I cannot change my eating habits.

Sarah adding my comments to what as already been said on here ..you have to find what works for you . I have yo yo dieter for years but when I set my mind to it i lose weight quickly and always feel better for it , admittedly I'm in my on off phase at the moment . If low carb etc isn't for you why don't you try calorie counting ( old fashioned method I know ) but it always works for me . Though I personally would avoid ready meals and any so called diet meals . and like Croc said "baby steps " till you are running

I have a friend with quite serious phobia problems but her mantra is "cant means dont want to"
CAROL

FYI Grapes are one of the few fruits with Glucose and not its mirror image fructose. Fructose is absorbed more slowly. This accounts for the effect of grapes on blood glucose levels. Hope this is useful. They are yummy though and please remember raisins are grapes.

I have read a lot over the years I've been on here! I know low carb is the way to go I just don't really know how I can change the way I eat. I tried before and within a few weeks I was so bored of food. I can't continually eat the same food day in day out. I've tried ryvita and cream crackers instead of bread then I get fed up of it. I know I need to do this very slowly but I don't know what to have for breakfast instead of cereal. Perhaps once I've seen a psychologist things maybe different but I can't see a way forward at the moment.

I had to change my eating habits too and yes it can be a bit difficult but no one said getting a disease that slowly takes lumps out of us was going to be easy.
I read about the limbs coming off the eyesight going the neuropathic bladder where you end up peeing and possibly pooing yourself all the time and the blindness and figured that had to be harder than deciding what I'll do about breakfasts.
Seriously Sarah you need to take this a bit more seriously.
So breakfast can be difficult for you ... the whole thing can be difficult for you but finding where your white stick is in the permanent darkness and hobbling around on metal feet isn't going to be any easier.
I'm choosing the boring fight rather than the excitement of losing bits .... all the best.

Right Sarah, Lets think about this and make a plan. Find a breakfast cereal that is LOW in sugar and carbs. Gradually reduce the amount of it that you eat and gradually replace it with something that is Lower in carbs. Do you like Greek style yoghurt NOT fat free, because they fill that with sugar. Look for less that 4 or 5 % sugar. Use that instead of milk on a smaller amount of cereal. Then, when you have sorted breakfast in about 1 month, look at your evening meal. Cut out bread, potato, pasta, rice and other high carb foods and gradually replace them with a lower carb option. Cheese is good, sardines, fish of any form. Eggs again if you did not have too many at breakfast. Chicken and other meats are good and filling,
I like veg so I fill my self up with those. There is such a wide variety that they are not boring. You can use a low carb sauce to ring the changes. You cannot cut out carbs completely, but slowly you can make a difference. If I can , I am sure you can.
Good luck and remember you are worth it.

Sarah69 said:

I have read a lot over the years I've been on here! I know low carb is the way to go I just don't really know how I can change the way I eat. I tried before and within a few weeks I was so bored of food. I can't continually eat the same food day in day out. I've tried ryvita and cream crackers instead of bread then I get fed up of it. I know I need to do this very slowly but I don't know what to have for breakfast instead of cereal. Perhaps once I've seen a psychologist things maybe different but I can't see a way forward at the moment.

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Hi, I have Full Fat Tesco Yogurt, mixed with single cream to thin Berries (Blueberries, Strawberries Raspberries, Blackberries or 1/2 an apple You could have cold meats and hard boiled egg. I manage to have ryvita every day at lunchtime, 3 days with mackerel fillets either plain peppered, Piri Piri or Mexican spices, I have mine hot 2 mins in micro. Thick spread Philadelphia on the ryvita. The other 4 days I have smoked salmon or ham or tongue but on the ryvita and pickle. Some small toms chopped & olives. Always have babybells to hand for a snack.

You say you get bored eating the same things, but I haven't heard of anything you have been eating yet or any thing different seems like the same routine everyday.

It's time to get a grip and start taking this serious, but you know that.

Neil

Sarah69 said:

Ok I'm 5ft 7" and weigh 15.3 st, my last hba1c was 9.2, my readings during the day vary I can be anything from 4/5 in the morning and just go up as the day goes on. I work as a carer so fairly active and as I work in the village I live in I cycle to my clients houses. When I work a full day my breakfast is at about 6.15am lunch will be about 2pm and I don't really eat tea as I'm working til 8pm. I'm on a waiting list to see a psychologist at my hospital.
Breakfast is cereal at the moment rice crispies for lunch today I had a chicken korma for lunch and that will be it until 2moro. Yesterday I had the same for breakfast and jacket potato with cheese and small salad once I picked out the things I didn't like in it. There might be lots of food out there but I'm very limited on what I like. I would like to eat lchf but it's far to limiting for me. I've read what people have eaten on this diet and I know I couldn't eat it.

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Well to be honest even with a bowl of rice krispies and the lunches that does not add up to getting to obese weight..

So they must be large portions or you are having extras....especially as you are on the go all day and cycle. Tesco and Waitrose sell 1 portion size scoops for things like cereal, pasta, cheese, nuts etc... I would suggest you purchase these measures as a starter...

I tried adding in more fat..my levels of cholesterol rose. I took action and changed the fat I was eating. Stuff that I thought I hated for 50 years in small portions have suddenly become my favourite food of all time... I recognised the need to change and accepted it. You can do it if you really want to....personally I don't see that you really want to and hope that you will discuss this with your pschologist.

You know your weight and hbs1c is excessive and yet I don't see you as really accepting this and really wanting to change...
I guess thats why you chose the title to your post.. You can't change.. And you are just wanting to tell people.

From the title of your post I also guess that you will either be ignoring your medical team appointments or you are seeing them but don't like being told by them either that you need to change.

If you don't want to low carb then don't... But you must address the honest reasons for your excessive levels.

Donny the bad cholesterol can go up for the first few weeks of doing the high fat.
I've been told it's your body adjusting to the changes you're forcing on it.
It then starts to drop down and level out.
Mine is doing really well ... bad going down good going up but it does take a bit of time.

Sarah69 said:

I have read a lot over the years I've been on here! I know low carb is the way to go I just don't really know how I can change the way I eat. I tried before and within a few weeks I was so bored of food. I can't continually eat the same food day in day out. I've tried ryvita and cream crackers instead of bread then I get fed up of it. I know I need to do this very slowly but I don't know what to have for breakfast instead of cereal. Perhaps once I've seen a psychologist things maybe different but I can't see a way forward at the moment.

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Hello again @Sarah69

Please don't pin all your hopes on the psychologist - he/she doesn't have a magic wand. Even after all that is talked about it will still come down to YOUR choice to change or not.

Its not for someone else to 'fix' - its your body, your health and your responsibility.

If you need any "incentive" to get you started, try a day blindfolded wearing thick mittens and see how far you get -- then imagine that EVERY DAY WITH NO RESPITE

Some 30 years ago as an apprentice engineer there were many things that I couldn't do

One day my boss - also my great Uncle - asked me to do something and my reply was an honest "I can't do that"

To my surprise, my uncle didn't ask me why not -- he simply asked how I was spelling 'can't'

Confused, I replied C .... A ..... N.... T

Wrong, was his reply

I tried again : C ..... A ...... N....... apostrephe ......T

His reply was that I was still wrong !!


He said that he'd write the correct spelling in the back of the girder between us, which he did, then he walked off ....

Excited and intrigued I went to see what he'd written :

T R Y

A valuable lifelong lesson I've never forgotten

Sarah ... everyone here has your best interests at heart.
It's out of concern we're saying what we are.

Hi Sarah ok so here is me and my feeling. Let's forget about food being the focus this comes from a place about feelings your thoughts and being diagnosed how ever far into the diagnosis you are. When someone is struggling it's hard to find away through if the focus is on the thing that controls it for example food is a big power for us it controls what we do how we feel what we think and our life in general as a diabetic and can be a massive thing. I wonder if something like psychotherapy than psychology would be good for you? Many don't so I'm just explaining psychotherapy allows you to explore the past your feelings thoughts relationships etc psychology is more about fixing it and can be less about understanding it.

Hopefully the psychologist can help you to modify your attitude to food and help you to view it as the fuel/nutrition it is meant to be instead of entertainment that you get "bored of".

You could try hypnosis to over come the food problem

This is what I was told though..

A person will only change if they want to.

A pschologist cannot make you change Sarah unless you want to.

So do adopt the T R Y choice in life.

What reallyconfuses me is that you say you are a carer?? But you don't care for yourself well??

Come in girlie, start caring for yourself...

Hi Sarah,

I'm guessing your job and daily routine isn't necessarily helping ( I speak as someone who used to be a carer). Getting home late can't be fun and you seem to be up early too. I think introducing a routine for eating and making/taking your own food coukd help.

For a start, if you like cereal, then choose a healthier one. Rice Krispies have a high GI. Something like All Bran might be better. Also, bear in mind there are recipes for LCHF cereals that you could try too.

See if you can have your lunch earlier (that's a long gap without food) and make something healthy to take with you. It doesn't have to be low carb, it can be moderate or reduced carb, eg you could make a salad with eggs or cold meat or smoked salmon or cheese and have it with a couple or so crispbreads. I anticipate you're going to say you don't like them, but have a look around. There are loads of different ones now.

And then have something to eat when you get back. If you can't have a full meal, have a healthy snack. I can't believe you go from 2pm or whatever to the next morning without food.

If you get into a routine and eat regularly and moderately, you'll feel better in yourself.

You know you need to lose weight and I think you're resisting that idea, especially with the demands of the diabetes complicating everything. But NONE of us here like having diabetes and having to think about food. I suspect you think that you're not giving in to diabetes by ignoring it? But you ARE giving in. You're letting diabetes win.

I don't know if the psychologist can help with your eating issues, but I hope they'd help with any emotional or personal issues you have. Get those sorted and you may find it easier.

You're an adult and it's basically your choice. Step up and do this for yourself. Only you can change.

Fayefaye1429 said:

Hi Sarah ok so here is me and my feeling. Let's forget about food being the focus this comes from a place about feelings your thoughts and being diagnosed how ever far into the diagnosis you are. When someone is struggling it's hard to find away through if the focus is on the thing that controls it for example food is a big power for us it controls what we do how we feel what we think and our life in general as a diabetic and can be a massive thing. I wonder if something like psychotherapy than psychology would be good for you? Many don't so I'm just explaining psychotherapy allows you to explore the past your feelings thoughts relationships etc psychology is more about fixing it and can be less about understanding it.

Click to expand...

I was diagnosed in 1997. I don't need to talk about the past it's the addiction I have with chocolate I'm seeing a psychologist for.

donnellysdogs said:

Well to be honest even with a bowl of rice krispies and the lunches that does not add up to getting to obese weight..

So they must be large portions or you are having extras....especially as you are on the go all day and cycle. Tesco and Waitrose sell 1 portion size scoops for things like cereal, pasta, cheese, nuts etc... I would suggest you purchase these measures as a starter...

I tried adding in more fat..my levels of cholesterol rose. I took action and changed the fat I was eating. Stuff that I thought I hated for 50 years in small portions have suddenly become my favourite food of all time... I recognised the need to change and accepted it. You can do it if you really want to....personally I don't see that you really want to and hope that you will discuss this with your pschologist.

You know your weight and hbs1c is excessive and yet I don't see you as really accepting this and really wanting to change...
I guess thats why you chose the title to your post.. You can't change.. And you are just wanting to tell people.

From the title of your post I also guess that you will either be ignoring your medical team appointments or you are seeing them but don't like being told by them either that you need to change.

If you don't want to low carb then don't... But you must address the honest reasons for your excessive levels.

Click to expand...

I'm not the OP I just posted to say I felt the same way. I attend all my diabetic appointments. I gained all this weight when I went onto insulin, I've never been a skinny girl always a bit heavier. I certainly know I'm overweight!!!

lynne99 said:

Right Sarah, Lets think about this and make a plan. Find a breakfast cereal that is LOW in sugar and carbs. Gradually reduce the amount of it that you eat and gradually replace it with something that is Lower in carbs. Do you like Greek style yoghurt NOT fat free, because they fill that with sugar. Look for less that 4 or 5 % sugar. Use that instead of milk on a smaller amount of cereal. Then, when you have sorted breakfast in about 1 month, look at your evening meal. Cut out bread, potato, pasta, rice and other high carb foods and gradually replace them with a lower carb option. Cheese is good, sardines, fish of any form. Eggs again if you did not have too many at breakfast. Chicken and other meats are good and filling,
I like veg so I fill my self up with those. There is such a wide variety that they are not boring. You can use a low carb sauce to ring the changes. You cannot cut out carbs completely, but slowly you can make a difference. If I can , I am sure you can.
Good luck and remember you are worth it.

Click to expand...

That is a good idea to start with breakfast it's just finding something I could eat everyday, I could probably eat yoghurt for breakfast as long as it was a strawberry or peach flavour, I wouldn't be able to mix it with cereal tho! What are best yoghurts to buy, there are so many different types?

Sarah69 said:

I was diagnosed in 1997. I don't need to talk about the past it's the addiction I have with chocolate I'm seeing a psychologist for.


I'm not the OP I just posted to say I felt the same way. I attend all my diabetic appointments. I gained all this weight when I went onto insulin, I've never been a skinny girl always a bit heavier. I certainly know I'm overweight!!!



That is a good idea to start with breakfast it's just finding something I could eat everyday, I could probably eat yoghurt for breakfast as long as it was a strawberry or peach flavour, I wouldn't be able to mix it with cereal tho! What are best yoghurts to buy, there are so many different types?

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No need to buy flavoured yogurts, they are full of sugar. Buy a plain one and add a few of your own berries - a few blackberries, strawberries or raspberries. You won't know the difference, and they have far less sugar. I buy the Fage Total full fat Greek yogurt and add some raspberries normally. I also sprinkle some Flaxseed ontop.

Well done Sarah. A good plan to start with. The Low sugar greek style yoghurt is tasty and I hate yoghurt.... Make a start Well done