Failing.......

annscullamus said:

I have been so good, strict low carb, sensible and rational, but when I have a small fail it makes me lose all sense of proportion and just binge for the rest of the day and feel rough. I am a full time reader of the forum but this is my first post. My SD Codefree monitor has rarely shown a 7 or below in two months, regardless of whether I have eaten well, and good results seem to be stabilising at 7 - 9, does it measure too high ? My immediate family are not very helpful and almost want to ignore the fact I am diabetic, in fact today my daughter tried to persuade me that a raw juicing diet with acres of roots, fruits and endless apples and carrots can cure diabetes. I have a high profile and stressful job, and am still very much working at 63. I am female and since diagnosis have lost around 2 stone. I am mostly below 35g carbs per day, but sometimes 50g, and I find I lose weight and feel good on that - the binging happens when I am travelling, which I do a great deal, or when I am slightly ridiculed by my family. I think I have always been seen as the strong one, and sometimes I think my daughter actively wants to ignore any weakness. I don't know if any of this makes sense, but I feel the need for some support.

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Welcome @annscullamus I
Well done on the weight loss.
I think we all have times when it's hard to cope with our diabetes which is why this on-line community can be really helpful. If you're wanting help to bring your readings down then it would be worth looking at what is happening now. You would seem to be low carb to very low carb, Plenty of people on here have experience of that and might be able to advise in tweaking your diet. I used testing to find what I could eat and what was not sensible for me by testing before a meal and 2 hours afterwards. As I cut out the carbs that my body couldn't cope with my readings did start to come down. I am now using a SD codefree meter which a lot of people on here also use. I kept a complete diary of my readings and what I can eaten for many months. What are your readings before and 2 hours after a meal? To begin with I aimed at a 2 point rise or less, I then had to do a lot of tweaking of my diet. I didn't do as low carb as you just restricted carbs. Do ask questions and people will try and help. And yes we all find this difficult at times and need encouragement.

I think that probably you are very strong indeed @annscullamus. Unfortunately when the people round us are used to this strong, stable person who is always there for them and who copes without complaint with whatever life throws at them- they panic when this rock shows any sign of "weakness" and, if like my family, the panic comes out as confrontation, criticism etc. I believe the psychologists even have a term for this type of interactive behaviour. You can have as much support as you wish from us here, we understand. By the way, I don't believe that you are "binging," I think most of us have off days, it's just being human. Your meter can have up to a 20% difference in accuracy so your 7-9 could be a 6_8. Come on here and vent whenever you want to, we're always listening and understanding. Take care x

annscullamus said:

I have been so good, strict low carb, sensible and rational, but when I have a small fail it makes me lose all sense of proportion and just binge for the rest of the day and feel rough. I am a full time reader of the forum but this is my first post. My SD Codefree monitor has rarely shown a 7 or below in two months, regardless of whether I have eaten well, and good results seem to be stabilising at 7 - 9, does it measure too high ? My immediate family are not very helpful and almost want to ignore the fact I am diabetic, in fact today my daughter tried to persuade me that a raw juicing diet with acres of roots, fruits and endless apples and carrots can cure diabetes. I have a high profile and stressful job, and am still very much working at 63. I am female and since diagnosis have lost around 2 stone. I am mostly below 35g carbs per day, but sometimes 50g, and I find I lose weight and feel good on that - the binging happens when I am travelling, which I do a great deal, or when I am slightly ridiculed by my family. I think I have always been seen as the strong one, and sometimes I think my daughter actively wants to ignore any weakness. I don't know if any of this makes sense, but I feel the need for some support.

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Hello Anns

Please try not to get downhearted, I am sure you are doing a marvellous job. Tell your daughter to stick the raw juicing diet idea up her jumper - juicing diets, especially ones with lots of fruit in them are not good for you and your blood sugar will skyrocket.. All the fibre is lost from the fruit/veg after juicing, and that is the bit that really does you good. I had similar from certain members of my family when I was first diagnosed, they didnt take the diabetes seriously. I get regular readings of around 7. I asked my doctor about this he said that it takes longer for some to settle down than others. Your medication may need tweaking. I have miseries with metformin - just one of those people who cannot tolerate it. But now I have a differerent medication, the blood sugar is heading downwards...slowly...but still in the right direction.

Keep at it lady, you are doing all the right things and hearty congratulations on that weight loss, done yourself a huge favour there.

When were you diagnosed? What was your HB1ac on diagnosis?

Prov.

annscullamus said:

stabilising at 7 - 9, does it measure too high ?

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My one does by about 1mmol.

Hi and welcome (although you probably know us quite well already )

I actually think those raw juicing diets can have huge benefits - for uncontrolled type 2s. But that is because they were probably mainlining full fat coke and cake before starting the juices. Whether they are helpful in the long run is open to debate.

You are NOT an uncontrolled T2 Adding fast sugar release juices to your diet would be a backward step.

I have just mentioned this on another thread, but have a google for Physiological Insulin Resistance. It is a complicated thing, and I don't trust myself to explain it clearly. so have a read (you will find a number of articles come up with a search. worth reading several, because people have some very varied perspectives!). Basically, with very low carb, you may (note the may) have slightly increased insulin resistance as a result of long term ketosis. Nothing to worry about. Easy to reverse. Worth considering.

As for your emotional reaction to family comments... well, join the bloomin' club. Been there, done it, and do it repeatedly still. I think sometimes we have a soft underbelly for the ones we love and are extra sensitive. And because we love them, we never toughen up. It has helped me tremendously having more knowledge about my T2. It is rare nowadays that I don't have an already formulated opinion on whatever crackpot Daily Fail piece of junk journalism they are quoting.

And, please, cut yourself some slack. And have a hug. You are working hard, travelling, probably tired and stressed. You don't have your normal fridge contents to hand, and you eat a few carbs. I think you should be congratulated for keeping many balls in the air at once, not be beating yourself up because you drop the ball occasionally.

Are you forced to eat in certain places (business reasons), or do you get to choose them? I find it helps to have kind of mapped out the OK food choices and try to stick to them (caesar salad, steak and salad, cheese n biscuits, naked burger with salad not fries), but I do find it difficult to stick to these if I am hungry or tired. So I keep a small bag of nuts, some 70% choc or a peanut 9 bar in my back, and try and eat that before I get hungry or tired. Makes me much more rational when staring at a carby menu!

Hope that helps.

I think Brunneria's advice is great, especially about planning for those times when you know you will most likely want to grab a carby hit. Like you, I have difficulty being kind to myself and accepting the choice I've made, so head off irrationally to compound matters by eating even more carbs in what I'd definitely call a binge.

It's hard, but try to hold on to how much better you feel on LCHF, and how ****** and tired your body gets when you dip into the carbs big time.

Also, come on here and talk to people. It constantly brings me back to where I need to be just to get a bit of support from people in similar boats. Reading posts helps a bit, but not as much as actually interacting.

Best of luck in this. It's not even a long haul is it? It's just what life has to be from now on!

I did much the same as you, lost weight, living with large amounts of stress, trying to keep to lower carbs but unable to maintain that all the time as have to eat what is available at times and they are always the times when it is this carb or that carb........
So as all before me have said learning about you and Type 2 is what is important - anything juiced is an absolute no for me, I also feel like I have fallen off the be good wagon............... life is sometimes to hard and something has to give - unfortunately for me it is always the food that is the something which gives - so you and I both need to look at it as a stumble and we will get back on track.
On here there are always people with good advice and I believe we all have times when being type 2 diabetic is difficult.
If my advice is worth anything and it may not be - I would say be kind to yourself and understand those around you do not always understand type 2 as well as we do.

Take care

It must be more difficult for you with a high stress job and travelling to keep to a low carb diet all the time. Don't beat yourself up about the occasional binge.At least it makes you feel bad so stops you doing it to often

annscullamus said:

I have been so good, strict low carb, sensible and rational, but when I have a small fail it makes me lose all sense of proportion and just binge for the rest of the day and feel rough. I am a full time reader of the forum but this is my first post. My SD Codefree monitor has rarely shown a 7 or below in two months, regardless of whether I have eaten well, and good results seem to be stabilising at 7 - 9, does it measure too high ? My immediate family are not very helpful and almost want to ignore the fact I am diabetic, in fact today my daughter tried to persuade me that a raw juicing diet with acres of roots, fruits and endless apples and carrots can cure diabetes. I have a high profile and stressful job, and am still very much working at 63. I am female and since diagnosis have lost around 2 stone. I am mostly below 35g carbs per day, but sometimes 50g, and I find I lose weight and feel good on that - the binging happens when I am travelling, which I do a great deal, or when I am slightly ridiculed by my family. I think I have always been seen as the strong one, and sometimes I think my daughter actively wants to ignore any weakness. I don't know if any of this makes sense, but I feel the need for some support.

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It sounds to me like your taking diabetes by the throat and shaking it. I did much the same. However, at the early stages of dealing with it there's a lot to cope with, including family who are probably worried about you.

As far as your diet, testing and all of that are concerned, I'd urge you to consider the analogy of learning to drive; and particularly that reversing around the corner that everyone "loved". You were to how to to do, and demonstrated you could have a good go, but sometimes just made a bit of an misjudgement. Early days, we all do that with our diet, exercise, sleep, stress or whatever. Oh, and sometimes we even trip up further down the line.

If there is something you eat that makes you meander from the wagon train, then maybe that's telling you something. Some foods are addictive and for some of us "moderation" can be tricky with those. Some will be our favourites and some will be a compromise (as can happen in hotels or eating out). It's easy to say avoid those, or to avoid stress in your life, but I live in the real world too! Some days we just have to do the best we can any try not to have too many of those days joined up.

Diabetes isn't about perfection, because we'll never achieve that. For me,miss about being good enough, enough of the time. It took me a little while to accept that.

Good luck with it all. I think you'll be fine.

annscullamus said:

I have been so good, strict low carb, sensible and rational, but when I have a small fail it makes me lose all sense of proportion and just binge for the rest of the day and feel rough. I am a full time reader of the forum but this is my first post. My SD Codefree monitor has rarely shown a 7 or below in two months, regardless of whether I have eaten well, and good results seem to be stabilising at 7 - 9, does it measure too high ? My immediate family are not very helpful and almost want to ignore the fact I am diabetic, in fact today my daughter tried to persuade me that a raw juicing diet with acres of roots, fruits and endless apples and carrots can cure diabetes. I have a high profile and stressful job, and am still very much working at 63. I am female and since diagnosis have lost around 2 stone. I am mostly below 35g carbs per day, but sometimes 50g, and I find I lose weight and feel good on that - the binging happens when I am travelling, which I do a great deal, or when I am slightly ridiculed by my family. I think I have always been seen as the strong one, and sometimes I think my daughter actively wants to ignore any weakness. I don't know if any of this makes sense, but I feel the need for some support.

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Hi - you need help and support - I'm still new - but you will find it all here.
A couple of things that set alarm bells ringing:
Juiceing!! especially with fruit. In my younger years I ate a lot of fruit, kilos a day - every day. Since becoming diabetic I don't eat fruit except a small hand full of grapes once in a blue moon. You see fruit is full of fruit sugar - which is.....sugar.

Now for the science (I'm a Biologist) Plants photosynthesis to make sugars to meet their own energy requirements. Surplus sugars are stored in sugar stores - e.g. fruits and root vegetables. Carrots (along with some other vegetables) are actually underground giant sugar stores. take a look at the Glycemic Index of carrots, parsnips and potatoes. You would have to shoot me before eating any of those. In fact, I'd rather eat a bowl of sugar.

I also work in a stressful job (there are many books written on coping with stress. My profession has its own books!. I understand the travelling problem. You are away from home, to or from a business meeting and unless you have something to occupy your mind and hands, food - and in particular convenience food is going to be an issue.

Here's a radical suggestion - but I think I heard it here first.
get the family round to share a meal - and have the same as them (just don't over do it). Ask all of them to do a blood sugar test before and an hour afterwards. Share your readings.
Then do what I did - tell them exactly which medical complications scare the **** out of you - the risk of blindness and foot amputation are two of my biggest fears - there are others and tell them why you need to do whatever it takes to control your diabetes. Then explain to them why they need to be part of the plan. Ex alcoholics do not get tempted by offers of drinks, ex smokers don't get: go on, one more wont kill you, but for some reason diabetes is sometimes subject to mockery.

We all fall down from time to time - but that is so we can practice getting up again.

Good luck

Sean01 said:

Here's a radical suggestion - but I think I heard it here first.
get the family round to share a meal - and have the same as them (just don't over do it). Ask all of them to do a blood sugar test before and an hour afterwards. Share your readings.
Then do what I did - tell them exactly which medical complications scare the **** out of you - the risk of blindness and foot amputation are two of my biggest fears - there are others and tell them why you need to do whatever it takes to control your diabetes.

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I did something very similar with Mr B.
We went out for a cream tea.
I ate one round of sandwiches and a cream scone.
He ate the same, plus his 2 cakes, plus my 2 cakes. And crisps.
We both had the salad garnish

Then we tested.
He was 6.6 at 2 hrs (seems to be his default setting)
I was 15.7

He still tries to encourage me to 'live a little' sometimes, but he no longer tries to pretend that my T2 doesn't exist.

Don't be too hard on yourself - I definitely think stress plays a part and it is difficult to stick to low carb on the move.

As for the family they don't really understand unless they have it - your daughter was clearly trying to help even if her facts were a little off!

My teenagers if they are feeling generous: "Mum do you want a sweet?" "No thanks not really allowed!". If I am feeling naughty and they are NOT feeling generous: "May I have one of your sweets?" "NO, your not allowed because you're diabetic!!!"

I agree with your personal response to the juicing suggestion Anns. Juicing removes the fibre, turns loads of fruit and the fructose which only the liver can try and metabolise, into a glass of juice and will sense your BG skyrocketing. Just think of the alternative analogy: would you try and eat 6 apples one after the other - no way! because the fibre tells you that you are full. But could you get 6 apples into a single glass of juice and gulp it down in a matter of seconds - yep.

If you're on the move a lot find time to check out these audio interviews.. I found them very helpful.

http://www.sweetlifecenters.com/ds16bonus/