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The G.I. Diet.

  • Thread starter Thread starter catherinecherub
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catherinecherub

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I can only speak from experience and tell you that this is the eating plan that works for me.

In October 2002 my husband was hit by a lorry whilst cycling home from work and he died at the scene. I was devastated as I had lost my soul mate, my best friend and my lover and my children had lost a good father. My grief took me over and I comfort ate in the hope of easing the pain. I went from a healthy, active 9st 2lb to a couch potatoe weighing just under 13 stone within three months.

In February 2003 I had a heart attack and spent two months in hospital. I believe the contributing factors were strees, overeating and a genetic predisposition. At my first follow up appointment with the Cardiologist he asked me how I was treating my Type 2 diabetes. I laughed and said that I thought he was looking at someone else's notes. He assured me that he was talking about me and rang my G.P. to arrange an appointment to discuss my treatment plan. I saw my doctor the next day and he apologised and said that there had been a lack of communication as the phone call was the first he had heard of it. I have nothing but praise for my G.P. He listens, answers any questions and makes sure that you are in agreement with what he is proposing. He sent me to the diabetic nurse and she explained the basics of diabetes and the various treament plans. She offered sensible eating, low or medium carbing or the G.I. diet. I opted for the G.I. and she gave me a print out of the basics and some useful websites and titles of books. I also went on a course run by my local P.C.T. entitled "Starting out with Diabetes" and found it very useful.

I have followed the plan since then. My HBA1C is usually between 5.2 - 5.7 and my spike one hour after meals is between 7 - 8. This control is not tight enough for everyone to be happy with but it suits me. I weigh 9st4lb and am happy with that as I do not want to be a size zero. I am in good health and lead an active life.

My experience is different from most of you because I have had the heart attack we all fear. You need never have one if you control your diabetes . This website is the best friend any diabetic could have as we all have questions to address. There is always someone offering opinions and help. The way forward is to let all the healthcare diabetic teams we use to know about this website so that they can read and digest what it is like for us on the other side of the fence and gradually they may all follow good practice

I am not saying that you have to follow the G.I. plan, I am saying that it works for me.


http://www.glycemicindex.com Particularly good site from University of Sydney, Austalia. Explains the principles and has a good question and answer section.

http://www.gidiet.com Site from a cardiologist in U.S.A.

My bible is the G.I. Diet by Rick Gallop. Cost £9.99 in 2003.
 
Thank you for sharing that with us,Catherine,what a sad loss for you.I think your numbers are great and the GI diet obviously works for you .It is a diet I have never actually tried although I have read about it.Your healthcare team sound very clued up as well,which is a good thing.Hang on to them.
 
You've made a brilliant adjustment to what has been a devastating sequence of events. Are your children all coping well? You must be a very strong woman. The shining light in your story is that your nurse is positive and helpful and your doctor too. Not everyone who contributes to this forum has that kind of support.
I used the GI diet before deciding to go low carb and found it pretty good. I still use the GIt tables for information on the types of carbs in foods.
 
I too am Low G.I.but am a relatively recent convert - I have recently begun to see an improvement in my fasting BG (were in the 6s, but for the last week have been in the 5s with one 4.5); my PP BGs are still all over the place but fortunately the number of readings where I am higher than 8 are falling.

Weight is falling off too - can't wait to buy off the rack at M&S size zero was never my thing.

Regards, Tubs.
 
What an awful time you have been through but you sound like a very strong, level-headed person that has coped admirably. I envy you your health team. Hang on to them with both hands as they will be invaluable to you. I've not really tried the low G.I. route properly but I'm delighted that it works for you and that you have attained such good B.G. readings.
 
Thank you for such a positive post, despite the difficult times you've had - it's really heartening to hear success stories and also that you are happy with (and have a) good health team Jxxx
 
Rach79.
This is for you re the G.I. Giet.
Regards, Catherine.
 
Sorry to read your story but glad your picking up. I must have a good Doctor he reccomended the Rick Gallop book and my wife has just bought it.
 
Hi Cameraman,
You cannot go wrong with this book and I promise you that you will never be hungry once you get into the swing of it.
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Hi Catherine, I'm so sorry for your loss. I just lost my dad 6 weeks ago when he fell off his ladder while window cleaning and suffered a blood clot to the brain. He had an operation to remove the clot but never regained consciousness. My mum was only diagnosed T2 in 2004 and started losing her sight straight away. She is now registered blind and lives with my younger brother, who is autistic like my 15 year old son. We are a very close family, me and my son visit my mum every Sunday, and my older brother comes most weekends as well (although he is a confirmed bachelor and has quite a varied social life )

I don't know how old your kids are, but one thing I did was make a "grandad book" for my son. My dad loved taking us all for days out, and we had some lovely pictures so I put them all in this grandad book. My son loves talking about his grandad, and this makes us even closer (it also stops us getting too depressed lol). Remember, whatever experiences we go through makes us stronger, so there is always someone on this forum who will have some kind words for you. Take care,
Bubsy x
 
catherinecherub - sorry for the loss of your husband You and your children are strong to come through this and it's good that you can share your experiences here :!: You got your children as something beautiful from your husband and that is one experience you can't forget. The best thing is to remember the good times and savour the memories that you once shared together. I'm happy you have a good supportive medical team and GP to help you also. I don't have that luxury unfortunately but maybe one day.

Bubsy Malone, I am sorry also for your loss of your father but glad you have a supportive family to help you through :!: I think without the love and support from others I wouldn't even have come this far. Now I've got the community support here also I feel really positive. However there are times when it's really tough.

I am considering the GI diet actually and something called the GL diet possibly also. I briefly touched on the subject in another thread however I must thank catherinecherub for the links - as any info. on this subject at the moment is really helpful - cheers :mrgreen:
 
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