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Hi

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kittycat73

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Type 2
Hi, I registered quite a while ago. I came on tonight for advice about sweeteners and realised I hadn't popped on to say hello! So, 'Hi.' 🙂
I'm a type 2 diabetic, diagnosed a few years now. Had not been doing a very good job, diet wise. 😳 Lost 2.5 stone early this year and have put 1.5 stone back on! Have been dieting for a week (surely it's been months already?! 😳 lol) and no chocolate or sugary snack has passed these lips since last Friday. I feel better able to stick to it now (Still have those wobbly moments though! My danger time is at night.) and realised by not eating it that sugary food was making my anxiety worse. That's one incentive to keep me going.
I never know how to end these type of posts...:D I'll stop blathering on for a start...Lol
 
Hi. @kittycat73 welcome to the forum . I use Silverspoon granulated sweetener in my coffee (I can’t abide tea) , it tastes no different to sugar but it is not suitable for use in cooking. Some sweeteners have a disgusting after taste
Others will be along soon soon . Some here have gone cold turkey and don’t use any sweetener, me ,

One thing though is be very wary of sugar free sweets , one or two too many and they’ll keep you running lol

In time you may well find that you start to lose your sweet tooth . I have .

Ask all the questions you need to about diabetes , we have many knowledgeable people on here.

Oh and don’t worry about how to end a post, it’s not like writing a letter :D.
 
Hello @kittycat73 and thanks for telling us how things are going for you.
It's great that you have manage to re-focus on dieting, and you have previously shown that you can succeed at this, so I am sure it will go well.

Regarding sweeteners, I have tried many through the years but eventually found that the best solution for me was to go 'cold turkey'. Anything sweet tended to increase my sugar cravings and return me to being a chocaholic. It is hard at first, but they say it takes about 2 weeks to break a habit, and after that there is a 'new normal'.

What sort of eating plan are you following, and are you using a glucose monitor to see how different foods effect your blood sugar levels? The main thing is to make sure that you are working towards a plan that leads to permanent changes in eating habits, and is sustainable, as this need to be for the long term.
There is no 'one size fits all' though and you need to find the solution that is right for you.

As well as a lot of help on the various forum links the 'learning Zone' tab at the top of this page contains a lot of help, and please always ask any questions and we will always try to help
 
Hello, Thank you so much for your replies, I was beginning to feel like a Billy no mates...lol! Thank you for the welcome.
I was asking about sweetener as I drink (I know...) a 2lt bottle of Pepsi Max a day. It's my 'sweet treat.' However, all I hear is bad things about it, including it makes/keeps/ you to put on weight because of the sweeteners in it, so I am trying to wean myself off it. However, (I understand what you are saying about the sweet taste and weaning yourself off it.) I have a massive sweet tooth so I was going to replace the Pepsi Max with sweetened decaf coffee. However, I wasn't sure if this was just as bad as the Pepsi Max?! I go on another forum (Mums Net) and read on there the other day that sweeteners give you an insulin spike, and because the body is expecting calories from the sweetness, releases a load of hormone that make you store fat. Do you know if this is true? I don't want to be swapping on for another if I get the same result.
Toucan, I was trying to follow a low carb plan. I'm averaging a bout 130-50g a day. I know that's not quite low enough. I tried some carbs last night (Slimming World oven chips.) and actually felt quite hungry afterwards! I noticed going 'low' carb that the hunger disappeared. (I did test, just after, 3.0, one hour later, 5.8, and another hour after that, 5.0) I'm sort of trying for low carb, but going low cal for now (Around 1200 a day.).
Thanks again for all your replies and help. 🙂
 
I’ve drunk a can or sometimes two of Diet Coke a day for years without any problems.
 
Thanks Ljc. I am trying to cut it down to 2 cans a day (What I used to drink). I had been drinking 2lts a day but have a shop coming Monday with the 1.5lt bottles in it, to slowly wean down. I suffer with insomnia so all that caffeine can't be helping!
 
Welcome to the forum @kittycat73

You have already had loads of useful advice. I am like @Toucan when it comes to sweet things. I am okay so long as I dont touch it at all. However once I start I find it hard to restrict myself to sensible portions. I am better nit to start (However it doesn't always work!)

Do ask any questions you have. Someone will come along with an answer. Sometimes these will differ because we are all different and what works for one doesn't work for another.
 
Welcome to the forum @kittycat73

I'm another who is happy to drink things with sweeteners in them (eg no added sugar squash), and occasional Pepsi/Coke, and I've see no noticeable ill effects, though I probably have one 2l bottle once every 3 months rather than every day!

I think whether a hard stop, or a gradual weaning off approach is the best one is a very personal thing. Some people certainly seem to struggle with one approach, but not the other... so i guess you'll just have to see what works for you 🙂
 
Hi @kittycat73, I'd like to congratulate you on not putting the entire 2.5 stone back on, and trying to get back on track before then. I lost about a stone through exercise only (body combat, Legs, Bums & Tums, Body Pump etc) a couple of years ago, then broke my ankle in 3 places in April 2019 and was non weight bearing for 12 weeks. I'm plated and pinned and can now manage a 5 mile walk with no problems, but I put ALL the weight AND MORE back on in the year between breaking ankle and being diagnosed with T2 in April 2020.

As I don't like sweet stuff, including sugary drinks, I can't give you any tips I'm afraid, I just wanted to give you a massive pat on the back for getting back on the diet wagon! :D x
 
Thank you Vonny. :D Sorry to hear about your ankle, ouch. Glad it's on the mend now! 🙂 My mum's the opposite to me too, she goes for savoury also. For me I can easily pass on the savoury, but waft a bit of chocolate near me...o_O Lol
Thank you for the welcome messages. 🙂
 
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