Hunger games

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Davidrherb

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Relationship to Diabetes
Type 2
Hi there. This is my first post.
I'd be really interested to know how people manage hunger with type 2 diabetes. I've just had a good bowl of porridge with cinnamon and banana (love it), some tomato and cheese for my breakfast, and still feel so hungry. Is this common? What do others do about it?
 
Welcome to the forum, David. I do get hungry between meals, but always have done. I try not to snack but if I do, I choose things that won't affect my blood sugar levels, such as a handful of nuts or a small slice of cheese.
 
Thanks Mark. You've done well. I was diagnosed last May with HBA1c of 54. That was down to 35 by November after metformin, diet and exercise. Now it's just diet and exercise. I'll take your advice - I've tended to forget things like the handful of nuts and gone for bread and cake - supposedly diabetic friendly but possibly not properly balanced as a diet.
 
Davidrherb said:
bread and cake - supposedly diabetic friendly
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Hi David, not sure if I have misunderstood but bread and cake is absolutely not diabetic friendly. Both contain carbohydrates so will increase your blood sugar levels.
regards
zx
 
Hi David, yours is a very interesting question. So often when we talk about food in the context of diabetes it's all about levels, forgetting things like feeling hungry!
The cake in your post is full of carbs but whether or not you can tolerate them is something you would only know by testing. For me as a type 1, I would need quite a lot of insulin to cover that and would expect it to generate quite a spike in my glucose levels. It's not only sugar that raises our levels as I am sure you probably know, but all carbohydrates.
The hunger pangs might be a symptom of high levels though, especially when you have just eaten.
 
I agree with Radders, that cake is not just a sugar bomb from the dried fruit, but wholemeal flour full of carbohydrate. I might use it to correct a hypo, but wouldn't dare have it as a snack.:confused:
 
Radders said:
The hunger pangs might be a symptom of high levels though, especially when you have just eaten.
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What carbs do is make one addicted to them! LOL How they do this is, by shooting our blood glucose up sharply, then shortly afterwards, they plummet even quicker. Our body takes this as a sign - a sign that we are hungry! But actually - we're not. Because our BG is high and our body doesn't have the means (because it has either/or lack of insulin or insulin resistance) the energy the carbs are supposed to provide, simply can't get into our cells - which is what tells US we must be hungry.

But actually we aren't whether we are getting terrible signs of it or not. So we have to fool it somehow to stop it doing this. Best way is to have a bit more protein and less carbs. So eg bacon and egg is fine - but don't have shedloads of bread with it.

Porridge might actually be OK (everyone differs so you might be OK and you might not) but then you added more carb with the banana - which is a bit of an overload for anyone - let alone a diabetic.
 
Welcome to the forum, I agree that the carbs are making you hungry, I was a huge carb eater and always hungry, since switching to a low carb lifestyle I am rarely hungry.
 
I used to edit porridge, but I no longer do because of what it does to my BG, but when I was eating porridge (I loved it!) I found that I was hungry an hour or so later, even though it's supposed to keep you full for a while. I never found that the case, and banana is quite high GI, so I avoid them as well.
I just have two eggs for breakfast, cooked whichever way I can be bothered before work, and this keeps me feeling full for hours.
 
trophywench said:
What carbs do is make one addicted to them! LOL How they do this is, by shooting our blood glucose up sharply, then shortly afterwards, they plummet even quicker. Our body takes this as a sign - a sign that we are hungry! But actually - we're not. Because our BG is high and our body doesn't have the means (because it has either/or lack of insulin or insulin resistance) the energy the carbs are supposed to provide, simply can't get into our cells - which is what tells US we must be hungry.

But actually we aren't whether we are getting terrible signs of it or not. So we have to fool it somehow to stop it doing this. Best way is to have a bit more protein and less carbs. So eg bacon and egg is fine - but don't have shedloads of bread with it.

Porridge might actually be OK (everyone differs so you might be OK and you might not) but then you added more carb with the banana - which is a bit of an overload for
Thanks for this Menny.
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Thanks for all this advice. I can understand what is happening better now, and will increase protein and decrease carbs. Shame about the porridge though.
 
Hi David, welcome. I haven'read all your posts or replies so apologies if you already test your blood glucose (BG)
If you'd like to test and your gp practice won't provide you a meter and test strips. The SD Codefree from Amazon or directly from Homehealth is the cheapest one to self fund, the test strips cost around £7 for 50 ,where other brands are £15 to £25
You'll also need to buy more lancets and test strips as starter kits only provide around 10
We use the mmol/l measurement in the Uk
https://homehealth-uk.com/all-products/codefree-blood-glucose-monitoring-system-mmoll-or-mgdl/
TBH testing before eating and two hours afterwards is the only way we can tell how foods affects us, as we are all different in what our bodies can tolerated, I can eat porridge 🙂
 
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The biggest mystery by far about porridge as far as I'm concerned is, how the hell anyone can like it in the first place! I take after my mother in this obviously since it was simply not in our house. I had never been even tempted by it since no-one I was ever with at breakfast time liked it, until I moved in with Pete when I was 48. He bought some since it is alleged to be good for you, and made it for me. Oh, God - pale grey with the consistency of wallpaper paste ...... triple Yuk, and I heaved after the first teaspoonful.

Prawns, smoked salmon and gin and tonic, however, are just some of the other things Ma didn't like so we never experienced, which I tried later and loved, so I don't think it's entirely parent-induced ingrained prejudice !
 
I could only eat porridge with a ton of sugar on it.😱
 
I seem to be the odd one out so far as I can tolerate porridge as long as I take my insulin 30 mins beforehand. It keeps me full all morning.
As we say, everyone is different :D
 
I have porridge every day - made in the microwave with milk and water. I sprinkle milled flaxseed and chia seeds on. Keeps me going. Love it. 🙂
 
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