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Maintaining remission/getting back on the wagon

HSSS

Expert
Messages
7,675
Location
South of England
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
For 4 yrs (immediately from diagnosis at 55mmol) I relatively simply maintained an HbA1c in the low 40’s by eating typically below 50g carbs a day. I don’t dislike the food or the way of eating. I lost around 15kg and for some time kept it off. But over the last year everything has slid in the wrong direction. Covid, hospitalisation and steroids definitely didn’t help but are not the sole cause of this. I’m back at square one.

I know what to do. I understand the science and the risks and can logically and intellectually understand it all. I know it works. I just don’t do it. I follow the plan (low carb) most of the time and then I self sabotage even whilst knowing I’m doing it, undoing the rest of the efforts. Originally the thought of medications and complications motivated me. Now that just isn’t working.

So for those that thought they had it sussed, only for that to bite them in the bum later, what motivated you to get back on track?
 
There is some sort of logical conundrum here, as if you are now having difficulty in summoning up a motivation, what motivates you to seek one?
 
HSSS said:
I follow the plan (low carb) most of the time and then I self sabotage even whilst knowing I’m doing it, undoing the rest of the efforts.
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I don't have an answer to your question, but you definitely don't undo the benefits from usually staying on the wagon by sometimes straying.
Undoing all the effort would mean your following the plan most of the time was all for nothing, which it wasn't.
Please don't beat yourself up for not being perfect but be proud of yourself for mostly doing it right, and seek to improve where improvement is possible instead.

Possible too easy answer: could you coax yourself into falling off the wagon with more diabetes friendly foods?
 
Actually I don’t think it is motivation you seek - the very fact of your posting this shows that you are totally aware of the issues and are wishing to resume a good state. Instead, I think it is strategems you are soliciting. Well, you know what has worked for you before, albeit it has been deflected temporarily after a rough year. I suggest you have faith in your tried and tested way of managing this, put aside the philosophising and any tendency to self castigate, and just get back onto those rails and gently follow the course. Wishing you well …
 
HSSS said:
then I self sabotage even whilst knowing I’m doing it,
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Counselling to understand why? In the UK you can self refer for counselling without going through the gp. Google cbt and your area and it should come up. Might be long wait for face to face, but shorter for typed.

Or read up on Jen Unwins Fork in the Road for links to even more resources.

I also like the practical approach of 2 Australian lady doctors at https://www.rlmedicine.com/

I struggle too.
 
Egads - @bulkbiker! lol. But I get your logic. and yes - very logical to think it through like that. That's what got me highly motivated on diagnosis back in the day also.

@HSSS - A nice positive screensaver could be a photo of loved ones? Who you want to be around as long as possible? That's what really does it in the positive stakes for me.

And I also get consolation from the fact that food is a high stakes item emotionally as well! See sugar/high carby food as an addiction (which I really agree it is) and be gentle with yourself for those wagons - falling off and on and so on. But try and make sure at the end of the day - excuse the cliche - you get back on that wagon! So you can be around loved ones for as long as possible, and not on the kidney dialysis machine or whatever (that is my diabetes bogeyman). And because food is emotional as well - do you like cooking? Start going through Keto/LCHF/LC recipes and start getting into the kitchen more and cook up those delicious and low-carb dishes. (That's what I do - I don't like cooking, but I suuuuuure like eating!).
 
bulkbiker said:
A

Amputations and blindness.. would that work?
A diabetic foot as a screensaver on your phone?
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That used to work. Well the thought of them did but even whilst I’m doing the wrong thing I’m reminding myself of these. I’m not squeamish so not sure photos would work. Could give it a go I guess.
 
chrisjohnh said:
There is some sort of logical conundrum here, as if you are now having difficulty in summoning up a motivation, what motivates you to seek one?
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Cos I know I don’t want the complications even though the thought isn’t sorting me out.
Yes it is practical strategies I seek. I do have faith in what I did before. Not sure I’m philosophising or self castigating. Just trying to find a way to get back to doing what I know works.
 
You’re right, if I wasn’t doing the right thing at all or hadn’t ever done it it would all be worse than it is. However both my weight and hba1c are back to where I started at diagnosis. I’m trying to fall off the wagon with better options and it is limiting the damage but not reversing the situation.
 
Right now I hate cooking even though I’m not too bad at it and have loads of “easy” “quick” options and even have lost a lot of the enjoyment I had til this last year for eating. My family consist of me trying my best to minimise the carbs etc with a heavy carni leaning , a carboholic vegetarian and a variable number of “normal” eaters with a few genuine dislikes. No one else cooks but they do try not to be too fussy.
 
I’m just reading your reply and my answers to the other posters, with me deflecting and arguing about my situation. I begin to think my problem is my mind and mood more than my food. Motivation and outlook are low across the board if I’m honest. The very fact that I even started this thread is me trying to face up to myself that I need to make changes and get out of the hole I’m sinking into in so many ways. I think I‘ll start on the links you’ve very kindly given me and see where they lead me
 
HSSS said:
I’m trying to fall off the wagon with better options and it is limiting the damage but not reversing the situation.
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Do you mean falling off or getting back on? That wagon can be a bit confusing! Just to remind folks that being ON the wagon is abstaining from the addictive substance. (That phrase specifically referred to alcohol, but I am really pleased we lower carbers have taken it on!)

Do you mean that carby food and drink is just too darned attractive? Or?

I understand that, as I am like any old addict - I can't have licorice allsorts around the house, or salt and vinegar chips, and definitely not conventional ultra processed sweetened with sugar ice cream! It's bad enough when my kitchen-mate bakes a fresh loaf of bread and I happen to go into the kitchen when he is smearing it with butter and - worse - putting it in his mouth! So I am super hot on low-carb subsitutes for beloved high-carb food. I invested in an ice cream maker back in the day, and I am sooooo pleased I did, and invest in stevia crystals for it gladly.
 
HSSS said:
No one else cooks but they do try not to be too fussy.
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Oh dear! OK. You cook big time for a family? And you hate it? I'm pleased you have those easy options up your sleeve then. I really do feel for you. As a fellow cooking-hater. (Neat that you have those loved ones around you to cook for though! I envy you that for sure, as my nest is very empty.)
 
Sorry for the confusion. I meant when I go off the ideal course I’d like to stick with I’m trying to choose the least bad options to do it with. That used to be keto style baking and alternatives. Right now it’s the least bad option I can lay my hands on in the moment. I just can’t be bothered to make the choices that involve any effort and don’t seem to care. It’s like I have a voice on each shoulder and the “good” voice is a whisper that the “who cares” voice is drowning out. It’s never been this hard before.
 
Are you seeing results the times you do stick with it? Seeing a difference might help motivate.
 
Hi @HSSS - I totally get it. I'm not quite in the same place but not as far away as I wish I was.

So I certainly don't have all the answers but some suggestions from me.
I try to buy some actively nice low carb food- for example nice fresh fish rather than frozen stuff. Nice cheese.
I also try to have keto snacks to hand. One thing that sometimes works for me is frozen diet jelly- I find the texture better than normal jelly plus it takes longer to eat. I also but prepared keto biscuits for example.
I also try to spend some time reading this site- I find that helps me.
I am indulging myself with 2 Libre sensors (I have done that once before so not regularly) being able to see the levels continuously helps my mind set.

The other thing I find helps is to set a small goal and just aim for that. This month I have got back to doing at least 30 minutes of walking every morning. I plan to add to that in February and it will be something about food. I'm thinking it will be to be more strict about intermittent fasting or it may be cutting back on my coffee intake. Then another thing in March.

When first diagnosed I went all in and struggled. My mental health has been impacted by a number of things in the last year so I'm hoping that smaller goals will get me back.

Good luck and please share anything that works for you!!

 
Just wondering whether it would help to join any of the general FBG what did I eat yesterday type long running chat threads? (My apologies @HSSS if you're already doing this, the only one I post on regularly is the Friday weigh in). People seem pretty supportive of both success and failure and if you need motivation it might help???
 

I can't recall what sort of low carb baking you used to do, but would some sort of "allowance" to yourself for Deliciously Guilt Free or any of the other low carb/keto bakeries work for you. By allowance I mean a stash of x which you agree with yourself will last you y amount of time?

The really challenging bit is that for anything that's based in your head, to navigate the mazze you have to find the start of it. I think some of the online "therapy" or mindfulness things could be really useful.

One foot in front of the other. The journey of a thousand miles starts with the first step (or something like that).
 
I'm not qualified to speak, I can't even keep myself from going hypo at the moment.

But when I was "pre-diabetes" I stuck to a relatively low carb diet (still do, I don't like carbs in general except for maybe chips). I log every meal I eat except on Saturdays. On Saturdays I don't log and I eat what I want. I do enjoy what I eat on other days, but it does, for me, become a bit of a burden (especially dinner, not so much breakfast and lunch) so on Saturdays I let it slide. One day a week. I lost 30 kg in one year and I managed to stall my diabetes for 4 years (and I have 4 years of meal logs here, I'm a maniac). So maybe that strategy works? I don't know
 
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