Stuck! Going round in circles... what to do next?

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Moonstar

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Hi there, it's actually my husband who is diabetic, has been for about 4 years... but it's mainly me who does the reading, trying to find lifestyle solutions, does the cooking etc, plus he has other health issues, so after yet another difficult day, I thought I'd join the group to hopefully learn from other people's experiences.

I wanted to first just say hello but I'll be back with details of hubby's latest numbers and medications and a little of his story. Thank you so much.
 
OK, so hubby was first diagnosed with pre-diabetes out of the blue after a routine appt. Tried diet measures for a few months unsucessfully so GP put him on Metformin. It caused stomach issues so he was taken off it for a short while, then put back on it, same problem, then again and he ended up in hospital. Eventually he was put on Alogliptin which he's been on for the past couple of years.

His HbAIc level was high a few months back... the result was 'HbAIc - levi -93 mmol. Abnormal'. He has tried hard with avoiding sugar since then, so it might be lower now.

We've been trying a low carb diet, but he's always hungry and 'healthy' snacks don't satisy him. He craves chocolate and cannot resist nuts. He's tired and really fatigued most of the time and drops asleep regularly throughout the day. He's in his early 70s and retired and depressed at how he is.

The nurse at our surgery told him he doesn't need one of those finger prick tests to monitor his sugar levels, when he told her he was thinking one might be useful. That surprised me. Do you think that would help? If so, which do you recommend and where do we get it from?

Also, do you think it would be good to give a low carb diet another try? Is that the best option to get him out of this going round in circles and getting nowhere. At the end of the day, is it down to willpower and avoidance of certain foods?

Thank you.
 
Moonstar said:
OK, so hubby was first diagnosed with pre-diabetes out of the blue after a routine appt. Tried diet measures for a few months unsucessfully so GP put him on Metformin. It caused stomach issues so he was taken off it for a short while, then put back on it, same problem, then again and he ended up in hospital. Eventually he was put on Alogliptin which he's been on for the past couple of years.

His HbAIc level was high a few months back... the result was 'HbAIc - levi -93 mmol. Abnormal'. He has tried hard with avoiding sugar since then, so it might be lower now.

We've been trying a low carb diet, but he's always hungry and 'healthy' snacks don't satisy him. He craves chocolate and cannot resist nuts. He's tired and really fatigued most of the time and drops asleep regularly throughout the day. He's in his early 70s and retired and depressed at how he is.

The nurse at our surgery told him he doesn't need one of those finger prick tests to monitor his sugar levels, when he told her he was thinking one might be useful. That surprised me. Do you think that would help? If so, which do you recommend and where do we get it from?

Also, do you think it would be good to give a low carb diet another try? Is that the best option to get him out of this going round in circles and getting nowhere. At the end of the day, is it down to willpower and avoidance of certain foods?

Thank you.
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I think getting feedback on how diet effects blood sugars can be very motivating...if he thinks it a good idea, he should do it!
 
Moonstar said:
We've been trying a low carb diet, but he's always hungry and 'healthy' snacks don't satisfy him. He craves chocolate and cannot resist nuts. He's tired and really fatigued most of the time and drops asleep regularly throughout the day. He's in his early 70s and retired and depressed at how he is.

The nurse at our surgery told him he doesn't need one of those finger prick tests to monitor his sugar levels, when he told her he was thinking one might be useful. That surprised me. Do you think that would help? If so, which do you recommend and where do we get it from?

Also, do you think it would be good to give a low carb diet another try? Is that the best option to get him out of this going round in circles and getting nowhere. At the end of the day, is it down to willpower and avoidance of certain foods?

Thank you.
Click to expand...
Sorry to hear that your husband is struggling but if it's help and advice you need then you've come to the right place, and you'll get it from members managing their diabetes day-to-day.

Can I just say that there's nothing wrong with nuts - they're low carb and although mostly fat it's predominantly unsaturated, the 'good' fat. They're my go to snack, either as they are or in the form of a nut bar - KIND, for example. There are others. However, nuts are high calorie, which might be an issue for anyone counting calories.

I would forget what the nurse at your surgery said about self-testing. Most HCPs will tell you that but many of us have found it helps us manage our blood sugar, especially in relation to sorting out our diets. I wouldn't be without my meter.

I embraced low carb straight after diagnosis, keeping to less than 130g per day, and have stuck with it having worked out a low carb diet that's sustainable. It doesn't mean having to go hungry.
 
Hi Martin just reading your post and find it interesting what you say about carbs. I’m new to this having been told that my sugar levels were higher than usual in January. Firstly I’m wondering if I should go and see the nurse and get my levels checked as I’ve really tried to cut down on sugar and carbs which I have found confusing at times .
Having done this for 3 months now should they have come down as I have lost weight Not that I needed to lose that much but cutting down on sugar and carbs it is inevitable. Don’t want to have it checked too soon and then be disappointed. Plus have you any tasty low carb recipes you could post as I also get hungry and do struggle knowing what to eat for a change. The KIND-bars sound good are there anymore bars you could recommend . Thanks for your advice as it is helpful when new to all this I’m just hoping that I can reverse my numbers as don’t want to be diabetic.
 
When people try low carb then the preoccupation with the low fat, low fat means they do not compensate for the reduced carbs by having more healthy fats and protein both of which will help to stop people feeling hungry. Snacks like nuts, protein nut bars like Nature Valley or KIND which are only about 10g carb per bar, full fat yoghurt, Kvarg deserts, are all good. But having filling meals will also help people not to need to snack.
Have a look at this link as it might encourage you/him to give low carb another go when you see what variety of meals can be had. https://lowcarbfreshwell.com/
 
Theo said:
Hi Martin just reading your post and find it interesting what you say about carbs. I’m new to this having been told that my sugar levels were higher than usual in January. Firstly I’m wondering if I should go and see the nurse and get my levels checked as I’ve really tried to cut down on sugar and carbs which I have found confusing at times .
Having done this for 3 months now should they have come down as I have lost weight Not that I needed to lose that much but cutting down on sugar and carbs it is inevitable. Don’t want to have it checked too soon and then be disappointed. Plus have you any tasty low carb recipes you could post as I also get hungry and do struggle knowing what to eat for a change. The KIND-bars sound good are there anymore bars you could recommend . Thanks for your advice as it is helpful when new to all this I’m just hoping that I can reverse my numbers as don’t want to be diabetic.
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Personally I've not found it necessary to seek out low carb recipes. I'm eating pretty much the same meals as before diagnosis, but with some swaps - riced cauliflower for rice, mashed celeriac or mashed cauliflower for potatoes, I make chips with celeriac and have half-portions of a non-grain pasta. Everything else on my plate is as before. To give just one example, if we have a rice dish like a Chilli Con Carne my wife has a portion of long grain rice (58g carb) and I have a portion of riced cauliflower (8g carb).

I've also given up a lot of things, of course - cakes, biscuits, sweets, desserts (except as an occasional treat), anything made with pastry (I miss Cornish Pasties, a former lunchtime favourite) and cut down on others, like bread (no more chip butties, another former favourite).

There are two sizes of KIND bars and I buy the smaller ones, which come in a 3-pack, as they are less than 10g carb per bar while the larger ones are a little over. I also recently came across a new brand called Plants - their Roasted Peanut Crunch Bar is also under 10g carb per bar. Nature Valley is another brand. Check out the nutrition panel to get the actual carbs. As a rule of thumb look for under 10% carb.
 
Moonstar said:
We've been trying a low carb diet, but he's always hungry and 'healthy' snacks don't satisy him. He craves chocolate and cannot resist nuts. He's tired and really fatigued most of the time and drops asleep regularly throughout the day.
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Welcome to the forum @Moonstar

Sorry to hear about your husband’s diabetes, but glad you have found us 🙂

Diabetes is a serious condition, but it’s also one that can usually be managed well with a few changes and adaptations - it’s something that he can learn to live well with, and it shouldn’t stop him doing things he enjoys. Just that some of them may need a little adjustment or rethinking 🙂.

The tiredness and low mood might be associated with his elevated glucose levels? Often after diagnosis, you don’t realise how weary, worn down and lethargic you have been feeling. Erratic and elevated blood glucose levels can be exhausting and are linked with low mood, but this may have come on quite gradually. Making a few positive changes should give him more energy, a clearer mind, and a brighter outlook.

Several forum members find a different sort of snacking works for them. More substantial meals with lower carb but good amounts of protein and good fats and lots of leafy/low carb veggies can help you feel fuller for longer. Then if nibbles happen people say they reach for things like nuts, cheese, olives, cold meats. Even things like pork scratchings.

Of course the suitability of snacks will depend on whether he is living with overweight. Carrying extra weight, especially around the abdomen, can stop internal organs working properly, and increase insulin resistance. So weight loss can be a vital piece of the puzzle too.
 
Thanks for your advice Martin as always you make it all easier to get my head round. What with initially thinking it was all about cutting sugars as all new to me I am now looking more at carbs. My reading was 46 so hopefully I can get it down. Just think I’d been overdoing the pineapple juice.I’ll give celeriac mash a go as sounds interesting. How do you rice a cauliflower as only have a blender. Guess you can get the Kind bars etc from supermarkets plus I love all that kind of thing but was looking at the sugar content more that carbs. One last thing I have cut down on bread and only allow myself 2 small slices of whole meal occasionally. Plus as you all cakes ,biscuits, pastry , desserts. Miss my bread though but I’m determined to try anything. As the nurse and go said everything in moderation. Thanks so much as it is al, helpful.
 
In brief, I suggest you Google for Dr Davide Unwin's diet sheet, Zoe Harcombe's What should we eat, and if not already mentioned the Freshwell low carb programme. The main thing is to focus on nutritious foods with plenty of protein and healthy fat plus vegetables. All things equal this will keep your husband well fed, lead to T2D remission and then to reversal of his fatty liver which will restore his liver and pancreatic functions to normal.
se
Please note many people gradually build up fat in their liver, and BG levels, over a decade or so before T2D breaks out. This seems to be the case with over 90% of the newly diagnosed. Waist measurement is usually a good indicator
 
Theo said:
Thanks for your advice Martin as always you make it all easier to get my head round. What with initially thinking it was all about cutting sugars as all new to me I am now looking more at carbs. My reading was 46 so hopefully I can get it down. Just think I’d been overdoing the pineapple juice.I’ll give celeriac mash a go as sounds interesting. How do you rice a cauliflower as only have a blender. Guess you can get the Kind bars etc from supermarkets plus I love all that kind of thing but was looking at the sugar content more that carbs. One last thing I have cut down on bread and only allow myself 2 small slices of whole meal occasionally. Plus as you all cakes ,biscuits, pastry , desserts. Miss my bread though but I’m determined to try anything. As the nurse and go said everything in moderation. Thanks so much as it is al, helpful.
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I failed miserably to make my own riced cauliflower so I now buy ready-made packs of FullGreen. All I have to do is cut off the top of the pack and stick it in the microwave for 2 minutes. There are other brands - Sainsbury's do their own, for example.

Packs of KIND bars and suchlike are usually in the cereal bars section in supermarkets, and often as individual bars in the Meal Deal area.

As for bread, although I don't need Gluten Free I started sharing my wife's GF bread a while back as it's lower carb than regular bread and the slices are not far off normal size. Most low carb breads - LivLife, HiLo for example - have really small slices. The one we buy is Warburtons Seeded, 10.8g carb per slice. Our son's regular wholemeal bread, by way of comparison, is 14.7g per slice. I've tried other GF brands but prefer the Warburton's one.

As an aside, a good example of why focussing on sugar can be misleading is a packet of crisps. A grab bag of Walkers S&V is 24g carb, of which sugars 0.2g.

Hope this all helps.
 
I have a Bosch chopper which is invaluable for making cauliflower rice or coleslaw or herbs, tuna or mackerel pate, well pretty well anything really. But a simple grater will work for cauliflower rice.
 
Moonstar said:
OK, so hubby was first diagnosed with pre-diabetes out of the blue after a routine appt. Tried diet measures for a few months unsucessfully so GP put him on Metformin. It caused stomach issues so he was taken off it for a short while, then put back on it, same problem, then again and he ended up in hospital. Eventually he was put on Alogliptin which he's been on for the past couple of years.

His HbAIc level was high a few months back... the result was 'HbAIc - levi -93 mmol. Abnormal'. He has tried hard with avoiding sugar since then, so it might be lower now.

We've been trying a low carb diet, but he's always hungry and 'healthy' snacks don't satisy him. He craves chocolate and cannot resist nuts. He's tired and really fatigued most of the time and drops asleep regularly throughout the day. He's in his early 70s and retired and depressed at how he is.

The nurse at our surgery told him he doesn't need one of those finger prick tests to monitor his sugar levels, when he told her he was thinking one might be useful. That surprised me. Do you think that would help? If so, which do you recommend and where do we get it from?

Also, do you think it would be good to give a low carb diet another try? Is that the best option to get him out of this going round in circles and getting nowhere. At the end of the day, is it down to willpower and avoidance of certain foods?

Thank you.
Click to expand...
Hello @Moonstar. I am in my early 70s, and have been eating low carb for 7 years now.
I would recommend eating natural fats - I don't have seed oils in the house these days and this morning I ate mushrooms cooked in butter and scrambled eggs, 3 of then, done in butter.
Brains are made from cholesterol, as are hormones and other essential substances, so I don't understand why having low cholesterol is automatically a good thing. Atorvastatin and Metformin were really bad for my memory and dreadful for my self esteem - I reached a point where I knew I would rather be dead than in that situation.
I used a Tee 2+ meter to check how my blood glucose levels were coming down - they are essential in my opinion, at least for the first 6 months or so. I bought it online from Spirit Healthcare. When I established that I was diagnosed with diabetes I did not have to pay VAT.
On a low carb diet there is always something you can eat.
There are various nuts which are low carb, and chocolate can be bought up to 100% cocoa, rather than the 50% sugar 'normal' bars. At Christmas I make little concoctions of ground and slivered almonds with chocolate in some small silicon trays. I used tiny paper cups at first but they are really not necessary. A little melted chocolate, a sprinkle of ground almonds, a little more chocolate, then slivered almonds and a blob more chocolate to hold them together. I do some with a single golden sultana on the top, or a sliver of washed glace cherry. On ordinary days I just have one square off the bar, but it helps to know that there are other options for holidays.
 
I am not comfortable with high fat products. It seems I have to choose between my Diabetes and my heart health. No one will convince me that butter, cream etc are good for you. I choose to eat the best I can and have thrown my sugar monitors in the bin as constant monitoring was causing anxiety attacks. I will continue to attend my DN appts and see how I go. I feel much calmer and no longer constantly hungry.
 
snowball12 said:
I am not comfortable with high fat products. It seems I have to choose between my Diabetes and my heart health. No one will convince me that butter, cream etc are good for you. I choose to eat the best I can and have thrown my sugar monitors in the bin as constant monitoring was causing anxiety attacks. I will continue to attend my DN appts and see how I go. I feel much calmer and no longer constantly hungry.
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Fully understand - your diabetes, your choice. In fact, creating anxiety is one of the reasons for HCPs advising against self-testing for those not on glucose-lowering medication.
 
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