Please help me stay on track

[One-Foot-Eight]

Although I was diagnosed over 2 years ago, I've only been trying to get my sugars under control for around 6/7 weeks. Today I'm really struggling. I've been trying to do a crash diet using diet shakes 2 or 3 times a day plus a bowl of soup or a salad.

My sugar levels came down great at first - from 26 whenI was first diagnosed. I've just had my lowest ever reading of 9.2. It seems that onions have a bad effect on my sugar levels and since I cut them out 3 days ago I've notied a bit improvement in my figures (which were averaging 16 over the last 2 weeks or so).

I should feel great, but I feel really down. I took my sons to the cinema on Wednesday and I'd normally have an ice cream sundae. I still bought one for the boys but didn't have one myself even though I was really tempted. Yesterday, my youngest was eating Prawn Cocktail crisps in the car. Again, I was really good and didn't have any. But today all I can think about is food but I feel really conflicted because I've just done a finger prick test and part of me wonders if it will be even lower later if I don't eat.

I'm going to go in the bath to see if this helps take my mind off food. I'd really appreciate any advice before I start eating loads of carbs.

 

[Resurgam]

My first thought would be to ditch the crash diet - if that is how you see it.
Far better to get yourself settled on a routine of shopping for low carb foods and going low carb to deal with the problem - the high blood glucose.
This is, of course assuming that the diagnosis is correct and that eating low carb will make you one of the lucky ones who 'only' need to get their intake of carbs down in order to regain normal blood glucose levels.
Set your mind on food - on the things you can eat, make yourself a list of meals you might like to try out for yourself and family - you can always add in carbs for the rest of the family, make up a couple of shopping lists which will enable you to eat for a week - I had three at one time, but it drifted down to two as I refined the range of meals to fit the size of packs of veges - I still rarely buy tomatoes and mushrooms at the same time even now.
Once you begin to see lower readings consistently then hopefully your metabolism will start to recover.
Once I got lower BG levels I lost weight without trying, which must be a bit galling to people who put in a lot of effort - but there is a strong indication that being overweight is a result of being diabetic rather than vice versa, which is why I advise concentrating on the carbs and blood glucose at first.

 

[Antje77]

But today all I can think about is food but I feel really conflicted because I've just done a finger prick test and part of me wonders if it will be even lower later if I don't eat.

Sounds like you're hungry. Why not eat food that won't send your sugars up?

It would be helpful for us to see what type of diabetes you have and what medication you are on.

Good luck, hope you've enjoyed your bath

 

[JoKalsbeek]

Not a fan of crash diets, to be honest... Getting bloodsugars down is a marathon, not a sprint, and crash diets are by definition not meant for the long term. Besides that, shakes have a lot of carbs, (20+ grams per shake, usually...), and their being liquid means they hit your system hard and fast, making you spike. The Newcastle diet used shakes, but not 3 a day, I don't think... So they're not doing your diabetes any favours.

Best advice: Slow down! Eat proper, real food. Start your day with eggs and bacon, mushrooms, some tomatoes, cheese, high meat content sausages... Have a salad for lunch. (no croutons) Veggies, and fish or meat for dinner. Want a snack? Olives, cheese, pork scratchings, extra dark chocolate... Want to go to McD's with the kids? Order a burger without the bun! Cravings for food are satisfied more by actual food, not so much by a shake. If you're not actually hungry but just want to stuff your face with something real.... That's what I'd go for. Real food. That's chewable. It'd probably get your bloodsugars down quite a bit to boot. And is sustainable in the long run.
Just my 2 cents.

 

[One-Foot-Eight]

Think I'm missing the foods I loved. I've lost a lot of weight- around a stone and a half.

I had scrambled eggs this morning and an omelette for lunch. I've never eaten so many eggs. I ditched the shakes on Sunday but have no idea what to eat instead so keep eating eggs and vegetable soup.

 

[Hotpepper20000]

Oh wow you must be hungry and frustrated.
You can eat any kind of meat with above ground vegetables. Cheese, olives and butter.
It will help with the hunger and as long as you stay away from bread, pasta, rice and potatoes your BG will stay undercontrol.
Try the dietdoctor.com. Lots of yummy recipes to keep your BG down and feel full.

 

[Bluetit1802]

Have a look at this site for lots of ideas

https://www.dietdoctor.com/

https://www.dietdoctor.com/low-carb/60-seconds

https://www.dietdoctor.com/low-carb/foods#foodlist

Just eat real food, not manufactured processed things. Meat, fish, above ground vegetables, all and any dairy, mushrooms, tomatoes, bacon. The list is endless. All you have to do is keep the carbs as low as possible and eat good fats and protein. What could be nicer than bacon, egg, 97% meat sausage, mushrooms and a tomato? Followed by strawberries and cream. Yummy

 

[JoKalsbeek]

Think I'm missing the foods I loved. I've lost a lot of weight- around a stone and a half.

I had scrambled eggs this morning and an omelette for lunch. I've never eaten so many eggs. I ditched the shakes on Sunday but have no idea what to eat instead so keep eating eggs and vegetable soup.

Salad with a can of tuna (in oil), capers, olives, avocado and mayo sound okay? Eggs you've seen enough of by now, but nothing wrong with a steak, bunless burger, piece of salmon, pork, whole chicken (with the skin on, but no breading) such things... And above-ground veggies?

What do you miss? Maybe there are alternatives, like konjac pasta? Fathead pizza?

 

[DavidGrahamJones]

. . . . . diet shakes 2 or 3 times a day

I think it's worth looking at the nutritional value for the shakes. Some shakes I've looked at have 40 gms of carbohydrate per sachet. That may not sound like much, but it might make all the difference and could explain things.

bowl of soup

Again, you need to look at the carb content of your soup.

. . . . . . before I start eating loads of carbs.

I think we've all been there, but it's a counter productive move. If you choose the low carb route to lower your BG, then there is no short cut and you must persevere. You only have to look through this forum to see the number of people who have been successful.

I too would like to lose weight but keeping my BG on an even keel is more important, so I tend to keep an eye on that. The weight loss has to come second because if I'm given something like Gliclazide, I know from experience how that affects my ability to lose weight.

 

[Chronicle_Cat]

While keeping your diet healthy and filled with nutritious foods is important, it is okay to indulge in your favorite foods in moderation, even while trying to lose weight. Denying yourself completely the opportunity to eat your favorite food will make it extremely difficult to avoid breaking your diet.

It is okay to eat a slice of pizza every once in a while and it's fine to have a few of your favorite cookies on occasion. You can keep your cravings in check by treating yourself in moderation.

Actually "moderation" doesn't work for many of us, we've tried it in the past and failed. It may work well for some, it certainly doesn't work for me. Historically I crave both sugar and carbs. Indulging in them, even a small amount will re ignite the cravings again, I will want more and more. The cravings lessened considerably after I cut them out of my diet completely and only return rarely now. I even have to watch if I eat artificial sweetener too often, I will crave sugar again.

I'm a Type 2 who is diet controlled only, no meds. Even small amounts of these foods cause blood glucose spikes (I've seen this on my meter.) I want normal blood glucose without spikes, that will lessen the possibility of future diabetic complications. Since eating small amounts of high carb foods causes blood glucose spikes and makes me want them more - why would I consider eating them in moderation?

I've been eating low carb since my diagnosis at the end of June. In that time, I've not eaten anything sweet or high carb since then. Actually because I stopped eating these foods completely, it has gotten considerably easier over time.

 

[Lainlainylain]

Hi, this is a miserable place to be for sure...there’s a free book on amazon for kindle download called ‘Never Binge Again’ you don’t necessarily have to be a binge eater to find it useful but it makes you look at the food issues/cravings differently...

I managed to stop my bad habits a while back (even though i went off the deep end for a couple of days after my diagnosis recently)...made some food rules and stuck to them...it’s a short read and nothing to lose as it’s free.
Sorry if it’s not allowed to name this book!? I never thought I could change and it was simple (not easy though)

 

[One-Foot-Eight]

Thanks for all your suggestions. I woke with a migraine this morning but starting to feel better now.

I'll have a look at the Diet Doctor site. I went down the shake and soup route mainly for ease. If I have to think too much then I'll end up giving up as I'm always so busy and then feel too tired to think. I've been sticking to fresh soups and ones with the lowest carbs. They haven't been spiking my sugar, but the stir fry I was making was spiking it. Think it was the onion.

Binging has been a problem for me in the past. I've had problems with both anorexia and bulimia. The dietician at the hospital has said they could get me an appointment for counselling but I've refused this for now. Think she is worried I'll stop eating again, but I don't think that will happen. I just want to get these blood sugars down before I'm forced to take a boatload of tablets each day.

 

[Flora123]

Although I was diagnosed over 2 years ago, I've only been trying to get my sugars under control for around 6/7 weeks. Today I'm really struggling. I've been trying to do a crash diet using diet shakes 2 or 3 times a day plus a bowl of soup or a salad.

My sugar levels came down great at first - from 26 whenI was first diagnosed. I've just had my lowest ever reading of 9.2. It seems that onions have a bad effect on my sugar levels and since I cut them out 3 days ago I've notied a bit improvement in my figures (which were averaging 16 over the last 2 weeks or so).

I should feel great, but I feel really down. I took my sons to the cinema on Wednesday and I'd normally have an ice cream sundae. I still bought one for the boys but didn't have one myself even though I was really tempted. Yesterday, my youngest was eating Prawn Cocktail crisps in the car. Again, I was really good and didn't have any. But today all I can think about is food but I feel really conflicted because I've just done a finger prick test and part of me wonders if it will be even lower later if I don't eat.

I'm going to go in the bath to see if this helps take my mind off food. I'd really appreciate any advice before I start eating loads of carbs.

I find when I’m with my kids and they are having naughty snacks I ask to smell the snack this might sound strange but there is a saying if you smell it three times, your brain thinks you’ve eaten it. Definitely works for me. They find it hilarious! Good luck x

 

[Chronicle_Cat]

I find when I’m with my kids and they are having naughty snacks I ask to smell the snack this might sound strange but there is a saying if you smell it three times, your brain thinks you’ve eaten it. Definitely works for me. They find it hilarious! Good luck x

I tried this when I was a teen. My mom caught me smelling a lemon meringue pie and asked me what I was doing! However, in my case, it didn't work and made me want it more.