Struggling!

[Nikki1111]

I have had T2 Diabetes for 3 yrs, I am really really struggling with trying to lose weight, eating healthy and stopping my comfort eating. I suffer from anxiety and OCD and sometimes feel as though I'm in vicious circle. I love all things I shouldn't have, bread, crisps,chips, chocolate, pizza etc. I comfort eat when I'm anxious, bored, unhappy and stressed. I think nothing of eating 2 bags of crisps a day, a bar of chocolate etc....then afterwards I hate myself for it! I take Metformin x3 500mg, Simvistatin and 10mg citalopram.
I don't drink really, only 2 -3 drinks when I go out which is every 4-6 weeks. I feel I wont have any treats if I cut all these foods out but I know that I have to. I also need to exercise, there is no excuse I just don't know what to do! Please has anyone got any help, I really don't know what to do.

 

[13lizanne]

Have you thought about seriously trying a low carbohydrate diet? It's difficult to change anything in our life that has a hold on us, but I can guarantee - if you manage to cut ALL carbohydrate dense food out for a few days you will find that their grip on you lessens to the point that you find it much easier to do without them. Same goes with exercise - try forcing yourself to go for a walk EVERY morning or afternoon and by the end of the week you will be looking forward to your walk. Build it up slowly from there. Admitting that you have this problem with food and exercise is half the battle won. Use your OCD to make sure that you walk every day and come on here and chat to us whenever you need to. The very best of good luck - you can do it.

 

[Kyi]

Hi and Welcome @Nikki1111
There are a lot of Diabetics on this forum who have been where you are now. Carbohydrate addiction is real. It is feeding your anxiety, Take back control of your addict. I know you can do it. I am a PTSD diagnosed Diabetic. There were days I turned to food for comfort too. Getting my Vitamin D levels checked out has helped my PTSD enormously. Where I was having anxiety attack they seem to have calmed down a lot. Once I stopped panicking I started looking after my weight issue. Spent 12 months trying to cut back only to keep putting weight back on after binge attacks. Then I found this forum. Carbohydrates are killing us. The eat well plate just does not work for diabetics. Eating full fat foods helps curb the appetite far more than any other diet I have tried. Cutting the carbs stopped me over eating and is helping my blood glucose level drop. I do not do any exercise and I am losing 2-3lbs per week eating 1360 calories and I am never hungry.
If I can do it, I know you can do it

 

[murph524]

Hi Nikki1111, I also went through a stage where I was eating a lot of things I shouldn't have, and at night time when I was having my cup of tea, I always had a bag of crisps or a bar of chocolate, the thing is you know it's bad for you but you still chomp away, I like so many people have found that going low carb has been a wonder for the cravings that are not there anymore, My best find was lidles high protein rolls that have only about 10 grms per roll, so I have a big sandwich for my lunch every day also I cut it into 4 pieces then I have it as toast. alpro simply plain yogurt mixed with raspberries and some canderell really give you the sweet treat and low carb. and I seem to be loosing weight and still eating a good amount, never feel that hungry, it's been about 1 lb a week or 2 weeks up to now and that's even with having 2 bottles of wine (dry white) on a Saturday night. I don't exercise that much in the way of walking, but that's the weather getting a bit better now so I will try a bit harder. Good luck whatever route you finally go down, but that's the biggest step, realising you have a problem and asking for help.

 

[kokhongw]

Exercise is good, but in my experience over rated for glucose control. Don't hate yourself for not doing that . Normalization of insulin/glucose/triglycerides levels is possible without regular exercise...

But increasing muscle mass has been proven to improve insulin sensitivity, so eventually when you feel better, adding strength exercises on large muscle groups, eg squats will help.

When we reduce carbs, we need something else to replace it...with adequate protein and fats. That would help manage both glucose and hunger level. The recommendation is to go for healthy fats. For snacks 70% or higher dark chocolates and nuts(almond,walnut,macadamia or cashew) works for me.

 

[Nikki1111]

Have you thought about seriously trying a low carbohydrate diet? It's difficult to change anything in our life that has a hold on us, but I can guarantee - if you manage to cut ALL carbohydrate dense food out for a few days you will find that their grip on you lessens to the point that you find it much easier to do without them. Same goes with exercise - try forcing yourself to go for a walk EVERY morning or afternoon and by the end of the week you will be looking forward to your walk. Build it up slowly from there. Admitting that you have this problem with food and exercise is half the battle won. Use your OCD to make sure that you walk every day and come on here and chat to us whenever you need to. The very best of good luck - you can do it.

Thankyou for that.....it does help x

 

[Ross.Walker]

Hello, Do you have access to a professional who can guide you through your anxieties? Only a suspicion but the way out of the loop is likely to be with help to work out what your "X" is that keeps you in this awful loop. I have been lucky and not needed to look for this (spelling error here soft should be sort) of help on this site, I believe care is avaiable and will be available from your doctors.
Exercise and only eating the carbs you need to fuel yourself will indeed help,

My suggestion is, be kind to yourself, you are only human. Ask for help from perhaps a NLP or someone who can help you break the cycle, as it breaks be ready to excercise and eat good lovely food that will sustain you without putting you a step back.

Only my view, please let me know how you get on.

 

[Nikki1111]

You are all brilliant and when I'm feeling frustrated or anxious, I'm going to read your comments again, thank you x

 

[david1968]

@Nikki1111 - I was in a similar place a few months ago - got extremely down but decided there was only me that could do anything about it - cut down on the carbs and the calories and started walking more and lost almost two stones since Christmas and readings are almost always now where they should be. Feeling a heck of a lot better already.

I'm sure you can do it too. Good luck!

 

[Kyi]

This might help you
http://www.diabetes.co.uk/forum/threads/basic-information-for-newly-diagnosed-diabetics.17088/

 

[Dougie22]

I know exactly where you're coming from. Been there, got the T shirt! For me, the problem is that the known long term implications, serious as they are, don't override the immediate gratification of eating the delicious but extremely bad for me junk food. What I find is that I need a shorter term incentive to behave myself. Since the New Year, I've been on an eight week NHS weight loss programme and was getting weighed every week. The thought of being the only one to put on weight week on week seemed to help me stay on my eating plan. Now that this is over, I've got bloods for HBa1c coming up in Monday, then a visit to the docs to discuss medication a week later. Then there's the four week follow up weigh in for the weight loss programme. In this way, I've got a succession of short term incentives to behave. These are more immediate and relevant to my daily life than the knowledge of long term diabetic complications, so help me focus. Everybody gets motivation from different sources but I wonder if you could find any short term specific motivations to help you.

 

[ladybird64]

Nikki, another anxiety/depression sufferer saying "hi"!! I'[m also a lifelong binge eater, or comfort eater, whatever you want to call it. I lost a lot of weight over a two year period, but have put back on over a stone (old habits die hard) and am working to get it back off. No magic formula but there is one really important thing that I'm positive you'll understand.
By the way, you are talking to the crisp queen - never mind two, I used to be able to put away three, four at a time. But you mention3ed the magic word "treats". Think about it this way - how much of a treat is it when you feel like absolute **** about yourself after eating just a couple of mouthfuls? Yet you keep on eating, right? Treats don't make you feel bad about yourself. The thinking has to adjust, and you have to take the power away from the food (look who's talking!) to be able to move forward.

Thre is lots of advice about low carb here and it is great. BUT..only if you are able to cut out the carbs, and chocs. I have put weight on by swinging between higher fat and higher carb and it's a disastrous recipe - the carbs need to go. There are lots of alternatives available, some of us still eat a couple squares of choc, but very high cocoa content stuff and when you get used to it, it's lush! Pepperami, some thin slices of chorizo crisped up - you won't do without taste.

Just ask away and we can give you a hand. I'm trying to lose as well (have written in the weight loss thread) so I'll join you!

 

[Bigread19]

I sympathise deeply with you as i am going through the same. But use this forum to the max. As everyone on here is so helpfull. And you learn a lot. Hang in there and look at the positives rather than the negatives. You control your diabetes not visa versa.
Best of luck