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I am all over the place!

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scarletthollie5

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Relationship to Diabetes
Type 2
Hi

Joined forum a few weeks ago and got a great warm welcome, have been lurking around during the school holidays as having three teenagers at home does not allow for "me" time on computer!

I diverse! Got diagnosed end of July been put on Metformin initially 1000mg a day and now 1500mg a day. Looked at reducing carbs (I am a great lover of potatoes and bread) so have gone for reducing rather than a complete stop.

Lost some weight on average 1- 2 lbs a week ( a small amount but I am extremely overweight) so was pleased that a was going downwards.
Seen the nurse a few weeks ago and she was pleased with weight loss.

Even been away and managed to lose weight - however the last two days all I have wanted to do is eat but it is a desire for white bread ( I normally eat brown, granary) and chocolate.😱
Help - is this normal or am I have a funny few days:confused:

Any suggestions as what I can do to curb these urges!

Many thanks
 
maybe try going for a nice granary bread of a nice ssded batch , also i do like rivita not to everyones taste and i dont know the carb content etc etc , but i cut out white bread altogether now if it is in the house i dont touch
 
Hi Scarletthollie

I'm trying to low carb too and find that every now and again I have a real craving for good ol fashioned white bread (especially french bread), although not chocolate as much (unless it's 'that time'). I will admit I also give in to it when it strikes as my motto is 'a little of what you fancy does you good' or 'everything in moderation'. I think it's normal for me (well, I have accepted it as normal) and to be honest I think that as long as I dont do it all the time then it should have relatively little effect. However, I'd suggest that if you do give in it may be worth checking your BG's a couple of hours later to see the effect it has on you personally?

Hope this helps!
 
I can only sympathise. My manager brought some fudge back from holiday for me. I worked out how many pieces there were in the box and worked out that at two pieces a day I'd still have some left at the end of next week. Wrong of me, it's all gone already....
 
ScarlettHollie

First of all well done on loosing weight, even small amounts is good, heading in the right direction.

Secondly you're only human (I presume!) so weakness and the odd slip up will happen, and don't beat yourself over it, if anything enjoy it for a short time then get back on the right path.

How to avoid these cravings? Jings no idea, find another healthier snack that you can learn to love, and put your mind off eating by doing another activity.

Best of luck.

Rossi
 
Scarlethollie5, I REALLY sympathise!! I was also diagnosed at end of July, am also very overweight, and am losing a little at a time (WHYYYYY do I have to work SO hard for every bloomin' lb ?? 🙄 ). And before my diagnosis I was a total bread-aholic (and cake-aholic and choc-aholic) !!

I know JUST what you mean - sometimes my deepest desire is for a white bread sandwich!! I can mostly resist,but sometimes I do have to give in (nobody else in the house will touch anything other than white, so I still have to buy it for them) and as Corrinne says, once in a while's not the end of the world. (The worst for me is when we have 'Tiger bread' !! We used to have it every weekend, but now they generally have to go without, cos that IS hard for me to resist! But I do get it for them now and then, and I have to go with the flow on those weekends, lol, although I do have only a small piece, just to get a taste of it.)

It's early days for us both though, and totally re-hashing your general diet isn't easy. I'm not really experienced enough yet to give people advice re diabetes, but personally I'd say if the craving is THAT strong, then give in to it, otherwise it'll drive you MAD !! You may as well get it over with and put it behind you. But maybe have a smaller portion of it than you used to ..........

xx
 
Well done on the weight loss! Slow but steady is an excellent way to lose it, so give yourself a pat on the back!

Weirdly, although I normally eat brown, seeded bread all the time (including before diagnosis), I sometimes fancy white bread. Why, I have no idea! I can't understand people actually preferring it to brown, but sometimes I just really fancy it! Have you thought about getting some of that 'Best of Both'? That might work. I must admit I usually give into it - have a couple of slices of white bread toast, or a white bread bacon buttie, then that seems to be it for another few months. Perhaps you could just get a breadcake fresh from the bakers rather than a loaf from the supermarket?
 
Wow!

Thanks to everyone for the quick replies.

In that odd sort of way, I am pleased that I am not alone (if that makes sense)

I will try not to beat myself up anymore and just take it as being early days and being human (I think) I have to allow for the odd days that will probably occur. I used to get like this premenstrually but having gone through the menopause have not given cravings a second thought. So I will adopt the attitude I had then. Have a little of what I crave and tomorrow is another day!

Many, many thanks I feel a lot better 🙂
 
The cravings mean you are getting it right.

You are addicted to carbs and what you're experiencing is withdrawl symptoms. The body can make glucose from carbs easily - too easily in the case of T2s because the pancreas doesn't keep up. Its quite capable of making glucose out of fat and protein, but its got used to having lots of carbs instead.

So your body just wants to do it the easy way.

It will get used to making glucose out of fat and protein instead, but for the moment its resisting.

The other factor is that if you have reduced your carbs, your BG will be lower than what your body is used to. Again it doesn't like that. Before diagnosis, many T2s have got used to a BG level around the 10-20 range. So if your body is used to 10mmol/l and you get it down to 9, your body's response is "Hey! I'm low! Gimmie some fast carbs quick!".

Again its a case of getting used to lower levels.

You can get "false hypos" because of this. All the symptoms of having low BG (under 4) while still having a BG at a higher level (below 9 for example). If you get false hypos, treat them with a little slow carb and you should be fine. The usual symptoms are slight dizziness, blurred vision etc.

Giving into the cravings will lengthen the time that it takes for your body to get used to lower levels and get used to making glucose out of fat & protein.

So its exactly what you don't want to do at the moment.

Incidentally, rather than just reducing and cutting things out, I'd suggest you use BG testing to work out what food combinations work for you. You might be able to get away with more than you think, or tweak some of the food combinations that you do eat to get better results. Basically learn from your meter:
http://www.diabetes-support.org.uk/joomla/jennifers-advice
 
scarletthollie5 said:
Any suggestions as what I can do to curb these urges!
Click to expand...
I was diagnosed ten years ago and still suffer from the odd urge for chocolate and cakes.😡 I just try not to beat myself up about it now as it leads to a vicious cycle of guilt/depression/more eating.
 
Hi

Thanks so much for the brillant replies - as a newbie to all of this it has been so reassuring to get some great information and support, especially when you are feeling quite lost.🙂

I will follow the guidance and let you know how it goes.

Again a very big thank you to all those who replied
 
scarletthollie5 said:
Hi

Thanks so much for the brillant replies - as a newbie to all of this it has been so reassuring to get some great information and support, especially when you are feeling quite lost.🙂

I will follow the guidance and let you know how it goes.

Again a very big thank you to all those who replied
Click to expand...

anytime hollie we are all here for each other x
 
Probably the reason people like white bread is because of its high glucose content and the comfort factor 🙄. A nutritionist once got me to put a piece of white bread in my mouth and just leave it - I was amazed at how quickly it turned to mush compared to brown bread. I've been on courses that deal with cravings and there are a few things that might be useful such as distraction techniques, removing yourself from the situation and weighing up the pros and cons of giving in. However, that's easier said than done when it involves something like Tiger bread :D
 
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