Hi From Bolton

[rods1249]

My names rods from bolton, im 64 and finding all this confusing, theres a lot of information to absorb and im only operating on 2 brain cells,
1 of which is usually asleep .

 

[KennyA]

Hi rods1249 and welcome to the forum.

You're right about the confusion and information overload. A lot of what you'll read on the internet is second or third hand - it's often space filler written by people who have no direct experience themselves and are just copying something from elsewhere, usually poorly. Other people have something to sell, so what they'll tell you is geared to that.

In contrast just about everyone on here is talking from direct personal experience, or using a verifiable source.

I see you say you don't have diabetes - that often means someone has told you your blood glucose is a bit high, and you should do something about it. So - what questions do you have straight away?

 

[JoKalsbeek]

My names rods from bolton, im 64 and finding all this confusing, theres a lot of information to absorb and im only operating on 2 brain cells,
1 of which is usually asleep .

Nice intro, and welcome!

It is a lot to take in, so ask any and all questions you have and we'll try to answer them in a way a brain cell can cope with, so the other can get a proper rest.

Seriously though, https://josekalsbeek.blogspot.com/2019/11/the-nutritional-thingy.html might help explain a few things, I made it as layman-y as possible. If that just makes matters worse, stick with everything you want to know so you get direct answers to direct questions.

Again, welcome, and hope we'll be able to be of some assistance!
Jo

 

[rods1249]

Thank you for your reply

JoKalsbeek​

KennyA, thats correct, ive also been told im obese even tho i excersie regularly and im very fit for my age. Ive come to the conclusion, hopefuly the right one, that i need to drop my carbs as ive tried everything else, well apart from a gastric band ​

 

[JenniferM55]

Hi @rods1249 welcome to this forum, you've found a friendly supportive place to help you get rid of any carb induced brain fog.

It could be that all you need is to change a few eating habits, such as swopping Walls sausages for higher protein ones, having home made Bolognese sauce instead of sauces bought in a jar, drinking spirits instead of beer, to name just a few tweaks. Perhaps log all what you eat and drink into one of those food apps such as FatSecret, MyFitnessPall, CarbManager, or Cronometer (there are more), I'll guarantee you'll have a shock where those carbs are hiding.

For deep information regarding diabetes try Dr Jason Fung on YouTube, or perhaps read his book 'The Diabetes Code'.

 

[KennyA]

Thank you for your reply

JoKalsbeek​

KennyA, thats correct, ive also been told im obese even tho i excersie regularly and im very fit for my age. Ive come to the conclusion, hopefuly the right one, that i need to drop my carbs as ive tried everything else, well apart from a gastric band ​

If the "obese" definition is coming from somebody using a BMI calculation, it might help to know that BMI was designed for use with large populations, not individuals. It simply doesn't work for many people - just check, for example, the heights and weights of professional sports people via BMI. For example, to take a name at random - CJ Stander (Ireland back row) is 185 cm tall and weighs 114kg. His BMI is 33, and he is therefore obese - which of course he really isn't. I was >120kg and 185 cm tall, and I definitely was obese, although nobody needed a measurement to work that out.


You still might want to lose some weight as well as sorting your blood glucose levels, and low carb did both for me fairly quickly and without too much bother. Some willpower needed, though. I cut out potatoes, bread, pasta, rice, sugars, and fruit. And beer, though there are an increasing number of low or zero carb beers availble.

Did they tell you what your HbA1c result was? Normal is 38-42. Type 2 will automatically be diagnosed if the HbA1c is over 48. The 42-48 gap is normally called "prediabetes" which isn't all that helpful. If you get a result in this area, it means that your blood glucose is already a bit out of whack, and the indications are that unless something is done to control it, the rise will continue.

You've already seen Jo Kalsbeek's very helpful info sheet, so no need to repeat that. This forum was and is very helpful for me, and you'll find that whtever you want to know, somebody here will have some useful and helpful experience.

 

[ajbod]

Welcome aboard, think of all the things you've been told are bad to eat, they're NOT eat them heartily. All the things you've been told are healthy to eat, are the very things that made you obese.
By reducing greatly Potatoes, Pasta, Rice, Pastry, Breakfast Cereals and avoiding things containing grains, ie Flour and Vegetable oils. Cook with Butter, Lard, Dripping and proper Olive oil. Liberally use Fatty meats, Cream. Cheese, EGGS and use only FULL FAT variants of other things. Eating this way you should ignore meal times, and eat only when you're hungry. Eating this way you don't feel hungry much, so your body uses it's energy store to supplement the intake, and that's the body fat that makes you obese. By being strict, and reducing my carb intake to 20g a day, i lost 25Kg in 4 months, this was prior to a diagnosis, i did this just to lose weight. That meant i was not lugging around the equivalent of a sack of spuds all the time. the other big benefit is eating low carb, all your brain cells will spark into life, many you probably forgot you had, it won't turn you into Brain of Britain, but the difference is staggering.

 

[rods1249]

Welcome aboard, think of all the things you've been told are bad to eat, they're NOT eat them heartily. All the things you've been told are healthy to eat, are the very things that made you obese.
By reducing greatly Potatoes, Pasta, Rice, Pastry, Breakfast Cereals and avoiding things containing grains, ie Flour and Vegetable oils. Cook with Butter, Lard, Dripping and proper Olive oil. Liberally use Fatty meats, Cream. Cheese, EGGS and use only FULL FAT variants of other things. Eating this way you should ignore meal times, and eat only when you're hungry. Eating this way you don't feel hungry much, so your body uses it's energy store to supplement the intake, and that's the body fat that makes you obese. By being strict, and reducing my carb intake to 20g a day, i lost 25Kg in 4 months, this was prior to a diagnosis, i did this just to lose weight. That meant i was not lugging around the equivalent of a sack of spuds all the time. the other big benefit is eating low carb, all your brain cells will spark into life, many you probably forgot you had, it won't turn you into Brain of Britain, but the difference is staggering.

Thank you for this.
I have already thrown all the spuds, pasta and rice into the bin and i dont eat cereal.
What i need to know is how i count the amount of carbs im eating?
Its easy to count calories but im finding it hard to work out how many carbs i have on the plate?
Rods

 

[JenniferM55]

Perhaps log all what you eat and drink into one of those food apps such as FatSecret, MyFitnessPall, CarbManager, or Cronometer (there are more), I'll guarantee you'll have a shock where those carbs are hiding.