Type 2 Appetite question

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Kittyrose

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Type 2
Hi - I've been type 2 for 10 years now and have not managed to control my eating in all that time, so that my HbA1c is now in the 80s. My diabetic nurse gave me 3 months to try one last time to better my diet and get that figure down but I just cant do it. I don't understand why I dont want to eat the nice meal my husband has cooked but can wolf down sweets and cake and crisps like there's no tomorrow (there wont be if I keep this up). Even small portions on a tea plate are difficult to finish. I dont actually fancy eating the meal - just rubbish! I try not to buy in sweets etc but if there are none in the cupboard I eat bowls of cereal or porridge. If my HbA1c is not down when I go next (shortly) I am looking at a GLP1 or insulin, depending on my latest retina scan, as I am taking the maximum medication. I am so scared and confused that I cant just get a hold of myself and sort this out. What would be your advice?
 
Oh I know this one very well. With me it’s resentment fuelling all this compounded with a lifetime of being fat and being treated as different because of it, different food (never allowed Easter eggs or sweets as a child - still fat though ) all I can suggest is try to get some therapy for an eating disorder, either privately or through the NHS. I did this however and still struggle it’s rubbish. I also take insulin and the eating disorder combined with that has led to weight gain … waiting for my ozempic prescription, so ‘looking forward’ to all the sickness and Diarrhoea that will bring ha ha *eyeroll* know you are not alone x
 
You may both find this link helpful in finding a way to review your approach to managing your blood glucose and losing weight. Based on real food it is a low carb approach. https://lowcarbfreshwell.co.uk/
I know this is only one way that people try and there are others, low calorie, shakes based or a combination but whatever you do has to be enjoyable and sustainable but It is important to do something to avoid long term problems.
 
Kittyrose said:
Hi - I've been type 2 for 10 years now and have not managed to control my eating in all that time, so that my HbA1c is now in the 80s. My diabetic nurse gave me 3 months to try one last time to better my diet and get that figure down but I just cant do it. I don't understand why I dont want to eat the nice meal my husband has cooked but can wolf down sweets and cake and crisps like there's no tomorrow (there wont be if I keep this up). Even small portions on a tea plate are difficult to finish. I dont actually fancy eating the meal - just rubbish! I try not to buy in sweets etc but if there are none in the cupboard I eat bowls of cereal or porridge. If my HbA1c is not down when I go next (shortly) I am looking at a GLP1 or insulin, depending on my latest retina scan, as I am taking the maximum medication. I am so scared and confused that I cant just get a hold of myself and sort this out. What would be your advice?
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It's difficult to sort your diet out, and tempting foods can easily lead you astray.
I know it's drastic, and your husband has to be onboard with it, but can you clear the sweets/crisps/cake/cereal out of the house, so it's not there for you to have? Bag up the unopened stuff and give it to the local food bank, and don't buy any more to replace them.
Give yourself a month to see if you can go without crisps etc. I know it's harsh, and will be hard at first, but if it's not there to eat, you can't be lead astray by it when you're at home. I've only managed to stay on my diet by not having the nice food in the house.
Or try buying the version of crisps you like least, ie prawn cocktail, which are vile, rather than lovely salt and vinegar, or those nasty pink wafers that rob your mouth of all it's saliva, instead of chocolate hobnobs etc.
Also try and delay having a snack. So if you want a biscuit, set the timer on the cooker for an hour and see if you can wait that long before you have the biscuit. You may not last the hour, but fill the time with doing the hoovering or gardening, or making a cup of tea, or going out for a walk or whatever, so it distracts you. If you last half an hour, it's still a win. You might manage 35 minutes next time.
I also had a long hard think about what food was in my life, in addition to it just being fuel. I used to reward myself with a biscuit or two, or have chocolate or crisps because I was a bit bored. I try and analyse if I'm just bored or comfort eating before I go in the kitchen and use the timer and distraction strategy first now.
Good luck with whatever you choose, you can do it. Just make little steps and try. Do it for a month and see how you go. It's not a failure if you wobble a bit from the path of no-snacks, but you need to get back on it, for your health.
Best wishes, Sarah
 
Unfortunately, the food you (we 🙄 ) like are designed to be addictive.

I know it doesn't make it any easier knowing this but it is scary what manufacturers do to make us want to buy their products again and again and again. There are people who design crisp packets based on the sound they make when they are opened because of the subconscious response it evokes (did you know stale crisps taste "fresh" if you can hear a crunch when you eat them?). Pringle tubes are designed to produce a certain sound when opened. Smells are infused into packaging of odourless foods to make them more appealing. Salted caramel dark chocolate has become popular because the combination of sweet, bitter and salty is more addictive ... and it was designed that way.

(I write all of this based on a Radio 4 program I listened to driving home recently.)

I say it doesn't make it easier but knowing about these underhand methods used makes me angry about some of the manufacturers and discourages me from giving them money ... I can't completely stop myself buying these products but I have cut down.
 
As you are not yet on insulin I can advise changing to low carb options - they really truly will make a huge difference to your blood glucose, Hba1c and medication requirements.
If you do have to start insulin then I can't give any further advice - but there are some filling, though not crunchy dishes you can make very easily and you should enjoy both the taste and the satisfaction of knowing they are doing you good.
Some ploys to divert you away from snacking on high carb - eat a good meal for breakfast which is lowish carb - and then do something to take your mind off food - I can go into my craft room, into the garden, go for a walk, play music - occupy yourself and you should find that a lot of time will go by before you think of food again.
Concentrate your food shopping on the usually advised foods, no high carb options and don't leave yourself unoccupied until it becomes a habit to eat well early in the day and then be busy.
I had three different shopping lists at one time, so I did not get bored.
Have things ready to eat if you really have to eat between meals - a bowl of boiled eggs, ready to eat salad, cheese and tomato - I keep a knife in the top of the fridge and I used to put a plate and bowl of the top of it ready to be used if needed - but these days I can go 12 hours without eating because I don't feel the need.
I have no will power as such, but habit can really help.
Not wanting even small meals is probably all part of the tizzy you are in - having taken the edge off your appetite with snacks repeating the same routine is the easy option.
If you were to not eat for some hours before your evening meal, maybe even take a walk away from temptation, perhaps that would start to undo the problem, but it would not all resolve in a day - or even a week - habit is a very strong influence. If you need suggestions for what to make or to buy send me a direct message.
 
Thank you all for your helpful replies. I do try not to buy any sweets or crisps when I am shopping but sometimes I just cant stop myself. We can certainly do without cake, crisps or sweets but not cereal, as there are three people in the house, and its the only thing I can eat for breakfast anyway. I am still working so have to leave the house by 7.30 to get a parking space (hospital), so I eat breakfast at work and the easiest thing is cereal. I need packed lunch - if I make this a salad box what do I have for dinner later? I do currently not eat for several hours until dinner - I am usually hungry by then but just cannot eat a proper dinner. I dont pick throughout the day as I dont have time at work; its when I get home that I eat badly. I constantly go to the kitchen to see what I can eat. And yes, its habit food as I sit at a computer most evenings. I eat an extremely limited type of food, no meat (except bacon medallions), not many veggies, except for salad and root veg, no pasta, rice or cous cous, no eggs, so a low carb diet is very difficult. Can't even have too much fruit because of the sugar! It all boils down to willpower and I am so cross with myself that I cant do this. I had a little cry this morning because its all too much and only managed to pull myself together when I reminded myself that at least I dont live in a warzone, and to be grateful for what I have. Part of it is definitely resentment - why me? Reading this I feel like someone should shake me and tell me to stop whining and get on with it. Right! I'm off work on Thursday so will take my husband shopping for some some more healthy options for the cupboard/fridge and NO sweets! Thanks for your support.
 
It's difficult, and we're all creatures of habit. We're all hostages to our brains and evolution. Our ancestors evolved when there wasn't much food about, and we're driven to seek it. It worked when food was scarce, but that's not the case now, as long as you have the money to buy it. You're not whining, it's a cry of frustration.
Can you make a load of soup and take a pot of that into work to have, and have salad for dinner? And freeze the rest of the soup into portions so you can take them other days? and take a little pot of strawberries with a bit of yogurt for dessert?
Kittyrose said:
I constantly go to the kitchen to see what I can eat.
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I do this too, can you get the tempting food that the other household members put on top of a high cupboard or hidden somewhere that you can't get to it? I'm much more controlled with my eating when I can't see the temptation.
I hope your shopping trip is successful. Make little changes, like one meal at a time, fingers crossed it gets a bit easier for you, Sarah
 
Actually Sarah, that soup idea is very good. I like vegetable soup and could make a large pan and freeze some. We have a microwave at work so OK to heat it up. I have been taking some cherries and pineapple chunks to work this week and they do fill me up. (I know not ideal sugarwise but surely better than crisps and chocolate for lunch?) Hubby does sometimes hide the more tempting stuff but always gives in when I plead for it. I know this sounds stupid when I am an adult and could just go to the shop along the road if I really wanted something, but I'm wondering if we had a lock on the cupboard where he could put stuff like his crackers and cake and biscuits. I wouldnt be able to get to them then. Thanks - I'm feeling a bit better for everybody's support.
 
Kittyrose said:
Thank you all for your helpful replies. I do try not to buy any sweets or crisps when I am shopping but sometimes I just cant stop myself. We can certainly do without cake, crisps or sweets but not cereal, as there are three people in the house, and its the only thing I can eat for breakfast anyway. I am still working so have to leave the house by 7.30 to get a parking space (hospital), so I eat breakfast at work and the easiest thing is cereal. I need packed lunch - if I make this a salad box what do I have for dinner later? I do currently not eat for several hours until dinner - I am usually hungry by then but just cannot eat a proper dinner. I dont pick throughout the day as I dont have time at work; its when I get home that I eat badly. I constantly go to the kitchen to see what I can eat. And yes, its habit food as I sit at a computer most evenings. I eat an extremely limited type of food, no meat (except bacon medallions), not many veggies, except for salad and root veg, no pasta, rice or cous cous, no eggs, so a low carb diet is very difficult. Can't even have too much fruit because of the sugar! It all boils down to willpower and I am so cross with myself that I cant do this. I had a little cry this morning because its all too much and only managed to pull myself together when I reminded myself that at least I dont live in a warzone, and to be grateful for what I have. Part of it is definitely resentment - why me? Reading this I feel like someone should shake me and tell me to stop whining and get on with it. Right! I'm off work on Thursday so will take my husband shopping for some some more healthy options for the cupboard/fridge and NO sweets! Thanks for your support.
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I don’t think it’s just willpower. Sometimes you can inadvertently sabotage yourself. High blood sugar can make people crave sweet things and carbs. So, as you manage to reduce your blood sugar that feeling should reduce. Hunger can cause poor food choices too (you say you don’t eat for hours before your evening meal). Then you don’t eat a proper dinner so are encouraged to pick at food all evening.

I suspect all of the above aren’t helping you. An overhaul of your diet and eating will help your blood sugar but you may also find it makes it easier to use your willpower. Win-win.
 
Kittyrose said:
Hi - I've been type 2 for 10 years now and have not managed to control my eating in all that time, so that my HbA1c is now in the 80s. My diabetic nurse gave me 3 months to try one last time to better my diet and get that figure down but I just cant do it. I don't understand why I dont want to eat the nice meal my husband has cooked but can wolf down sweets and cake and crisps like there's no tomorrow (there wont be if I keep this up). Even small portions on a tea plate are difficult to finish. I dont actually fancy eating the meal - just rubbish! I try not to buy in sweets etc but if there are none in the cupboard I eat bowls of cereal or porridge. If my HbA1c is not down when I go next (shortly) I am looking at a GLP1 or insulin, depending on my latest retina scan, as I am taking the maximum medication. I am so scared and confused that I cant just get a hold of myself and sort this out. What would be your advice?
Click to expand...
For me. Chocolate. White toast with jam. Peanut butter. Honey. I’ve just been diagnosed. I get the munches at night. I eat cereal now. Wholesale grain bread. It’s going to be hard. But we have to do it I’ve high cholesterol too. Whole new lifestyle. Do you have the nom books
 
I have only recently been diagnosed and do not take any medication.. like you, I crave the lovely treats I have always eaten and therein lies the reason I'm diabetic no doubt. I have struggled to give up these foods but I haven't had a bag of crisps since starting this new eating regime. I DO crave them and if I absolutely wanted a bag, I'd have one and get it out of my system. I haven't had any chocolate other than dark chocolate which I've now got a taste for and the 2 squares I started with have now increased to 4. I suffered with constipation a few weeks ago and I had branflakes to get some fibre. Again if I really wanted them I'd have them, but I don't feel the need to have them often. I've really enjoyed trying different foods and had great advice on this forum for which I am so grateful as I wouldn't have known where to start without it... I do a lot of stir fries, something I've never made or bothered eating much of before. I've substituted some foods for others with little effort... I DO have fruit, but not the fruit I used to have. I tend to have 4 or 5 strawberries and I'll have double cream with them. I have yoghurt with berries in and some low carb granola on top.. just a small amount but I really enjoy it. I have struggled so much giving up bananas as I love them and used to have one every morning. I now have maybe half a banana less than once a week. The point I'm trying to make is that I don't feel you have to cut these things completely from your life all in one go. Do it a bit at a time. Any change is good. I still have a sandwich every other day for lunch, usually tuna. I really enjoy it and it's not spiking my BG. If I get hungry at night I do what others have suggested and have a boiled egg or a handful of nuts. It's not easy but I've lost over a stone so hopefully I'm going in the right direction. The other life saver for me are protein bars. I'm not one for large meals, I'm a grazer and prefer grabbing several snacks a day rather than having 3 meals. If I haven't reduced my Hba1c in September, I just don't know what I'll do so I have to try and turn this round and so do you.. start small, don't try to change too much in one but make those changes. You'll be so glad you did.
 
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