Type 2 diagnosis with perimenopause, obesity and food issues!

jpscloud said:

Hello, it's a relief to finally be able to post after a long wait due to problems with confirmation email (thank you to the admin who sorted that out for me!) I'd like to be able to talk really frankly to get the best advice and support, so I hope I won't offend anyone by being open about all my issues - hence the title, so people can avoid if it sounds like too much drama! I also apologise for the epic post, and don't expect anyone to answer much of it, but any tips or support will be gratefully received.

I'm a 52 year old woman, in the throes of perimenopause with hot flushes, insomnia, all manner of aches and pains, dizziness, crazy emotional swings and waves of deep deep sadness (not all the time thankfully). Add to that my eating problems... I think I have binge eating disorder, but haven't yet had the courage to ask the Dr about it, and am very overweight. I have lost 2 and a half stones in the last year with slimming world but it has been very hard and I've recently stalled, then begun to regain (it was almost 3 stones lost). I need to lose around 8 stones more, but realistically I am aiming for another four this coming year. I exercise only erratically, but I do love walking. I can only do that in the school hols, though, as I work in education and commute so am very tired during term time.

I've had an annual blood test for several years now because of the risk factors (high blood pressure too!) and this year's came back with a diabetes label. The practice nurse I normally see has handed me over to the diabetic nurse, and I have an hour appointment with her next Monday when she'll go through the diagnosis with me.

I might still be a bit in denial, as I haven't had much of an emotional reaction yet, or it might be that what I've read so far here has reassured me that it is possible to live a full (and probably much better) life while controlling blood sugar. I do feel guilty but with my issues around food guilt has long been a constant companion. I read the thread about not falling for the blame game with interest and do agree, but guilt is a funny thing and doesn't do rational.

What I have done is buy a glucose meter (Aviva accuchek, before I saw that there is a meter with much cheaper strips, sadly!) and I've been testing rather obsessively, against the advice of the pharmacist who said testing frequently is discouraged for Type 2s. I couldn't get an immediate appointment with the diabetic nurse - I guess it's a good sign they're not rushing me in as an emergency - so I've been testing for more than two weeks now, with an average of 7.0. The highest was 10.1 and the lowest 5.3. I seem to be high in the mornings, with around 8-9, then by lunchtime I'm around 6 most of the time and it stays thereabouts until the following morning.

I haven't seriously binged while testing until yesterday, when I binged spectacularly and it's carried on today. It doesn't seem to have changed my test results much, but my emotions are all over the place. I have tried to turn to vegetables and protein based foods when I feel the urge to overeat, and am trying the new low sugar chocolate, but my issues defy all reason and I genuinely find it impossible to stop myself eating carbs (chips, crisps, and milk chocolate in particular).

Tonight I'm 6.4 2 hours after starting to eat (unfortunately I'm still eating - I hope those still reading haven't lost the will to live yet) but it will likely be 8 or more in the morning.

I am well-educated about diet and nutrition, and only wish I could put it into practice better. I'm working hard now to educate myself about diabetes but there's so much more to it than I ever realised before. So hello, and thanks to all of you for posting and helping reassure and educate people like me.

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jpscloud said:

Good luck to you too Tapatia, thanks! I am now on metformin and have begun regular moderate exercise, and my fasting glucose is now about 3 points lower. I've kept a fairly even keel on eating overall but am slipping a fair bit too in terms of sneaking in high carb/sugar items - just have the binging under slightly better control which can't be a bad thing. Tonight is weigh-in for the week, hoping for a pound or two off.

I think the most positive change I've made so far is stair climbing at work... I get in early to miss the traffic, so there are happily less people around to witness my staggering and wheezing!! I am up to 5 times up and down in the morning now and try to get up to 4 times at lunchtime too. I find it strangely soothing and feel really good afterwards. A few people have noticed me doing it and been very encouraging... one colleague insisted on doing a couple of flights with me!

Now all I have to do is keep it up - that's the tricky bit.

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Brunneria said:

Well done!

Like @freddy I have a carby-craving-irrisistable binge reaction to most of the starchy carby foods - particularly grains.

If I can avoid them, I can trundle along very happily. But the moment I start (a bit of bread, pasta, milk chocolate or a couple of tablespoons of rice) I get carb cravings like there is a small hamster using my ribcage for a wheel.

I think many of us have triggers that set the binging and the carb cravings off. Worth working out what they are, and avoiding them like the plague! Makes staying on the wagon MUCH easier.

Also, have learned over the years of a couple of ways that work (for me!) to kill the cravings when they start. Basically, it is to fill up on protein and fat, so that food is the LAST thing on my mind. It takes a bit of self control to reach for low carb foods rather than the carby stuff I am craving, but it sure kills the hamster's scrabble!

The craving killers that work for me are (in no particular order!)
Cheese
Low Carb hot chocolate made with cream
Coffee with cream, or bulletproof coffee
Steak with salad and mayo
A low carb Full English

The trick is to fill yourself up on stuff that won't trigger a reaction. Blood glucose stabilises, and I just forget about food.

A second technique I use is to avoid carbs AT ALL at breakfast, just protein (and fat) instead. For me, even a little carb (like in yoghurt or something) will make the rest of the day much harder to endure...

Hope that helps.

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mariavontrapp said:

How do you make low carb hot chocolate, or is it a product you can buy?

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