IM TYPE 1 AND EAT FAR TO MUCH CHOCOLATE

I will be really interested to read any replies you have, as I too eat too much chocolate.

I have just been diagnosed with gestational diabetes and have adjusted my diet accordingly, but still crave my fix and was really wondering what other people eat in replacement of sweet items and namely chocolate.

I have been eating quite a few ice lollys, just fruit ones and that seems to be keeping my sweet tooth at bay but for how long who knows.

Hi

A couple of ideas which may help satisfy your sweet tooth without having to increase insulin injections and hopefully Smaslan help bring your Hba1c down, obviously a lower carb diet will help both of you. If you need to have a chocolate fix get the big tins of small Chocie's the Hero's ect and JUST limit your self to a few after a meal, so you can Bolus for them in with your meal, this may help with BG swings....you'll have to hide them from your self for the rest of the day :lol:

Sugar free jellies with fresh cream are also a great sugar free alternative, the cream give's you the animal fat aspect of the chocolate we crave, there should be no need to Bolus for it, but you will have to test after to make sure. you may need a unit.

a Coffee with cream in can help if you are craving chocolate, Also Dark chocolate is better for us and will not spike BG as much, and you really will only need a couple of pieces of that.

Well, unfortunately I have to agree with Fallenstar - the only good advice regarding eating "too much" chocolate is "Don't" (by definition of "too much).

i only weigh 9 stone 8 lbs

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It's hard to interpret that without knowing your height. Assuming average height (1.6m), you wouldn't be considered overweight.

obviously a lower carb diet will help both of you.

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I'd really love to see your evidence for that because you're yet again telling people to disregard medical advice. Sure, it's conceivable that you are smarter than all the experts that have reviewed the existing evidence to produce the NICE guidelines, but I personally I really rather doubt it.*

Accepted medical opinion is that it's possible to achieve good control by adjusting insulin dosages based on diet (e.g. Dose Adjustment For Normal Eating[/url]). From your post ("i have just ordered the visual guide of carbs and cals.
"), it seems that you simply haven't been taught how to do that properly.

As such, I'd suggest that this would be a better place to start; either ask your endocrinologist or look at this website by the Bournmouth Diabetes and Endocrine Centre.

As for chocolate specifically, it's not particularly bad as far as the diabetes is concerned; it's medium GI (49) for those that believe in the index and the high fat content is, in fact, the reason it's not recommended as a hypo treatment.
Having said that, it's calorie dense habitual food (i.e. calories you consume out of habit rather than because you're hungry), and overdoing it will result in weight gain.

I have been eating quite a few ice lollys,

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That's not necessarily better than chocolate - it's probably just frozen sugar water.

But it is true that carb-free treats may be more convenient since they don't require injections.

* I apologize for bringing this up again, but as long as you keep peddling low-carb diets in the T1 forums, I fear that it's necessary.

yeh stand corrected , just eat loads of chocolate and ice lollies as That Brennan Dude says and have a load of insulin....why not

** Oo, and don't forget to ask Brennan about his Diabetic pregnancies PrincessKerry and how he negotiated his BG during those , he looks like he has a world of experience, and all the chocolate he ate during them , because Gestational diabetes is a whole different worry with no insulin, I'm sure he already knows all this, silly me***. I just wanted to try and help and maybe offer a couple of practical solutions, but hey, he says eat away, chocolate the lot, and who am I to argue with a man with **** *** ( I loves them stars) looks all official like

Sorry? Fallenstar can you explain to me why matching your insulin dose to your carb intake is wrong? Or am I must understanding your position?

I eat my fair share of chocolate, curly wurlys, toffee poppets, diary milk bars, etc as well as puddings & cakes. My last hba1c was 6% (in old money) and my weight isn't a problem. Prior to my correct dx of Type 1 diabetes I did low carb, but that was purely because it was the only way I could manage my numbers (and eventually that didn't work unsurprisingly). Now I eat what I consider to be a normal diet and that includes treats such as chocolate. As soon as I was able to carb count I took the decision to revert to what I consider to be a normal healthy diet and inject to match what I ate rather than continue to limit the amount of carbs I ate (as it was purely a means to an end). Others I know have decided to continue with a low carb diet (and enjoy it) and I have no problem with that, but it isn't the only way forward and I believe that was all AMBrennan was pointing out. AMBrennan was agreeing with much of your post as far as I can see.

I would certainly endorse the DAFNE information on carb counting. As well as the Bournmouth Diabetes and Endocrine Centre website given above you can also find information here: http://medweb.bham.ac.uk/easdec/prevention/dafneintroduction.htm. Diabetes UK also have a carb counting e-book (for free) that's worth taking a look at, which can be found here: https://shop.diabetes.org.uk/store/literature/information-books/carbs-count-e-book.aspx

With regards to chocolate treats that minimise the carbs (and calories for that matter), I find the options hot chocolate sachets to be good (especially on these cold winter nights!) at about 38 calories per drink and around 5 to 6 grams of carbs depending on flavour. The other chocolate treat I sometimes have is the Cadburys Light Chocolate Mousse at 60 calories and 7.8 grams of carbs per pot. I would always recommend a healthy diet, so all things in moderation is advisable, but that doesn't mean removing all treats (or carbs) from a diet.

David

I completely agree with Fallenstar- it is far better to try and minimise the potential for blood sugar fluctuations by minimising your carb (and therefor sugar intake) even if you are able to match your carb to insulin requirments, it is not an 'accurate science' and so the potential for blood sugar to spiral out of range is increased by consuming a high amount of carbs.

My sweet/fat chocolate type cravings are sorted out by eating desiccated coconut mixed with cream, add in a bit of splenda, or whichever sweetener you so wish, and hey presto! Absolutely no effect on my blood glucose levels! I also quite like the fat free normandy fromage frais, grate some lemon rind and a tiny bit of extra dark chcolate over the top- a bit more of a blood sugar effect, but nothing compared to having that 'little' bar of chocolate!

Hello Smeaton

Yes you possibly do misunderstand, people should eat what they want, like I said stuff the chocolate down and match it with more insulin if you like. I do what works for me and it sounds like you do what works for you, GREAT

The OP has not got a great HbA1c and stated she has big swings in her control, the other poster has Gestational Diabetes, and is not privy to the luxury of insulin as you and I are to make as many dietary choices, so chocolate would not be good for her, and a low GI, lower carb diet would be. I wish someone had suggested that to me in my first preganancy. I think I would have had a much easier time and not have become quiet so ill. So telling her she can eat it, to me was not a good idea but you may disagree.

The two posters came on looking for some alternative suggestions, I gave a few ideas,no need for anyone to get stressed or start the old Low carb, high carb diet argument...all a bit boring really and does not help anyone, and to be honest, I kind of got the feeling that is where Brennan wanted to go...must have been me that misunderstood :think: oh well, we all do it ! He'll be glad he's got a pal.

You've got it right IMO Lisa. I will try the Normandy Fromage Frais, it sounds lovely with the dark chocolate...Happy low Carbing and I'm glad it works for you too

Fallenstar said:

Yes you possibly do misunderstand, people should eat what they want, like I said stuff the chocolate down and match it with more insulin if you like. I do what works for me and it sounds like you do what works for you, GREAT

The OP has not got a great HbA1c and stated she has big swings in her control, the other poster has Gestational Diabetes, and is not privy to the luxury of insulin as you and I are to make as many dietary choices, so chocolate would not be good for her, and a low GI, lower carb diet would be. I wish someone had suggested that to me in my first preganancy. I think I would have had a much easier time and not have become quiet so ill. So telling her she can eat it, to me was not a good idea but you may disagree.

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Thank you for the clarification.

Fallenstar said:

The two posters came on looking for some alternative suggestions, I gave a few ideas,no need for anyone to get stressed or start the old Low carb, high carb diet argument...all a bit boring really and does not help anyone, and to be honest, I kind of got the feeling that is where Brennan wanted to go...must have been me that misunderstood :think: oh well, we all do it ! He'll be glad he's got a pal.

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I think you mis-understood me too. I was asking for clarification, you've provided it, thank you. I'm not interested in arguments just understanding. For those on insulin whether you high carb, low carb or somewhere inbetween you still need to carb count in order to match your insulin to the food you eat. That is why I provided further links to sites that cover that important aspect of control and suggestions of chocolate products that are lower in carbs and calories than chocolate bars. If that makes me a "pal" of someone in your book then so be it, but I get the impression my input wasn't useful, so I'll shut up.

At the end of the day it's down to personal choice but I prefer low carb and low injected insulin with less swings in BG readings and no worries about weight gain.

Best

Paul

If you like dark chocolate then it has far less sugar in it than milk chocolate. Lindt 85% dark chocolate has 20g carbs in it. It's a big bar, roughly 2 dairy milk sized.

SamJB said:

If you like dark chocolate then it has far less sugar in it than milk chocolate. Lindt 85% dark chocolate has 20g carbs in it. It's a big bar, roughly 2 dairy milk sized.

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Indeed!! :thumbup: The Aldi 'Moser roth' range of dark chocolate is quite good too.

Hello smaslen71,

The key is to not over indulge and take enough Insulin to cover what you eat. Eat chocolate, but ensure your diet is balanced and consists of carbs, protein & fat.

Have a read of this:
http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/Diabetes-t ... -with.aspx

Low carb may provide good control but its certainly not required. Having a balanced diet and exercising regularly will ensure you maintain your body weight.

As for exercise try something different is running isn't working. Swimming is a very good alternative.

I'd just like to say that we all are just trying our best to live with diabetes & need support and advice without opinions being forced down our throats. Because what fits one persons life style may not fit another.
I have had one pregnancy having gestational diabetes & two further pregnancies with type 1. I had great control throughout all of them & enjoyed chocolate as a treat. In my opinion the key is moderation. The DAFNE course changed my life. I'm not saying its right for everyone, but for me I feel deprived on a low carb diet & my diabetes & weight is under much better control following DAFNE. Goodluck to everyone!

I carb count and adjust my insulin and find it works really well for me because I've learnt how many units to have per 10g of carbs. However it took a lot of trial and error to get there!
I live by the carbs and cals book and don't know what id do without it! But obviously everyone's different and what may work for some may not work for others.
I was also going to suggest hot chocolate and squirty cream, it's lovely. I buy the low fat cream so it hasn't got enough glucose in it for me to worry about.
I hope everyone finds what works best for them.

Kerry has just reminded me. I have cocoa made with almond milk (available in supermarkets - get the unsweetened version) and sweetener. It contains practically no carbs and definitely satisfies my chocolate cravings - it tastes just like normal hot chocolate!