Food Diary

[vixen]

I've just recently started posting here and some of the good advice I've been given is to start a food diary.

I'm a type 2 diabetic and take Metformin 2000mg daily. I'm also on atorvostatin.

At present I am 15st 9lb (ouch) and my blood sugars are always high.

My eating habits are atrocious. I regularly eat takeaways and love crisps and salted nuts.

Today I tried to behave and ate the following;

Greggs Sausage Roll (I had eaten it before remembering I was meant to be cutting back on carbs)😳

M&S chunky haddock chowder 300g

2 pears

Jar of mussels

M&S ready meal, count on us, Roast Pork Loin in Gravy, New Potatoes, Savoy Cabbage and Carrots.

I'm not a great fan of cooking and today I was really just using food I had available in the house.

I plan to start trying to cook more and will do a food shop this week after reading more here.

Are there any ready meals that you would recommend (for emergencies) and anything in particular that will be useful to have in my shopping trolley. Also any hints and tips would be appreciated?

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[janw]

Hi. I can see you had some high carbs today. Eggs are a great food to have - start your day with an egg, however you fancy it, with bacon or on low carb toast (I love wilted baby spinach with a poached egg), cook up some hard boiled eggs, great for snacks and lunch and full of protein - and 0 carbs. Ready meals tend to be high carb, so I have avoided them. Meat is good and we are allowed fat, including full fat and cream, in moderation of course. Potatoes, pasta, rice, pastry, biscuits, cakes are best avoided, best to have veggies that grow above the ground and stick to berries. Apple or pear as a treat now and again, most other fruits avoid. Apple slices with 100% peanut or almond butter is a good little snack. Check out the threads in the food section, what we eat daily - look for type 2's food - avoid the naughties .. we are all human lol .. and get some ideas of what to try.
If you don't have a blood glucose meter, buy one, you get to see what gives you spikes, then you need to reduce the portion or find an alternative.
Cutting carbs will help you lose weight. You might feel a bit icky to start with as you get used to less carbs, but it doesn't last long and you will soon feel better. Increase exercise too, be it walking, swimming, cycling, some sport - whatever feels right for you.
It is a learning curve, just take your time, check how your blood responds to different carbs - we are all different and react differently. Best of luck.

 

[janw]

This site might be useful to give you a better overview Click Here

 

[vixen]

Thanks for your replies, they really have helped. I've previously tried SW and they basically tell you to cut out most fat whereas healthy diabetic eating allows fat in moderation. I think it will take me a while to get used to that.
Also, I have a meter, but rarely use it. I just dug it out and will follow your suggestion. I used to just use it once daily, at a set time, to get a reading but testing as you advise makes more sense🙂

 

[Docb]

Ready meals is a difficult thing .... depends on what you like and where you shop. I don't think that you have much option other than to become an avid label reader. Ignore the front of the packet, that's just trying to get you buy it. Go straight to the nutritional label on the back and check on the TOTAL carb content. Go for those with the lowest carb content. Don't be surprised to find that different brands of the same "ready meal" have very different carb contents.

My freezer always has ready meals in it, but they are all stuff I have cooked myself. Whenever I make a casserole or the like I will make a big batch, eat some, portion the rest and freeze it.

 

[Lucyr]

This is one of my favourite ready meals for emergencies, have with some steamed veg on the side.

 

[Felinia]

I have a couple of low carb cheat meals which need very little cooking or preparing.

All-in-one Chicken Traybake.
You need a pack of 6 boneless skinless chicken thighs, a pack of Mediterranean roasting vegetables and a pack of diced squash and sweet potatoes. Put the veggies on a tray, spray with 1 cal and sprinkle a teaspoon of Italian seasoning (optional) over the top. Bake on 175 for 20 minutes. Top with the chicken thighs and bake for another 25 minutes.

Slow Cooker chicken.
You need the same chicken thighs or diced beef, and a stew pack, diced. Put n a slow cooker with a stock pot and boiling water, and leave for 8 hours on low. Test the chicken and remove if it is done, but the veg is not, or put it in after a couple of hours. The beef will need the full 8 hours Serve with microwave cauliflower rice

 

[vixen]

I have a couple of low carb cheat meals which need very little cooking or preparing.

All-in-one Chicken Traybake.
You need a pack of 6 boneless skinless chicken thighs, a pack of Mediterranean roasting vegetables and a pack of diced squash and sweet potatoes. Put the veggies on a tray, spray with 1 cal and sprinkle a teaspoon of Italian seasoning (optional) over the top. Bake on 175 for 20 minutes. Top with the chicken thighs and bake for another 25 minutes.

Slow Cooker chicken.
You need the same chicken thighs or diced beef, and a stew pack, diced. Put n a slow cooker with a stock pot and boiling water, and leave for 8 hours on low. Test the chicken and remove if it is done, but the veg is not, or put it in after a couple of hours. The beef will need the full 8 hours Serve with microwave cauliflower rice

Thank you! Those recipes look fantastic and I'll be giving them a try this weekend 🙂