No. I stopped reading as it says high protein so its nothing to do with the diet I eat and am talking about I dont eat anymore protein than someone on a low fat diet the difference is my meat is never lean.
Sweden no longer promotes low fat diets, and now recommends a low carb one.
You mentioned in a previous post that you often eat a whole pack of bacon with eggs.Isn't that quite a lot of protein?
I also said "I dont eat much anymore" but can and have had a whole pack of bacon many times. As the OP said something about having one slice of bacon.
When you first start you get hungry until your body starts burning fat for fuel and you eat when hungry, not worry about over eating protein at that point. Then you start to find you are just not hungry anymore.
Also the bacon I eat is streaky so more fat than protein
OP, if you haven't got it already, go on the diabetes uk website. and call them for the "magazine" about all aspects of living with diabetes and what you can do to try and control it.
You may have to read it over and over again to fully get your head round it and keep it close by for reference but I found it to be a great help. Page 46-47 on what the recommended daily limits of calories, fat, sugar, salt that we should all be sticking too, diabetic or not also helped me a lot.
Memorising those limits and looking at the labels of the foods you eat to see how much fat, sugar, salt they have I'd also recommend. (You can probably get the same info on the website but I found it easier to read their magazine.)
If you can manage it, try do some walking and start at a pace that your comfortable with but as and when you feel you can start walking at a brisk pace do so but maybe stop every now and then to get your breath back and then carry on with the walk.
One of the GP's at my surgery said that even 10 minutes a day of brisk walking would help a lot and I think she's right but I aim for at least half an hours worth and I plan the route I walk and I try and avoid hills/slopes and stick to flat ground.
I would like to thank everyone thus far who has replied to my thread and I have read every post.
I have picked out parts of posts that have kinda resonated with me.
BlueEyed
There's no one factor that determines whether someone will be an addict, it's often a combination of things: genetics, childhood experience, trauma/loss, etc.
tiacat
---Many overweight people just eat a little too much and do too little activity. People that are seriously obese usually have something else going on and they have to find a way to manage their relationship with food, including emotional and physical triggers.
My nemesis is my sugar addiction, started as a child and will remain with me,----but I can eat just about anything put in front of me.
But I don’t want to give the wrong idea about myself, I do have a severe addiction to sugar/sweet things but no one is stuffing food in me---but myself---and to fair to me its not even how much I’m eating, ----well it is,---but more to do with eating the wrong food.
And although I work hard, I’ve realised I can be a real couch potato, evenings and weekends.
I have put myself on mostly this root vegetable regime but not for one moment am I suggesting it's the best method, in fact I’ve not even worked it out, it's what does it for me, what fills me up, what's worked for me in the past.
I like most meats, white or red but cutting them out for the moment during the week accept for fish or on a Saturday when I eat what I want, I have also added a lot more eggs and cut back on the banana as fruit of the morning instead eating more porridge.
Nocturnalia and others mentioned, exercise.
I do think if you are overweight/obese, you do have to be careful with exercise, even if the doctor gives you the nod, I think some weight reduction first, then look at some exercise.
I am a firm believer, if one can, a combination of diet and exercise, is the best method to control T2 diabetes.
Anything will do that raises your heart beat, even if that means pumping air in a 3 minute vigorous out burst to start with.
But that is for now, exercise will not always be an option for me or many others as we get older.
Jasvinyl wrote, Perhaps you could enlist the help of your partner and kids (if old enough) to actively help keep an eye on you and to give you reminders and nudges if you start to slip again. Your side of the bargain is to take on board what they say with good grace and positivity. The more out in the open it is for you (all) can only be a benefit.
Unfortunately I have rather blotted my copy book with Mrs S, kids and family, lots of broken promises and sound bytes that I would do something and nothing--- yet still maintaining a gung-ho attitude to my diabetes.
But my diabetes started to visit the family and kids in other ways, by supporting me they were not eating in front of me, not eating what they wanted, stopped inviting friends around for dinner, not fair—not fair on them at all, they were doing a lot, I was doing sod all.
So no Jericho trumpets this time around, I am having to this for myself and some what by myself,
but I’ll have their support.
I read sweetpeanut's links with great interest.
Clearly there is a lot of evidence to say the Keto diet works for many and they are able to maintain their weight.
But I’m not convinced adding fat to a fat belly is the way to go for me, what insulin I am producing is having trouble enough dealing with the tummy I have.
As epicurian wrote, " it doesn’t matter how it happens it's weight loss that is consistently associated with improved health markers," but I’m not convinced for a diabetic such as me the Keto diet is best.
I thought Red Whine’s post ( 37 ) was the way to go but I don’t have that kind of discipline with food---I'm not sure I ever will.
I have been asked what the scare was as mentioned in my first post that triggered my rush to gain control, I OD,---not deliberately or anything like that, the incident is however indirectly related to my new found resolve.
But as shmisk and others wrote, it’s doing stuff, my resolve is for my wife and kids, I owe it to them and I have let myself down.
WonkeyDonkey wrote something in another related thread---kind of,--- which I have picked at but it struck another cord.
----“Extreme over-eating really can be closer to anorexia than people often want to admit: both conditions can have a clinically obsessive component.”
and
“who lived in a world of micro-management and padlocks and endless vigilance that most of us can barely imagine.”
At the moment I have lost so much control, that micro-managing is the only option I feel available to me, it’s tough, the maintaining and I’m going to loose---but it’s my condition.
As I wrote,
The simple reason for my method, my vegetable diet is laziness, it's easy to prepare, a couple of pre packed mixed vegetables, in the pressure pot, a stock cube and two slices of dry granary bread and out of the kitchen quick.
On it I can do nothing but loose weight and yes there is the short lived euphoria of getting into and wearing jeans size 42 at some time but this yo-yoing I feel is more damaging then remaining overweight.
No, my cholesterol is not too bad, it is my blood sugar that is the main problem.
I really don't want to have to take a load of tablets every day unless I can help it.
I have enough trouble swallowing the Gabapentin capsules. I also hope the metformin doesn't give me too much trouble with my stomach as I already have IBS.
No, my cholesterol is not too bad, it is my blood sugar that is the main problem.
I really don't want to have to take a load of tablets every day unless I can help it.
I have enough trouble swallowing the Gabapentin capsules. I also hope the metformin doesn't give me too much trouble with my stomach as I already have IBS.
Good, stay off statins if you can.
Metformin are quite large but I can swallow two at a time.
I have tolerated them well but even now, ( but rarely ), they can cause me real severe stomach cramps, never take them on a empty stomach, eat a couple of mouthfuls first of any meal.
I hope all goes well for you.
I assume you have tried natural alternatives to lowering your sugar levels?
I assume you have tried natural alternatives to lowering your sugar levels?
Cheers and you too.
Ever since I was kick out of my parents home I've suffered stress from neighbours and at work. I thought I did well not getting into drugs or alcohol, but my 'drug' of choice was sugar in the form of Coca Cola and sweets.
I couldn't go a day without a 2lt bottle of coke or a bag of sweets.
I did this for over 25 years, till I realised I might be diabetic.
I tried a couple of time to eat well (cook my own food) and exercise (do the gardening or a walk) but it wouldn't last long till something stressed me and I ended up on the coke again.
But this last time seems to have tipped me over in to neuropathy so I do not know if I can come back from it now or if I have gone too far.
I just hope the Doctor can do more than offer tablets.
I couldn't go a day without a 2lt bottle of coke or a bag of sweets.
I did this for over 25 years, till I realised I might be diabetic.
I just hope the Doctor can do more than offer tablets.
I so understand the sweets and the reasons why, a comfort zone.
You might want to read up on cinnamon in diabetic studies, it's not long term control in anyway but taking cinnamon did work for me for some while in lowering glucose levels/readings,---this was before I was taking metformin or any other medication.
You can lessen the pain of neuropathy but it will take time and it is all about control.
I have been following this thread as my man has been told he has T2, he is only just over the point count.
Why do you say to stay off statins please?
He has been on them for a few years now to reduce his cholesterol I think.
I'm seeing my doctor Wednesday about my neuropathy and T2 diabetes.
Will probably have to go on Metformin and Gabapentin (or the alternative).
Not sure what else to do if I can't get rid of the neuropathy pain as it is just taking it out of me all day.
If you are diabetic then I'd reccomend staying off the full sugar fizzy drinks in general. I did a post further up on this page to the OP, have a read of it but if you can't find it, go onto the Diabetes UK website and call them for their magazine that covers a lot of things in how to live/deal being a diabetic.
I have been following this thread as my man has been told he has T2, he is only just over the point count.
Why do you say to stay off statins please?
He has been on them for a few years now to reduce his cholesterol I think.
I think some people are put off by the potential side effects. They will be listed on the leaflets that come with the tablets.
I have been following this thread as my man has been told he has T2, he is only just over the point count. Why do you say to stay off statins please?
He has been on them for a few years now to reduce his cholesterol I think.
Hi,
It's a personal opinion only with a fair amount of reading behind it.
Clearly there are many who will swear they owe their life to taking statins and current studies/research show for those that do-- the benefit of doing so.
But I have been of the opinion for a long time that T2s and statins are not a good mix and can kick start or exacerbate neuropathy.
And I'm always suspicious when a particular family of drug are pushed by doctors---as statins are.
Then again if I had my way, everyone past 50, I'd have them on a circularly dose of Asprin.
Good luck with your battle..I took the head in the sand approach to my diabetes, my BS levels were in the high teens for years..Finally I have decided to sort myself out (due to the arrival of my 1st grandchild) and have kicked the sugar habit, hopefully for good..It's blooming hard though, I had the best BS reading (10) this morning, still too high but going in the right direction.I have been left with eye problems, kidney function problems and chronic pain in my feet...horrid, horrid pain.
I have also lost 2 stone by eating properly and regularly and walking our cliff paths every day...I'm 'in training' for a 40 mile walk next year!
Metformin are quite large but I can swallow two at a time.
I used to hate taking tablets, always had to have paracetamol caplets with the coating on them as I couldn't swallow them either! I have no trouble with the Metformin. They're slightly smaller than a paracetamol tablet, and about the same thickness as a neurofen tablet!
If you are diabetic then I'd reccomend staying off the full sugar fizzy drinks in general.
First thing I did was switch to diet drinks - I will warn you, after years of drinking 'normal' fizz they're horrid!! I can't stand diet Coke and will only drink it in pubs etc when it's cold. I prefer diet Pepsi and find the diet Fanta really nice too. If you drink squash, we buy the cheap orange from Tesco, 95p for a (I think) 2lt bottle and it lasts ages - both myself and my boyfriend drink it (we drank it before I knew I was diabetic) and we both take it to work and drink it there!
In the last few days Tesco have had a magazine about Diabetes as they do a lot of work with Diabetes UK. If you want I can see if there's any left and grab a couple of copies and post them off - I haven't actually got around to reading mine yet!!
Good luck with your battle..I took the head in the sand approach to my diabetes, my BS levels were in the high teens for years..Finally I have decided to sort myself out (due to the arrival of my 1st grandchild) and have kicked the sugar habit, hopefully for good..It's blooming hard though, I had the best BS reading (10) this morning, still too high but going in the right direction.I have been left with eye problems, kidney function problems and chronic pain in my feet...horrid, horrid pain.
I have also lost 2 stone by eating properly and regularly and walking our cliff paths every day...I'm 'in training' for a 40 mile walk next year!
Good for you.
It's really brave to face up to something that scares you like this, you should be proud.
I used to hate taking tablets, always had to have paracetamol caplets with the coating on them as I couldn't swallow them either! I have no trouble with the Metformin. They're slightly smaller than a paracetamol tablet, and about the same thickness as a neurofen tablet!
First thing I did was switch to diet drinks - I will warn you, after years of drinking 'normal' fizz they're horrid!! I can't stand diet Coke and will only drink it in pubs etc when it's cold. I prefer diet Pepsi and find the diet Fanta really nice too. If you drink squash, we buy the cheap orange from Tesco, 95p for a (I think) 2lt bottle and it lasts ages - both myself and my boyfriend drink it (we drank it before I knew I was diabetic) and we both take it to work and drink it there!
In the last few days Tesco have had a magazine about Diabetes as they do a lot of work with Diabetes UK. If you want I can see if there's any left and grab a couple of copies and post them off - I haven't actually got around to reading mine yet!!
I'm ok with Diet Coke but I prefer the Diet lemonades or zero versions of Sprite/7 Up and yes the Fanta one is good too.
I was also recommended eating raisins whenever I felt like I needed a bit of a sugar rush but didn't want to have something fattening at the same time and it worked for me quite well but you have to be careful with raisins not to have too much too soon too.
Best thing imo is to experiment with your diet as much as you need to on foods that tick the boxes on diabetes and once you have a good range of foods that are good for diabetics and give you plenty of choice in what to eat then away you go on the food side at least.
Good for you.
It's really brave to face up to something that scares you like this, you should be proud.
Thanks...I am cautiously proud...:)
I've had food problems for just about most of my 47 years..I'm only 3 months into a 'normal' eating/exercise pattern..One day at a time is my motto at the moment!
My advice would be to follow a low carb plan. Not necessarily high fat, like keto, but a natural low sugar diet of meat, salad and vegetables, nuts, pulses and berries.
You won't break a sugar addiction or control your blood sugar levels by continuing to consume vast quantities of sugar.
You're doing the same thing you've always done, which is doomed to fail long term. Cutting out bread, pasta and sweets isn't a fad. For you, it is the sensible option.
My advice would be to follow a low carb plan. Not necessarily high fat, like keto, but a natural low sugar diet of meat, salad and vegetables, nuts, pulses and berries.
You won't break a sugar addiction or control your blood sugar levels by continuing to consume vast quantities of sugar.
You're doing the same thing you've always done, which is doomed to fail long term. Cutting out bread, pasta and sweets isn't a fad. For you, it is the sensible option.
On nuts, you have to be careful with the salt levels. 6g is the maximum daily guideline amount. I find sticking to the salt limit the hardest.
On bread, I'm sure I've read in the Diabetes UK magazine that they recommend having something "starchy" in every mean and bread is one of the things I think they list as "starchy" but a slice of bread often has a fair bit of salt in it too imo. Normally around 0.5/ 0.6 grams of salt per slice.
Comments
You mentioned in a previous post that you often eat a whole pack of bacon with eggs.Isn't that quite a lot of protein?
I also said "I dont eat much anymore" but can and have had a whole pack of bacon many times. As the OP said something about having one slice of bacon.
When you first start you get hungry until your body starts burning fat for fuel and you eat when hungry, not worry about over eating protein at that point. Then you start to find you are just not hungry anymore.
Also the bacon I eat is streaky so more fat than protein
You may have to read it over and over again to fully get your head round it and keep it close by for reference but I found it to be a great help. Page 46-47 on what the recommended daily limits of calories, fat, sugar, salt that we should all be sticking too, diabetic or not also helped me a lot.
Memorising those limits and looking at the labels of the foods you eat to see how much fat, sugar, salt they have I'd also recommend. (You can probably get the same info on the website but I found it easier to read their magazine.)
If you can manage it, try do some walking and start at a pace that your comfortable with but as and when you feel you can start walking at a brisk pace do so but maybe stop every now and then to get your breath back and then carry on with the walk.
One of the GP's at my surgery said that even 10 minutes a day of brisk walking would help a lot and I think she's right but I aim for at least half an hours worth and I plan the route I walk and I try and avoid hills/slopes and stick to flat ground.
Stick with it, its important.
I have picked out parts of posts that have kinda resonated with me.
BlueEyed
There's no one factor that determines whether someone will be an addict, it's often a combination of things: genetics, childhood experience, trauma/loss, etc.
tiacat
---Many overweight people just eat a little too much and do too little activity. People that are seriously obese usually have something else going on and they have to find a way to manage their relationship with food, including emotional and physical triggers.
My nemesis is my sugar addiction, started as a child and will remain with me,----but I can eat just about anything put in front of me.
But I don’t want to give the wrong idea about myself, I do have a severe addiction to sugar/sweet things but no one is stuffing food in me---but myself---and to fair to me its not even how much I’m eating, ----well it is,---but more to do with eating the wrong food.
And although I work hard, I’ve realised I can be a real couch potato, evenings and weekends.
I have put myself on mostly this root vegetable regime but not for one moment am I suggesting it's the best method, in fact I’ve not even worked it out, it's what does it for me, what fills me up, what's worked for me in the past.
I like most meats, white or red but cutting them out for the moment during the week accept for fish or on a Saturday when I eat what I want, I have also added a lot more eggs and cut back on the banana as fruit of the morning instead eating more porridge.
Nocturnalia and others mentioned, exercise.
I do think if you are overweight/obese, you do have to be careful with exercise, even if the doctor gives you the nod, I think some weight reduction first, then look at some exercise.
I am a firm believer, if one can, a combination of diet and exercise, is the best method to control T2 diabetes.
Anything will do that raises your heart beat, even if that means pumping air in a 3 minute vigorous out burst to start with.
But that is for now, exercise will not always be an option for me or many others as we get older.
Jasvinyl wrote,
Perhaps you could enlist the help of your partner and kids (if old enough) to actively help keep an eye on you and to give you reminders and nudges if you start to slip again. Your side of the bargain is to take on board what they say with good grace and positivity. The more out in the open it is for you (all) can only be a benefit.
Unfortunately I have rather blotted my copy book with Mrs S, kids and family, lots of broken promises and sound bytes that I would do something and nothing--- yet still maintaining a gung-ho attitude to my diabetes.
But my diabetes started to visit the family and kids in other ways, by supporting me they were not eating in front of me, not eating what they wanted, stopped inviting friends around for dinner, not fair—not fair on them at all, they were doing a lot, I was doing sod all.
So no Jericho trumpets this time around, I am having to this for myself and some what by myself,
but I’ll have their support.
I read sweetpeanut's links with great interest.
Clearly there is a lot of evidence to say the Keto diet works for many and they are able to maintain their weight.
But I’m not convinced adding fat to a fat belly is the way to go for me, what insulin I am producing is having trouble enough dealing with the tummy I have.
As epicurian wrote, " it doesn’t matter how it happens it's weight loss that is consistently associated with improved health markers," but I’m not convinced for a diabetic such as me the Keto diet is best.
I thought Red Whine’s post ( 37 ) was the way to go but I don’t have that kind of discipline with food---I'm not sure I ever will.
I have been asked what the scare was as mentioned in my first post that triggered my rush to gain control, I OD,---not deliberately or anything like that, the incident is however indirectly related to my new found resolve.
But as shmisk and others wrote, it’s doing stuff, my resolve is for my wife and kids, I owe it to them and I have let myself down.
WonkeyDonkey wrote something in another related thread---kind of,--- which I have picked at but it struck another cord.
----“Extreme over-eating really can be closer to anorexia than people often want to admit: both conditions can have a clinically obsessive component.”
and
“who lived in a world of micro-management and padlocks and endless vigilance that most of us can barely imagine.”
At the moment I have lost so much control, that micro-managing is the only option I feel available to me, it’s tough, the maintaining and I’m going to loose---but it’s my condition.
As I wrote,
The simple reason for my method, my vegetable diet is laziness, it's easy to prepare, a couple of pre packed mixed vegetables, in the pressure pot, a stock cube and two slices of dry granary bread and out of the kitchen quick.
On it I can do nothing but loose weight and yes there is the short lived euphoria of getting into and wearing jeans size 42 at some time but this yo-yoing I feel is more damaging then remaining overweight.
Will probably have to go on Metformin and Gabapentin (or the alternative).
Not sure what else to do if I can't get rid of the neuropathy pain as it is just taking it out of me all day.
No, my cholesterol is not too bad, it is my blood sugar that is the main problem.
I really don't want to have to take a load of tablets every day unless I can help it.
I have enough trouble swallowing the Gabapentin capsules. I also hope the metformin doesn't give me too much trouble with my stomach as I already have IBS.
I only learnt about it a couple of years ago, but by that time it was too late as I was just developing neuropathy at that time.
Metformin are quite large but I can swallow two at a time.
I have tolerated them well but even now, ( but rarely ), they can cause me real severe stomach cramps, never take them on a empty stomach, eat a couple of mouthfuls first of any meal.
I hope all goes well for you.
I assume you have tried natural alternatives to lowering your sugar levels?
Cheers and you too.
Ever since I was kick out of my parents home I've suffered stress from neighbours and at work. I thought I did well not getting into drugs or alcohol, but my 'drug' of choice was sugar in the form of Coca Cola and sweets.
I couldn't go a day without a 2lt bottle of coke or a bag of sweets.
I did this for over 25 years, till I realised I might be diabetic.
I tried a couple of time to eat well (cook my own food) and exercise (do the gardening or a walk) but it wouldn't last long till something stressed me and I ended up on the coke again.
But this last time seems to have tipped me over in to neuropathy so I do not know if I can come back from it now or if I have gone too far.
I just hope the Doctor can do more than offer tablets.
You might want to read up on cinnamon in diabetic studies, it's not long term control in anyway but taking cinnamon did work for me for some while in lowering glucose levels/readings,---this was before I was taking metformin or any other medication.
You can lessen the pain of neuropathy but it will take time and it is all about control.
Why do you say to stay off statins please?
He has been on them for a few years now to reduce his cholesterol I think.
If you are diabetic then I'd reccomend staying off the full sugar fizzy drinks in general. I did a post further up on this page to the OP, have a read of it but if you can't find it, go onto the Diabetes UK website and call them for their magazine that covers a lot of things in how to live/deal being a diabetic.
I think some people are put off by the potential side effects. They will be listed on the leaflets that come with the tablets.
It's a personal opinion only with a fair amount of reading behind it.
Clearly there are many who will swear they owe their life to taking statins and current studies/research show for those that do-- the benefit of doing so.
But I have been of the opinion for a long time that T2s and statins are not a good mix and can kick start or exacerbate neuropathy.
And I'm always suspicious when a particular family of drug are pushed by doctors---as statins are.
Then again if I had my way, everyone past 50, I'd have them on a circularly dose of Asprin.
I have also lost 2 stone by eating properly and regularly and walking our cliff paths every day...I'm 'in training' for a 40 mile walk next year!
I used to hate taking tablets, always had to have paracetamol caplets with the coating on them as I couldn't swallow them either! I have no trouble with the Metformin. They're slightly smaller than a paracetamol tablet, and about the same thickness as a neurofen tablet!
First thing I did was switch to diet drinks - I will warn you, after years of drinking 'normal' fizz they're horrid!! I can't stand diet Coke and will only drink it in pubs etc when it's cold. I prefer diet Pepsi and find the diet Fanta really nice too. If you drink squash, we buy the cheap orange from Tesco, 95p for a (I think) 2lt bottle and it lasts ages - both myself and my boyfriend drink it (we drank it before I knew I was diabetic) and we both take it to work and drink it there!
In the last few days Tesco have had a magazine about Diabetes as they do a lot of work with Diabetes UK. If you want I can see if there's any left and grab a couple of copies and post them off - I haven't actually got around to reading mine yet!!
Good for you.
It's really brave to face up to something that scares you like this, you should be proud.
I'm ok with Diet Coke but I prefer the Diet lemonades or zero versions of Sprite/7 Up and yes the Fanta one is good too.
I was also recommended eating raisins whenever I felt like I needed a bit of a sugar rush but didn't want to have something fattening at the same time and it worked for me quite well but you have to be careful with raisins not to have too much too soon too.
Best thing imo is to experiment with your diet as much as you need to on foods that tick the boxes on diabetes and once you have a good range of foods that are good for diabetics and give you plenty of choice in what to eat then away you go on the food side at least.
Thanks...I am cautiously proud...:)
I've had food problems for just about most of my 47 years..I'm only 3 months into a 'normal' eating/exercise pattern..One day at a time is my motto at the moment!
You won't break a sugar addiction or control your blood sugar levels by continuing to consume vast quantities of sugar.
You're doing the same thing you've always done, which is doomed to fail long term. Cutting out bread, pasta and sweets isn't a fad. For you, it is the sensible option.
On nuts, you have to be careful with the salt levels. 6g is the maximum daily guideline amount. I find sticking to the salt limit the hardest.
On bread, I'm sure I've read in the Diabetes UK magazine that they recommend having something "starchy" in every mean and bread is one of the things I think they list as "starchy" but a slice of bread often has a fair bit of salt in it too imo. Normally around 0.5/ 0.6 grams of salt per slice.
Mine was from sweets and fizzy drinks, so replacing them with bread and other carbohydrates would probably be better than not doing it.
But if your diabetes was from over eating carbohydrates the of course it would be better to limit them.
Mini Jelly babies and jelly beans were my vice.
I bought a 3kg pack of mini jelly babies from Amazon. Dangerous stuff.
But it does mean if we can give them up that it is easier to cut out sugar and eat healthily.