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Diabetes Burnout

Hi @CatB67 and welcome to the Forum 🙂 . I'm so glad you decided to join as you're not alone and we can all relate to the fact that sometimes it's a complete pain having to manage the condition!
 
I find worrying about food is constantly on my mind when I sit around the house which is a lot as I retired, the only time I forget about food and diabetes is when I'm fishing, don't give it a thought at all. Maybe throw yourself in to a new hobby might help mate, it works for me 😉
 
CatB67 said:
.I've got homemade meals in the freezer that I made from scratch, chicken mince cottage pie with carrot mash and quorn meatballs with wholewheat spaghetti
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Would you like to send your meals my way. They sound delicious.

Welcome to the forum. I am glad that you have found us, and many of us have found times when managing our diabetes just becomes hard work. The idea of focusing on the foods that you feel that you can eat sounds a good plan. Could you come up with new recipes that involve those.

On my weeks to cook I really like choosing a different recipe book from the shelf and then planning what I will cook for that week. I do find I often revert back to Nigel Slater’s 30 min cookbook, and I think I have tried them all. We have notes on pages about what portions to use to reach our portions size that works for us (about 30g of carbs per meal). I find that a different book gives me knew ideas. I even reverted to book I bought when at uni (and that was a long long time ago!!)

I also went through burnout and it took me a while to ask for help. I am glad that I did. Do talk to your GP or to your nurse. In many areas you can self refer to support services. Don’t be afraid to do this.
Let us know how you get on.
 
Ian Robinson said:
I find worrying about food is constantly on my mind when I sit around the house which is a lot as I retired, the only time I forget about food and diabetes is when I'm fishing, don't give it a thought at all. Maybe throw yourself in to a new hobby might help mate, it works for me 😉
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Yes im the same, I do sewing and craft work to distract myself...it certainly helps..it's so good to know people feel the same as me...I dont mean that in a horrible way but in away that you understand what im going through...im pleased you have found something that helps you switch off
 
SB2015 said:
Would you like to send your meals my way. They sound delicious.

Welcome to the forum. I am glad that you have found us, and many of us have found times when managing our diabetes just becomes hard work. The idea of focusing on the foods that you feel that you can eat sounds a good plan. Could you come up with new recipes that involve those.

On my weeks to cook I really like choosing a different recipe book from the shelf and then planning what I will cook for that week. I do find I often revert back to Nigel Slater’s 30 min cookbook, and I think I have tried them all. We have notes on pages about what portions to use to reach our portions size that works for us (about 30g of carbs per meal). I find that a different book gives me knew ideas. I even reverted to book I bought when at uni (and that was a long long time ago!!)

I also went through burnout and it took me a while to ask for help. I am glad that I did. Do talk to your GP or to your nurse. In many areas you can self refer to support services. Don’t be afraid to do this.
Let us know how you get on.
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I have a book I write my recipes in that i like and that are diabetic.i suppose it's just taking me a while to find a variety of foods that I like that I can eat....it's hard to get a GP app let along speak to the diabetic nurse I've had very little support since ivwas diagnosed 2 years ago....
 
saffron15 said:
@CatB67 welcome to the forum. How long ago were you diagnosed?
My best friends husband has had diabetes for more than twenty years but they live a long way from me. I don't know anyone else with diabetes, certainly no family members are type 1 or 2. I asked to be tested last year having assumed wrongly that my almost annual blood test for high blood pressure was being checked. Turned out they stopped checking 10 years ago. I get slightly jealous of people who have been told they are prediabetic but maybe I wouldn't have tackled it.
I asked to go on a course last year and asked again in February. I went last week and was disappointed there were only 7 of us and no interaction. However this forum is great.

Do you need to lose any belly fat? Do you cater for just yourself or do you have non diabetics to cater for?
I have days when having eaten carbs I want more!
Good points I piled on weight after an early menopause and had reached a bmi of 32. Cutting out the naughty stuff meant I started losing weight about 2Ibs per week and no calorie counting. My bmi is now 26. I move more and go to a great aquafit class which I leave feeling refreshed.
You sound beautifully organised with your freezer.
I love Greek style yoghurt with berries and nuts or seeds for breakfast. I could happily eat it each day but sometimes have eggs or even a ' lunch' Looking at nutrition labels is tedious but I have found some ready meals I like.
Try and slow down a little. Find some exercise you like. A short ( 10 minute walk) before or after breakfast enjoying looking at the sky flowers etc. or like me an exercise class.
Perhaps work out a meal plan for a week so you don't have to think or be tempted. I try and keep to 130 gms of carbs.
I have the occasional cake - chocolate eclairs are good.
Work out what you need physically and emotionally. If it's a week of the same food that's fine and will give you head space for other things. I've got some Cromer crab which I will have with salad. I bung things in eg pumpkin seeds strawberries olives etc.
If having had a reset you are still finding it difficult to cope ask more questions but also see how your surgery can help.Some areas in the country have diabetic groups.

Good luck
.
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Hi, was diagnosed 2 yrs ago..yes i need to lose belly fat and cater for one non diabetic too. Sounds like you have got yourself a really good routine...I need to sort my head out again and take control of myself...thankyou x
 
CatB67 said:
Hi, was diagnosed 2 yrs ago..yes i need to lose belly fat and cater for one non diabetic too. Sounds like you have got yourself a really good routine...I need to sort my head out again and take control of myself...thankyou x
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It sounds as if you need to refocus and come up with some new ideas. I found this link really helpful as it is based on real food and therefore actually suitable for anyone so you don't have to make separate meals. It is based on a low carbohydrate approach of no more than 130g carbs per day not NO carbs. There are recipes but they don't have to be complicated, just salads and cooked meats, eggs, cheese are all easy. Anyway have a look at the link https://lowcarbfreshwell.com//
Feeling like eating when the weather is hot doesn't help.
 
Sorry to hear what a tough time you’ve been having @CatB67

Hope you’ve found it encouraging to compare experiences with others facing the same challenges.

Feeling burnt out and overwhelmed is not at all unusual with a long-term condition like diabetes.

Hang in there! Trying to break things down into smaller / manageable pieces can help. And don’t feel like you have to “fix everything all at once. Taking small steps in the right direction, and building a sustainable approach that you can stick to, and gradually tweak to make improvements on, is most likely better than going “all out” and not being able to keep it up?
 
everydayupsanddowns said:
Sorry to hear what a tough time you’ve been having @CatB67

Hope you’ve found it encouraging to compare experiences with others facing the same challenges.

Feeling burnt out and overwhelmed is not at all unusual with a long-term condition like diabetes.

Hang in there! Trying to break things down into smaller / manageable pieces can help. And don’t feel like you have to “fix everything all at once. Taking small steps in the right direction, and building a sustainable approach that you can stick to, and gradually tweak to make improvements on, is most likely better than going “all out” and not being able to keep it up?
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That is so true and I am a bit of all or nothing person so trying to learn to pace myself too...thankyou
 
hope today is a better day for you cat
 
Hi @CatB67 welcome, but so sad to hear how you are feeling. As someone else said, everyone can feel that way sometimes as the pressure of living a life while trying to manage diabetes is stressful and not always simple.
My lifestyle changes included changing may diet and stopping eating lots of things that I really loved but, with recommendations from these forums I have found replacements for many of the things that I loved such as bread, potatoes, rice, pasta and noodles. Overtime I have found that some things like potatoes and rice can be added back into my diet although only in small amount (circa 50-60g cooked). From the sound of your home cooked meals, you already appear to have started to find replacements.
Things like the freshwell app are really good and simply searching on the internet for Keto recipes provides access to lots of low carb options. My favourite site is the SugarFreeLondoner as recipes there include lots of sweet treats that are also very low carb. My wife did a no bake cheesecake for my birthday last month and my regular desert is a low carb chocolate cake that she found on BBC Good Food website (possibly under Keto recipes). Getting a selection of recipes in a folder means you have your own little recipe book that you can use.
Finally, I don't know if you are single or live alone, but try not to become isolated as that can exacerbate your current feelings/depression. People may not understand your issues but if they are good friends they should be able to provide empathy or join in activities to get you focussed on other things that are more pleasurable.
 
JimmyBlue said:
Hi @CatB67 welcome, but so sad to hear how you are feeling. As someone else said, everyone can feel that way sometimes as the pressure of living a life while trying to manage diabetes is stressful and not always simple.
My lifestyle changes included changing may diet and stopping eating lots of things that I really loved but, with recommendations from these forums I have found replacements for many of the things that I loved such as bread, potatoes, rice, pasta and noodles. Overtime I have found that some things like potatoes and rice can be added back into my diet although only in small amount (circa 50-60g cooked). From the sound of your home cooked meals, you already appear to have started to find replacements.
Things like the freshwell app are really good and simply searching on the internet for Keto recipes provides access to lots of low carb options. My favourite site is the SugarFreeLondoner as recipes there include lots of sweet treats that are also very low carb. My wife did a no bake cheesecake for my birthday last month and my regular desert is a low carb chocolate cake that she found on BBC Good Food website (possibly under Keto recipes). Getting a selection of recipes in a folder means you have your own little recipe book that you can use.
Finally, I don't know if you are single or live alone, but try not to become isolated as that can exacerbate your current feelings/depression. People may not understand your issues but if they are good friends they should be able to provide empathy or join in activities to get you focussed on other things that are more pleasurable.
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That's really good to hear, i have a sweet tooth so will get looking for alternatives also.. your chocolate cake sounds lovely...lol...thankyou for responding, reading your story gives me hope
 
Hi @CatB67 and welcome. So glad you have found the forum. It's such a friendly place with plenty of advice and support.
Sorry to hear you are experiencing burnout. It's not much fun feeling like you never get a day off from you diabetes. There are people on the forum who have battled with burnout so you are certainly not alone.
I have been diagnosed almost 18 months ago and like you I am a bit all or nothing. My HbA1C was so high I panicked and stopped eating nearly all carbs particularly processed food like pastries.
I take a more balanced view now, and do eat small amounts of bread and potatoes etc. I generally eat the same as my hubby just tweak the portion sizes and eat more veg and meat/fish as I want to maintain my weight.
Feel free to vent or ask for help.
 
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