Struggling

[Sheepish]

Hello, I was diagnosed with Type 2 last May but had definitely had it for four years (previous surgery omitted to let me know test results) and probably much longer than that.
I'm very 'black and white' and stuck to the 'It isn't a diet' diet, losing about 3 stone in 3 months.
I've always had a sweet tooth and crave cakes and desserts but when I have one I don't enjoy it because I feel guilty!
I'm totally stressed out and, yes, I know the cortisol raises your blood glucose!
Does anyone else feel like this or am I (as my husband maintains) weird?

 

[Pumper_Sue]

When you need some cake have it as afters with your main meal then you wont get a blood sugar spike 🙂 Do you bake? If you do then perhaps halve the sugar and replace with Splenda or another sweetener of your choice. Also cut some of the flour back and replace with ground almonds, this all helps to cut the carbs.

Have a look in the supermarket frozen dept for their own eclairs as the carb content is quite low.
Have you tried the sugar free jelly, if you find it lacks flavour add some sugar free squash to it and add a few berries.

 

[SueEK]

Why are you weird. You are craving foods you have always enjoyed and know that you shouldn’t have them and so feel bad about it!! Welcome to the club, we are all guilty of that and as you say it’s hard to enjoy something that you know isn’t good for you - doesn’t stop you wanting it though. I’m sure your cravings will decrease as time goes on and from your weight loss it seems that you are doing really well. I think it’s very difficult for others to know how hard it is to have to suddenly change everything and all the emoti9n that goes with it. Chin up sounds like you’re doing a good job.

 

[Sheepish]

When you need some cake have it as afters with your main meal then you wont get a blood sugar spike 🙂 Do you bake? If you do then perhaps halve the sugar and replace with Splenda or another sweetener of your choice. Also cut some of the flour back and replace with ground almonds, this all helps to cut the carbs.

Have a look in the supermarket frozen dept for their own eclairs as the carb content is quite low.
Have you tried the sugar free jelly, if you find it lacks flavour add some sugar free squash to it and add a few berries.

Thank you. I used to love baking but got rid of all my baking tins when I was diagnosed. I really hate sweeteners and they alter the texture of cakes. My cravings are not for general things but are absolutely specific: iced cinnamon buns, sticky toffee pudding, etc. I guess it's overindulgence in these things that has brought his on, since nobody in my family has ever been diabetic. Guess I'll just have to grit my teeth and soldier on!

 

[rebrascora]

Hi
So sorry to hear that you are struggling with this but it sounds like you have made fantastic progress losing so much weight and you should be really proud of yourself for that.
I was only diagnosed mid Feb, so I am still very new to this and perhaps not the most experienced person to be giving advice but I did have an absurdly sweet tooth for pretty much anything and everything that contained sugar..... I would say I had a high addiction, to the point that if I had nothing else in the house I would eat a tin of condensed milk with a spoon in one go, or open a tin of evaporated milk, add sugar, stir and swallow or I would make a pot of fudge in the microwave with sugar, butter and a little milk and some cocoa. Chocolate was my main craving and if I didn't buy it, I would make a little chocolate fudge with butter and sugar and milk (in the microwave for speed) and eat it all whilst it was still warm. After my diagnosis I went pretty much "cold turkey" and cut all added sugar including sweets, cakes and biscuits etc (my readings were scarily high and drastic action was required) and just had fruit plus the odd square of 70% chocolate which really doesn't do it for a Cadbury's Dairy Milk girl. I have since had to cut the fruit and all starchy foods and I have had some days when I have been at my wits end as to what I could eat, and just happy to be able to enjoy the most basic of foods but 6 weeks down the line I feel like I have beaten my cravings and I have found new things to enjoy and savour. It really helps me to focus on the food I am eating and enjoying and try not to think about the foods I used to love. For instance I now have a mushroom omelette for breakfast and whilst I miss my sweet porridge with fruit if I think about it, instead I savour the flavour of the omelette and really enjoy it and it sets me up for the day. I have a handful of salad leaves and a small dollop of mayonnaise (a guilty pleasure that doesn't affect my sugar levels) with it and it is heavenly. My palette is now better adjusted to sweetness and whereas before a pot of natural yoghurt would have been unthinkable unless I added a couple of spoons of sugar and some fruit, I can now eat it unsweetened and still savour it.... it is like I have retrained my taste buds and now everything tastes so much better. My partner has a sweet tooth and he always has cakes and biscuits in the cupboard but I am just not really tempted anymore, even when he eats a donut in front of me. Most of the time though I do try to avoid temptation and just focus on the things that I can eat that I enjoy and try to discover other things that are more healthy for me that I can eat.....for instance I have recently been trying mild baby chillies stuffed with cream cheese as a treat.
Not sure any of this is much help to you, but finding things that you can eat and savour, that don't spike your Glucose levels too much is key.

Good luck.

 

[CathyB]

Errr.....what’s wrong with being weird As the others have said, there are options that you can explore to find what works for you. Like you I just couldn’t give up having something sweet, so what I did was get some sugar free caramel syrup and mixed a teaspoon in with my Greek yoghurt 😛 The other treat I have is a square of sugar free chocolate after my meal, not quite the family size bar of Cadbury that I used to eat 😳 but then I don’t feel the guilt I used to feel, or the bloating, or the self loathing! Knowing I can have it makes the world of difference, testing my bloods and seeing no spike with the little I have helps me keep to just the one bit. If I could never have chocolate again I would die 😱 Testing my bloods made such a huge difference to the control freak in me, it meant I could try different options without the worry that I was causing damage and the relief at finding things I could have was so good!

 

[Madeline]

Honey, I got told to eat ‘normally’ on Monday (complicated reasons), and I have been troughing chocolate Hobnobs like a pig ever since. You are perfectly normal - in fact beyond normal as if your blood sugars are high it actually makes you hungry and crave sugary stuff.

Welcome btw, they’re all lovely here 🙂

 

[Sheepish]

Thank you for your encouragement, everyone. Looking at some people's Hba1c levels I think maybe I don't have so much to worry about as I thought, though the doctor shook his head and sucked his cheeks in.
In 2014 (result I never got): 54mmol/mol
April 2018: 56mmol/mol
September 2018: 50mmol/mol
Been on Metformin 2000mg since May.
Also have elevated cholesterol: 6.9mmol/L (I guess it will be statins when I see him in May).
My blood pressure goes so high when I walk through the surgery door I have to monitor it at home. I take Felodipine for this.
I've been needle phobic all my life but have had therapy so I can now get to the surgery without having a panic attack or throwing up on the floor but need a topical anaesthetic to allow them to take blood.
I was 9st 10lbs in May (about 9lbs overweight) and am now 6st 11lb, right at the lower end of the 'Healthy' BMI range.I have to say that I don't look or feel healthy but have failed to gain any weight for the last 3 months.
The main thing I'm getting from all this is that we're all different and probably have to feel our own way over time.
Keep going!