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Something else to give up

S

Susie B

Newbie
Messages
2
Type of diabetes
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
I was diagnosed with type 2 in April and told to go away and lose weight, exercise etc. The more I tried the harder it got and I went back and asked for help. Got Metformin twice daily.
The thing is I am very angry about the whole thing. 11 years ago I stopped drinking and slowly came to terms with life as a recovering alcoholic. 3 years later I got a diagnosis of peripheral neuropathy and had to deal with that. 5 years ago the fags went - 2 years later diagnosed with COPD. Now Im overweight and I've got diabetes - the sort that is your own fault. So now I have to give up sugar and ??? carbs and I am seriously fed up. Add to this a long standing problem with depression that comes and goes and maybe someone out there can give me some sound advice. Something I read recently said I should not eat much fruit - too much sugar. I'm sorry to sound whiney but what can I eat? Food was my remaining pleasure ( I've been married 40 years, I love him to bits but ....)
well I've got it off my chest so I do feel better.
 
i was diagnosed type2 in may and still coming to terms with it
like you i have depression, which the meds for that make me hungry
we can help each other
 
Hello, welcome to the forum. Yes, I've been there too....you go to your GP/nurse...they say lose weight.....but they don't tell you HOW!

Many of us, myself included follow a low carb high fat diet (LCHF) As you need to lose weight and not just keep a check on you blood glucose levels, it's a good idea to cut out sugars, rice, bread, potatoes, pasta etc. I eat lots of veg and some fruit (mostly berries). The good news is you can eat enough protein and fat to make sure you don't go hungry. Butter, cream, lard olive oil, animal fats are fine....despite what we have been told. You should avoid the manufactured low-fat products which are not as healthy or filling as natural fats.

It's a good idea to buy yourself a blood glucose meter (most surgeries don't supply them, but it wouldn't hurt to ask) then you can test your BG levels before eating, 1 hour after starting to eat and 2 hours after starting to eat. This will show you which foods you yourself can tolerate because we are all different. Some of us can have a few potatoes or a slice of bread. I can't.

Yes, I gave up drinking 18 years ago, but stupidly started again recently. So well done with dealing with the ciggies and alcohol. The food is easier, it just takes a bit of getting used to.

Keep asking questions and you will get there and feel so much better.

Best of luck with this
x
 
Last edited by a moderator:
@Susie B wrote: "What can I eat?".
Susie, you can eat meat, fish, eggs, cheese, milk, unsweetened yoghurt, cream, seeds, nuts, lentils, chick peas, vegetables, berries and possibly some other things I have forgotten. There are huge numbers of exciting things you can make with this lot. If food is your remaining pleasure, make it your true love and reach for the skies!
And, concerning depression, I had been depressed on and off for years, but when I went on to low carb (to support diabetic partner, James) a strange thing happened, I suddenly realised that I was happy and that I really wanted to live and do things. I don't know if there is a connection, I'd be interested to hear if anyone has experienced the same.
And, when you are not depressed and you are enjoying good food, it's surprising what other little delights in life improve - even after getting on for 40 years!
Sally
 
@Susie B - I think you are going through the same grief and frustration many of us experience when diagnosed. Like so many things it will pass as you come to terms with the implications and the changes you could make in order to minimalist the impact on your day to day life.

Many of us on here profess to be foodies, and almost without exception there is a period of "what does that leave me then?", when considering diet. But, trust me on this one, it isn't all gloom and doom. Once your head has settled a bit and you have experimented somewhat, you will find there's plenty of enjoyable food out there - some completely new to you, and some just handled differently. There are some incredibly inventive individuals on here who have found ways of creating some of our favourites, but in a more diabetic friendly way. It is important to accept that some of these things will be a bit different, but that doesn't necessarily mean less enjoyable.

You are correct about carbohydrates being pivotal to managing your condition. Initially, almost everyone thinks it's only sugar we have to be mindful of. If only! It's the carbohydrate value of foods, with sugar being a subset of that.

There are many approaches to diet. I chose to reduce the amount of carbohydrate I eat. I haven't gone the whole Low Carb Healthy Fat (LCHF) hog, as, frankly, it didn't suit me, and my OH, who has been determined we both continue to eat the same meals. I have to agree that separate meals would be divisive for us, as we so enjoy our food, and always at at the table. We spend our mealtimes enjoying our food, and talking, so meal times are an important part of our relationship.

Others have used a GI/GL style of eating, where by any carbs eaten are in the slower acting, "healthier" classifications - like whole meal bread, pasta, and so on. Some have gone calorie counting, and some the Newcastle Diet. If you enter any of these terms in the search box on the screen, you'll have lots of reading.

But, if you don't have one, I would suggest you acquire a blood testing meter, to do finger prick tests. These help by giving immediate feedback on what we have eaten, and how our bodies are dealing with it. As no two diabetics are the same, we each have differing reactions to our food.

There are lots of people here who can offer you so much valuable information, so LDL as we all did, and ask away. The chances are, someone will have an answer to your question.

But, finally, you state your diabetes is "the sort that is your own fault". You have to ditch those thoughts. They're worthless. That we have lived imperfect lives is just what life is all about, isn't it? If predicting diabetes was as simple as reaching a certain weight, or eating x foods more than y times a month, it would be so much simpler, but it isn't. Instead of blaming yourself, you could be better served by looking forwards, rather than backwards. If you can get your OH onside with you and supporting you through this thing, it will be very beneficial.

Good luck.
 
Hi, welcome to the forum, you will receive help and support from the forum. You had to over come a few things in life, now diabetes.
I think carbs have a lot to answer for. Since I have cut them out. I feel a lot happier, more with it, bags of energy. Who ever came up with the idea we need carbs for energy. For me and my experience, it is nonsense, at the end of the day, I am not an athelete. For the first time, I did a 12 1/2hr shift, yesterday. On my feet bar for 40mins. I was not tired at all at the end.

I have lost a stone in weight so far. I am eating low carbs, more saturates. I have made a few slip ups, by having some basamati rice and a little bit of nan bread. We are human after all.

Having a meter is a godsend. My OH bought me a tub of 50 meter strips for £10 from the internet. Otherwise it can be expensive.
Good luck
 
Thanks for the support everyone. I feel ready to make some decisions. Or at least I'm heading in a direction, maybe even the right one!
 
I can still eat streaky bacon and drink coffee so all's well.
 
Hi Susie

I think most of us thought "whats left to eat" when first diagnosed. i know I did.
It took me a while, I bought my own meter (SDcodefree) and tested the effect food had on my blood sugar levels. After a while I worked out what foods to avoid and which didnt raise my blood levels.

I collected recipes from forum posts on this site and others, I decided to go down the low carb route - tricky as vegi but not impossible. I kept all the recipes in one word document, I printed off a new copy today - 72 pages!!!
A large book of recipes that includes low carb versions of my old favourites.

I read about substitues such as cauliflower for mashed potatoes or rice - and though "no way it wont taste same!" well actually it does work and I actually prefer it.
As mentioned by others above, I now have more energy and dont feel bloated after meals.

What sort of foods do you like? I bet there is a low carb version recipe :-)
 
I should also have said, dont expect to get your head round it all overnight, it will take a while, but there is help available here
 
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