help and Advice

dansintheroom

Newbie
Messages
2
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Hi i am struggling I am hungry all the time I am type 2 and on tablets can anyone advise me what I can do I finding very difficult
 
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Vince01

Well-Known Member
Messages
53
Hi Dansintheroom,
Bread and biscuits are not really good for T2, some can get away with bread as it won't raise bg (for some) a meter finger prick test will tell you. But to try and stop feeling hungry, all the time, plenty of above ground veg, broccoli, sprouts, cabbage, spinach etc will fill up your plate .
I was not a veggie guy,at all, but needs be and I got used to it. Protein aswell with the veg ,chicken breast,pork chops, some red meat but not too much.
If you can tolerate bread.tuna, egg, corned beef sandwiches are high in protein.
Myself after testing my bg levels a million times, I find I'm OK with 100/130 catbs a day so a small jacket potato and porridge doesn't affect me but it will others, again test, you'll soon find out what spikes your bg.
If you want to eat good fats, no problem, unless you're trying to bring weight down.
As with all advice, healthy balanced diet is a must as with exercise .
I'm afraid it's trial and error at first and while finding out what you can eat you will,probably ,have a few high test results ,short term,although not much of a problem, but at least you'll know what to eat what not and what in odd occasions, you might be able to treat yourself, don't get used to the treats, they'll get more regular.
It's a minefield at first but you will get there.
Best of luck.

Sent from my SM-A137F using Diabetes Forum mobile app
 
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D

Deleted member 475901

Guest
Dropping carbs is important but you also need to get plenty of green veg, protein and good fats (Olive oil, butter, etc). Reducing carbs can lead to weight loss even with eating more fats, but if you are a healthy weight just add more fat.

No need to feel hungry on low-carb diets.
However, yoyoing up and down with sugary or high-carb foods such as biscuits and bread can fool your body into thinking it is hungry.
 
Messages
2
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Insulin
Try and find treats that you enjoy and are low in carbs and sugars. When peckish, sometimes I quickly make an omellete with leftovers from the fridge (My Netflix movie is on pause). After a bit of practise it takes 10 mins. The basic additions are spring onions & mushrooms ... if you chop and add some asparagus and a little smoked salmon you're moving into fine dining ... Super low tasty carbs to finish a movie ;)
 
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KennyA

Moderator
Staff Member
Moderator
Messages
3,872
Type of diabetes
Treatment type
Diet only
Hi i am struggling I am hungry all the time I am type 2 and on tablets can anyone advise me what I can do I finding very difficult
Hello, and welcome to the forums. How much metformin are you on? And can you tell us what your last HbA1c was, please? That helps people to reply to you.

As T2 diabetics we have a problem with all carbohydrates, not just sugar. Carbohydrates are digested and turn into glucose. We are insulin resistant, which means although we have plenty of insulin, it's not effective at getting the glucose out of blood and into cells for energy. High blood glucose over time causes physical damage, best avoided.

You are probably hungry because although you're eating, it's not being used for energy. Also eating a lot of carbs tends to give you a short term lift but also make you hungry very quickly afterwards.

Metformin doesn't help with the insulin problem. What you describe eating is only carbohydrate, so you are pumping more glucose into your body when it already has too much. You can see the effect this has if you test your blood, before and after eating, using a glucose meter - the NHS usually won't tell T2s to test, but most of us here test regularly.

My diet has very few carbs in it, only around 20g/day - the equivalent of one apple. I don't eat bread, biscuits, cakes, pastry, pasta, rice, sugar, potatoes, and most fruit. I do eat meat, fish, eggs, green veg, cheese, cream, butter, nuts and olives. My blood went back to normal range after four months and I've lost more than 60lbs in the last three years. It's worked really well for me, without medication of any kind. Also, I've never felt hungry at all since I ditched the carbs.

Best of luck. There's a "success stories" section on this forum and it's worth having a look to see how various people tackled the same problem.
 

Cluso

Well-Known Member
Messages
50
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
Hi i am struggling I am hungry all the time I am type 2 and on tablets can anyone advise me what I can do I finding very difficult


Hello, I was in the exact same boat 2 or 3 months ago when I was diagnosed. Dropping bread and carbs was terrible to me at first.

I went on a strict keto diet (was hard the first few weeks) but now Im fine. The issue is that carbs are addictive, and with Type 2, since you cant use insulin properly, you are constantly hungry which keeps aggravating the problem in a endless circle.

Look online for Keto diet, be strong in the beggining and then you get used to it. Remember that you are fighting a dependency, there will be withdrawal symptoms but then it all normalizes... After 2 months of diet Im feeling great, lost almost 17 Kg and dont feel hungry all the time like before.
 
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Daibell

Master
Messages
12,674
Type of diabetes
LADA
Treatment type
Insulin
You should find having fats and proteins rather than carbs will help your hunger as well as BS and weight
 
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CatsFive

Well-Known Member
Messages
364
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
Lot of bred and things. Like biscuits I am on metforming tablets

You are used to eating lots of things that will put up your blood glucose, especially the biscuits as they contain sugar which produces a big BG spike. If you just reduce or cut the bread, biscuits, pasta, rice, potatoes, cous-cous and so on of course you are hungry.

They need replacing with veg, salad, full-fat dairy, some pulses, and meat.

I imagine this is a huge change for you, and both your palate and your body need to adjust. It's also tricky if you are living with people who mostly eat bread, biscuits and so on, it can be tricky if you are struggling for money, and if you don't cook as home-cooked food is best. You can control exactly what is in it, you can adjust the portion sizes as you see fit, and I find it's cheaper than lots of take-outs and ready meals would be.

You don't mention alcohol... The good news is that spirits contain no carbs, though a lot of mixers and liqueurs do and of course the syrups used in many cocktails are loaded with sugar. Red and dry white wines are fairly low carb, but beer & cider (especially sweet cider) are bad news, as is fruit juice and full-fat soft drinks.