Hard going but going to start again!

this will start your off, phase one is weight loss if needed
http://www.atkins.com/recipes

Hi Lesley

I'm new to LCHF too...I find this thread to be quite useful, it's nice to get a little inspiration.

http://www.diabetes.co.uk/forum/threads/what-have-you-eaten-today.36803/unread

Breakfast ideas:
Plain yogurt with stevia & berries
Eggs in every form (frittata, hard-boiled, scrambled, etc)
Overnight oats (rolled oats, almond milk, stevia, chia seed)
Green shake (almond milk, protein powder, stevia, kale, berries)

Lunch ideas:
Salad (taco sans tortillas, chef, chicken & strawberries, garden)
Lettuce wraps filled with chicken salad, tuna salad, sliced turkey & avocado
Soups
Dinner leftovers (protein & veggies)


Dinner Ideas:
Chicken, pork, lamb, buffalo, beef, or fish with a side of veggies. I just vary the types of meat, how they are prepared/seasoned, and how I combine them with veggies or a stir fry. Sometimes, I will add a 1/2 sweet potato too.
Stews and garden salad

Might it help to think about what you can eat on this type of diet? A lot of people starting off seem to believe it's very restrictive and it isn't at all: you should be able to eat a very healthy and varied LCHF diet: most meats, poultry and and fish, most vegetables (except root vegetables like potatoes and parsnips), salads, some low sugar fruits -e.g. most berries, cheese, butter, unsweetened (Greek) yoghurt, cream, eggs, olive and other nut oils, most nuts and nut butters, olives, avocados, small amounts of dark chocolate, cakes, biscuits, etc made with ground almonds, other ground nuts, or coconut flour, etc.

Many of my meals are still basically the same as previously, but without the starchy and sugary additions such as bread and cakes, etc made with "conventional" flour, potatoes, pasta, rice, very sweet fruits, sugary drinks...

It's not all that difficult to eat well if you avoid that "can't eat that" frame of mind, check nutritional values on packaging (or the web), use a bit of common sense, and always "Eat to Your Meter".

Robbity

vintageutopia said:

Overnight oats (rolled oats, almond milk, stevia, chia seed)

Click to expand...

I can get away with groats (whole oats) or barley grains soaked overnight in a thermos of hot water and then microwaved 2 mins with chia seeds, cinnamon and frozen berries and then flax seeds, other seeds, nuts, yoghurt, double cream & anything else that looks nice. There is also a recipe on here somewhere for adding an egg before it goes in the microwave. Sounds odd but it tastes fine.
It makes about half a litre altogether but I'm a gannet and obviously I'm set up for a spot of log rolling etc.

It is really good advice from Robbity to think about what you can eat, rather than what you can't eat. Our relationship and need for certain types of foods is often psychological rather than physical (i. e. rewarding ourselves with something sweet when we feel we deserve it if we've had a bad day). I've found that I've had to change the way I think about food and feel positive about eating LCHF and the best thing about it is that I actually feel really healthy too!

I really miss muesli but it sends my levels really high (even the no added sugar versions) and to be frank, my poor stomach was missing the fibre! But I found this the other day. Easy and quick and you can add things to it.

1/4 cup flax seed meal
1/4 cup water (some of the liquid can be sugar-free syrup, if desired)
1 egg
Sugar substitute to taste
Mixins as desired (see below)
PREPARATION

Mix flax meal, egg, and water in a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on high for about 45 seconds. Move the cooked part of the pudding towards the center of the bowl and add any mix-ins you want. Microwave for about 45-60 more seconds, depending on mix-ins (frozen fruit will need even longer cooking, as it will cool down the pudding). Stir and eat.

lesleyp1978 said:

I think I may be restricting myself too much. I'm trying to stick to around 20g per day.

I'm type 1 and quite brittle so I have noticed that my sugars go up even when I wouldn't really expect it.

Sorry, I'm just feeling a bit down about everything at the minute and feel like I'm in a vicious circle. Thank you all for your replys. I need to get myself out of this cba mood and get myself in gear.

X

Click to expand...

I can understand that. I'm new to this and it's easy to feel enthusiastic but I'm sure we'll all have moments like that. But try again if you can, especially if it was helping. The people in this forum are so supportive and I'm sure you'll get some more ideas.

Lesley, hoping some type 1 diabetics come along to offer support.

I've come to know two brittle, type 1 diabetics over the years. It's particularly challenging. I admire what you're striving to do and am hopeful you'll be able to piece this together with time, perseverance, and support from other type 1's on the LCHF diet here.

I have two questions (which may or may not be helpful, again, I haven't walked in your shoes)...

Have you read Dr. Bernstein's Diabetes Solution (2011) or watched his videos? He would be my go to expert if I had to type 1 diabetes.

Are you on good quality nutritional supplements that your body is able to absorb, particularly since you dropped down to 20 carbs a day? Or do you have a non-celiac gluten sensitivity but are eating gluten (which would greatly affect your ability to absorb nutrients)?

There are vitamins and minerals that we can't afford to be deficient in to process glucose. A few vitamins that immediately come to mind are all the B vitamins, D, and zinc, taken in normal amounts, not mega doses, but this is not my area of expertize and I don't have type 1, so I'd have to research it a lot more. There's likely other key nutrients too.

It's just a few things to think about. I'm struggling too and have a long way to go, so I share your determination.

lesleyp1978 said:

I think I may be restricting myself too much. I'm trying to stick to around 20g per day.

I'm type 1 and quite brittle so I have noticed that my sugars go up even when I wouldn't really expect it.

Sorry, I'm just feeling a bit down about everything at the minute and feel like I'm in a vicious circle. Thank you all for your replys. I need to get myself out of this cba mood and get myself in gear.

X

Click to expand...

I would imagine that for you 20g is a little on the low side if you tend to be brittle. You could try increasing your carbs by 10g a day, and try working with your body's needs , for example less carbs on the mornings, but more at lunch or dinner, or whatever meets your ratios. You may find that this gives you more stability without raising your BG too high .

And don't apologise for being down, we all have times like that !

Signy