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Newbie with hba1c high!!
- Thread starter Jan1958
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Toucan
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- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 2
Hello @Jan1958 and welcome to the forum.
I hope we can be of some help through this very difficult time for you.
Have you been Type 2 for very long, and do you know what your latest blood sugar reading is?
I am sure the death of your husband will have thrown eating plans well adrift, but can you give us an idea of what you normally eat apart from the sugary stuff.
Many of us on the forum follow a low-carb diet which helps keep our blood sugars down if this is new to you then a read of
Maggie Davey's letter, is quite a good introduction to this style of eating.
Sugar cravings are difficult things to deal with at the best of times, but a technique I sometimes try is delay and distraction.
If I am reaching for the biscuit packet I try to stop and set a timer for 20 minutes, and then go and find something else to do. By the time the pinger goes I have usually got absorbed in the something else and the craving has passed. ( To be honest it doesn't always work!)
Another technique, is when you are in a determined frame of mind, is to throw all the sweet stuff in the bin.
Please keep posting and we will always try to answer any questions and give you some pointers on eating plans if you wish.
I hope we can be of some help through this very difficult time for you.
Have you been Type 2 for very long, and do you know what your latest blood sugar reading is?
I am sure the death of your husband will have thrown eating plans well adrift, but can you give us an idea of what you normally eat apart from the sugary stuff.
Many of us on the forum follow a low-carb diet which helps keep our blood sugars down if this is new to you then a read of
Maggie Davey's letter, is quite a good introduction to this style of eating.
Sugar cravings are difficult things to deal with at the best of times, but a technique I sometimes try is delay and distraction.
If I am reaching for the biscuit packet I try to stop and set a timer for 20 minutes, and then go and find something else to do. By the time the pinger goes I have usually got absorbed in the something else and the craving has passed. ( To be honest it doesn't always work!)
Another technique, is when you are in a determined frame of mind, is to throw all the sweet stuff in the bin.
Please keep posting and we will always try to answer any questions and give you some pointers on eating plans if you wish.
Hi and Welcome to the forum @Jan1958 - Sorry to hear you have been having such a difficult time. But there are things you can do to help your situation where your sugar intake is concerned, and to satisfy that sweet tooth!. We are all here to support you. Firstly I would say is dont beat your self up too much, at least you are self aware enough to be asking for help and ideas on how to help you, and thats a huge first step, so well done for that. Loads of forums/posts on here giving good ideas, alternatives. Take a look at our 'what did you eat yesterday' threads or https://forum.diabetes.org.uk/boards/forums/food-carb-queries-recipes.4/ posts.
Personally, (although i didnt generally have a sweet tooth, but liked the occasional chocolate bar), i bought a couple of those 'sugar free' bars (from Boots), just to see me over the humps for the 1st month whilst i adjusted to a new way of eating....however, be warned they can have a laxative effect if you eat too much. 😳 ......
Another idea is bake some biscuits yourself, using any number of the sugar free substitutes on the market. I do this very successfully using ground almond/coconut flour and 85% dark chocolate as light coating or chips in the biscuits ( no real rise in my blood glucose levels) - I have made chocolate muffins, chocolate cake and whipped cream, blueberry/strawberry 'jam' using just boiled berries and chai seeds - thickens beautifully and allows me a dollop on yogurt, my 'Live Life' toast (Waitrose) for breakfast.
Personally, (although i didnt generally have a sweet tooth, but liked the occasional chocolate bar), i bought a couple of those 'sugar free' bars (from Boots), just to see me over the humps for the 1st month whilst i adjusted to a new way of eating....however, be warned they can have a laxative effect if you eat too much. 😳 ......
Another idea is bake some biscuits yourself, using any number of the sugar free substitutes on the market. I do this very successfully using ground almond/coconut flour and 85% dark chocolate as light coating or chips in the biscuits ( no real rise in my blood glucose levels) - I have made chocolate muffins, chocolate cake and whipped cream, blueberry/strawberry 'jam' using just boiled berries and chai seeds - thickens beautifully and allows me a dollop on yogurt, my 'Live Life' toast (Waitrose) for breakfast.
Last edited:
Drummer
Well-Known Member
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 2
Make up some sugar free jelly several times a week - if you can get frozen berries they are low enough to have a small portion as dessert. You can have cream or full fat yoghurt or creme fraiche.
If you can, gradually reduce the amount of sweetness in your general diet as that will reset your sense of taste so that you need less sweetening. If you always have something which is low carb ready to eat it is a great advantage in keeping on track.
If you can, gradually reduce the amount of sweetness in your general diet as that will reset your sense of taste so that you need less sweetening. If you always have something which is low carb ready to eat it is a great advantage in keeping on track.
- Relationship to Diabetes
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- He/Him
Welcome to the forum @Jan1958
I am so so sorry to hear about your husband. My wife died aged 50 after a short, brutal encounter with pancreatic cancer about a year and a half ago, so I can understand something of what you are going through, and the temptation towards self destructive behaviours, and that sense of a ‘lost future’.
But there is still hope. We have to believe that, you and I. There are positive experiences to be had. There are people who care for us. We are important to others. We deserve to be happy.
Yes, it is hard. Some days it feels impossible to do the simplest, smallest things. Sometimes the internal ‘what’s the point’ voices clamour so loudly that it is almost unbearable, but there is still beauty and life and growth and possibility in the world. You can still make a difference. And while your anchor may be lost, and you may feel that you are drifting and rudderless at times, we will both get through this. One small step at a time.
We will make the very best of this awful, painful, cruel situation. We will find a way through it.
Much love to you.
D
Deleted member 25429
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Such beautiful words and understanding
rebrascora
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Hi and welcome from me too.
I cannot begin to imagine what it must be like to lose your life partner but you have my heartfelt sympathies. I do however know what it is like to have a sweet tooth (I was a sugar addict) and comfort eat. As others have said, eating low carb can help but the part of that I find really important is to have plenty of low carb snacks in the house for when I get those cravings and eat as many of those as I like, so long as I don't touch the carbs/sweet stuff. Things like boiled eggs with mayonnaise, chunks of my favourite cheese, olives, roasted chicken thighs/drumsticks, sausages, nuts, even pork scratchings. If you hit these savoury things when you feel the need for sweet, your body will eventually get over that sugar craving. I do buy the odd bar of 70% or more (currently 95%) chocolate and have a square with a spoon of peanut butter to bulk it out and smooth the bitterness of the cocoa, but it is not moreish like milk chocolate, where you just want to guzzle the whole bar.
The problem with sugar and starchy carbs is that the more you eat, the more you want. It takes a bit of will power to break the cycle but after a couple of months of avoiding them and eating other foods you pretty much lose the craving for them.
I hope you are able to get a grip on this as well as I have over the past year.... my closest friend thought diabetes would be the end of me as she knew how much I relied on sugar. It is great to be in control of that now and amazing how much more sensitive your taste buds become once you stop overdosing on sugar. This forum has been invaluable in helping get control of my diet, so I hope we are able to also help you.
I cannot begin to imagine what it must be like to lose your life partner but you have my heartfelt sympathies. I do however know what it is like to have a sweet tooth (I was a sugar addict) and comfort eat. As others have said, eating low carb can help but the part of that I find really important is to have plenty of low carb snacks in the house for when I get those cravings and eat as many of those as I like, so long as I don't touch the carbs/sweet stuff. Things like boiled eggs with mayonnaise, chunks of my favourite cheese, olives, roasted chicken thighs/drumsticks, sausages, nuts, even pork scratchings. If you hit these savoury things when you feel the need for sweet, your body will eventually get over that sugar craving. I do buy the odd bar of 70% or more (currently 95%) chocolate and have a square with a spoon of peanut butter to bulk it out and smooth the bitterness of the cocoa, but it is not moreish like milk chocolate, where you just want to guzzle the whole bar.
The problem with sugar and starchy carbs is that the more you eat, the more you want. It takes a bit of will power to break the cycle but after a couple of months of avoiding them and eating other foods you pretty much lose the craving for them.
I hope you are able to get a grip on this as well as I have over the past year.... my closest friend thought diabetes would be the end of me as she knew how much I relied on sugar. It is great to be in control of that now and amazing how much more sensitive your taste buds become once you stop overdosing on sugar. This forum has been invaluable in helping get control of my diet, so I hope we are able to also help you.
Hi and welcome from me too. I am so sorry to hear about your loss, it must be hard to adapt without the support you would have from your husband. If you need a sweet treat, my go to snacks are either a little high cocoa dark chocolate or Aldi do a great nut bar with a little dark chocolate, its a brown box (gluten free) with a turquoise top, 4 bars per pack at 5.9 carbs per bar.
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