Hello there

[mummychef:)]

Good morning, I've just joined hoping that I can tips and ideas on how to sort myself out. I've been on a program initiated by the diabetic nurse which was very good when I stuck to it but as all diets you slip off the wagon abit then before you know it your back to square one. We go away alot and I find it difficult to know what to eat on restricted amount of space etc. I am to be honest thinking about food all the time. I walk my dog every single day.If anyone has any ideas please get in touch, much appreciated

 

[Ditto]

Hello and welcome. 🙂

 

[Callista]

I think about food a lot too - always have done! I love eating, I love meals, I love food. I'm greedy and gluttonous and I find tasty food very, very enjoyable. I have a sweet tooth but a creamy one - I don't like royal icing, but adore buttercream icing (etc etc). I love 'meat fat' (eg, crispy fatty skin off roasted lamb), and I love vegetables with butter, and salads with dressing, and I love fresh bread with loads of butter and apricot jam, and Iove red velvet cake and I love.... (you get the picture).

For 'gluttons' like me, passing by food is hard, hard, hard.

Personally, I find the 'key' to low carb is to go high-protein and high-fibre. That helps to 'fill me up' so I don't have the 'I haven't had bread/pasta/potatoes/rice so I can't be full yet' problem.

What if you made a list of what you ate when you were being 'good' and what foods (and what amounts of food) you let 'slip in' when you started to slide? That may give you a clue where the danger points are?

This may not help directly with diabetes issues, but some folk can do a 5/2 approach to food - they eat 'well' for 5 days, then the next two are calorie restricted.

Others just cut out 'one thing' (eg, chocolate) from their 'glutton-diet'. At least to start with.

Sliding back to Square One is always depressing - so often we just throw in the towel, and use succumbing to, say, one slice of toast as some kind of signal to eat the whole damn loaf because, hey, we've fallen off the wagon and we 'might as well be hanged for a sheep as a lamb' etc.

The key, I personally think, is to learn where our weaknesses are - and our strengths. It's individual to all of us, but we have to work 'with' our body, try not to fight our cravings, but to manage, steer and minimise them.

 

[Leadinglights]

The problem with many of these programs, diets, etc is that people regard them as a short term quick fix but in reality it needs to be a new way of eating for the rest of your life and as such needs to be enjoyable otherwise it will not be sustainable.
I certainly have found a low carb regime is exactly that. Meals are based on meat, fish, eggs, cheese, dairy with lots of vegetables and salads and fruit like berries. I tend to use herbs and spices rather than pre-prepared sauces
Have a look at this link for ideas that may get you back on track. https://lowcarbfreshwell.co.uk/.

 

[Vonny]

Best way I found was to not think of it as a "diet", but a new way of eating, and taking it one day at a time. By the end of a fortnight I found I no longer craved the carbs which opened up a more sustainable way of doing it. I used to think about food all the time, now it's only when I'm bored. As long as I'm busy I can even forget to eat which isn't necessarily a good thing! But days when I'm working, it is sometimes hard not to think "isn't it lunchtime yet" every 10 minutes 😉 When I'm not at work, I just take myself off for a walk round the block if I find myself thinking about food.

 

[Maria DUK]

Good morning @mummychef:) and welcome to the forum 🙂 the forum is a really good way to find motivation to stay on track and to get back on that wagon! You're trying which means that you're off to a great start. Our forum users have really good ideas and insights into lifestyle and nutrition.

 

[Callista]

The problem with many of these programs, diets, etc is that people regard them as a short term quick fix but in reality it needs to be a new way of eating for the rest of your life and as such needs to be enjoyable otherwise it will not be sustainable.
**

Absolutely! And Vonny, glad to hear I'm not the only person who thinks about food all day, and when they can next get to stuff their face!!!

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

Welcome to the forum @mummychef:)

Glad you have joined us 🙂

I think thinking about food all the time is pretty common when you live with diabetes - it kinda messes with your relationship to food in my experience.

It’s like someone saying, “Don’t think about a blue monkey” - immediately, it‘s the first thing that pops into your head!

But we have lots of members who have successfully managed to develop a diabetes-friendly way of eating that helps keep them, feeling full, satisfied, and actually enjoying the food they are eating - which makes it self-sustaining.

Have you thought about using a BG meter to investigate your reactions to different foods - to see what sort of portion-sizes of different sources of carbs your metabolism is happy with?

 

[42istheanswer]

Welcome to the forum @mummychef:)

Glad you have joined us 🙂

I think thinking about food all the time is pretty common when you live with diabetes - it kinda messes with your relationship to food in my experience.

It’s like someone saying, “Don’t think about a blue monkey” - immediately, it‘s the first thing that pops into your head!

But we have lots of members who have successfully managed to develop a diabetes-friendly way of eating that helps keep them, feeling full, satisfied, and actually enjoying the food they are eating - which makes it self-sustaining.

Have you thought about using a BG meter to investigate your reactions to different foods - to see what sort of portion-sizes of different sources of carbs your metabolism is happy with?

I'm haven't come across that idea with the phrase "blue monkey" @everydayupsanddowns - I usually say "pink elephant". I say it quite a lot as well, mostly to demonstrate to parents that that saying "don't xyz" isn't the most effective instruction (since we process the "don't" after the following bit) - so it's better to phrase directions to children in a positive way - what you want them to do (e.g. say "walk" rather than "don't run")