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The future seems ... boring

I

If_only

Active Member
Messages
29
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
Dislikes
The thought of vegetables day after day after day for all eternity
Hi Everyone.
I have been recently diagnosed with T2 and my levels were high.

I've probably had it many years and never known about it. I used to eat out a lot and never knowingly experienced any symptoms of a spike or gone in to any kind of shock. Could this mean I have some resistance left in me, or am I too far gone to notice a spike?

I'm going to be a little "frustrated" here and its not intended to be negative but its how I feel and I figured that I am probably not the only person who has felt like this.

Since being diagnosed I have gone very low carb and low sugar but a month in to my changes, I am bored of the food I am stuck with and feel very limited. I am pushing myself as the consequences of ignoring this disease terrifies me and I am doing this out of fear at the moment, though I do want to become more healthy generally and I hope to put it in to remission.

Once hopefully in remission, what are the risks if I ate out say once a month ? I know rice and noodles are not good as they are carb high. All my favourite dishes from many different types of restaurants seem to be bad. A lot of sites say "oh just skip them and eat veggies", but what's the point of enjoying a take away or dining out and eating something I can and will have at home every other night for the future and for next to nothing. It's the thought of the occasional "regular" meal that is driving me through this initial phase and mentally its a break from the daily veg drive. I have lost the enjoyment of food and its now a chore, like filling up the car with petrol, I am eating just to put fuel in to my system.

Am I alone in this thought? Does anyone else have the occasional "bad meal"? Would 12 days out of 365 be such a risk? Can you "bank" good carbs 90% of the time for that 10% when you treat yourself?

I have so many questions but I don't think that anyone who isn't or hasn't been in this position really understands what its like or can answer realistically.
 

Hi and welcome

I'll ask a few questions back if ok..

What was your HbA1c on diagnosis?

What kind of things are you eating that you find boring?
Maybe we can help with some better ideas.
 
You mention veggies a lot... Where's the meat, fish, poultry, dairy, eggs? "Just have veg instead" could be "request an egg or two", or double up on the meat, add bacon, that sort of thing. I absolutely love Argentinian grill restaurants. All meat, all the time.

But to answer the question you posed: "What's the risk?" Well.... I have no idea. That depends entirely on what kind of personality you possess, and what your meter tells you. You had high blood sugars for a long time, so you didn't feel spikes... Because a spike was the norm. Once you get your blood sugars under control though, a spike can throw you for a loop. I know I feel horrid when I have one. All wobbly and confused and panicky, while I was accustomed to 20+ mmol/l when diagnosed. And, if you're "lucky", having carbs just once in a while will re-start the cravings for them. Carbs demand carbs, they're a bit of a vicious cycle that way. You'd have to go cold turkey every time after a carby meal, maybe. And there's the risk of carb-creep. Can you keep it at once a month, or will it quickly become once every 2 weeks, then every other day, then back to the way things were? You're the only one who can assess those things, because what is true for me, or the next person on here, might not be for you. Just, if you do splurge, use your meter. If you feel funny, check what your bloods are doing even if it's not 2 hours after the first bite yet. You'll want to know how you're responding so you'll know whether it's worth it. Also, it could be that carby one-offs'll put up your fasting glucose for a while again. Maybe not, maybe so... No way to tell for sure but test and try it out.

Good luck!
Jo
 
If cheat meals keep you in the game, do it. I do, I stuff my face with cake at birthday parties. I eat a chocolate Santa at Christmas. Yeah so one day a month is reasonable, just don’t let it become two.
 

Yes, it is boring.
I find that most of the things that I really liked are not good for me now.
However I have just had to buckle down and tell myself to find stuff that I enjoy eating.

Eggs, cheese are favourites.
Chicken (hot and cold).
Roast gammon joints provide a hot meal and then quite a few days of cold eating.
Gammon and eggs is a favourite.

The long term strategy is to eat to your meter and find out what keeps your BG down.
This can take a long time and a lot of trial and error but hopefully you can settle on a range of foods which you enjoy and also don't spike your BG.

Little treats are a major trip hazard.
You can sometimes get away with one, but then you may go "Well, that went well!" and have another and your BG goes through the roof and you then have to spend several days fighting off the cravings.
I've just gone cold turkey on all carbs and I am getting remarkably good BG readings but I know that when I ease off the readings will go up again.

Anyway, welcome to the forum.

Don't panic about your diagnosis.
It usually takes about 6 months to fully get to grips with how to manage your BG levels long term.
I thrashed about all over the place for the first few months trying all sorts of things, most of which turned out to not be the best ideas.

Anyway, get a BG meter if you don't already have one and settle down to testing your BG.
Morning, evening, before each meal and 2 hours after each meal is a good strategy.
You will gain an understanding of how your BG changes, and what foods suit you best.

Oh, and I've been diagnosed for over 13 years and I can never tell what my BG levels are, from below 4 mmol/L up to 15 mmol/L or more.
That is why I test and currently self fund a Freestyle Libre.
 
I know you're type 2 so it's different in the amount of carbs you may wish to stick to, but there is nothing boring about a steak, served with a mushroom or fried egg, or 3 or 4 cubes of squash cut in the shape of chips, topped off with a blob of creamy mayonnaise...sorry..where was I? I am low carb, tending to eat around 50 or less on most days. I may have a meal of eggs (cooked however you like) with one, very small slice of PROPER toast, none of that usually tasteless alternative. That one slice of toast (10 carbs) may be gone in 4 bites but it really feels as if you've had 3 slices. I might have a few spoonfulls of oven cooked under ground vegetables, sprinkled with salt & pepper and olive oil or whatever herbs or spices you fancy, yes, it may amount to 15 carbs. I find it's the accompaniments that can make a meal seem less boring and you do not need to eat a lot of them either, in order to feel the benefits. Of course if you're an all or nothing person it could be tricky! x
 
Some people will say fine, break out of low carb but personally I wouldn't. I watched my mother lose much of her sight and have such bad neuropathy she could barely walk, someone else I know not only ended up on insulin instead but has had 5 of her toes amputated. No one can say exactly how much is too much, and some might let themselves go high without such bad complications, but once your sight and peripheral nerves are damaged they are damaged so I don't want to take that risk.
However, the good news is that there are lots of exciting recipes and lots of 'treats' that are fine.
I've had bun-free burgers in cafes, or sometimes have extra cheese/eggs/meat with meals instead of chips or whatever when eating out. A little mustard or ketchup or mayo on top is fine.
At home I have cauliflower rice with curries, courgetti with cream based sauces, or 90 second (ground almond) bread (great lightly toasted with cheese or a BLT). I eat more cheese that I used to, have double cream in coffee, I make low carb mug cake and rhubarb crumble made with ground almonds instead of flour.
 
Hi @If_only , and welcome
I was diagnosed just over a year ago and remember that resentful phase well, and still get the odd yearning now.
I find it is now actually more curiosity and memory rather than actual need or craving and that curiosity is resolved by having just one or 2 bites (usually of hubby's meal) and that is enough to satisfy and not too much to spike my bg or cause me damage. I find its quantity that's bad for me.
For example I often (almost daily) have square or 2 of very dark chocolate because I like to feel treated, but the other day I fell (no I leapt willingly!) off the wagon and ate 100g of milk chocolate in about 5 minutes, in secret, in the car. I didnt feel physically bad or have any side effects except for a massive spike (im currently wearing a libre) and the guilt and shame that it took me to levels that , if repeated will damage my eyesight. I'm already partially sighted and can't afford to lose any more. I would have been better to have 1 or 2 squares, not the whole bar.

So try, if you must step off the wagon, take very small steps and not very often.

The trouble with a day a month is that you could be tempted to fit in an awful lot in that one day, and having done 1 day its then easy to do 2 etc

Better to work out meals out that do fit. I have been out 4 times in 2 weeks (birthdays etc) . I had a burger, no bun and ate half a small portion of chips as I know they spike me less than bread does, a cajun chicken breast again with half chips, a 'nourish bowl' of salad and salmon and avocado and lentils, and finally a steak (I can get bored with steak!). Each was tasty, fitted in with the fun and hospitality and with my meter.
I have curries without the rice or breads
You will find ways, just beware of setting limits or goals now while you are still in the early stages of learning that may make you feel guilty later.
 
Mmhh @If_only

Boring. Yeah I get that.

Early doors we are learning a whole new world of food and what's really " healthy"

Was I a saint. No way.

But slowly I adapted

But it's our health.
So we balance up the "possibility" v the "Now".

I choose to ignore most cheat days, and now I can taste the sugar in most things, which puts me off them

And for me foods hadn't been boring since those early days.

I've experimented with baking. Pretty Poor & not worth the effort, down to my poor skills and various veg I had never even heard of let alone thought of cooking

But for me, my saviours been the meat

More of it and more veg, now the potatoes, rice, pasta are missing

The same. Nope
But different & still as filling.

For me it's simple

Real food
Meat that looks like meat.
veg that looks like veg
All cooked by me
And the spices & flavourings I add as desired

Boring. Never
but it took me a while to get there.

Good luck finding your way
 
I have to agree with the previous posters. I do remember feeling like the future of my food was boring and occasionally I still feel it. I also still struggle with going out for dinner and just having what I could have at home- so you are not alone.

What helps me is a couple of things. I use/eat artificial sweeteners. That means things like diet jelly and even a keto version of Long Island iced tea. I don't necessarily have them every day but I do have them. Another thing that helps me is to find meals I actually like ate home and in a few restaurants. So for example I like sashimi so have that out also steak tartare is another thing. I think I've also had snails. I know I've had lobster- my husband cooks it very occasionally with a cheese creamy sauce.

I also have my more regular meals- I try to mix them up a bit so chicken one night, steak another and maybe fish another.

I have got used to it and it doesn't bother me as much as it used to.

I am an all or nothing person so not having cheat meals is my approach as I think it would just reawaken my cravings.

BUT the important thing is to find an approach that will work for you. Do a bit of experimenting and make your decision. It doesn't have to be a forever decision. It is what you can do now. Our capacity changes- if things are really hard you may have less capacity. other times more. Don't be too quick to judge yourself too harshly but keep yourself accountable- tricky balance- it's why I still test every day.

Good luck.
 
A little different for me as I’m T1

But my bg used to be high.. wouldn’t feel a bg in the 20’s or 30’s…. But I felt generally ill all the time

My bg is now under control had been 8month now… if I get a bg of 12+ I feel rough.. but general feeling otherwise is better..

I decided to have a treat a few weeks back.. overloaded on pizza and felt rough for 2 days.. so I won’t be doing that again

Just need to find other interests other than food
 
@If_only welcome to the forum. Do you have a meter to test your Blood Sugar levels - like a lot if newly diagnosed T2s you probably were/will be told there’s no need to test but there is. By testing your reaction to foods you can tailor your diet to you. The carbs in food increases blood sugar so it makes sense to steer clear of them however each T2 has different tolerances to them. I am lucky in that I have managed to maintain a non diabetic Hba1c on approx 130g carbs per day and, through testing, have found that I can still eat potatoes, bread - albeit lower carb and even the odd cake or two but to a lesser degree than I did in the past. I do tend to eat mostly low carb but don’t worry if I have the occasional high carb meal. There are also some foods that still sends my BS higher than I would like - Scampi always was, and will probably remain, my nemesis! However my daily carb intake is more than many forum members eat in a week hence why it is important to test. It will take time but will be worth it in the end as you will find what suits you and the foods you can and should not eat. Good luck and ask questions - just be aware you may get a number of different answers!
 

Hi and welcome to the forum. I recognize what you feel, and well done for having the courage to say it. This is my retrospective for the first year - it might help, or not.

https://www.diabetes.co.uk/forum/blog/kennya.517579/

The problem is that no two of us seem to be exactly alike in how we respond to carbs in the diet - some things that spike me don't affect others, and vice versa. I was really strict with myself for the first year or so - this was easier because of lockdown - no travelling, no visits to friends, and no eating on the go. I do have more relaxed meals on occasion now - what works for me is testing my BG before and after. If I go out of the allowable, that thing won't get eaten again. I do still limit carbs - all carbs - and I make sure to avoid the ones with the biggest impact. Low carb is nothing new and was how diabetes was managed before it became overly medicalized.


So while I can't have pie (because of the effect of the pastry) I can have a bit of pasta every so often, because the impact is nowhere as great. Anything with a lot of sugar (Xmas pudding, for example) is out - it makes me physically ill now - but strangely half a tiramisu seems to be OK. Alcohol also affects glucose levels for some of us (up and down).

I've had no fingerprick readings higher than 6.1 for months and normal blood glucose HbA1cs for over a year now. This comes with a corresponding reduction or disappearance of symptoms, and I want to keep it that way. This forum is very helpful - not because there is "The One Way" to a low carb lifestyle but because there are many.

Best of luck. Ask questions, it helps us all.
 
I am still finding that it is possible to make low carb versions of foods which are usually high in carbs.
I made some pancakes from egg and mozzarella cheese, served with lemon and artificial sweetener they tasted just like pancakes ought to be - I need to find something to add to them to make them less likely to fall apart - I had to make small ones and turn them over with a fish slice, As time passes the variety of my food has increased as I try out new things, which I suspect is a good thing as my menu is very varied now, far more than many others, I suspect.
 
Hi all,
Thanks for your feedback it does help speaking with people in the same boat as opposed to people on the outside who don't fully realise the shock at first or have the worry of what they are limited to or how they will be 10 years from now.

I have been reading up on several sites and research and there are some encouraging developments, new drugs to create synthetic b cells and needleless blood scanning (which could be a year away) all in development. I live in hope.
 
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