How do you know?

[Deleted member 208503]

How do you know how much to eat?
I wear stretchy clothes and a few sizes too big because I can't tolerate them very well.
My scale fluctuates up and down daily.
Different professionals tell me different calorie amounts. From 1300 to 1600.
Plus I am ALWAYS hungry.
How in the world do I know how much to eat?
How do you know?

 

[Deleted member 208503]

O and not even a huge weight loss helped any of my health issues. So that's not even a way to tell how much to eat ( such as eat less to get healthier).

 

[Tony337]

Your post has made me laugh in a nice way......
How do you know?
How indeed?

Type 1 of 50 years here and wouldn't know a calorie if it smacked me in the face.

Its all balancing carbs with insulin and exercise.

I'm in good shape with a hba1c of 42 and if someone offered me a bag of crisps or an apple i would look at my levels and if bang on the money then i would refuse said food item.

Evening meal time i usually have 50-100 grams of carbs and take the necessary amount of insulin during the day i tend to graze with no large intake of carbs.

I know i have not answered your question but i have explained my philosophy which is different to yours.

But that only works for me and i wish you well.

Tony

 

[JoKalsbeek]

How do you know how much to eat?
I wear stretchy clothes and a few sizes too big because I can't tolerate them very well.
My scale fluctuates up and down daily.
Different professionals tell me different calorie amounts. From 1300 to 1600.
Plus I am ALWAYS hungry.
How in the world do I know how much to eat?
How do you know?

Hunger and thirst could feel the same... Maybe drink more?

I just wing it, really... So can't help there. Sorry.

 

[KennyA]

How do you know how much to eat?
I wear stretchy clothes and a few sizes too big because I can't tolerate them very well.
My scale fluctuates up and down daily.
Different professionals tell me different calorie amounts. From 1300 to 1600.
Plus I am ALWAYS hungry.
How in the world do I know how much to eat?
How do you know?

I eat when I want to and stop when I've had enough. If I've had something substantial - I mean large steak substantial - I actively don't want to eat for some time. Left to myself I can go days without eating, and without feeling hunger, because I'm running on bodyfat. There's a sort of sensation eventually that I ought to eat something, but it never gets compelling.

I find I can do that now - when I was eating a lot of those "healthy healthy" carbs stopping eating wasn't really possible.

I have absolutely no idea what my calorie intake levels might be.

 

[Outlier]

We are all different, so what works for some doesn't work for others. It's about finding what works for YOU.

I did calorie control for most of my adult life. It was awful. I got terrible hunger pangs all the time. They never went away like some other people find. Then I had the menopause from hell, and so much bad stuff was going on in my life I had to give up the calorie control because I couldn't stand the pain of being so hungry on top of everything else. So I became very fat just eating enough "healthy" food to stop hunger. So demoralising.
Just under 2 years ago I had the T2 diagnosis, and immediately went keto. That worked for me because I didn't get hungry any more. I stopped counting calories but because I had done that for so long, I still had an awareness of how much I was eating. Now I eat when hungry and just enough to stop the hunger. That's how much we should eat. So easy it's scary. Might work for you.

edited to add: you don't have to go full keto. Low carb is sufficient for most of us. I do keto because it suits my personality.

 

[Impy]

We are all different, so what works for some doesn't work for others. It's about finding what works for YOU.

I did calorie control for most of my adult life. It was awful. I got terrible hunger pangs all the time. They never went away like some other people find. Then I had the menopause from hell, and so much bad stuff was going on in my life I had to give up the calorie control because I couldn't stand the pain of being so hungry on top of everything else. So I became very fat just eating enough "healthy" food to stop hunger. So demoralising.
Just under 2 years ago I had the T2 diagnosis, and immediately went keto. That worked for me because I didn't get hungry any more. I stopped counting calories but because I had done that for so long, I still had an awareness of how much I was eating. Now I eat when hungry and just enough to stop the hunger. That's how much we should eat. So easy it's scary. Might work for you.

edited to add: you don't have to go full keto. Low carb is sufficient for most of us. I do keto because it suits my personality.

You might find it useful to keep a food diary. There are a number of different apps out there you can use (I use Carbs & Cals) although MyFitnessPal is supposed to be good and they do the carbs/cals/protein/fat breakdown for you.

It will give you an idea of how much you need to eat in order to feel satiated, but it's different for everyone as has been said above. A lot of us go Keto but I'm on LCHF (low carb high fat) because it seems to be working for me at the moment.

 

[Deleted member 208503]

I don't get full so I sort of need a guideline otherwise I'd just eat all the time.
But I get so many guidelines from professionals it's crazy.
My clothes still fit so I guess it's OK.
Not knowing makes shopping and meal planning harder tho.

 

[Deleted member 208503]

I don't get full so I sort of need a guideline otherwise I'd just eat all the time.
But I get so many guidelines from professionals it's crazy.
My clothes still fit so I guess it's OK.
Not knowing makes shopping and meal planning harder tho.

And sometimes scary to eat. Like is this too much? Am I eating enough to gain? (Not needing to gain)

 

[Deleted member 208503]

And sometimes scary to eat. Like is this too much? Am I eating enough to gain? (Not needing to gain)

When would I take any action?

 

[Deleted member 208503]

When would I take any action?

At 10 pounds up on the scale consistently or something like that?

 

[Deleted member 208503]

Your post has made me laugh in a nice way......
How do you know?
How indeed?

Type 1 of 50 years here and wouldn't know a calorie if it smacked me in the face.

Its all balancing carbs with insulin and exercise.

I'm in good shape with a hba1c of 42 and if someone offered me a bag of crisps or an apple i would look at my levels and if bang on the money then i would refuse said food item.

Evening meal time i usually have 50-100 grams of carbs and take the necessary amount of insulin during the day i tend to graze with no large intake of carbs.

I know i have not answered your question but i have explained my philosophy which is different to yours.

But that only works for me and i wish you well.

Tony

Can you give me some examples of what you might eat for 50 to 100 grams of carbs?

 

[AloeSvea]

Hi @cdpm. Re the confusing messages from medical professionals about food, drink and weight loss - how comfortable are you in ignoring that, and adopting the low-carb approach that you find in this forum? Your posts made me really grateful I never went that route. Why? Because medical professionals are obliged to give a line on weight loss, and appropriate food for type two diabetics that many of us have discovered to be, gently put, flawed!

Like many in here I lowered my sugar and high-carb food intake hugely, and weight loss followed that. Lots of weight loss. I'm also sensitive to physical activity, and one has to check that out on yourself - as in up your physical activity and see if it makes a difference, re weight loss. (And physical activity is really good for you anyway! For your muscles, and your heart health.)

One way to do this if you are a bit freaked out at the idea that many medical professionals know as much about nutrition and weight loss as you do, or your neighbour does, you could see adopting the low carb way of eating approach as an experiment - and follow your health markers, and get your blood lipids done as regularly as you can, including of course - your waist size, and your weigh on scales if you are interested in that, and track these. Also use selfies liberally to check out what is happening with fat on you. And keep, absolutely, a food journal. And come in here and share!

So then, the answer to the question of how much food is right for you, cut out or lower hugely the sugar and excess-carby food, and eat as much as you like till you are full. Up your healthy fats along with how many carbs you are cutting out. If you aren't losing weight fast enough or as much as you would like, and you have fat stored on your body - try an intermittent fasting regime, or even a wee fast, be monitored by medical professionals (this is what they do do very well) LOTS of info online, in the library, and of course - in here. See how you go with that.

 

[Deleted member 208503]

Hi @cdpm. Re the confusing messages from medical professionals about food, drink and weight loss - how comfortable are you in ignoring that, and adopting the low-carb approach that you find in this forum? Your posts made me really grateful I never went that route. Why? Because medical professionals are obliged to give a line on weight loss, and appropriate food for type two diabetics that many of us have discovered to be, gently put, flawed!

Like many in here I lowered my sugar and high-carb food intake hugely, and weight loss followed that. Lots of weight loss. I'm also sensitive to physical activity, and one has to check that out on yourself - as in up your physical activity and see if it makes a difference, re weight loss. (And physical activity is really good for you anyway! For your muscles, and your heart health.)

One way to do this if you are a bit freaked out at the idea that many medical professionals know as much about nutrition and weight loss as you do, or your neighbour does, you could see adopting the low carb way of eating approach as an experiment - and follow your health markers, and get your blood lipids done as regularly as you can, including of course - your waist size, and your weigh on scales if you are interested in that, and track these. Also use selfies liberally to check out what is happening with fat on you. And keep, absolutely, a food journal. And come in here and share!

So then, the answer to the question of how much food is right for you, cut out or lower hugely the sugar and excess-carby food, and eat as much as you like till you are full. Up your healthy fats along with how many carbs you are cutting out. If you aren't losing weight fast enough or as much as you would like, and you have fat stored on your body - try an intermittent fasting regime, or even a wee fast, be monitored by medical professionals (this is what they do do very well) LOTS of info online, in the library, and of course - in here. See how you go with that.

I really wish I could . I don't c how tho with milk and meat intolerances, 0 teeth and only a few dollars a day for food.
Maybe if I just ate smooth peanut butter and shredded cheese, scrambled eggs when on sale. I'm not sure what else I could fit in.

 

[AloeSvea]

Ah! @cdpm. The cost of food! Argh! And - yes. My country also has had an enormous hike in food prices, and boy oh boy does it hurt.

But if you are going the treating your T2D with diet route, and it sounds like you are doing that?And well done you. And, I had a gander at the Fasting sub section and see you are doing an intermittent fast as well - good things to treat your diabetes outside of medications. So, as you are on insulin you definitely need to be monitored by medical professionals indeed, and you will- always? - be in this bind between spending on food, and spending on the doctors? (Different countries do things differently of course, and I don't know what your region's conditions are....)

But reading you in Fasting, and reading you in here - I do think you might be letting the numbers get on top of you, if you don't mind me saying. And I really feel for you on this one - I started on a whole thread on getting fed up with all the counting having to be done with T2D (for me, it was what was being asked of me from the outside, rather than coming from me, but there is all that counting as well at the beginning at least).

And the really horrible thing about the huge hike in the cost of food is - a tight food budget means a lot more counting! As in with a calculator in the supermarket or store.

But, this is my 'ra ra'. Food is soooooo important if you have a dietary disease, and T2D is, then food, and as quality as you can afford, has to be prioritised, because, well, it's just so important. I know - easier said than done. This is my own attitude at any rate.

I have never heard of a meat intolerance - but are you saying you are a vegetarian who eats eggs? Plenty of low-carbing type twos out there on that way of eating. There's even a word for it isn't there but I can't think of it - an ova vegetarian? So you are going the beans, lentils and tofu way? At least lentils are a really good budget food for vegetarians, and soft foods.... And don't worry about the no milk - plenty of us don't drink it or use dairy milk in cooking as it can be too high natural sugars - it certainly is for me.

Yeah, I hope you are thinking about kicking the calorie counting, and going for being full when you are eating those couple of meals a day. Reading the carb levels on food labels is enough counting from my pov!

 

[Deleted member 208503]

Ah! @cdpm. The cost of food! Argh! And - yes. My country also has had an enormous hike in food prices, and boy oh boy does it hurt.

But if you are going the treating your T2D with diet route, and it sounds like you are doing that?And well done you. And, I had a gander at the Fasting sub section and see you are doing an intermittent fast as well - good things to treat your diabetes outside of medications. So, as you are on insulin you definitely need to be monitored by medical professionals indeed, and you will- always? - be in this bind between spending on food, and spending on the doctors? (Different countries do things differently of course, and I don't know what your region's conditions are....)

But reading you in Fasting, and reading you in here - I do think you might be letting the numbers get on top of you, if you don't mind me saying. And I really feel for you on this one - I started on a whole thread on getting fed up with all the counting having to be done with T2D (for me, it was what was being asked of me from the outside, rather than coming from me, but there is all that counting as well at the beginning at least).

And the really horrible thing about the huge hike in the cost of food is - a tight food budget means a lot more counting! As in with a calculator in the supermarket or store.

But, this is my 'ra ra'. Food is soooooo important if you have a dietary disease, and T2D is, then food, and as quality as you can afford, has to be prioritised, because, well, it's just so important. I know - easier said than done. This is my own attitude at any rate.

I have never heard of a meat intolerance - but are you saying you are a vegetarian who eats eggs? Plenty of low-carbing type twos out there on that way of eating. There's even a word for it isn't there but I can't think of it - an ova vegetarian? So you are going the beans, lentils and tofu way? At least lentils are a really good budget food for vegetarians, and soft foods.... And don't worry about the no milk - plenty of us don't drink it or use dairy milk in cooking as it can be too high natural sugars - it certainly is for me.

Yeah, I hope you are thinking about kicking the calorie counting, and going for being full when you are eating those couple of meals a day. Reading the carb levels on food labels is enough counting from my pov!

Meat especially pork and beef cause me the runs. I've tried different methods but it still seems to happen. And I don't really like chicken.
Yes I do eat lentils but only because I have to. They don't need chewed in soups.
I do drink soy milk as I do like it not for any other reason.
I don't describe myself as a vegetarian anymore but I'm all for that idea. I was mostly criticized and judged when I was a vegetarian.
Most of what I eat now are soups but not chicken ones.
Lentil and vegetable and pea soups and nutritional drinks.
But one bad thing I think anyway- is that because my labs a1c is so good and does not match my everyday numbers- I'm not being allowed to utilize the meds in a way to help me. Not by the prescriber anyway. The other professionals say to increase my insulin but the prescriber says to reduce it solely based on the a1c. The other professionals seem to understand that my numbers don't match the a1c so they r more helpful. But. It's the prescriber I have to listen to .
So I'm not really getting the professional help I need. But that's beside the point.

 

[AloeSvea]

Hi @cdpm - I'm sorry you got critisised for the vegetarianism. It's very strange how folks get emotionally involved in what other folks choose to eat! It's a very personal thing, what you like to eat and drink, and not possible or sensible or wise to tell people what they like or choose is wrong, imho.

Getting diarhea from meat - I looked it up, and the thing that made the most sense was it when it is contaminated by bacteria etc, ie the meat has gone off. Which makes complete sense.

Dairy of course, is a common digestion-changer, when one is intolerant. On the other hand - We are, all of us, intolerant of meat that has gone off!

So your HBA1c is good? Well that is wonderful.

Cdpm - can I ask what you HBA1c is? And your weight? And what your weight loss goals are? And how long you have been on insulin?

 

[Deleted member 208503]

Hi @cdpm - I'm sorry you got critisised for the vegetarianism. It's very strange how folks get emotionally involved in what other folks choose to eat! It's a very personal thing, what you like to eat and drink, and not possible or sensible or wise to tell people what they like or choose is wrong, imho.

Getting diarhea from meat - I looked it up, and the thing that made the most sense was it when it is contaminated by bacteria etc, ie the meat has gone off. Which makes complete sense.

Dairy of course, is a common digestion-changer, when one is intolerant. On the other hand - We are, all of us, intolerant of meat that has gone off!

So your HBA1c is good? Well that is wonderful.

Cdpm - can I ask what you HBA1c is? And your weight? And what your weight loss goals are? And how long you have been on insulin?

Well today my weight was 245. As low as 243 and high as 250 from the normal fluctuations people get. And I recently lost weight from weighing 300 pounds. So I'm very eager to keep it off as I have lost hundreds of pounds over the years but regain it.
My end goal is 200 lbs.
My a1c in June was 5.5. But none of my other numbers match that.
I have been on insulin mostly from the start because I had some severe er landing side effects from oral meds I tried. So I believe I've been on insulin for
7 or 8 years.

 

[AloeSvea]

The good news is you're a member, as a type two, of the 5% club. (A real thing apparently!) Your meds regime has been working.

If you were a type 1, you would have great control... but any type 1s reading this can pitch in if I have misunderstood. (It's been a while since I read Bernstein and Ruhl on the subject.)

I can see how weight loss whilst being on insulin longterm could be problematic, as a type 2 with filled up sick fat cells? If you were a type 1, the sick fat cells would not be part of your big picture?...

The reason being insulin is a fat storage hormone. If you are an insulin resistant type two, you will be making lots of your own insulin,and then with the extra insulin, as it were, to shunt the excess glucose into your cells and organs - that amounts to a lot of fat storage hormone! So how to work significant weight loss into that? That is beyond my pay grade, as the North Americans say.

If, on the other hand, you are in fact insulin deficient, hence taking insulin, then that would mean your body had trouble storing fat at all, and you would have very deflated fat cells? And probably on the lean side. Unless you were on too much insulin? Again - correct me if I have misunderstood....

As it is, I can see why you are wanting extra help from endocrinologists/the professionals I take it. That is their field of expertise for sure, and getting the insulin amounts right is a big deal for insulin deficient diabetes?

As for you getting the amount of food right, and what macros.... It's complex for you? I take it.

 

[Deleted member 208503]

The good news is you're a member, as a type two, of the 5% club. (A real thing apparently!) Your meds regime has been working.

If you were a type 1, you would have great control... but any type 1s reading this can pitch in if I have misunderstood. (It's been a while since I read Bernstein and Ruhl on the subject.)

I can see how weight loss whilst being on insulin longterm could be problematic, as a type 2 with filled up sick fat cells? If you were a type 1, the sick fat cells would not be part of your big picture...

The reason being insulin is a fat storage hormone. If you are an insulin resistant type two, you will be making lots of your own insulin,and then with the extra insulin, as it were, to shunt the excess glucose into your cells and organs - that amounts to a lot of fat storage hormone! So how to work significant weight loss into that? That is beyond my pay grade, as the North Americans say.

If, on the other hand, you are in fact insulin deficient, hence taking insulin, then that would mean your body had trouble storing fat at all, and you would have very deflated fat cells? And probably on the lean side. Unless you were on too much insulin? Again - correct me if I have misunderstood....

As it is, I can see why you are wanting extra help from endocrinologists/the professionals I take it. That is their field of expertise for sure, and getting the insulin amounts right is a big deal for insulin deficient diabetes?

As for you getting the amount of food right, and what macros.... It's complex for you? I take it.

I can't even try to count macros as I only eat soup and nutritional drinks. It's hard even getting those in me and dose insulin and test and so on and so on. But I do understand the macro concept.
I'm not sure if i make any insulin.
Or if it already stopped.
I gained alot of weight when I started insulin too.