best to eat small amounts at first to give your gut the time it needs to ramp up it's ability to process it, particularly fiber rich foods such as vegetables.

The reason I was asking you about antibiotics is because I've been learning that antibiotics reduce the diversity of our microbiome, also that better health is associated with increased diversity of our microbiome. I personally don't want to just grow old, I want to have a good quality of life as I age too. I'm sure you feel much the same.

I'm so glad you're questioning what's going on with your appetite, and hope that you're enjoying food again soon.

 

[Winnie53]

@Sarah69 I was thinking this morning that an additional reason you're "benefitting" from eating nutrient poor, refined carbohydrate foods is because your body needs fuel for your body's daily energy needs. And chocolate, by the way, if it's a dark chocolate, is a source of magnesium which is required for almost 300 processes in the body, also fat, potassium, and iron. Other foods are a better source of these nutrients of course, but you are getting some benefit.

 

[Freema]

I read a lot about low carb on this forum and jealous I can't do it. I just need to ask don't you get bored with it, to me it looks the same food re hashed and your eating it over and over again.

here are some fine recipes
https://authoritynutrition.com/101-healthy-low-carb-recipes/
https://www.buzzfeed.com/christinebyrne/satisfying-low-carb-dinners?utm_term=.oqLWRr7gd#.ymQNAJQDv
http://www.delish.com/cooking/recipe-ideas/g3593/low-carb-recipes/?slide=16

 

[Resurgam]

Some years ago I was asked about biscuits, even though I said that I did not eat them, and it was as though I'd just arrived from Mars when I went on answering 'I don't know what they taste like because I don't eat biscuits.' I did not know what an Oreo was - the idea that there was such a thing as a Human being who chose not to eat biscuits seemed unbelievable - what did I eat when I had a cup of coffee? Nothing.
I find that there is so much variety eating low carb that I really don't have the slightest problem with boredom. I used to have two shopping lists and used them alternately - the food would last over a week , as I did not have a routine and did not make the same meals each week. These days I have even less routine. The low carb diet means eating the best bits and leaving out the boring stodge - so there is chicken duck goose salmon cod tuna haddock trout pork beef lamb crab lobster shrimps, eggs or cheese - the choice is mindboggling even before you start to consider what to put with it.

 

[ladybird64]

@Sarah69, I've commented on your posts a few years back, then you were on insulin and questioning how people could eat a lower carb diet, you were pretty vehement that it wasn't something you would do.
From what you've written, two things come to mind. The first is that you never really gave low carb a chance - taste buds need to adapt and that can take a bit of time. Secondly, and more importantly, is that you do sound like you have a psychological problem with food, I'm amazed that the psychologist didn't offer some help. CBT might be useful, it would be worth seeing your GP and getting a referral. Bottom line is that a diabetic who lives on mostly chocolate and biscuits, will end up getting problems. Do you monitor your blood glucose levels?

 

[Winnie53]

@ladybird64 I thought it might be helpful to post links to information about CBT.

Here's an overview of 15 Common Cognitive Distortions... https://psychcentral.com/lib/15-common-cognitive-distortions/

"Cognitive distortions are at the core of what many cognitive-behavioral and other kinds of therapists try and help a person learn to change in psychotherapy. By learning to correctly identify this kind of “stinkin’ thinkin’,” a person can then answer the negative thinking back, and refute it. By refuting the negative thinking over and over again, it will slowly diminish overtime and be automatically replaced by more rational, balanced thinking."

Here's an overview of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy... https://pro.psychcentral.com/the-basic-principles-of-cognitive-behavior-therapy/00659.html/2

Regarding Sarah69 I think an important first step is to do a trial on a different medication to determine if the lack of appetite and aversion to food is a side effect which is highly likely because other members here have reported this problem.

I also think it's common to question whether or not the low carb diet is desirable or doable. When I gave up gluten in 2011 I went through withdrawal. Sugar and grains are highly addictive. Had the facilitator of the local gluten-free group not hooked me up with a gluten-free baker, I don't know what I would have done.

When I started the low carb diet 2 years ago, it was rough. I had to keep a box of 9 gluten-free peanut butter cookies in my freezer when I needed a "fix". After a month or two, I adjusted and today can't imagine eating differently. I love the diet.

Getting to that point required a lot of reading about how to do the diet and ongoing support here.

Some are able to dive in and do it immediately, others won't consider it until their diabetes progresses to the point of developing diabetic complications. Most of us fall somewhere in between.

We each have to weigh the pros and cons of each decision we make regarding our diabetes treatment.

 

[Indy51]

While I take your points @Winnie53, the OP has been posting similar threads here for several years - she disappears, then comes back and pretty much repeats everything she's said before. It appears as though nothing much changes over time. My fear is that she confuses asking for advice at this forum as somehow dealing with her issues when in fact she needs medical and/or psychological help. I don't recall seeing her respond to any number of people mentioning the connection between her very high dose metformin and nausea/changes to taste and smell.

If you ask for advice on the internet once and nothing changes, then to continue to ask the same questions and still not take action seems to indicate a certain level of procrastination and/or denial. I hope Sarah gets the help she needs, but I'd be very surprised if posting asking for advice on the internet is going to accomplish that. It won't negate the need for ongoing action in real life. JMHO.

 

[Winnie53]

Indy51, yes, I'm aware that this has come up more than once. I know all about "stuck". Not a fun place to be.

 

[Sarah69]

While I take your points @Winnie53, the OP has been posting similar threads here for several years - she disappears, then comes back and pretty much repeats everything she's said before. It appears as though nothing much changes over time. My fear is that she confuses asking for advice at this forum as somehow dealing with her issues when in fact she needs medical and/or psychological help. I don't recall seeing her respond to any number of people mentioning the connection between her very high dose metformin and nausea/changes to taste and smell.

If you ask for advice on the internet once and nothing changes, then to continue to ask the same questions and still not take action seems to indicate a certain level of procrastination and/or denial. I hope Sarah gets the help she needs, but I'd be very surprised if posting asking for advice on the internet is going to accomplish that. It won't negate the need for ongoing action in real life. JMHO.

I have seen a psychologist about my food issues she said that I didn't have a problem! So what am I supposed to do. I've seen my gp about it he's just sending me to a dietician! So I've asked on here before for help because I just don't know what to do anymore. I don't like many foods, meats I like are lamb, chicken and beef. I can only afford to buy chicken the others are too expensive. I don't really enjoy veg, salad etc. I don't like fish unless it's fish and chips. I sometimes eat smoked peppered mackerel. I've looked at low carb receipts a lot of food involved I don't like. I just don't know what to do anymore!

 

[Indy51]

I have seen a psychologist about my food issues she said that I didn't have a problem! So what am I supposed to do. I've seen my gp about it he's just sending me to a dietician! So I've asked on here before for help because I just don't know what to do anymore. I don't like many foods, meats I like are lamb, chicken and beef. I can only afford to buy chicken the others are too expensive. I don't really enjoy veg, salad etc. I don't like fish unless it's fish and chips. I sometimes eat smoked peppered mackerel. I've looked at low carb receipts a lot of food involved I don't like. I just don't know what to do anymore!

And what about speaking to your doctor about your high metformin SR - according to your signature 3000mg? That's the biggest red flag to me in your situation. You may be taking a drug dosage that is giving you many side effects. The recommended highest dose is 2000mg, but you appear to be taking more. Many people report changes in taste, smell, nausea, etc. when taking even the recommended amount, yet you're exceeding that.

http://www.medicines.org.uk/EMC/medicine/20952/SPC