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Mixed Feelings

peacetrain

Well-Known Member
Messages
1,405
Location
Lancashire
Type of diabetes
Treatment type
Diet only
Hmmm ... On 3 occasions in the last year I have had a kebab. Usually when I've wanted something got but in a hurry. I just ate the chicken pieces, the salad and left the pitta. No dressing.
I was in a similar position yesterday but, because I seem to be getting some good results from eating more carbs, I decided to experiment. I ate the whole thing. I forgot to take a reading before eating but the reading 4 hours before was 6.
So:
I ate the kebab and a huge amount of no sugar jelly. I calculated around 56g of carbs which is more than I would eat in a whole day up to 2 weeks ago.
1 hour later @
21:35. =. 4.7 ( tested 3 times due to disbelief!)
22:06. =. 5.1 (tested twice)
22:42. = 5.1 (tested twice)
23:12. = 4.9 (tested twice)
Went to bed.
06:10 this morning 5.2
The weird thing is, I had lunch at 2pm yesterday: 50g cheese, one medium slice hovis wholemeal at my daughter's, followed by blueberries and greek yoghurt. Total 23g carbs. I was 5 before that meal (usual for me) then 6.5 (my personal maximum) one hour later and 6 two hours later. Then it was another four hours before I ate the kebab.
Mixed feelings. I'm happy that I seem to be able to tolerate more carby meals because it allows flexibility when I go to someone's home.
Then again, I'm a little scared. As I have a history of emotional eating and carb addiction tendencies , I'm scared I'll fall into old ways. I've felt so secure in my little 50g a day cocoon. I don't want to lose control of my eating habits.
The kebab was an experiment and I should say I didn't eat more calories than I should during the whole day.
I haven't been able to do my walks, as mentioned previously, but after eating the kebab I did some stair climbing every 20 minutes. 5 times up and down the stairs each time. If it coincided with a bg test, I tested before climbing the stairs.
 
Hello. I understand your reticence. Im very much an all or nothing person. I have never had a cigarette since I gave up smoking 7 years ago as I know that I coudnt just have one. Im the same with food . I either eat it, or I dont.
 
I count calories, not carbs. I find I can cope quite well with most carbs now, but I stick to low GI whenever I can.
But as you say, it's nice to have options.
I can't help with the 'carb addiction', as I don't find they affect me in that way. I eat portion controlled, so eat to a set limit a day. If I break it one day, I make it up the next.
The other thing that drives me is I took up scuba diving, going to the gym, and tried my hand at skiing since I lost a lot of weight by dieting. I don't want to put it back on for that reason, so that always reins me in.
 
Kebabs are high in fat and fat slows down carbs' absorption. Probably that's why your readings were so good. Its like eating low Gi
 
I've recently been shocked (pleasantly) with how easy it is for me to squash a carb craving.

After decades of quivering in my boots and finding myself either strictly low carbing or (occasionally) carb bingeing, suddenly I have found the answer.

And it is (for me) ridiculously simple.
  • A cup of coffee with a lot of cream
  • A bowl of berries with a lot of cream
  • Mayo on anything
  • Fat bombs
  • A Full English, minus the toast
Obviously, the key factor is FAT

It's astonishing. And soooo liberating.
I'm now confident that if I eat an excess of carbs, it will just take one or two from the list above to crush the craving and nip days? weeks? of a carboholic roller coaster in the bud.

So, the point of that wee ramble, was to reassure you.
Experiment, enjoy, keep testing, and keep some fat bombs handy...
 
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I don't have a carb addiction now, or even cravings for anything carby. I think I did previously though ... That's the point I was making. I ate mountains of bread, pasta and rice. My fear is that if I begin to add more carbs I will get complacent and gradually end up back on that carb craving cycle.

I'm hoping not though because the fear of complications is driving me on.

I'm medication free now and if my next HbA1c, due end of November, is normal again, I've been told I'll be taken off the surgery's diabetic register. That fills me with dread too as I know that presently I can see my DN when I feel the need, even though I haven't needed to.

But ... I know I always have the support of this great community here .


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Interesting that your practise would consider removing you from the Register after one year since diagnosis; particularly as you would be helping them tick a few target boxes for diabetics achieving certain HbA1c levels, and so on.

However, I digress. Under what circumstances do you feel you would like or need to with your DN? Surely whatever your status with the register, if you had an issue requiring support you could get it, if the nurse is like most of ours are, and a staff member at your surgery?

I'm not challenging your thinking, just wondering if I'm missing something.
 
I find it odd that they would consider removing you at all at any point as the DESMOND lot were adamant that there is no reversal and once a diabetic always a diabetic, albeit a controlled one. Given that they don't advocate testing for T2, and wouldn't be testing you if you were off register, how do they think you would remain controlled?

I suffered from terrible carb cravings ore- diagnosis and have noticed even now if I have a chip off son's plate that having more would be all too easy. So I'd say go slowly and test test test . Also, whilst an occasional carb treat like a kebab isn't the end of the world , even if our HbA1Cs are in non- diabetic range, we do not have the same pancreatic function as a non- diabetic so too many carbs, too often will have an adverse affect on us. Obviously weight loss, exercise and meds can improve insulin resistance and give our pancreas a helping hand , but it still needs us to give it lots if low carb TLC, I think.
 
Perhaps I misunderstood but I'm sure that's what I was told, yet I would still get the annual tests. I'll clarify when I go in November.


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Perhaps I haven't explained myself adequately. Whilst I think I had a carb addiction pre diagnosis, I haven't felt any inclination to gorge on any food that I used to have. Not remotely. I bought the kebab to eat the chicken because it was late and I didn't want to cook but needed something hot. I've done this 2 or 3 times in the past year and binned the pitta without any regret.

This time I was curious to see what effect the whole thing would have on me. I think I mentioned that I've just returned from Turkey and on occasion had up to 90g carbs in a day instead of my usually limit of 50. I was staying with friends and sometimes the choices were difficult, especially when no meat or cheese on the table. There were days when I had only 800 calories a day. Pasta, rice and bread were always on offer but I declined. Odd occasions I had no choice but limited myself to a portion the size of a dessert spoon and certainly only one of the three at any one meal. I have no weakness where food is concerned nowadays and I never get tempted at all. The increased carbs did not seem to affect my BG levels. At no time did I ever exceed my calorie allowance either.

So the chicken and salad on the kebab are ok to eat. There was no sauce dressing on it. The only offender was the white pitta. I made a
Conscious decision to eat the pitta, not because I craved it but because I was curious about the effect on my
BG levels. I suspected my tolerance might be improving and so decided to test it. I think others on here have done similar experiments. I didn't exceed my calorie allowance.

The point I tried to make in earlier posts is that I'm worried I might start to crave more if I do increase my carb intake. Obviously any increase would be a gradual one and my only reason for increasing would be so that I have more options when I visit friends and family. I think there has been an argument put forward elsewhere that, when the time is right (if ever) a small or gradual increase in carb intake can help train the pancreas and that if the intake is kept very low the resistance may never improve. Not sure if I've got that right.

So, since diagnosis I've never remotely craved anything that is not good for me. I didn't eat the pitta because I craved it. I'm just bothered that , at some point in the future, I may get complacent. I've surprised myself, tackling my condition the way I have. I've been waiting for me to trip up, but haven't. It all seems too good to be true. I feel lucky and grateful.



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