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Please help I'm getting a phobia of eating

R

Ribenacarton

Newbie
Messages
2
Type of diabetes
Prediabetes
I have be newly diagnosed and I am really struggling to find what to eat I walk in to supermarket try and work out a meal and end up in tears
I have the carb cal book and reverse your diabetes book and I am running an app to keep track but I need help in what I can actually eat read that its no more than 100g carbs a day but what about fat and protein

At moment breakfast is wholemeal toast lurpack marmite
Lunch poached eggs only eat yellow bit bread or salad
Dinner couscous and chicken or a salad
Snack olives or peanuts

Calories at second are between 790 and 1100

Its only day 4 and I'm slowly going insane

I was told to just go google by the doctor and its just a minefield does anyone have and quick meal ideas or just meal ideas or a good book I can buy

Thank you
 
 
Welcome to the forum @Ribenacarton

I'm just going to tag @daisy1 who has some very useful information that she gives to all newcomers.

The most important thing is not to panic. There are a lot of people on this forum living with pre-diabetes and diabetes and we are here to help you.

Have you thought about buying yourself a blood glucose testing kit yet? They are a great tool to find out how different foods affect you and then you can build your meals around things you like but that don't raise your blood glucose. :) :)
 
Hi and welcome,

It is all very confusing at first, we have all been in your situation at one time or another. However, this forum will help you, as will the links provided by @catinahat and this one

http://www.diabetes.co.uk/forum/threads/a-new-low-carb-guide-for-beginners.68695/

I would start by cutting out the bread and buying a blood glucose meter..

I will also tag @daisy1 as she has an excellent post for newcomers, do read it and take note of the role of carbohydrates. They all turn to glucose in our bodies, even the so called healthier wholemeal ones, so bread and other starchy foods are very difficult for us, as is fruit. Don't be afraid of fats. Cutting carbs and increasing natural fats is the way to go to control blood sugars and lose weight.

Your best tool will be your own meter. This will tell you if your meal is one your body can cope with, or if you need to reduce or eliminate certain foods. Testing before a meal and 2 hours after first bite will show you how much your BS has risen. Keep a food diary including portion sizes and record your levels alongside. Patterns will emerge.
 
Hi and welcome. I am tagging @daisy1 to send you the welcoming info. It will answer a lot of questions and is the best place to start. It also includes a link to the free low carb program here on the site. As for what to eat it does not have to be too hard. Here are some suggestions for meals.

Breakfast: eggs, bacon, sausage, cheese, veggie omelette, fried tomatoes or mushrooms, avocado, full fat unsweetened greek yogurt with nuts or berries added, low carb breakfast muffin (google this), coffee with cream and no sugar (can use sweetener)

Lunch: Salads with meat, fish, eggs, cheese, full fat dressing, veggies and full fat dip, any meat and steamed veggies, hard boiled eggs, lunch meat and cheese rolled together with full fat mayo and mustard if you like, avocado, olives, pepperoni, nuts, greek yogurt

Dinner: Any combination of meat or fish and non root veggies. Melt butter on the veg for fat and flavor. Cheese is good on veg too. A couple of squares of 80% or higher chocolate is fine for dessert.

Avoid potato, rice, pasta, root veggies, most fruit, bread and anything made with flour or at least keep portions very small.
Juice is huge sugar and not a good idea.

These are just suggestions and by no means all the low carb foods. I hope it helps.

Oops cross posted, too lazy to delete half the message.
 
chalup said:
Hi and welcome. I am tagging @daisy1 to send you the welcoming info. It will answer a lot of questions and is the best place to start. It also includes a link to the free low carb program here on the site. As for what to eat it does not have to be too hard. Here are some suggestions for meals.

Breakfast: eggs, bacon, sausage, cheese, veggie omelette, fried tomatoes or mushrooms, avocado, full fat unsweetened greek yogurt with nuts or berries added, low carb breakfast muffin (google this), coffee with cream and no sugar (can use sweetener)

Lunch: Salads with meat, fish, eggs, cheese, full fat dressing, veggies and full fat dip, any meat and steamed veggies, hard boiled eggs, lunch meat and cheese rolled together with full fat mayo and mustard if you like, avocado, olives, pepperoni, nuts, greek yogurt

Dinner: Any combination of meat or fish and non root veggies. Melt butter on the veg for fat and flavor. Cheese is good on veg too. A couple of squares of 80% or higher chocolate is fine for dessert.

Avoid potato, rice, pasta, root veggies, most fruit, bread and anything made with flour or at least keep portions very small.
Juice is huge sugar and not a good idea.

These are just suggestions and by no means all the low carb foods. I hope it helps.

Oops cross posted, too lazy to delete half the message.[/QUOTE
Hi you have put to avoid potato root veggies and fruit, bread I have not been told to avoid these things by my diabetic nurse and also you have put to eat greek yogurt where I have been told to watch the sugar in yogurts so I am now more confused than before
regards
judy kennedy
Click to expand...
 
Its a bit of a challenge to start with .. I was 20g of carbs a day and found it really easy
(But I had the misses counting the carbs .. left to my own devices I would have been totally lost)
Low carb is all about cutting down on the bread, pasta, couscous, cereal, rice, potatoes ..... and ditching all your low fat foods for high fat ones .. so full fat cheese .. full fat cream, full fat yogurt ... olive oil, coconut oil, nuts and do eat all your egg if you can.. and fry in butter .. again if you can ...
I did the 20g of carbs a day to around two years before I realised I was in remission from my T2 .. If you have a blood sugar meter do use it .. then its very easy to see what foods are pushing up your sugars ...
I am veggie so others can say about what meats to eat .. I don't count calories and have lost 6st so far, still a bit more to loose ...and feel alive again, but I do also have heart problems.
 
Don't panic. It gets easier. As suggested above if you have a meter, use it, and you can work out what foods are good for you. Most of us have to avoid wheat, pasta, sugar potatoes and starchy carbs, but there are great alternatives... and I actually prefer them now. I've been on the LCHF lifestyle for 3 years now and i love it. I feel so much better and all readings going in the right direction without medication.
These forums are a lifeline as diabetes can feel so lonely and the NHS aren't much help.
People on here are lovely and will answer and questions, there's a fab recipe forum.. I'll have a slice of my low carb coffee and walnut cake with a creamy coffee in a while.. It's honestly no deprivation :)
 
Hi, you have come to a great place for advice from people who live with this condition.

It has been 6 years since my doctor mentioned prediabetes and this forum has helped me so much. I have been up and down because I'm not perfect but my annual test results were normal in December.

Low fat youghurts often replace the fat with sugar but full fat and greek often have less carbs and make you feel fuller longer.

Keep reading on here and asking questions. The support and information is amazing and the more you learn, the more confident you will feel.
 
Well, the good think is that you can live like royalty on lc, if you let go of the worrying about fat (recent studies are showing fat phobia was unnecessary).

Here is a link to a brilliant list of foods that you can eat freely. And I do mean freely.
Don't go hungry.
Getting hungry just increases the risk you will end up snaffling carbs again. :)

http://www.diabetes.co.uk/forum/threads/a-few-asking-for-low-carb-food-lists.96321/
 
Hi and welcome. The first thing is don't panic, we have all been in your position. As suggested above the best idea is to get a meter, test strips and keep a food diary. The lancets for the meter I use are hidden so there is no 'needle phobia' and by following the instruction to use the side of the finger, not the pad, it really does not hurt. Personally I would stop the bread, plain yoghurt with a few berries, or eggs make a good alternative breakfast. The white of the egg is protein, so do eat that. Salads and vegetables that grow above ground are good, you can also enjoy all sorts of meat and fish not just those low in fat or oils. Increase your activity levels to work off any excess calories but you will find that if you lose some weight your bg levels come under control. Cheese, olives, salami and pepperoni slices are your friends for snacks.
 
@Ribenacarton

Hello and welcome to the forum :) Here is the Basic Information we give to new members and I hope you will find it useful. It includes a link to the Low Carb Program which should help you. Ask as many questions as you like and someone will be able to help.


BASIC INFORMATION FOR NEWLY DIAGNOSED DIABETICS

Diabetes is the general term to describe people who have blood that is sweeter than normal. A number of different types of diabetes exist.

A diagnosis of diabetes tends to be a big shock for most of us. It’s far from the end of the world though and on this forum you'll find well over 147,000 people who are demonstrating this.

On the forum we have found that with the number of new people being diagnosed with diabetes each day, sometimes the NHS is not being able to give all the advice it would perhaps like to deliver - particularly with regards to people with type 2 diabetes.

The role of carbohydrate

Carbohydrates are a factor in diabetes because they ultimately break down into sugar (glucose) within our blood. We then need enough insulin to either convert the blood sugar into energy for our body, or to store the blood sugar as body fat.

If the amount of carbohydrate we take in is more than our body’s own (or injected) insulin can cope with, then our blood sugar will rise.

The bad news

Research indicates that raised blood sugar levels over a period of years can lead to organ damage, commonly referred to as diabetic complications.

The good news

People on the forum here have shown that there is plenty of opportunity to keep blood sugar levels from going too high. It’s a daily task but it’s within our reach and it’s well worth the effort.

Controlling your carbs

The info below is primarily aimed at people with type 2 diabetes, however, it may also be of benefit for other types of diabetes as well.

There are two approaches to controlling your carbs:
  • Reduce your carbohydrate intake
  • Choose ‘better’ carbohydrates
Reduce your carbohydrates

A large number of people on this forum have chosen to reduce the amount of carbohydrates they eat as they have found this to be an effective way of improving (lowering) their blood sugar levels.

The carbohydrates which tend to have the most pronounced effect on blood sugar levels tend to be starchy carbohydrates such as rice, pasta, bread, potatoes and similar root vegetables, flour based products (pastry, cakes, biscuits, battered food etc) and certain fruits.

Choosing better carbohydrates

The low glycaemic index diet is often favoured by healthcare professionals but some people with diabetes find that low GI does not help their blood sugar enough and may wish to cut out these foods altogether.

Read more on carbohydrates and diabetes.

Over 145,000 people have taken part in the Low Carb Program - a free 10 week structured education course that is helping people lose weight and reduce medication dependency by explaining the science behind carbs, insulin and GI.

Eating what works for you

Different people respond differently to different types of food. What works for one person may not work so well for another. The best way to see which foods are working for you is to test your blood sugar with a glucose meter.

To be able to see what effect a particular type of food or meal has on your blood sugar is to do a test before the meal and then test after the meal. A test 2 hours after the meal gives a good idea of how your body has reacted to the meal.

The blood sugar ranges recommended by NICE are as follows:

Blood glucose ranges for type 2 diabetes
  • Before meals: 4 to 7 mmol/l
  • 2 hours after meals: under 8.5 mmol/l
Blood glucose ranges for type 1 diabetes (adults)
  • Before meals: 4 to 7 mmol/l
  • 2 hours after meals: under 9 mmol/l
Blood glucose ranges for type 1 diabetes (children)
  • Before meals: 4 to 8 mmol/l
  • 2 hours after meals: under 10 mmol/l
However, those that are able to, may wish to keep blood sugar levels below the NICE after meal targets.

Access to blood glucose test strips

The NICE guidelines suggest that people newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes should be offered:

  • structured education to every person and/or their carer at and around the time of diagnosis, with annual reinforcement and review
  • self-monitoring of plasma glucose to a person newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes only as an integral part of his or her self-management education

Therefore both structured education and self-monitoring of blood glucose should be offered to people with type 2 diabetes. Read more on getting access to blood glucose testing supplies.

You may also be interested to read questions to ask at a diabetic clinic.

Note: This post has been edited from Sue/Ken's post to include up to date information.

Take part in Diabetes.co.uk digital education programs and improve your understanding. They're all free.
  • Low Carb Program - it's made front-page news of the New Scientist and The Times. Developed with 20,000 people with type 2 diabetes; 96% of people who take part recommend it... find out why :)
  • Hypo Program - improve your understanding of hypos. There's a version for people with diabetes, parents/guardians of children with type 1, children with type 1 diabetes, teachers and HCPs.
 
Hi Ribena,
like the people said above, don't panic: you'll be able to eat well, and happily enjoy good meals. You just need to get the hang of it. I was diagnosed last October, but lost a load of weight, lowered my blood sugar a lot and gave my liver a chance to repair: when I did my HbA1c in December the doctor said it must be pre-diabetes, not type 2 after all. Now, it doesn't work like that for everyone, and I was a bit lucky, BUT I haven't stopped the diet I started because I don't want to: even if the doctor said I'm magically not at any risk of diabetes ever again, and they'd mixed my file up with somebody else's (or whatever) I *still* wouldn't go back to my old ways, because I look and feel a lot better, and I'm not hungry and thirsty all the time like I used to be.
I usually have:
2 boiled eggs and black coffee for breakfast

fish or chicken and vegetables for lunch (green leaves or cauliflower/aubergine/broccoli)

different meat and different veg for the evening meal

and then black or green tea, black coffee through the day. Nuts or sunflower seeds, and tinned fish if I get hungry between meals.

That's for everyday eating. Over Christmas and Chinese New year I had quite a lot of roast goose, roast duck, mutton stew, lobster, steak- that sort of thing, and it didn't really raise my blood readings at all. Actually I had a fair amount of spirits to drink too: that actually dropped my sugars, but obviously it won't be good for your liver long term.

Now, I'm no expert and I'm not saying this diet will suit you, I'm just saying I found a way to find a diet that is actually more varied and interesting than the one I used to have. It is harder to get food in the street now, coz I can't have sandwiches or sushi, but I just get myself a chicken leg or even some KFC instead.
 
I am still a bit euphoric about my lowering of my Hba1c to 47 but I did it without much effort and with feelings of relief. Eating low carb, doing Atkins, just suits me down to the ground.
I do not restrict calories, but tend to eat twice a day, as I don't get up until the middle of the day and stay up until the small hours.
You need to watch for hidden carbs as shops love to sell carbs at protein prices, but you can eat any meat, fish, shellfish, eggs, low carb cheeses in moderation salad stuff and low carb veges, you can use herbs and spices, salad dressing if low carb - some are full of sugar and starches for thickening. Olives and avocado are good if you like them, rhubarb, berries, melons too - in moderation, but you can eat them with cream and put it in coffee too.
I get frozen berries and vegetables - some mixes are low carb, but check there are some - particularly if they have sweetcorn in them, which are quite a lot higher than ones based on cauliflower.
Personally after years of eating low carb for weight control. I find that restricting calories is not a good idea. My metabolism is far more unstable at the moment, which is due to the diabetes I think - but it is almost half past three and I have eaten nothing all day - but I an not deliberately fasting or restricting what I eat, I am just not hungry. I feel warm, even though I was out in the chilly conservatory loading up the dishwashers. That is quite normal. Humans usually work well when low carbing. I will go and make myself something to eat and pour out some coffee (the smell of real coffee can't be beaten) (except by coffee and bacon frying maybe).
Oh I do go on, but being diagnosed with diabetes is probably the best thing that could have happened to me. I was feeling very old and eating low carb has put the spring back into my step and the smile back on my face.
 
Thank you everyone I sat last night and made up some meals and finally did a food shop I wasnt ready to do a full one, I am running an app called lifesum and changed the levels to give me 100g carbs a day and 1300 calories and automatically its given me 130g protein and 43g of fat a day but today Ive gone over the fat by 16g. I put salami on the chicken served with cauliflower rice salami is full of fat but is this ok how much fat a day is ok i was 12stone 7 on friday last week now 12 stone so losing weight quickly (not complaining about this lol) but worried fat is gonna put weight on me i need to get to 10.6 for healthy bmi so quite bit to lose

My app food says i had 43g carbs 1187 calories 86g protein 64g fat exercise 156 calories to be removed

Also getting a weird aching jaw feeling

Sorry for all the questions thank you
 
Ribenacarton said:
Thank you everyone I sat last night and made up some meals and finally did a food shop I wasnt ready to do a full one, I am running an app called lifesum and changed the levels to give me 100g carbs a day and 1300 calories and automatically its given me 130g protein and 43g of fat a day but today Ive gone over the fat by 16g. I put salami on the chicken served with cauliflower rice salami is full of fat but is this ok how much fat a day is ok i was 12stone 7 on friday last week now 12 stone so losing weight quickly (not complaining about this lol) but worried fat is gonna put weight on me i need to get to 10.6 for healthy bmi so quite bit to lose

My app food says i had 43g carbs 1187 calories 86g protein 64g fat exercise 156 calories to be removed

Also getting a weird aching jaw feeling

Sorry for all the questions thank you
Click to expand...
Just for comparison, I am T2D on a ketogenic diet and I eat 20g carbs, 150g fat, 60g protein, which makes about 1700 calories in total. You are doing OK, but not pushing any envelope as yet!
 
How can eating fat make you put weight on?
When farmers want to fatten up their animals, mammals like us, they feed them carbs. Feeding them fat just makes them frolic around full of the joys of Spring and get thinner. Particularly pigs - which are very like us in a lot of ways. I know there's so much information about not eating fats - but the research is really dreadfully badly done.
 
Hi Ribena,
along with diabetes, I had some truly horrifying cholesterol readings, so I didn't go for bacon, butter and whatnot: I try to get a lot of fat, but the kind that raises HDL and lowers LDL, so things like sunflower seeds, salmon, sardines, olive oil etc.
It seems like a lot of low-carbers do well with all kinds of fat, but when I'm personally trying to keep my weight down, I just try to stick to those 'mediterranean' type fats. I would still say any fat is better than starch, but if you really want to cut weight, then very-low starch, and a sensible amount of fat from healthy, natural type foods would be the way to go. I went from 16 stone to 12 stone on the diet I mentioned in the post above, although obviously different people's mileage will vary
 
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