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Panic stations (advice sought)

V

Vikingepigen

Well-Known Member
Messages
168
Location
Deepcut, Surrey, UK
I was only diagnosed Type 2 Thursday last week and as of Friday I started counting Carbs. The first couple of days were fine, keeping it under 100 and with calories around 1500-1800 and feeling quite well with it all (walking my usual 2-4 miles a day). Now in the last couple of days I am struggling with the food and keeping the kalories down, although the Carbs stays between 70-100. But as I am also in need of loosing weight, I need to reduce the calories.

I do need to eat every 2-3 hours to keep my metabolish going and more importantly to stop me snacking and over eating (I am a compulsive overeater - if it is in the house, I will eat it - hungry or not!!) and was a daily battle before the diabetes, but now I just feeling like I am struggling with getting varied food as it seems I can only eat chicken or sirloion steak - other meats are so high in calories! And unfortunately I am not a big fish eater and although I love Salmon I cannot eat it very often as my stomack doesn't tolerate it very well and I can taste the fish for up to 48 hours afterwards! And trust me - yogurt for breakfast with an aftertaste of Salmon is not all it is cracked up to be!! :lol:

Outside this forum, I have nobody to lean on as friends typically says "oh you can then only eat fish and veg" - you get the picture, right.

Suppose I am just a little down as I am struggling with this alone and finding it hard to get the food right.

Am I panicking over nothing and just need to keep going and finding my way over a few weeks?? It just seems like everyone here just went low carbing and found their right food in a matter of days, and loosing loads of weight etc. Am I the only one finding this incredible difficult?? I am terrified of getting my next blood test / control at the doctors and not showing improvement.

Any and all support, words of wisdom and ideas how to balance 5 meals and an evening snack (or 3 meals and 3 snacks), would be very VERY welcome.

Thanks for listening!
Alice
 
Don't panic Alice!!!Get a copy of Collins gem carb counter ,it's not expensive and work out from there what you want to eat.If you reduce carbs and cut down on bread,potatoes ,pasta and rice you will bring down your blood sugar levels.you will also lose weight and, if you reduce your carbs you can eat enough to satisfy you without worrying about calories as well.Concentrate on the carbs and the weight will come off and the BG levels will drop.
 
Thanks Sue!!

I have already ditched bread, potatoes, pasta and rice - and most sweet things too. My only concession is a couple of plain digestives in the evening to go with my cheese!

My carb intake is between 70-100 each day - is this low enough or a suitable start when I used to eat about 250 a day?

Thanks also for the book recommendation - straight over to Amazon! 8)


Alice
 
Alice,it sounds like you are doing fine.Just take it slow and the secret is to work out foods that you like and use them in your diet.This is not just a diet but a change in lifestyle so you have to be comfortable eating what you do so you won't get bored and stray!!I'd say it is a suitable start you may feel you need more but the secret is testing.Do you have a blood tester?
 
Hi vikingpigeon,
No you are not alone in finding it hard.Personally, I'd ditch worrying about calories. Portion control will actually decrease those calories without giving you extra numbers to worry about. A good tip for reducing portion sizes, is to put your meal on a smaller plate. sounds daft but It's a psychological thing. With a smaller plate that is full,you'll feel you still have a 'complete' meal.
Some find low-carbing easier than others. Perhaps you are trying to do too much, too soon. By all means reduce those carbs. but perhaps take smaller steps in reducing them. You can reduce a bit more as you go along if you feel you need to. We are all different and adjusting your carb. intake and portion size is something only you can work out for yourself. Do not feel alone though. Each of us on this forum has been where you are right now.
As for members 'finding their right food in a matter of days', don't you believe it.It's taken me yonks to work out what likes my body and what doesn't. Even the most successful low-carbers spent many months finding what suits them perfectly.Take a look at the recipes on the low-carb. forum for ideas and don't be afraid to experiment with your own ideas.
I presume you test your blood sugars? This one thing, more than anything else, is what will help you ascertain what foods suits YOU. Test, test and test again and eventually, you'll know with some certainty which foods fully to avoid and which ones to go easy on.
Do you exercise? Even if you are not a gym lover, brisk walking is hugely beneficial. It will make those blood sugars come down, help get the weight off and best of all it's free. See if the NHS run a Healthwalks scheme in your area. They are aimed at folks just like you and me and joining up was one of the best things I ever did.
Well, enough rabbiting from me. I hope I've given you some food for thought but be proud of yourself for wanting to sort things. That's half the battle.
All the best, chocoholic.
 
Thanks Sue and Chocoholic,

Firstly I do not have a tester as yet - hope to get one when I see the DN in 10 days time.

I have change my plate from a dinner plate to a lunch plate a while ago to help portion control and it does, but my big problem is snacks as I comfort eat - an every day battle, which I hope to get under control if not win!

I have ordered the book, Sue - thanks for the recommendation!

Thanks for your advice and reassurances - I feel a whole lot calmer about things. I'll keep my food diary with cals and carbs but not worry too much about the cals for now.

Next battle is to get the test meter, strips etc from the DN/Doc!!


Alice
 
Good for you Alice,small steps at a time.When you get the book look at snacks with lower carbs and see if you can use them.I love nuts!!They are my snack and comfort food and are lower in carbs than some other things.Macadamias are great ,peanuts and cashews however are not!!
 
Hi Alice,

As regards getting a tester, you might strike lucky and be given one, but the vast majority of type 2s are not. So be prepared to have to buy your own. They are readily available from any chemist, and many of the larger supermarket stores. If you do have to take the "buy your own" route then check with the pharmacist which models have the cheapest test strips because a month's supply of test strips is usually around 3 to 4 times what the meter costs to buy! Most test strips seem to be around the £25 for 50 area, but I believe that Abbott still sell test strips for their meters direct to the public at cost price, so around £13 or £14 for 50.

What a number of members have found is that if you can demonstrate to your health team how self-monitoring has helped you to gain control and lower your BS levels, they will often give in and allow you the test strips on prescription.
 
Hello,

A really good snack that I've found is The Food Doctor Original Seed Mix - which is essentially just seeds and the like, it is very low carb and high fibre (I think a whole pot is about 12 - 13 carbs and it has about 17 grams of fibre per 100g of weight) but it is actually very tasty stuff.

I get mine from Waitrose, but it must be sold elsewhere.

Dillinger
 
Hi Dennis,

Thanks for the advice. However, I just cannot afford to buy my own tester, strips etc. - I simply do not have the money, so unless I can get it on perscriptions it is simply a non-starter and I will have to do without.

Dillinger - thanks for the recommendation. I have a Waitrose nearby and will have a look next time I am down there.


Alice
 
Salads?

http://www.diabetes-support.org.uk/joomla/free-veggies

Kate's list has been around the internet for years, most of these are low carb, full of nutrients and can pretty much be eaten ad lib.

You might also look at the Satiety Index

http://mendosa.com/satiety.htm

Things like avocados, cheese, meats full of saturated fats etc. may appear to be high calorie but if they keep you unhungry for longer you can end up eating less overall.

Do press for a meter as you are very much flying blind without one! Everyone has their quirks, I have a particularly bad response to wheat but some people can eat bananas.

PS I have some nice nettles here, someone needs to eat them as they've been eating me!

Now I've stopped smarting, back in the garden . . .
 
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