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Help - need very basic guide to low-carbing

G

goji

Well-Known Member
Messages
251
Hi

Wondering if you can help? Someone dear to my heart has Type 2 and is on high doses of insulin, statins, BP meds and is very overweight. This person has high Hba1c's (10s, 11s) and has not been educated on how to adjust novorapid/levemir - as the doctor set the same dose for each meal every day.

This person is dyslexic and is not a big reader and does not really use internet forums (doesn't show any interest in joining the forum and coming on here for help). This person has just returned from a dietician appointment and has been fed all the usual advice (eg. DiabetesUK style recipes and cereals for brekkie etc).

This person is of the older generation and does not like to question the advice of the NHS especially doctors, dieticians and nurses. This person is probably not that interested or self-motivated with regards to learning about diabetes and tends to think that the doctor know best. This person likely has an extreme addiction to carbs at present.

I have been trying to think of a way to get through to this person the benefits of low-carbing. The resources I have to hand are Dr Bernstein and D-solve, but I think these would both be too complicated as the person's understanding of diabetes is limited to start with and the person is not a big book-reader. Also Dr B might be way too extreme and put the person off completely.

I thought of printing out the 'success stories' thread on this forum but after reading through, many of the stories use a fair amount of jargon (MDI, high-carb, low-carb etc.) which would be too much for someone who's unitiated.

This person responds very well to information that is presented visually. Is there any kind of traffic-light style book eg. red foods = bad, green foods = okay, preferably that has some visual interest eg. pictures as well as text? Or any other type of simplified information source?

Any ideas would be really appreciated. It's hard to sit by and watch someone killing themselves with bread and cereal.
 
Just thought of another thing, podcasts, radio programmes or videos would also work well for this person if anyone know of any that address low-carb diets.
 
This any good?

viewtopic.php?f=18&t=7215&start=60#p64246

I have a Tesco GI book with 'traffic light ' type pics.Have a look in Tescos or maybe another of the big supermarkets see is they have any diet books that may be suitable.
Maybe making simple ,colourful boards with suggestions for breakfast,Lunch and dinner may help .Stick on pics of the food with portions sizes and ingredients.
 
Whenever I've looked any of the traffic light labelling schemes, they exclude carbs.
A person who needs simple instructions and is not very motivated isn't going to be easy to help. You might try listing the common carb foods. Potatoes, bread, etc and making a chart to show that having these in half portions is helpful. For someone on insulin too, you have a real problem. If he/she doesn't understand and still uses the same insulin doses, you will cause frequent hypos. What you need is a dietician or DSN who believes in reducing carbs to help. Your friend might follow their instructions. Otherwise you are up against a brick wall.
Hana
 
Thanks Sue and Hana

I think you're right that perhaps the DIY chart might be the best way forward as I could customize it to suit the food that the person currently enjoys eating! Thanks for the good ideas - I'll give it a go.

Goji
 
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