Hello!

[MarioMora]

I'm not from UK, I'm from the USA, Miami.

I was diagnosed six months ago and learned a bit about how to live with it, but I want to know more. I haven’t learned how to cook the right food yet, but so far I can’t come to terms with life without sugar. Also, I like the topics with books about diabetes, this is a really interesting section. So, I'm glad to find smt useful here and communicate.

Mario

 

[Inka]

Welcome @MarioMora 🙂

You can still have sugar and sweet things - you just need to have them in moderation, at good times, and watch your portion size. Eg I had ice cream for dessert tonight, and an apple sponge pudding the other day. As long as you don’t overdo it and count the carbs correctly you should be ok.

What insulins are you on?

 

[rebrascora]

Hi and welcome from me too.

I was a self confessed sugar addict pre diagnosis. I would not like to share the amount of sugar and sweet stuff I would regularly consume in a day. I was initially assumed to be Type 2 because of my self confessed sweet stuff issue and started on oral meds and progressively stricter diet until eventually I cut out all major carb groups. The last thing to go was my morning porridge and I managed to get my first "in range" fasting reading the next day, but that was no pasta, potatoes, rice, bread, breakfast cereals, beans or anything carb rich and I went cold turkey with sugar and sweet stuff the first couple of weeks as I was desperate to reverse my Type 2 diagnosis. Sadly it wasn't to be and I was started on insulin the following week (8 weeks from symptom onset and 6 weeks from diagnosis) and by then I had thankfully broken my sugar habit and I am really thankful for that. I continue to eat low carb, higher fat and find that I don't get cravings anymore, eat much less and hardly ever feel hungry. I enjoy my food now as much, maybe more than I did then but I am in control now and I really like that. Cheese is my new chocolate although I do eat the odd square of dark 70+% chocolate which is enough. I have double cream in my morning coffee instead of the 3+spoons of sugar I used to tip in before and whilst I always said I would never drink coffee without sugar, I really relish my morning coffee. I have yoghurt berries and seeds with a sprinkle of lower carb granola for breakfast and a chunk of cheese or a handful of nuts at lunchtime or sometimes nothing and evening meal is meat or fish and veg or salad occasionally with a couple of pieces of sweet potato or celeriac chips (fries as you would call them). At 56 I feel fitter than I have for 30 years and I am almost down to the size I was when I was 18, so I feel it is a very healthy diet for me.

I am almost 2 years down the line but I can see myself maintaining this way of eating for the rest of my life and it no longer bothers me when people eat cake or biscuits or sweets in front of me and it is easy to say "no thank you" when offered.... which really blows my mind!! Added to that, I currently only need basal insulin once a day in the morning and only have to bolus for breakfast. The minimal carbs I eat and exercise I get takes care of my levels for the rest of the day, so I almost feel like a part time diabetic, which takes a bit of the relentless strain off it. Don't think I could manage going back to calculating and injecting 3 meals a day.

I'm not saying this would work for everyone by any means but it is another option to consider. I won't deny it was difficult at the start but i was so focused on getting my diabetes into remission because I felt so guilty that I had caused this through my sugar addiction, that I just put my head down and ploughed through it. By the time I was started on insulin and told to eat normally, this was my normal and I was frightened to stray from it because I know how easily I would slide back to abusing my body with sugar again.... like any addict .... and I love being in control.

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

Welcome to the forum @MarioMora

Sorry to hear about your diagnosis.

Are you travelling? Your IP address suggests Venezuela.