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Type 2 Do's and don'ts informing a T2 on Low carb, advice please

Antje77

Guru
Retired Moderator
Messages
21,070
Location
Friesland (the Netherlands)
Type of diabetes
LADA
Treatment type
Insulin
Giving people unsolicited advice is tricky in the best of situations so I'd like some input on how to not mess up.

I'm sure most of us have been both on the receiving end and on the giving end when it comes to unasked for tips on diabetes, and with varying results. So your experiences may be very useful!

The situation is as follows:
Sunday evening I will board a 28 meter sailing ship as a deckhand. Together with the skipper we'll instruct about 20 people, a schoolclass of teenagers and two teachers, on how to work the sails, leeboards and lines during a 3 day sailing trip.

I don't know this skipper in person yet, but we are both very active in a Facebook group unrelated to sailing or diabetes, and we've spoken about diabetes briefly in a PM a long time ago, so I know he has T2 and is on metformin.

I'm very well aware that everyone should make their own choices (I smoke, and I definitely wouldn't be happy with a lecture every time I lit a cigarette, I know how unhealthy it is, thank you and leave me alone!), but I'm also aware that to make choices you need to know about them.

Three days together on a ship means lots of time talking about just anything, and because diabetes for me is 'interesting' to manage when sailing it will be a returning subject anyway.
So I'd love to inform my skipper on the possibilities without coming over as pushy.

Thoughts?

 
I wouldn’t offer unsolicited advice. You could try asking some interested questions around meal times and see where it leads but personally I wouldn’t go beyond that unless I knew the person very well and thought it might be welcome.
 
I might talk about mistakes I had made managing my own diabetes and see if that prompts a chat about their problems with it. You might then be able to talk about what helped you. The fact that you aren't T2 yourself might make it easier to not sound preachy, yet still mention low carbing.
 
I seriously wish you would offer some info about that lovely ketch(?). I love sailboats but know nothing really about them. (I don't think it's a schooner?)
As to talk about diabetes with someone you don't know, in your place I would say as little as possible, unless necessary about the food I was expected to eat.
 
Can be a touchy subject as you can feel a sense of guilt (wrongly but you can feel it) that t2 has been caused by the way you have eaten in the past.as @Goonergal says asking questions around mealtimes may lead to something that you could talk around and just straightforwardly talk about what you do to manage the amount of insulin you need. It may be the first time they realise that what you eat does affect blood glucose and that decisions can be made to manage things. I think a simple - if you’d like to know more ask me, would be helpful but then move on to other topics.
Sailing again sounds fun enjoy your trip.
 
I'd stick to my low carb diet and talk a little about how it got me into remission. Then stop unless they ask questions.
 
Hi, I used to evangelically “help” people re. Low carb, I came to the conclusion I was wrong to do that, There are so many views and opinions on everything, there’s really no truth, just the truth we believe to be right, so what we are actually doing by giving out unsolicited advice is forcing our truth on someone. It’s not difficult to look for and find all the info we need online, if we choose to look for it, so someone that doesn’t know, doesn’t want to know.

If on the other hand, we are asked… fill your boots.
 
… fill your boots.

What does that expression mean? I've heard it once before, on a TV program, but didn't understand it then either.
 
Are the Dutch not known to be very direct? That should certainly make it easier to ask questions, or making statements.
 
It's a dinghy!
it's a yacht!
it's a three master!
it's a sailing ship!
it's a ketch!
it's beautiful and I wonder if it's taken part in the Tall Ships race?

It is Not a boat!!!!!!

It would obviously have to do with the current conversation going on at that time. There may be light banter
about the roles that are so new to most on board. You could talk about sailors eating habits on board such a journey o or the need for a balanced dietary regime with the exercise requirements with energy needs and how to offset fatigue, when at any time your energy levels could be low. How fresh water is important and cleanliness.
Preparation of dietary needs, such as allergies. Vegan and so on.
You could then steer (see what I did there?) the conversation if you wish to.
Advice,
Lower carb intake.
Lower portion size.
Increase exercise, not that you need to on a ship!
Increase awareness of how to control your blood glucose levels.
Increase good fats, proteins.
Decrease industrial food especially oils that are really bad for you.
 
The tall boots which were pretty standard male costume at one time could be folded down all around, and a sort of secondary stocking was worn inside them - so if you came across something for free they made handy extra storage to take full advantage of the bounty.
 
Quite simply mention you are a moderator on DCUK. That can start the conversation. Just say how it has helped you being a member. Being such the charismatic character that you are, Antje77, the skipper will probably want to know more. So give the web address, and let the members here do the work for you..
 
jape said:
Are the Dutch not known to be very direct? That should certainly make it easier to ask questions, or making statements.
Click to expand...
Very good point, I expect a bit more directness is socially accepted in both the Netherlands and in this particular work situation than would be in the average setting in the UK!
Especially because the Fb group we both participate in does of lot of friendly banter among members, including the both of us, which means we start out with an advantage.
Another very good point, and ridiculously easy to do because it will start as soon as we'll have our official introduction to the group.
This introductory talk involves stuff like how to work the toilets, to not use too much electricity when we're not in a harbour and connected to land power, to be quiet on deck after 10 PM, and usually we let them know we'd like to eat with them.
And that's where things are different, because I'll let them know I'd love to share their meals but I won't because of my diabetes. So talking about food with my skipper afterwards is the most natural thing to do.
Resurgam said:
Talking about sailing and ships is far more interesting than diabetes.
Click to expand...
And while this is correct, I also like to talk about my diabetes, which should be informative enough seeing as I eat pretty low carb, especially if I mention my T2 friends (yes, that's all of you) as well.
So no preaching, just sharing, something I do anyway because it's a significant part of my life.
I'll try!
But I need to get them curious enough to type the web address.
 
@Antje77 as the Captain and yourself are both the hosts, I feel you need to be careful what you say at meal times to "paying" guests. I would get very annoyed if that happened to me.

The paying" guests want a fun time learning new sailing skills on the cruise, not to have worry about what is best for them to eat as a T2..

Just enjoy the trip with them on that excelent looking sail boat.
 
I'm not about to annoy my guests with any diabetes talk, except for excusing myself from sharing their meals because of my diabetes, would be rude to just not turn up for their spaghetti with a dollop of red sauce!

It's the captain I hope to subtly inform on a possible approach to his diabetes. Mind, it's informing I want, it's up to him what he does with the information.
I'm perfectly happy with informed people deciding they prefer higher carbs and medication over a strict diet, it's all about choice and quality of life.
I'm not happy with people who are eating healthy brown rice, cereal, whole grain bread and low fat anything, not because that's what they like but because they believe that's best for their diabetes because their practice nurse told them so.

If anything, I'd like people to be curious about their condition, realising their choices do make a difference, informing themselves, and then find the approach that suits them best.
And if I can use those three days helping someone to start to own their condition, I'd be happy to!

And who knows, he may already know all this and made up his mind, in which case this thread is pretty useless.
 
Antje77 said:
I'm not about to annoy my guests with any diabetes talk, except for excusing myself from sharing their meals because of my diabetes, would be rude to just not turn up for their spaghetti with a dollop of red sauce!
Click to expand...
I realise that, this is a small packet of spag bol that we havong been getting with a low carbs portion size. It is lower carbt han reheated cooked pasta that we normally eat

So that may be a suggestion about pre-cooking the pasta the day before, to bring carbs into a converastion

 
TriciaWs said:
I'd stick to my low carb diet and talk a little about how it got me into remission. Then stop unless they ask questions.
Click to expand...

AS @Antje77 is T1, there isn't going to be any remission from low carb, unfortunately. (Though some T1s find it makes things easier to manage.)
 
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