Self control

[belugalad]

I had done very well for myself eating a very clean low carb diet but after good results and perhaps relaxing a little to early a few bad choices sneeked in,not a lot but enough to make me feel bad about myself,it was easier when I abstained completely but for me the taste of sweets and chocolates and having a few again has just made me feel that I need to seek that pleasure on a more regular basis,so I'm now going to go back to the stricter approach that I embarked on at diagnosis.
It's just a matter of getting that self control back,I haven't had any alcohol not one drop since April 2017 so I know these choices can be taken and maintained and I don't ever think about drink now.
I bought some sweets last night and had a couple but had to then finish the bag,it's as if the body has had a taste of sugar and then becomes ravenous and demands more,I also ate a whole Quality st tub 650g about a month ago in about 2 hours,yes it tasted great but has only made me feel stressed that I have done it,a week later I picked up another 2 tubs paid for them and then left the store but then parked my trolley outside and then walked straight back in and returned them and got a refund.
It's good to get this off my chest and move forward now

 

[belugalad]

Hi @Benny G, I have bought some pecans and I shall pick up some of that 85% from Aldi I used to have that now and again at the start of this journey

 

[belugalad]

Aldi's Moser Roth 85% dark chocolate is so good. I usually grate the chocolate into flakes then sprinkle onto cream based desserts with erythritol and stevia for sweetness, with maybe a dash of lime. I have a sweet and sour tooth. Love the sweet taste of sugar, adore the sourness of lemon, lime, and vinegar.
The pecans are expensive but well worth it for a treat. Pecans, walnuts, and almonds are my favourites.

Yes it's the Moser Roth,I love that bar,I get nuts from Lidl as I find them the cheapest

 

[rebrascora]

Hi Alan

Good for you for owning up to it and wow, I am impressed that you took the boxes of Q St back for a refund.

I agree with Benny that the important thing is to have (less dangerous) things in the house for those weaker moments when you feel the need to binge. I am very much an all or nothing girl and it has quite surprised me that I am able to keep a bag of jelly beans in the house for hypo treatment and not hammer them. My sister asked me how on earth I manage to just eat 2 or 3 jelly beans (when I have a hypo) and I said that it is because I consider them medication. I do still binge occasionally, but I binge on brazil nuts or pork scratchings or cheese or olives or sometimes pickles (gherkins or beetroot), none of which will impact my BG too much.
I tried the Moser Roth but find it too bitter. I buy the 70% JDGross Raspberry or Caramel bars from Lidl. It has under 5g carbs per square but the squares are large so I break them in half. I would rather have a smaller piece of something that I enjoy than try to develop a taste for the Moser Roth that I could have a bit more of. I think the worst I have done is eat a couple of squares of it but even then it was half at a time and then going back for more.... a far cry from the box of Cadbury's Cream Eggs that I would demolish one egg after the next, pre diagnosis!

It really surprises me that I have gained so much control over my sugar addiction, but I know that I do overindulge in alternative treats more often than I perhaps should, to make up for it. So far, my weight is reasonably stable though and my cholesterol ratio is good, so I guess I am getting away with the cheese and pork crackling for the moment! I did indulge in sugar free sweets in the early days and found the Sula Rhubarb and Custard Sugar Free sweets very good (my partner loved them too), but I seem to be over the need for those too now as I have boxes in the house and car which have been untouched for weeks. My tastes have definitely changed more towards savoury treats now and I probably eat more salt than I should, but it is hard to really overindulge salt like sugar, without pickling your tongue!

 

[silentsquirrel]

Hi Alan

Good for you for owning up to it and wow, I am impressed that you took the boxes of Q St back for a refund.

I agree with Benny that the important thing is to have (less dangerous) things in the house for those weaker moments when you feel the need to binge. I am very much an all or nothing girl and it has quite surprised me that I am able to keep a bag of jelly beans in the house for hypo treatment and not hammer them. My sister asked me how on earth I manage to just eat 2 or 3 jelly beans (when I have a hypo) and I said that it is because I consider them medication. I do still binge occasionally, but I binge on brazil nuts or pork scratchings or cheese or olives or sometimes pickles (gherkins or beetroot), none of which will impact my BG too much.
I tried the Moser Roth but find it too bitter. I buy the 70% JDGross Raspberry or Caramel bars from Lidl. It has under 5g carbs per square but the squares are large so I break them in half. I would rather have a smaller piece of something that I enjoy than try to develop a taste for the Moser Roth that I could have a bit more of. I think the worst I have done is eat a couple of squares of it but even then it was half at a time and then going back for more.... a far cry from the box of Cadbury's Cream Eggs that I would demolish one egg after the next, pre diagnosis!

It really surprises me that I have gained so much control over my sugar addiction, but I know that I do overindulge in alternative treats more often than I perhaps should, to make up for it. So far, my weight is reasonably stable though and my cholesterol ratio is good, so I guess I am getting away with the cheese and pork crackling for the moment! I did indulge in sugar free sweets in the early days and found the Sula Rhubarb and Custard Sugar Free sweets very good (my partner loved them too), but I seem to be over the need for those too now as I have boxes in the house and car which have been untouched for weeks. My tastes have definitely changed more towards savoury treats now and I probably eat more salt than I should, but it is hard to really overindulge salt like sugar, without pickling your tongue!

I am with you on the 70% JD Gross caramel or raspberry, one square is 5g carb, and I very rarely need a second. Moser Roth not an option for me, no Aldi anywhere near.
@belugalad , we all fall off the wagon to a greater or lesser extent sometimes. My weak times are when I am marking exam papers, existing on much less sleep than normal, and the craving for carbs increases as I get more tired. This summer I bought several packets of Lotus Biscoff biscuits when on offer, kidded myself I could just have 1 or 2 at a time. Not a chance!
Massive respect for taking the temptation back!

 

[belugalad]

I shall have to try the Lidl chocolate that sounds nice both Aldi and Lidl seem to have a nice range of chocolate,I must admit I was finding excuses to buy chocolates and biscuits for my mum's carers and my son,having a good tuck in and then I said to them you better take the rest of these away before I eat them all.

 

[grovesy]

I personally find if I have cravings it is not always abated by low carb snacks, and can still overeat on them.

 

[belugalad]

Popped out on my bike today did 7 miles and bought a nice jumper from a charity shop in Leamington Spa then on my way back to Warwick popped into Tesco,picked up a quality st tub then put it back,then picked it up again and added to my shopping then took to checkout,assistant scanned it through and then I asked her to take it back so she cancelled the sale of that item,I will be glad when they stop sellling the big tubs,I wasn't even thinking about them,but as soon as I spotted them that was it, at least I had a packet of pork crunch and a zero coke as my treat when I got home.

 

[karloc]

@belugalad I hope you get your strength back 😉 and especially well done for the refunding.
Never go shopping if your hungry and I suspect that is doubly true as a diabetic.

I am only 4 weeks in and so far kept pretty strong, I can see myself in your position if I am not careful down the line.

Do you have a BG tester?, I think for me If or rather when I slip up - looking at the immediate damage to my BG might help (that's my hope) so even when I get control of my BG and loose the weight etc I will keep doing morning BG tests as a minimum.

As a side note I don't understand what 'one square' of chocolate is - 200g, 400g or even 1kg is just one rectangle to my brain and as a square is a type of rectangle anyway its the same My diabetes does not agree with this theory 😡

Stay strong and good luck 🙂

 

[rebrascora]

Oh well done Alan! I lost control this afternoon and had a couple of nut bars.... the Aldi one and now Lidl have started doing one but it is more than double the carbs at 12g but I had to try them. They come in a box of 4 and are very sweet and you can really taste the honey in it. I will ot be buying them again as they are too sweet and too many carbs. Then I had a couple of rum and cokes and then I hit a new bar of chocolate that I got in Aldi.... Moser Roth 85% dark chocolate with sour cherry and chilli (??) soft centre. I had 3 squares before I managed to rein things in a bit and then I decided that I had better shoot myself some insulin to cover my badness and now feel really guilty, so I seriously admire your self control.

 

[Ditto]

Thank goodness I don't have a sweet tooth, it must be very hard for you. I'm lucky. Chips don't keep.

Well done on your super self control taking the sweeties back. I have never backtracked in my life, have always eaten the goodies and then thought about getting back on track, requires iron willpower to stop yourself in the middle of an episode so kudos.

 

[belugalad]

Oh well done Alan! I lost control this afternoon and had a couple of nut bars.... the Aldi one and now Lidl have started doing one but it is more than double the carbs at 12g but I had to try them. They come in a box of 4 and are very sweet and you can really taste the honey in it. I will ot be buying them again as they are too sweet and too many carbs. Then I had a couple of rum and cokes and then I hit a new bar of chocolate that I got in Aldi.... Moser Roth 85% dark chocolate with sour cherry and chilli (??) soft centre. I had 3 squares before I managed to rein things in a bit and then I decided that I had better shoot myself some insulin to cover my badness and now feel really guilty, so I seriously admire your self control.

I wasn't one to do that with things like chocolate in the past,anyway I'm not doing too bad,still no bread,potatoes,rice,although I did cook some chips for my mum as a treat late one night in my halogen oven,but she fell asleep so I had them😉

 

[rebrascora]

@Drummer 's cauliflower cheese goes really well with sausages. I used to love the Bramley apple ones but they are higher in carbs so I try to avoid them. They make an awful mess of the frying pan too because the sugars from the apple burn and caramelise. Pork and leek are nice and not too bad carbs wise if you can find high meat content ones and caramelised onion sausages are yum, but like the apple they are higher in carbs.
Pleased you and your Mam are enjoying the omelettes. I had one this morning with mushrooms, onions and cheese with a huge salad. I cooked it in lamb fat and it tasted lush! That admission makes it even worse that I indulged in sweet stuff this afternoon!

 

[belugalad]

That was my exact combination,muchroom,onion and cheese,we often have them for lunch,and last week I did one for dinner and I made that one a bit bigger and added some chicken,and yes I must do some cauliflower cheese as you say that would be great with sausages