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New and a bit confused

C

Capslock

Member
Messages
11
Total newbie.

Hey everybody. Hope you're ok. I'm new here as dr said I have type 2 diabetes and I'm 37.

Diagnosis:
My hba1c was 82 (ouch). And now been trying to lower the levels and tbh I'm struggling a bit.
On Metphormin x1000mg, 500g in morning and Eve (been getting loads of tummy aches etc when I jumped to the second per day tablet - that normal and does it subside?)
Reason:
Folks have it and my diet wasn't the best (I have a real sweet tooth) and other stresses.

Here's the deal:
So I have been trying some of the lower carb thingymajiggy and I am struggling, simply because I am a real food lover (I'm Pakistani (south asian - though born and bred Londoner) and we love our rotis, curries etc), so this has hit me pretty hard (also doesn't help having a blog etc). So I'm kinda struggling with what to eat as being Asian, I like spices and fairly rich foods.
The other thing is at times I'm out and about and used to eating a pret or wherever sandwich so not having bread is kinda hitting me hard (I know there's low carb bread but when out and about, not as easy).

My biggest issue though is:
Chocolate, pastries and desserts. Considering my favourite food is ice cream and desserts (lol), this has hit me really hard when it comes to having a snack. I love that stuff and to just go without, it's hard (I reiterate my sweet tooth). So I'm not sure how to fill that hole when it comes to snacks or desserts (a pastry on the weekend when out for coffee or a dessert in a restaurant after a meal won't hurt will it?). I can't bake, and that will take time, so I'm struggling a bit with this.

I feel I'm going a bit extreme (having only just finding out a couple weeks ago) and maybe I should still have some carbs and treats? (Going extreme plus taking in the news has hit me a bit).
Plus growing up on Asian food, trying to adjust it so I can still eat it.

Head a bit all over the place atm with the diagnosis, but hoping I can find some balance (and me being realistic with myself even with the low carb bit).

Sorry for the long post but hope somebody may be able to help (be nice haha).

Thanks,
Fella with a sweet tooth.
 
Welcome to the forum. Yes, you really do need to cut your carbs. Swap out rice for cauliflower rice. Have a look at headbangerskitchen.com for suggestions for roti, nan etc. There are all sorts of recipes on the Internet. Google what you fancy just put keto first. Anything specific you can't find, come back and ask.

A meter will show you how your food is affecting you. If you don't have one we can give you advice.
 
I feel your pain! I am not diabetic but have been pre-diabetic and have changed certain things I eat. Although I am not Asian, I love curries and spicy food, and have now started having 'cauliflower rice' (you can get it in most supermarkets) instead of rice. You can still have all the spices in the curry. If you like chocolate, try having as dark as possible (minimum 70% cocoa) which has less sugar and is also quite rich so you don't need as much. I'm sure there will be plenty of other suggestions and advice on here too. Good luck!
 
Hi Capslock. Being diagnosed that high I think you do really need to take it seriously and work on getting the carbs down? If you set your mind to it then your body will thank you by hopefully getting into none diabetic numbers in only a few months, but if you ignore things you will begin to worsen. Just my thoughts here, but your health is far more important than sandwiches and cakes. Do you have a meter yet? You may be pleasantly surprised by what you can still eat. Wishing you luck and keep posting!
 
Get a meter and test. Once you see how much those favorite foods are harming you it gets much easier to refuse them.

Meanwhile, transitioning on to a square or 2 of very dark chocolate will help with cravings. Start with 70% and work your way up though 85 to 90 to even 100%.

A spoonful of full fat (5%) plain greek yoghurt, or even a spoonful of double cream will help satisfy too..

You can buy low carb cakes. Most of us keep them in the freezer so you only have one small piece at a time

But do realise this is a marathon and needs to be a way of eating for life so it is going to take time to learn and to adjust to. We are here to help. We've all been through it
 
And you don't need to sacrifice taste and spiced for carbs. Most of the carbs are the bland and boring bits of a meal anyway that we're just there as cheap fillers
 
Okay, first things first: Oppo ice cream. It's a good, low-ish carb choice, if you don't over-do it. Full fat greek yoghurt with berries is still a good option too, maybe add in some extra dark chocolate chips or coconut shavings.

Cauliflower rice should help, and there's low carb bread-like options you might want to look up. Your supermarket may have low carb wraps and the like, they often just require some research and a fat wallet. Food can still be rich and spicy, just not as carby. More meat, eggs, nuts, olives, cheeses, full fat greek yoghurt etc to compensate for the carbs you're leaving out, so you don't go hungry and your plate is still nice and filled. Google "Keto Mug Bread" and "Chaffles"; they're quick to make and not overly complicated.

The rest of it is between you and your meter, really... You're wondering whether you should still have carbs, and I think the answer really is "not really", but your meter'll tell you. If you can still tolerate some carbs, more power to you. But with your background, (parents with T2), I'd prefer to just cut down as far as possible if I were you. At the same time, I am an all-or-nothing type, and you might not be. Just be guided by your meter and see what works for you. If you want to lower carbs in increments, that's entirely your choice. Just.... Be careful you don't fall victim to carb-creep. (Having ever increasing amounts because you lose sight of how much you're really having).

Good luck!
Jo
 
Hi @Capslock, it's a shocker isn't it when you realise that your food has suddenly become your medicine, by which I mean if you want to get back into a healthy state you have to adjust your food choices. That doesn't even mean just those cakes and pastry treats, it means that slice of bread or bowl of pasta or roti. This is true no matter what type of diabetes you have but especially so for a person on no meds.

You will get lots of advice about swapping this for that and it can easily become overwhelming. What I did was cut down on any inbetween snacks which were mainly fruit and stuck to my normal mealtime routine so I could properly assess what my body was doing without random carbs being added at random times, to be fair, I was a one main meal a day person anyway so it was a bit tricky and of course I was trying to balance the insulin as well but the food principle is the same. I tested before and after those main meals (again I did have test strips etc on prescription so I appreciate you're probably paying for yours).

That way I could see straight off how each meal affected me, that was a real eye opener, beans on toast.....worse thing ever for me. Later on I'd try a chocolate eclair, barely a rise. Plate of carrots or an apple, up it goes, so it's not simply about accepted 'junk food' v 'healthy foods'. Once you have the proof of what your individual meals are doing to you as opposed to collectively (the hb1ac), it will become so much easier to reduce the baddies as you go along, better I think, than going cold turkey. You've probably had years of eating the same foods and to go from that overnight to a completely different diet is not easy for many people. Rome wasn't built in a day and all that!

Another tip is to record everything, and I mean everything, even that apple you may have grabbed on your way to work. You will see the pattern and once you see that you can adjust by whatever means necessary. I think of it as going right back to square one. It's a question of having to really because your body has a 'flaw' and it is telling you it is struggling at this moment.
 
To the great advice given already, I'd add that it is a lot easier to do than it is to think about. Once your blood glucose readings start to drop, it all becomes an adventure. Best to focus on what you can have rather than what you feel you are being deprived of, and you'll be pleasantly surprised at the delicious and varied food you can still eat. As you are someone who loves cooking, there are lots of new and exciting ways of meeting this challenge.
 
Hi @Capslock and welcome to the forum.
It can be quite a challenge to avoid Rice and all the SE Asian bread etc. But there are some in the forum who come from a SE Asian culture who have beaten their T2 Diabetes into remission.
I will just mention a few things that may not be obvious:
Consuming double cream or full fat plain Greek style yogurt with fruit slows down the Blood Glucose rise - hence almost all Type 2 diabetics have no problem with berries and Greek yogurt (I'm not sure about Asian fermented dairy).
Tropical fruit are very high in carbs and need to be avoided by most T2's - I found it hard to give up Mango, Banana and Pineapple. especially those lovely Pakistani and Thai mangoes which are so much nicer than the more fibrous Brazilian ones.

Spices are fine because you only eat them in very small quantities, but some curry sauces can be high in carbs. Onions and Dhal are something you need to test with a BG meter to see if they are OK for you.
Chicken Tikka and Sheesh Kabob are OK for me, so will probably be so for you.
Meat, fish, eggs , full-fat dairy, avocado, cucumber, water melon, nuts, olives and leafy green veg are good for Type 2's, other veg (especially legumes/pulses and below ground veg) need to be tested with a BG meter to see if they give too big a rise 2hrs after eating. As do most non- tropical fruit except berries (straw, rasp, black and blue).

Good Luck!
 

Thanks for the heads up. I have one atm, but not sure what the good ones are
 

Many thanks. Yeah I think I may need to buy some 70% choc to beat the cravings
 


Thanks for the advice. How would the meter work? Do I eat something and then test my blood a couple hours later? What mmol should I be aiming in between for if you know?
 

Thanks for the advice. I must admit having a substitute for cake is my worry is it won't taste the same.
You know the best way for me to use the meter? (In around with food)
 


Thanks for your input Jo, really appreciate it. The ice cream is a good shout (I love ice cream so having something that still tastes half decent is a must).

I'd find it hard to be an all or nothing type of fella, so I will need to ease in. In terms of you saying is between and my meter, is that me eating something (carb or none carb), then testing myself two hours later? What mmol am I aiming for? Also, I tend to get a higher mmol a couple days later. So on Saturday I ate out, but my sugar spokes more today, so just a bit confused about the 2 hour rule if there is one.

Many thanks
 

hey, thanks for your reply. Yeah it's been a bit of a shock. Going from eating what I wanted to now having to be careful, so have found it quite a shock.

The swapping of foods is really overwhelming and that's what's been stressing me out a fair bit if I'm being honest.

So when you were eating different foods (such as the beans on toast and eclairs etc), how did you record it? As in, did you eat the eclair and do a blood sugar test with your meter a couple hours later (or more later) to understand what you can and can't eat? I'd like to try foods and then test and see what works for my body and what doesn't, so like you said, get rid of the baddies.

Yeah I may get a good diary and record the food and the blood level and take it from there.

Also, are chocolate eclairs good then for you?
 
Yeah I think you're right. It's about figuring out what I can eat and understand how many good foods I can eat within that range
 
Hey, thanks for the reply. Yeah I've started having full fat Greek yogurt and berries for breakfast sometimes. I'm also having peanuts when I want a snack, and thinking trying those Kind bars and see how my body reacts.

For me, it's the roti, bread and sweets I have the challenge with. My sweet tooth is hard to keep in line as I love a cake or pastry, so that's gonna be my main challenge.
I love chicken shish and kebabs, so that's something I'm really happy about that I can still eat.

Be good to know of people on here with an Asian diet and how they remittes their type 2.
 
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