- Messages
- 4,247
- Type of diabetes
- Type 2
- Treatment type
- Tablets (oral)
- Dislikes
-
Diet drinks - the artificial sweeteners taste vile.
Having to forswear foods I have loved all my life.
Trying to find low carb meals when eating out.
When I was diagnosed as T2 a couple of years ago I immediately stopped all sugars, sweets, sugary puddings, on the principle that it is easier to stop than reduce.
My blood sugars improved, but my weight didn't drop a great deal after the initial weight loss.
A few months back I decided to cut out the bulk of the carbohydrates I was eating - all the simple and satisfying ones.
So - no bread, pizza, pasta, potatoes or rice.
Easier to cut them out completely than to cut them down.
No breakfast cereals either - muesli, porrage and all the others.
Cut right down on cheese because although not high on carbs it is a very concentrated form of calories.
To compensate for this I decided to eat a large high protein breakfast - two eggs, two rashers of bacon, fried tomatoes, steak (or sausages or beef burghers) and half a tin of baked beans.
This keeps me going all day without any food cravings and in the evening I have either a vegetable stew or a protein snack with salad.
Protein snacks are typically cold cooked chicken (often wrapped in bacon) and cold sausages (also often wrapped in bacon).
This keeps me from feeling hungry and craving the things I have given up (which I never thought I could do without) and also doesn't feel like a diet because I eat until I am full and I can always have a protein snack and some salad any time I feel hungry.
Seeing how well this was working my wife (non-diabetic) has joined my on a variant of this eating plan and is losing weight steadily.
I seem to have bottomed out now, with my weight around 12 stone 12 pounds (O.K. for my six foot height).
I thought I would stabilise at a lower weight but I am leaner that I have been for decades and I think I probably don't need to lose anymore.
Also I have started running again so I suspect that I am putting on muscle as I lose fat and this is balancing my weight out.
My wife suggests that I don't lose any more weight because she doesn't want me looking scrawny
Much of this changed eating style is based on various discussions on low carbing; however the primary aim was to lose weight because I was carrying too much around my waist which is allegedly a bad area for diabetics and may contribute unduly to insulin resistance.
I had my bloods done about six weks into this new eating style and they had improved but were not spectacular.
HbA1c was down from 7.7 to 7.4 which is still high.
However at the time I had not started running.
I am due another check later this month before I go on an extended holiday so we shall see if there has been much more improvement.
If my body weight is now pretty near optimum and my exercise levels are high - I walk four miles or more most days and run four miles or more at least four times a week - and my HbA1c is still above 7 then I guess I must conclude that I am not going to improve much more using diet and exercise and consider going onto medication.
Although starting medication just before an extended holiday is not good timing.
On the other hand as I am going away for seven months it might be a sensible option.
Anyway, enough of this rambling.
From a sample of two I have concluded that a good strategy for weight loss is to cut out completely all the 'bulk filler' simple carbohydrates that form such a major (and enjoyable) part of the average diet and gorge on protein in the mornings.
Reducing the carbs to 'just a little' doesn't work.
We had a 'treat' and had a pizza each for lunch on a day out and put two pounds on each.
Scary!
Cheers
LGC
My blood sugars improved, but my weight didn't drop a great deal after the initial weight loss.
A few months back I decided to cut out the bulk of the carbohydrates I was eating - all the simple and satisfying ones.
So - no bread, pizza, pasta, potatoes or rice.
Easier to cut them out completely than to cut them down.
No breakfast cereals either - muesli, porrage and all the others.
Cut right down on cheese because although not high on carbs it is a very concentrated form of calories.
To compensate for this I decided to eat a large high protein breakfast - two eggs, two rashers of bacon, fried tomatoes, steak (or sausages or beef burghers) and half a tin of baked beans.
This keeps me going all day without any food cravings and in the evening I have either a vegetable stew or a protein snack with salad.
Protein snacks are typically cold cooked chicken (often wrapped in bacon) and cold sausages (also often wrapped in bacon).
This keeps me from feeling hungry and craving the things I have given up (which I never thought I could do without) and also doesn't feel like a diet because I eat until I am full and I can always have a protein snack and some salad any time I feel hungry.
Seeing how well this was working my wife (non-diabetic) has joined my on a variant of this eating plan and is losing weight steadily.
I seem to have bottomed out now, with my weight around 12 stone 12 pounds (O.K. for my six foot height).
I thought I would stabilise at a lower weight but I am leaner that I have been for decades and I think I probably don't need to lose anymore.
Also I have started running again so I suspect that I am putting on muscle as I lose fat and this is balancing my weight out.
My wife suggests that I don't lose any more weight because she doesn't want me looking scrawny
Much of this changed eating style is based on various discussions on low carbing; however the primary aim was to lose weight because I was carrying too much around my waist which is allegedly a bad area for diabetics and may contribute unduly to insulin resistance.
I had my bloods done about six weks into this new eating style and they had improved but were not spectacular.
HbA1c was down from 7.7 to 7.4 which is still high.
However at the time I had not started running.
I am due another check later this month before I go on an extended holiday so we shall see if there has been much more improvement.
If my body weight is now pretty near optimum and my exercise levels are high - I walk four miles or more most days and run four miles or more at least four times a week - and my HbA1c is still above 7 then I guess I must conclude that I am not going to improve much more using diet and exercise and consider going onto medication.
Although starting medication just before an extended holiday is not good timing.
On the other hand as I am going away for seven months it might be a sensible option.
Anyway, enough of this rambling.
From a sample of two I have concluded that a good strategy for weight loss is to cut out completely all the 'bulk filler' simple carbohydrates that form such a major (and enjoyable) part of the average diet and gorge on protein in the mornings.
Reducing the carbs to 'just a little' doesn't work.
We had a 'treat' and had a pizza each for lunch on a day out and put two pounds on each.
Scary!
Cheers
LGC