I haven’t really been on here to much sense I joined after my diagnosis earlier in the year. I have been following a low carb diet (keto) for most of the year. I reduce my numbers considerably, from 4 metformin a day and what the other medication I was on sorry don’t remember the name at the moment. Down to 1 metformin a day. I decided that for Christmas I would take a the next couple of weeks off of the diet, being sensible and enjoy the Christmas period. Is this a wise decision or should have I decided to stick with the keto over Christmas?
Type 2 and Christmas.
- Thread starter Loken
- Start Date
Two things to consider: high spikes may cause nerve damage in feet and eyes and getting back on low carb after you've fed your sugar/carb cravings can be very hard.
I opted for substitutes - not all of these every year but I tried them all.
Kohlrabi if boiled a little first makes a good roast potato sub. Or use cauliflower mash.
Use the meat/turkey juices instead of gravy.
Sage and onion mixed with ground almonds, sage, grated onion and seasoning for stuffing - add a little oil to bind if needed.
Make 2-3 green veg, eg brussels with crispy bacon bits and cabbage with butter on top and fill up on the meat/turkey.
A low carb fruit cake/pudding made with dried cranberries (unsweetened) and erythritol instead of sugar. I use a pumpkin spice mix as well as plenty of cinnamon and some fake brown sugar (erythritol based?) or ordinary erythritol and a small spoon of dark treacle.
Real egg custard or double cream.
Mincemeat made with a little apple pulp, dried cranberries, flaked/chopped nuts and plenty of spices, on pastry made with ground almonds.
Marzipan (ground almonds, almond essence and a little erythritol) covered in dark chocolate.
Chocolate mouse with double cream and 85% or 90% chocolate served with a few fresh raspberries.
I dry my own cranberries - buy at thanksgiving or near Christmas. Cut them in half, cover with erythritol and leave for a few hours, stir then dry for a while in a cool oven, and repeat each day until they are dried, store in an airtight tub in the fridge for up to a year. (you can put them in the oven after you've used it for other stuff). I take 3-4 days drying them.
I also made some dried rhubarb this year to add to fruit cake.
I opted for substitutes - not all of these every year but I tried them all.
Kohlrabi if boiled a little first makes a good roast potato sub. Or use cauliflower mash.
Use the meat/turkey juices instead of gravy.
Sage and onion mixed with ground almonds, sage, grated onion and seasoning for stuffing - add a little oil to bind if needed.
Make 2-3 green veg, eg brussels with crispy bacon bits and cabbage with butter on top and fill up on the meat/turkey.
A low carb fruit cake/pudding made with dried cranberries (unsweetened) and erythritol instead of sugar. I use a pumpkin spice mix as well as plenty of cinnamon and some fake brown sugar (erythritol based?) or ordinary erythritol and a small spoon of dark treacle.
Real egg custard or double cream.
Mincemeat made with a little apple pulp, dried cranberries, flaked/chopped nuts and plenty of spices, on pastry made with ground almonds.
Marzipan (ground almonds, almond essence and a little erythritol) covered in dark chocolate.
Chocolate mouse with double cream and 85% or 90% chocolate served with a few fresh raspberries.
I dry my own cranberries - buy at thanksgiving or near Christmas. Cut them in half, cover with erythritol and leave for a few hours, stir then dry for a while in a cool oven, and repeat each day until they are dried, store in an airtight tub in the fridge for up to a year. (you can put them in the oven after you've used it for other stuff). I take 3-4 days drying them.
I also made some dried rhubarb this year to add to fruit cake.
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My first Xmas on keto after dx I thought I could relax it a bit and have some Xmas pudding, which I was rather fond of. Cut right back on the root veg and had a mainly meat and greens main course.
The Xmas pudding, though. I was so ill afterwards - just too much sugar. Two day hangover/headache. Never again.
I think the other issue for me is that once you've got off the horse for a couple of weeks, it can be really hard getting back on again. Carbs have a way of creeping up...
The Xmas pudding, though. I was so ill afterwards - just too much sugar. Two day hangover/headache. Never again.
I think the other issue for me is that once you've got off the horse for a couple of weeks, it can be really hard getting back on again. Carbs have a way of creeping up...
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This is a useful article from Zoe Harcombe. I dislike the use of the word ‘cheat’, but the points made are good ones.
www.zoeharcombe.com
Top tips for festive eating – Zoë Harcombe
www.zoeharcombe.com
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I just carry on with keto as normal, although I do indulge in extra keto stuff like cheese and cream and maybe a keto pudding treat, usually a cheesecake, I don’t usually eat much of those things I’ve listed in my day to day lifestyle so they are treats.
I found having higher carb things as treats or cheats not that great, 1) I just don’t enjoy them like I used to many years ago, 2) they leave me feeling sluggish, sleepy, bloated and all round yucky, 3) I gain weight really easily and that makes me feel rubbish too.
One naughty that I do have is my Boxing Day lunch, I have cold ham and turkey, pigs in blankets, keto stuffing with pickles etc and about 3 or 4 chips. Just enough to make a chip butty with my keto bread. I really look forward to this meal even more than my Christmas lunch.
Early in my diagnosis I did have a couple of more treats on Christmas Day, usually a small spoonful of pudding with loads of cream and a couple of roasties. But I always told myself (and managed to stick to it) that Christmas is one day or even one meal not a fortnight or a month
I found having higher carb things as treats or cheats not that great, 1) I just don’t enjoy them like I used to many years ago, 2) they leave me feeling sluggish, sleepy, bloated and all round yucky, 3) I gain weight really easily and that makes me feel rubbish too.
One naughty that I do have is my Boxing Day lunch, I have cold ham and turkey, pigs in blankets, keto stuffing with pickles etc and about 3 or 4 chips. Just enough to make a chip butty with my keto bread. I really look forward to this meal even more than my Christmas lunch.
Early in my diagnosis I did have a couple of more treats on Christmas Day, usually a small spoonful of pudding with loads of cream and a couple of roasties. But I always told myself (and managed to stick to it) that Christmas is one day or even one meal not a fortnight or a month
Good words of advice from the others.
My reply if you were standing in front of me asking that is:
A couple of weeks ????!!!!! If you really must, a couple of days is plenty. Certainly enough to trigger carb creep if you are susceptible to that. Are you sure you can stick to "sensible"? Be aware you may have to fend off "feeders" who like everybody to eat and eat, drink and drink, and devil take their health. But really - must you? Undo all your good work and self-discipline? When you can have glorious food that won't harm you?
Your health, your call. But don't kid yourself. Denial is more than a river in Egypt.
MrsA2
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I too think 2 weeks is far too long. You'd undo all the gains you've made and it will be very difficult to just start again after.
I'm struggling with carb creep and weight gain after relaxing just a little too often and am finding it very difficult to get back the levels I need
By all means have a couple of planned and moderate tastes of a very few things you really miss, no more than 1 or 2 for 2-3 days max. Plan for what you will have, then stop.
The sugar hangovers, migraines, weight gain are awful, and that's just the immediate effects.
I, too, wish I could, but know my body would show me I can't
I'm struggling with carb creep and weight gain after relaxing just a little too often and am finding it very difficult to get back the levels I need
By all means have a couple of planned and moderate tastes of a very few things you really miss, no more than 1 or 2 for 2-3 days max. Plan for what you will have, then stop.
The sugar hangovers, migraines, weight gain are awful, and that's just the immediate effects.
I, too, wish I could, but know my body would show me I can't
PenguinMum
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I agree with @KennyA two weeks is enough time to unravel, make new trends and since you have made such a great effort I don’t know if thats worth it. We all have different levels and tolerances but my “give in” at Christmas in the last four years has been on Christmas Day to have one roastie (only day of the year) and some h/m bread stuffing and a few roasted root veg but other than that I avoid everything else. I never felt liked eating with abandon for two weeks ever but I am not judging just saying what I do.
Well Christmas has been and gone. I took some time off my diet, as I wanted to enjoy the time with my family and some food I haven’t eaten for a while. I managed to only eat 7 celebrations, during this time and when we attended family/friends who we had buffet with I avoided the sugary stuff altogether. Managed to control myself with carbs on the table.
The biggest issue I had was all the people that would have usually bought me chocolate or biscuits for Xmas. Got me alcohol
, I had some whiskey and Coke Zero, shared a couple of bottles of wine with the wife and a couple of nice ales. Certainly didn’t go over the top.
Must admit my carb intake increased. Had some porridge with blue berries and Raspberries for breakfast for the last two weeks what was nice. Some bread, rice, potatoes and parsnips. I did put some weight back on, not a massive amount as kept my exercise levels up, actually increased that with a daily walk on top of that.
Back on keto as of today. Got to say you guys were right about one thing, had some awful headaches during this period. So next year, I only have a few days off of keto.
The biggest issue I had was all the people that would have usually bought me chocolate or biscuits for Xmas. Got me alcohol
, I had some whiskey and Coke Zero, shared a couple of bottles of wine with the wife and a couple of nice ales. Certainly didn’t go over the top.Must admit my carb intake increased. Had some porridge with blue berries and Raspberries for breakfast for the last two weeks what was nice. Some bread, rice, potatoes and parsnips. I did put some weight back on, not a massive amount as kept my exercise levels up, actually increased that with a daily walk on top of that.
Back on keto as of today. Got to say you guys were right about one thing, had some awful headaches during this period. So next year, I only have a few days off of keto.
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