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"normal relationship with food" what's that? TW eating disorder

hollyslot

Well-Known Member
Messages
167
Location
London, United Kingdom
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Insulin
does anyone with type 1 diabetes have a normal relationship with food?
i used to be diagnosed with anorexia, as i was very underweight and restricted my calories.
however i am still very rigid with counting calories and weighing food out, and also knowing the carbs of what i eat.
however i know that i need to know the carbs in what i eat due to diabetes.
i guess i dont know how i will ever get over my obsession with also knowing the calories as once ive worked out the carbs, i also work out the calories (well usually i work out calories first then carbs).
anyway, i was wondering if any type 1 diabetics have "normal" relationships with food and their bodies, as we need to know the carbs in our food and it is easy to become obsessive.
i hope what im saying is making sense, i guess i'm not sure if this is the most normal i can get. like im not underweight anymore i just work out the carbs and calories of everything i eat.
how do you guys eat? or feel around food? does it often feel like a stress to you?
 
I like 2 think my relationship with food is normal. But honestly I can't imagine that any diabetic has a normal relationship with food. After all you're on a 24/7 diet. Also in these days of IBS celiac, etc. What is normal there is really only what is normal for u noone else understands your craving likes dislikes we're all not normal. Like the scene from the life of Brian.
Just try to avoid extremes this can lead to complications.
 
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'Normal' doesn't always mean 'good' or 'proper' it just means 'average'.. kinda like saying "a normal person is overweight' because these days the 'average' person technically is heavier then they medically need to be...

With this in mind, you don't need to compare what you do, to what others do. I like to remember a phrase someone told me "Comparison is the thief of joy"

As soon as i learned how 'feeding' was supposed to work - You eat x calories, and you burn y calories each day based on activities - i have always tried my best to make x=y, and adjust if i wanted to loose or gain weight. Eating, for me, is about not dying more then it is about 'enjoying food' if i could take a pill each day and never need to eat i would do it (same with sleeping, i hate sleeping, such a waste of time these things! lol)

Now that I am diabetic, i have added carbs to my list, my new order is: Carbs, Cal, Proteins, Fats.

Carbs for insulin, calories to ensure no un-permitted weight gain, proteins to help with muscle development, and fats to ensure my joints function correctly.

I wouldn't say you should shoot for 'normal' i would say shoot for whatever makes you the happiest. Its you're life after all, not theirs!
 
I think it is hard not to obsess about food when you have diabetes. To be well controlled you need to understand what you are eating and how it effects you and to monitor and control what goes in.

I find this can make it difficult to enjoy food. When I feel too caught up in the mechanics of what I eat I try to step back and bring some enjoyment back into my relationship with food. I like food, enjoy pretty healthy food and like cooking. So I'll look for inspiration for some new foods and recipes to try. The low-carb forum and various low carb blogs and websites is good for this.
 
that's very true, comparison never leads to happiness for me!
my mindframe to food seems similar to yours actually!
 
yep i agree, looking for cooking inspiration is definitely important too.
 
I weigh all my food,buts that's a habit of being diabetic for 50 years.
 
So for I just make an assesment based on food type as I always have roughly the same quantity of food. Simple rules r:-
Nearly always low on rice so bolus I use a set amount dependant on BG if between 3-8 then use normal meal dose.
If low or high then larger dose
Low lets say normal+1 if high normal +1 for each mmol/litre over normal BG. I stress to add this won't be the same for everyone. On a seperate note the best thing I got for my basal was a lilly pen that does half units it really helps being able to move the basal by 1/2 unit when I'm not well for example anyhow I digress.
 
The best thing to do is experiment try different values as on the thread spikes things won't always be linear you have to think outside the box sometimes and b brave good luck remember food isn't what its all about try to understand that the highs can come
1. Out of the blue
2. From unexpected sources illness, stress, what you ate in combination.

Try to understand where the highs and lows come from that way you'll learn rather than just reacting to BG readings
 
Only really count carbs and have a healthy relationship with food and see it as one of life's pleasures, it can't be easy for you @hollyslot given your past.
 
As a type 1 diabetic (and I assume female) you are 3 times more likely to develop an eating disorder as a 'normal' person. There are huge aspects of guilt, psychological and physical dependance on foods that can encourage disordered thoughts in type 1's. I am slowly recovering but would be very happy to chat more with you (direct message) if the diabetes is encouraging disordered thoughts. I know how scary and easy e.d behaviours become with such attention on food. Please do message if you need to xx
 
Hi hollyslot

I had anorexia and bulimia for years, way before it was recognised as diabulimia. My relationship with food is not normal and I can't see how it ever can be. I have lived with an eating disorder and although it is under control it still occupies a place in my mind. Diabetes puts so much focus on carbs/insulin ratios/weight it can relatively easily spill over into an unhealthy relationship with food. The combination of anorexia and diabetes is frightening, on the one hand you are trying your best to match carbs with insulin whilst also trying to restrict calorie intake. It is easy for that balancing act to become unstable. Even though I have moved on from that damaging period in my life it is still there like a small gremlin sitting on my shoulder quietly nagging away.

I haven't slipped back into my anorexic ways and since this period in my life led to serious complications I can't let it resurface. I am quite obsessive about calculating food intake but now I focus on carb intake first before fat and calories. I still get cross when I need to have unnecessary calories to deal with hypos but I know I can't let my eating disorder gremlin out of the bag.

Having diabetes alters your relationship with food, it has to, we can't just eat what we want and make a random stab at an insulin dose There is a strong link between type 1 and eating disorders - especially in young women- for a reason, we have to think about every mouthful we take and this can turn into obsessive controlling behaviour.

I'm very pleased to read you have managed to improve your situation. Good luck, it is a very difficult situation to get out of and you sound as if you are doing well.
 
our situations sound very similar! hope you are doing well xxx
 
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