Working out what to eat

[Bluetit1802]

To be honest John, after a meal like that I am not at all surprised, but at least you have learnt a valuable lesson.

Just as a PS I have experimented with baked beans this lunch time. I had half a pot of the Heinz reduced sugar beans (100g in total) with a poached egg and 1 slice of toast and butter. Nothing to drink except water. I frequently have 2 poached eggs on this same toast with no significant spikes. Today I was 5.8 before I ate. At 1 hour I was 8.5 and at 2 hours I was 8.6. This is my highest lunch spike since I last had these beans back in May. I shall NOT be repeating it, which is a shame because it used to be a staple lunch for me and beans are so good for you in other ways.

 

[johnboy412000]

To be honest John, after a meal like that I am not at all surprised, but at least you have learnt a valuable lesson.

Just as a PS I have experimented with baked beans this lunch time. I had half a pot of the Heinz reduced sugar beans (100g in total) with a poached egg and 1 slice of toast and butter. Nothing to drink except water. I frequently have 2 poached eggs on this same toast with no significant spikes. Today I was 5.8 before I ate. At 1 hour I was 8.5 and at 2 hours I was 8.6. This is my highest lunch spike since I last had these beans back in May. I shall NOT be repeating it, which is a shame because it used to be a staple lunch for me and beans are so good for you in other ways.

Yeah i know that beans are good for you in some ways and bad in the way they give you wind.
Now i thought toast was a no no as with bread or does toasting bread remove some of the bad things in it.?
Forgive the pun but i bet you will be repeating the beans or repeating with them sorry couldnt resist that one lol.

 

[johnboy412000]

Seriously though i was scrutinizing things as we wandered round Tesco's in Halifax i did look at things like the bread hi lo etc and biscuits to see if there were some biscuits that diabetics can have.I like the odd biccy or two with a coffee sometimes.I also like a snack whilst watching telly in the evening but its a case of what to safely snack on ive always been snacking on such as chocolate not over indulged or anything but maybe half a medium sized bar from time to time but now that is out i realise that.

Is icecream ok for diabetics ? i like the odd ice cream cone in the summer weather dont we all.Such as a magnum or cornetto or maybe drop those for a bowl of icecream.

 

[Bluetit1802]

John, through testing I have learnt I can cope with 1 slice of bread or toast with a meal (not on its own) but I cannot cope with 2 slices. Your meter will tell you what you can cope with.

Avoid any foods labelled diabetic whatever. Even the NHS tell us this in their diet literature. For one thing, the stuff they put in to replace sugar gives you diarrohea. Be warned! Try nuts or cheese for snacks, or water, or one square of 85% dark chocolate. Look at the food labels and check how many carbs before you buy anything.

 

[johnboy412000]

John, through testing I have learnt I can cope with 1 slice of bread or toast with a meal (not on its own) but I cannot cope with 2 slices. Your meter will tell you what you can cope with.

Avoid any foods labelled diabetic whatever. Even the NHS tell us this in their diet literature. For one thing, the stuff they put in to replace sugar gives you diarrohea. Be warned! Try nuts or cheese for snacks, or water, or one square of 85% dark chocolate. Look at the food labels and check how many carbs before you buy anything.

Ah right i see id be hungry though if i only had one slice of bread or 1 slice of toast unless say the 1 slice of toast was with a breakfast like sausage,egg,bacon then it would be more than enough.


Yeah my mother once tried diabetic chocolate and man alive she said she regretted it as it made her go the loo like crazy.

It helps to look at the traffic light system doesnt it ? most foods have a traffic light system usually portrayed as a pie chart.I usually look at that.

I was looking at sainsbury website and saw a 2L bottle of
Summer Fruit Cocktail Juice Drink, Reduced Sugar

Something i thought i might try i might not like it.

And as i like my tomato sauce i thought to try this one
Heinz Reduced Sugar & Salt Ketchup 550g

What do you think ?

 

[johnboy412000]

Just realised we have some Robinsons special R cordial in the kitchen sugar free variety maybe time to kiss goodbye to the OJ and have some of that as a drink just a splash or two in water.plain water is a bit bland.

 

[JTL]

If I have a piece of toast I make sure it's piping hot and loaded with butter.
I often have a piece of fried bread ... full round.
Fried foods bacon sausage etc I can eat with no problems at all.
Bananas I'm very wary of but mashed sound like suicide!

 

[Bluetit1802]

John,
The Traffic Light system is useless for diabetics. There are NO amounts for carbs. Listen to what everyone is saying, this has all been said before (sorry to sound harsh). You must look at the nutrition label for the TOTAL CARBS. Ignore the sugars bit. It is carbs that make your blood sugars rise. ALL carbs. Fruit juice is not a good choice. There maybe no added sugar, but fruit itself contains a lot of sugar. Cold tap water, maybe with some ice or a slice of lemon is lovely.
You really are going to have to test all these items.

 

[forge]

Hello @johnboy412000

You need some motivation and a proper plan,

I have been doing some writing and I can send you a draft for review. If you are interested.

 

[JTL]

Hello @johnboy412000

You need some motivation and a proper plan,

That's what I was lacking in taking control.
Because I didn't know what the hell to do is the simple truth.
Once I discovered this place and started learning about low carb fruits fats etc etc I got motivated and it's stayed with me.
Reading labels making yoghurt testing twice a day and stuff and enjoying it mostly.
Motivation ... the word!

 

[Lamont D]

1. Did you know...

• 1
  A diet higher in saturated fat can narrow the arteries and increase the risk of a stroke, heart disease or certain types of cancer.
  
  
  
• 2
  If you swapped from semi-skimmed milk to Sainsbury's 1% fat milk, you could help reduce your saturated fat intake by 45% a year.
  
  
  
• 3
  Experts recommend women eat no more than 20g of saturated fat in a day and men no more than 30g

I have read that this statement is totally wrong!
It has been part of the 'big fat lie'!
Saturates are good for you and polyunsaturates are the baddies if you are obese or diabetic. Polyunsaturates are the main cause of visceral fat that surround your endochrine system which leads to a fatty liver and prediabetes

Baked beans are good for you! As long as you drain the sauce, because it is sugar in disguise!

John you need to quit the carbs and eat to your meter.
I know it is difficult to change and get your head around that everything you believed was healthy actually gave you your condition.

Do yourself a favour and listen to the people giving you advice about T2 as they have been there.

Control your BSLs and maybe you can have your carbs when you are in actual control.

If you have read my threads on my condition, you know I am carb intolerant and I haven't touched a spud since last October. Not had rice since January. No pasta since November. And no cereals since the porridge (which is supposed to be a super food) gave me a really bad hypo after 2 hours. That was 6 months ago. I have lost a lot of weight and have never been fitter as I am for years!
You can do it mate, I did!

 

[johnboy412000]

Hello @johnboy412000

You need some motivation and a proper plan,

I have been doing some writing and I can send you a draft for review. If you are interested.

Hi Forge yes you are spot on there my friend.I need a kick start so to speak and my imagination would then kick in to gear.

Ok yeah PM me the draft and ill take a look

 

[johnboy412000]

@ Nosher cheers mate ill be fine once i get a hold on it all.Off to see the nurse this am see what she has to say as well and probably come away with literature etc as well as a meter and other stuff and hoping tablets rather than insulin.

 

[forge]

Hello @johnboy412000 Nah it is too big to send the word count = 3794 you will have to give me your email address.

There is not much padding in it so I can't really precis it.

 

[johnboy412000]

My biggest downfall is cooking.Its never been my strong suit and therefore ive always relied on ready meals etc a fool proof way to live just follow the intructions on the pack and you cant go wrong sorta thing.

 

[johnboy412000]

Hello @johnboy412000 Nah it is too big to send the word count = 3794 you will have to give me your email address.

There is not much padding in it so I can't really precis it.

Ok ill PM my email addy to you now

 

[AndBreathe]

My biggest downfall is cooking.Its never been my strong suit and therefore ive always relied on ready meals etc a fool proof way to live just follow the intructions on the pack and you cant go wrong sorta thing.

Johnboy - I would urge you to try some cooking from scratch. The Jamie Oliver youtube clip I posted the other day show it doesn't have to be complicated to produce a meal. Following a recipe is just like following the instructions on a ready meal. OK, there may be a few more steps, but if you cook sensibly, you can cook several meals at one time, and freeze some for later. And it's much, much cheaper than buying ready meals.

You've already mentioned (I think! Correct me if I mis-remembered) that you enjoy casseroles. If you have a slow cooker, or can acquire one; a quick google on Argos shows a family sized one for under £15, you can make a batch of casserole with a little bit of prep and then just leave it cooking all day, looking after itself. You'll be astonished. If you absolutely cannot bear to spend time chopping veg, you can buy ready prepared veg at all the major supermarkets, although you're obviously paying someone else to do the chopping.

I bet if you started a thread, with a list of things you like to eat, asking folks for either recipes or alternatives, I'm sure you would get a decent response. We all started somewhere, but you need to start starting, rather than talking about starting. The thing about doing something tomorrow is that so many tomorrows don't arrive, because tomorrow there's a brand new tomorrow just around the corner.

Doing is the key here. If you do something and make a mistake (your blood spikes), at least you then know something about that food. Doing what you have always done will result in the same outcomes you have always got. Don't waste this golden, newly diagnosed, opportunity.

 

[Bluetit1802]

My biggest downfall is cooking.Its never been my strong suit and therefore ive always relied on ready meals etc a fool proof way to live just follow the intructions on the pack and you cant go wrong sorta thing.

Which is exactly what diabetics shouldn't eat, and is possibly why you ended up with your diagnosis. It's going to be hard for you to change, but baby steps. Cooking from fresh is the best way. It doesn't have to be fancy. It's amazing what you can do with a grill, a microwave and a frying pan. Frozen veg is fine to use.. @AndBreathe gave you some great advice above.

 

[johnboy412000]

Just come back from the diabetic nurse and shes given me a list of what i can and cant eat.

Plenty starchy carbohydrates
Eat regular meals and healthy snacks.
Breakfast of the all bran im having is fine
Avoid all unhealthily/hydrogenated fats
Choose low fat dairy products
Check food labels
Choose lean meat and remove fat and skin
Avoid fried and fast food and baked goods so thats MacD's out except the odd occasional one
Keep hydrated avoid binge drinking

Meals based upon starchy carbs
Potatoes
Cereals
Rice
Pasta
Bread

That means i can have me sarnie and spuds she said avoid roast spuds.Also can have me all bran and pasta meals like lasagne canaloni spag bol etc.Just a case of watch the traffic lights that they arent too much red etc.

Plenty of fruit the 5 a day regime but not to eat too many in one sitting.

Eat less saturated fats rather than foods containing saturated fat such as Cheese and Biscuits
Sausages in moderation
Pies are out

Choosing leaner meats such as chicken or trimming fat off cuts of red ,eat can help reduce saturated fat

Eat more oily fish at least 2 portions per week is recommended.

Eat less sugar and salt she said canderel is fine cut down on salt speaks for itself.

Keeping hydrated aim to drink at least 1 to 2 litres of fluid each day.
Tea,Coffee,Milk and fruit juice however this does not include alcohol well i very rarely have any of that.
OJ she said was fine but a small glass only.

So there we are im a lot clearer now after that and the futures bright the futures orange as the advert goes lol.Shes refered me to Desmond sessions.Also im now on the diabetic register so things like yearly eye tests and foot care are on the agenda.But that comes under another topic on this forum.
Basically im one happy chappy
Ive got something to work on now

 

[Bluetit1802]

And you believe all that rubbish?
Did you challenge it?
That is the standard advice given out by most nurses. It's exactly what my nurse told me. If you know what is good for you John, ignore it. This is outdated and quite honestly, wrong.
However, try it all, and test, test, test. It won't take you long to realise how wrong it is.

Irrespective of diabetes, how can anyone lose weight whilst eating all those carbs?