Hba1c motivation

[Mrs Mimoo]

Thank you both . Tbh I don’t think I have truly accepted it . There has been changes to food intake which have been great . alas I have not stuck with them . I know what I should do I just don’t .
Cheers

I have eliminated simple carbs as I don't want my toes to drop off, me to go blind, or suffer neuropathy. It was a very simple motivation, I was very scared. And a little bit ashamed. I now eat low carb, a smaller quantity of food and have lost 10.1kg. Will now lose another 10kg as now I know how to do it. Beige food is banned. Sweets banned. Sugar banned.

Instead, a tasty and healthy world of veg, lovely protein and full fat dairy is quite alright. I think you should try to get back on track as your life is worth it.

 

[Mrs Mimoo]

Perhaps you could try to find motivation in the "bad stuff": if there are foods you really like and keep going back to them, you could, one by one, learn recipes to get better versions of the bad stuff. For instance: if you fall for cookies, then you'd learn and make a few cookies low carb recipes.

Nowadays, there are so many recipes available on youtube with all the steps explained!

Finding the ingredients can be a problem, depending where in the world you are and your budget. I hope that isn't a problem for you.

Then there's ranting. If you find you feel at least a little better ranting, then try to remember to rant here before eating the "bad stuff". Who knows, it could keep you from eating the bad stuff at least a few times.

Motivation for exercising: I don't know if it applies to you, but if you're interested in ideas, here it is one. I like music and I only listen to some of them when I walk, or jog. So, I kind of look forward to going for a walk, so I can listen to my favorite music. I also listen to podcasts sometimes, while walking. When I find a good one, I'll walk the extra length to hear the end of an episode. Phones can read books, too. Any books. Free apps, no need to pay for the service and it works offline.

I hope you find your motivation. Sometimes a good, old cry helps to take things off our chest and feel a little better when life just seem to suck.

I'm rooting for you!

This is a good philosphy. I loved chips and pasta. Now I eat celeriac chips, and konjac pasta. Low carb. Job done!!!!!

 

[Drummer]

Diner today - beef and mushroom casserole, a little onion, a tomato and a vege mix from the freezer, with a salad - coffee with cream. Really tasty. I really would not want to abandon this way of eating

 

[CELTICDUFF]

Cheers Drummer .
Thanks Mrs Mimoo , I am glad the motivation I find difficult, you felt easier .

 

[Gwynn]

Motivation is a fascinating thing.

I wonder, does it start from loving one's self and wanting to be better in one's self. I think that negativity and self loathing probably don't help most people. But wanting to feel better, do more, actually be healthier might, just might inspire some to try to find strategies to help. Of course, that can also terrify others as they see just how far from being 'better', etc they are and that can be very off putting.

It's a bit like being at the foot of mount Everest and looking up to the top. Some relish the challenge, the drama, the stress, the effort, etc. Others (like me) might feel intimidated, fearful. And yet others might just walk away totally disinterested.

If there is fear, it can be tackled head on with courage, determination and support. If there is just complete disinterest I am not sure that anything can be done unless the disinterest is really a mask for fear. That often comes out as 'I just can't be bothered'.

Often when people are angry: angry at themselves, angry at the GP and the diagnosis, angry at life and the way it has turned out, angry at the unfairness over the situation, it can exhibit itself as disinterest or a refusal to do anything about it all.

Often when people are fearful they bury their head in the sand, denial, or they just presfer not to have to deal with something so big and so unfair.

Trouble is things cannot improve unless the problem is tackled in some way and often that needs real support. I found this forum was and is a real support and help to me.

Another difficulty to motivation comes from the reward or disaster being a long long way off. No quick fix and no instant bodily disaster either. So a sort of mental lethargy can creep in. 'No need to bother right now' sort of thing. It can become a not very helpful mind set.

I hope that you find the support, help and motivation through this forum. I certainly did. I certainly do.

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

Hoping you find one small step you can take today @CELTICDUFF

Motivation is a very personal thing with diabetes management. The ‘threat’ of long-term nasties down the road can feel very motivating for some, but are entirely demotivating for others (who get a sense of fatalism and ‘what’s the point’ in spades).

I was really struck by a post from a T1 in the US on this subject, which really spoke to me.

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Most people put their hard work into something with tangible results.​

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Chopping, dicing, mincing, stirring, baking, grilling, zesting... these things result (hopefully) in a satisfying meal.​

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We study hard and stay up late into the night and morning to cram for exams, so we can hold that hard-earned diploma in our hands.​

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We wake up early and throw ourselves into whatever it is we do as a vocation, and can find gratification in reputation, self worth, and means to earn a living.​

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We sweat and stretch and exert, so that our bodies stay healthy. So that we can win a medal. So that we can beat someone in a round of basketball.​

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We meticulously count calories and track exertion, so that we might lose (or gain) weight.​

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In all these things, there is a goal to reach. An achievement to celebrate. But when it comes to diabetes, the ideal end game of all our hard work is... nothing.​

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We work hard so that nothing happens. So that we keep our eyes, kidneys, feet, and everything else free from harm. We do all of this so that diabetes remains an invisible monster.​

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(What sort of motivating tool is that, anyway? Aiming for nothing? Nothing is a lousy reward.)​

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I think that's part of why living with diabetes can feel so burdensome at times - not only do we deal with the counting, the equations, the guessing, the emotions, the never-endingness of it all, but we do it all just to "keep up". Just to be "normal". We do it all so that nothing seems out of the ordinary.​

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We hope that all of that "something" we do leads to nothing.​

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The best possible result of our work is that you will never know there was any work to be done in the first place.​

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What We Aim For.

Most people put their hard work into something with tangible results. Chopping, dicing, mincing, stirring, baking, grilling, zesting.....

www.textingmypancreas.com

Conversely… no small action you take, no positive choice you make among all the less-ideal ones counts for nothing. Everything adds up. Every positive choice matters.

As Tesco would suggest - every little helps.

Keep going!

 

[Leadinglights]

I suppose my motivation is that my daughters and grandchildren have a Mum and Grandma which I didn't as both my parents passed away when I was a teenager.

 

[Vonny]

@Gwynn is so right...it really is like standing at the foot of Everest, and I could never, ever have got where I am if I'd dared to look at the long haul. Instead I took one day at a time, horrible, awful days to start with, then it got a wee bit easier, than a little easier still until it became a way of life. And yes, I fall off the wagon on occasion, but I come on this forum and read all the success stories and it gives me the strength to get back on it. Wishing you the very best of luck

 

[rebrascora]

@Gwynn is so right...it really is like standing at the foot of Everest, and I could never, ever have got where I am if I'd dared to look at the long haul. Instead I took one day at a time, horrible, awful days to start with, then it got a wee bit easier, than a little easier still until it became a way of life. And yes, I fall off the wagon on occasion, but I come on this forum and read all the success stories and it gives me the strength to get back on it. Wishing you the very best of luck

And of course, you yourself are one of those amazing success stories, Vonny!

Personally, I used "the guilt" that I felt in having done this to myself and the thought that it might be reversible if i really put some effort into it, to motivate me. Unfortunately as it turned out I am actually Type 1 so that wasn't possible but by then I had got my head around it and had got into a habit of managing it and as a perfectionist, I like doing things well.

Freestyle Libre also really helps to keep me engaged and I tend to treat it like a long running computer game rather than a health condition. I wonder if a free trial of the system might help you gain a different perspective.

 

[nonethewiser]

We all have motivation deep inside, just have to dig deep & find it.

 

[CELTICDUFF]

Thank You everyone. I have started to reduce the carbs , chocolate, crisps that I eat.