[Noumenon]

I've been sort of dieting since about Jan 5.

I say 'sort of' because I'm not really following any specific diet. A little bit of the raw food diet, a little bit of staying away from obvious stuff, and plenty of fruits, rabbit food etc.

But my cravings for bread, and baked potatoes, and roast chicken, and sausages is becoming irresistible.

The weekend before this I bought 3 chooks for $15. A good price I rationalised to myself. Then, to prevent them from going off I promptly roasted them in the oven. I now have 3 frozen roasted chooks in the freezer, from last week lol

Similarly, I have this 4 grain dish I loved making and eating before. Includes rice, bulgur, risone, etc., with chicken stock, pepper paste, and diced tomatos. A full pot of that too has been sitting in the fridge for days now, because well, it's no longer part of my diet. Not until I get my weight down to 60 kg's, and according to my progress rate that will happen around mid April. I cook stuff like this and I can't eat it ;(

Oh and did I mention I bought fresh pide bread, and savoury sausages too? Yep, the breads in the fridge too.

Somebody give me [im]moral support here, or I'm gonna break down and pig out on the whole lot lol

I'm really sick of eating watermelons, nectarines, grapes, peaches, apricots, nuts, and salads. Oh and the bastards at the supermarket have ice-cream on discount!

The good thing is that I have extended my daily walks to at least one 11.2 km walk, and at least one 22 km bike ride a day. On some days I go further and make it a 50 km ride. And though my calf muscles have returned to their former glory, each foot is hosting a coupla blisters. Am I going to make it? One month down, 10 kg's lost, 2.5 months and 25 kg's left to go!

 

[IHaveDiabetes]

Hang in there. I just re-started my diet on January 10th and feeling the same cravings as you (I need to lose 50 pounds, which I think translates to somewhere around 23-25 KGs). I also have two young children at home, and although we do not feed them lots of sweets, there are a ton of items that are in the fridge, pantry, etc. for them (and my DW) and are always in close proximity to me. I am also the cook of my family and generally prepare all of the meals. Because I cannot force grilled chicken and salad on my family almost every night, many times I have prepare a meal for them and one for myself. When I am at the stove cooking up something for them, and smelling the aromas, it is extremely tempting to dig into the pot and finish it off. I am also a scrap eater -- kids being what they are will usually not finish their food, and leave some behing, like 1/4 of a piece of fried & breaded chicken cutlet two nights ago (I made myself grilled chicken w/ a touch of lemon juice). On the way from the kitchen table to the garbage can, I was so tempted that I picked up the piece of cutlet and stopped myself only seconds before placing it into my mouth (that little piece probably had more carbs, fat & cholesterol than half of my meal). How or why I stopped, I am really not that sure, but I did think to myself that I am going through all this "suffering" with the dieting and all of the exercise, that this one piece will not really make a difference.

Also, I try to give myself a "happy meal" (a meal to keep me happy) at the end of each week. So one meal a week, I can have food almost like a normal person - so, for that meal I could have food that I would not regularly have during the meal. However, my portion sizes are in moderation (no pigging-out), and I still will not have anything drenched in sugar.

So, don't give into those urges and think about your long term goals. Also, if you think the happy meal is a good idea (you know your own body better than anyone, and you may also want to talk to your doctor/nutritionist), make yourself "normal food" once a week - I believe if you keep yourself deprived of everything for too long, it will eventually wear you down mentally (which happened to me, and is the reason I had to go back on a fairly strict diet).

Cheers!

 

[Noumenon]

Hang in there. I just re-started my diet on January 10th and feeling the same cravings as you (I need to lose 50 pounds, which I think translates to somewhere around 23-25 KGs). I also have two young children at home, and although we do not feed them lots of sweets, there are a ton of items that are in the fridge, pantry, etc. for them (and my DW) and are always in close proximity to me. I am also the cook of my family and generally prepare all of the meals. Because I cannot force grilled chicken and salad on my family almost every night, many times I have prepare a meal for them and one for myself. When I am at the stove cooking up something for them, and smelling the aromas, it is extremely tempting to dig into the pot and finish it off. I am also a scrap eater -- kids being what they are will usually not finish their food, and leave some behing, like 1/4 of a piece of fried & breaded chicken cutlet two nights ago (I made myself grilled chicken w/ a touch of lemon juice). On the way from the kitchen table to the garbage can, I was so tempted that I picked up the piece of cutlet and stopped myself only seconds before placing it into my mouth (that little piece probably had more carbs, fat & cholesterol than half of my meal). How or why I stopped, I am really not that sure, but I did think to myself that I am going through all this "suffering" with the dieting and all of the exercise, that this one piece will not really make a difference.

Also, I try to give myself a "happy meal" (a meal to keep me happy) at the end of each week. So one meal a week, I can have food almost like a normal person - so, for that meal I could have food that I would not regularly have during the meal. However, my portion sizes are in moderation (no pigging-out), and I still will not have anything drenched in sugar.

So, don't give into those urges and think about your long term goals. Also, if you think the happy meal is a good idea (you know your own body better than anyone, and you may also want to talk to your doctor/nutritionist), make yourself "normal food" once a week - I believe if you keep yourself deprived of everything for too long, it will eventually wear you down mentally (which happened to me, and is the reason I had to go back on a fairly strict diet).

Cheers!

Thanks IHAVEDIABETES. You appear to have it tougher than me, what with cooking for your kids and family, and constantly having the temptation to taste your food that you're cooking. I have empathy for you. Especially considering I hate wasting food too.

Yesterday I did cave in. I wiped off the fungal growth on a plate of rice pudding that's been sitting in the fridge for possibly a couple of weeks, and well, I ate it. Surprisingly, I didn't taste much of the sugar in it. I make rice pudding with loads of sugar. Still the glucose meter shot up to 8.2 mmol/L within 2 hrs, so I couldn't hide it. It was about a 500 gram serving. So today I dumped the other plate of rice pudding.

I really feel bad about wasting food. So I might take a plate full of roast potatoes, pide, and other 'sinful' foods to my brothers house tonight. They have a growing young family. I will keep the frozen roasted chooks, 'cos if I add small servings of it in my salads it should be okay. So long as I don't sit down to a full roast chook and 3/4's of a loaf of sourdough.

I need to organise some sensible "happy meal" too. I mean, even with water melons I tend to eat up to a kilo [2.2 lb's] of it in one sitting, then a pound of grapes, etc. A kilo of salad may be fine, but anything in excess is probably not helping.

Thanks again for your encouragement! Today I went for a walk in the summer heat of the afternoon and lost a kg, down to 81.4 kg from 92.5 since Jan 5 now.

 

[jswede1149]

Pumpkin pie and no sugar added fudgesicles are my temptations. These items wreck my blood sugar and cause weight gain.

I am on a vegetarian, low carb diet. I think is a reason why I crave these items.

Thankfully, we shop for groceries at a club warehouse where these items are not sold.

 

[Noumenon]

Pumpkin pie and no sugar added fudgesicles are my temptations. These items wreck my blood sugar and cause weight gain.

I am on a vegetarian, low carb diet. I think is a reason why I crave these items.

Thankfully, we shop for groceries at a club warehouse where these items are not sold.

Hi JSWEDE1149,

I wonder what the ingredients of pumpkin pie are, other than pumpkin and no sugar as you mentioned. If it's just boiled pumpkin's I would have assumed it to be low in sugar and cholesterol, but your description sounds like it's a savoury pastry dish?

If it's just plain boiled/cooked pumpkins, then dayum, 'cos I like cooked pumpkins too. Thanks for the good idea of cooked pumpkins!

 

[Shanny]

Hey you guys! Don't take pumpkin pie off your menus! Just cook the pumpkin & then follow your pie filling recipe using heavy cream instead of milk (not much lactose in cream), and the sweetener of your choice. If you need a crust with your pie, make a nut crust with almond or pecan meal.

You can still have breading on your chicken cutlets too (and fish filets & pork chops, too! ) . . . just use almond meal instead of wheat flour.

And I made the tastiest pineapple/coconut custard the other day using unsweetened coconut milk . . . it was so light & delicious.

Don't lose heart - there's a lot of fabulous low-carb eating to be done around here! Let's put our heads together!

 

[jswede1149]

We buy store bought pumpkin pie. I think they add a lot of sugar and milk.

 

[Noumenon]

Hey you guys! Don't take pumpkin pie off your menus! Just cook the pumpkin & then follow your pie filling recipe using heavy cream instead of milk (not much lactose in cream), and the sweetener of your choice. If you need a crust with your pie, make a nut crust with almond or pecan meal.

You can still have breading on your chicken cutlets too (and fish filets & pork chops, too! ) . . . just use almond meal instead of wheat flour.

And I made the tastiest pineapple/coconut custard the other day using unsweetened coconut milk . . . it was so light & delicious.

Don't lose heart - there's a lot of fabulous low-carb eating to be done around here! Let's put our heads together!

I bought some pumpkins last week. Might get around to chopping them to chunk size and steaming them. Will eat them without any dressings or add-ons.

 

[Shanny]

I bought some pumpkins last week. Might get around to chopping them to chunk size and steaming them. Will eat them without any dressings or add-ons.

All the winter squashes are good with nothing more than butter/salt/pepper . . . I have a big spaghetti squash to bake today, and a butternut that I'll bake later in the week. These are SUCH delicious foods!

 

[Noumenon]

All the winter squashes are good with nothing more than butter/salt/pepper . . . I have a big spaghetti squash to bake today, and a butternut that I'll bake later in the week. These are SUCH delicious foods!

Thanks for the suggestion Shanny, but I'm on a weight loss diet. In particular I want to lose another 20 kg's. Prefer to lose it from around my belly flab [fat], but I realise that's not how it works, so gradually, slowly losing it from all around.

So fat's, oils, butter, carb's, sugar's are either out, or bare minimum. Same with salts as I have hypertension. Though since commencing my weight loss I have had no need for my hypertension meds since Jan 12.

I started this weight loss thing earnestly around Jan 5, and of course was even more clueless back then. I was still enjoying carb rich foods, high fructose fruits, even salads and canned tuna in oil [idiot lol].

Anyway, I realise I can't completely eradicate oils, fats, carbs, saccharides from my diet, but till I melt away my belly fat, I'm going to minimise it as much as possible.

Naturally I have reduced my calorie intake, and have increased my exercising. Walks, cycle rides, and recently started jogging. Though, because I am still unfit, jogging is not occurring in my fat burning heart rate zone. It's occurring at a higher bpm. But this will change as I become fitter, and my body won't have to work so hard to jog. For my age, they suggest I keep it between 100 and 120 bpm. So now, I'm looking for a cheap but effective heart rate monitor, but in the meantime I just stop and take my pulse from my carotid artery for 10 seconds, then multiply that by 6. I don't need a pedometer, or odometer for my bike as I simply google map my journey and it tells me to within 100 meters the distances I have covered. From that I can enter my heart rate, and work out my calories burnt too. So output is increased.

Objective is to lose as much body fat [and in particular belly fat] as possible. I have a suspicion these adipose cells are the cause of insulin resistance, and once most of the excess fat is gone, my insulin resistance should also become less of a problem.

We'll see how I go in the next two months.
BTW, any recommendations of a good forum on weight loss? One that isn't inundated with corporate shills, or fad peddlers would be nice. Perhaps one that has plenty of obese or overweight people. I am no longer obese. Thanks to the 10 kg weight loss I've achieved, I am now overweight with BMI 28.5. But I realise that I have to be increasingly scientific / technical / informed in order to continue my current weight loss rate. I'm learning that just piling on the exercises, and cutting down on food intake alone wont be enough as I get closer to my target weight.

Once I achieve my goals I will try the buttered pumpkins!

 

[fiesta]

BTW, any recommendations of a good forum on weight loss?

Once I achieve my goals I will try the buttered pumpkins!

Hi, you can start a social group on weight loss. It would help me.

I love pumpkin pie, too. That is one of my weaknesses. Mince meat pie is another one. My husband and son do not have diabetes, so they buy lots of food that I cannot eat but want to, like ice cream, crackers etc. A lot of times I give in to the temptations.

You are going to have carbs in your diet. It is in the foods we eat. Calorie King on the Internet will tell you how many carbs there are in foods. especially fruits. I was told by another diabetic that we can have 150 carbs a day. The triglycerides are mainly in the meat. I only have meat at dinner.

How do we keep our weight where it suppose to be once we lose our weight? I have a doctor who told me to lose weight. She wanted me to go down to 145 lbs. or thereabouts. Then when I started losing weight, she said I was losing it to fast. She will not send me to a nutritionist, which I need.

Thanks for the recipes, I can sure use them and more.

 

[Shanny]

I eat a pretty low carb diet (usually around 50g a day, but some days less), but I don't limit fats - that is, I use butter on my veggies & real cream in my coffee, real bacon bits on my salads, etc., & I continue to lose weight without working at it too hard. I think the metformin curbs my appetite & by avoiding most carby foods, I can concentrate on the BGs & let the weight take care of itself. When the weather clears up & I can afford some walking shoes, I'll be getting more exercise, and that will be a boost to both BG & weight loss.

 

[fiesta]

My doctor has not recommended metforim. I will ask her about it.

I had a good dessert tonight. I had non fat yogurt with a tablespoon of preserves. I love the dessert.

Then my husband and son had a no-no, eating it in front of me. They had an apple pie from the store. I gave into the craving. Shame on me!!!

Ruth

 

[Noumenon]

Hi, you can start a social group on weight loss. It would help me.

I love pumpkin pie, too. That is one of my weaknesses. Mince meat pie is another one. My husband and son do not have diabetes, so they buy lots of food that I cannot eat but want to, like ice cream, crackers etc. A lot of times I give in to the temptations.

You are going to have carbs in your diet. It is in the foods we eat. Calorie King on the Internet will tell you how many carbs there are in foods. especially fruits. I was told by another diabetic that we can have 150 carbs a day. The triglycerides are mainly in the meat. I only have meat at dinner.

How do we keep our weight where it suppose to be once we lose our weight? I have a doctor who told me to lose weight. She wanted me to go down to 145 lbs. or thereabouts. Then when I started losing weight, she said I was losing it to fast. She will not send me to a nutritionist, which I need.

Thanks for the recipes, I can sure use them and more.

Thanks Fiesta, but I'm the amateur, or learner here. IOW, I want to join a forum where I can learn from the more experienced, and certainly don't feel ready to start, lead, or guide others in special dieting.

Over here in Aus, where we have a robust public health system, within weeks of my GP diagnosing me, he prepared a Health Management Plan for me, he gave me appointments with a dietician, a CDE, and a podiatrist. Also a referral to an endo. The Dietician, and CDE appointments are covered by our medicare, and most of the $55 I paid for the podiatrist i will get back from medicare again.

Though I must admit, I was disappointed with the dieticians lack of knowledge about Insulin Index, the metabolic pathway differences between fructose and glucose, and she didn't want to share anything about the raw diet. I got the impression that she was a bit too comfortable with her life, and had not kept up with developments in her field.

I know there is plenty of carbs in the legumes and other vegetables I eat. You are right, it is unavoidable. But I can minimise it.

I got rid of another 2 large bottles of coke, and about 30 cans of Solo, some dried apricots, and other food rich in carbs [by giving it to my younger sister]. I also have completely cut out all breads, pasta's, pastries, etc.

I don't eat meat every day. In fact, I only eat meat once a week. In some countries meat is still a luxury only middle or upper class people can eat maybe once a month. And vegetarians get by with even less. If anything, meat is probably essential for growing children, as one can get pretty much all the protein one needs from non-meats as well.

 

[Noumenon]

I eat a pretty low carb diet (usually around 50g a day, but some days less), but I don't limit fats - that is, I use butter on my veggies & real cream in my coffee, real bacon bits on my salads, etc., & I continue to lose weight without working at it too hard. I think the metformin curbs my appetite & by avoiding most carby foods, I can concentrate on the BGs & let the weight take care of itself. When the weather clears up & I can afford some walking shoes, I'll be getting more exercise, and that will be a boost to both BG & weight loss.

I've had a look around the net, and my diet seems to be taking the shape which is probably closest to what people call a Ketosis diet.

Ketosis in the sense that I am running down my bodies excess stores of glucose and so my body is forced to start burning fat.

Usually the body finds it easier to metabolise glucose [sugars and carbs] to energy. But when it runs out of that it will start cannibalising it's own lean muscle, and fat. When it starts to burn fats apparently a lot of ketones are produced by the fat burning process. And this can be checked by ketostix, which you can dip into your urine and it will tell if you have ketones in your urine.

I did that last night. Bought myself some bayer keto-glucose sticks, and found that I have zero glucose in my urine, and 8 mmol/L of ketones. So good news is that my efforts are bearing fruit. My body has started metabolising, or burning my fat reserves.

At the same time, I'm doing a lot of exercise, and making sure I eat adequate amounts of protein so my lean muscle loss is minimised. I am also keeping my fat intake as low as possible because I want my body to exhaust my current excess fat stores (down to about 10% at least). So I guess, because I do eat meat about once a week, and have low carb, low fat, my diet is probably closest to a low calorie cyclic keto diet. Again, not to be confused by other cyclic keto diets which may include consuming carbs on the weekends.

My objective is to clear my body and liver of excess fat's and lipids, and return to my optimum weight.

I should add here that ketosis is not exactly the same as Diabeteic ketoacidosis, or ketotic hyperglycaemia that some DT1's may get as a result of their bodies inability to produce insulin, and thereby unable to metabolise their probably still ample supplies of glucose. Ketoacidosis and alcohol related ketosis can be dangerous and should not to be confused with low-carb, ketosis. For the casual reader, if you are not sure about this I would advise you to consult your dietician or your GP before embarking on a low carb or keto diet.

 

[Shanny]

I appreciate you explaining the distinction between ketosis and ketoacidosis for readers who might not realize the dangers. I don't know what number represents too high ketones in your urine, but I expect your research has taught you the safe parmeters for this kind of regimen. Good luck to you!

I continue to lose as well . . . good luck to both of us! heheh . . .

 

[fiesta]

I am glad that you have a good health team. That is important. I had one when I was going to Kaiser Hospital. We have moved and now I just have a GP.

I am starting to say strict on my diet. I have cut out the pumkin pie and all of that junk. I do not want to get complications. I did research on some of the complications.

You and the rest of us can support and do research and become experienced in the forum. We will all learn more from each other.

 

[Noumenon]

I appreciate you explaining the distinction between ketosis and ketoacidosis for readers who might not realize the dangers. I don't know what number represents too high ketones in your urine, but I expect your research has taught you the safe parmeters for this kind of regimen. Good luck to you!

I continue to lose as well . . . good luck to both of us! heheh . . .

Hi Shanny,

To be truthful I haven't found what is a safe level of ketones in the urine. But the distinction between low-carb ketosis and diabetic ketoacidosus seems to be that in the latter one also has the following conditions;

From Diabetes.org

Diabetic Ketoacidosis

1) low insulin,
2) high glucose,
3) gradual symptoms described below:

a) Thirst or a very dry mouth
b) Frequent urination
c) High blood glucose (sugar) levels
d) High levels of ketones in the urine​

And if it not addressed the symptoms can worsen to;

e) Constantly feeling tired
f) Dry or flushed skin
g) Nausea, vomiting, or abdominal pain
(Vomiting can be caused by many illnesses, not just ketoacidosis. If vomiting continues for more than 2 hours, contact your health care provider.)
h) A hard time breathing (short, deep breaths)
i) Fruity odor on breath
j) A hard time paying attention, or confusion​

For more details see Ketoacidosis (DKA) - American Diabetes Association

That's diabetic ketoacidosis, and as stated before, one has to basically have low insulin, and whilst there may or may not be already high glucose in the system, fact is the body cannot utilise it, so it is forced to burn fat at desperate levels.

A low carb induced ketosis on the other hand means;

- the bodies reserves of glucose are deliberately run down,
- the body still can produce normal amounts of insulin,
- the body has started burning fat,​

So I guess it's still possible to go into ketoacidosis via a low carb diet, and I don't know what level of ketosis is high, but the individual can still switch back to consuming and burning carbohydrates, as they have normal insulin production. Also, with low carb ketosis the above listed symptoms a) thru to j) are absent [except for c)].

Caveat: I am neither a doctor nor a dietician.

 

[Noumenon]

I am glad that you have a good health team. That is important. I had one when I was going to Kaiser Hospital. We have moved and now I just have a GP.

I am starting to say strict on my diet. I have cut out the pumkin pie and all of that junk. I do not want to get complications. I did research on some of the complications.

You and the rest of us can support and do research and become experienced in the forum. We will all learn more from each other.

Hi Fiesta,

If you're of optimum weight, or are happy with your weight, and BG levels, then I don't see why you should cut out pumpkin pie's and other carbohydrate rich foods.

But if you are trying to lower your weight, then yes, you may have to be stricter with what you consume.

I know it is hard. Today I went to the supermarket. Mainly because I had run out of tomato's and I love tomato's. Both as a fruit and as a salad ingredient/vegetable. They had truss hydroponic tomato's at nearly half price so I helped myself to a bag full of them.

But the bastards also had other things on discount such as egg custards, chocolate cakes, cadbury hazelnut chocolates, my favourite plain yoghurt, and whole host of other foods I used to consume without a thought. I thought to myself, why don't they diabetes sensitive stores, or diet sensitive stores!? And of course I immediately realised that they do. They're called Health Stores. And their products are costlier than mainstream supermarket items

Oh well. To humour myself I bought some sugar-free dark chocolate. Still has 4.5 grams of Carbs, and a whopping 30 grams of fat for a 45 gram bar! Total calories, 207! Just as well I don't like dark chocolate lol

Also discovered a no-sugar version of gatorade. And what do you folk think of Coke Zero? Has zip sugar and nearly zero carbs too. But I wonder where the 700 Calories (per glass full) of energy comes from?

Hmm,... instead I think "I'll have a glass of carbonated water with Sulphite Ammonia Caramel, Phosphoric Acid, Sodium Citrates, Aspartame, Acesulfame Potassium, Sodium Benzoate, flavour and caffeine please. I'm on a health kick."

 

[Shanny]

Hmm,... instead I think "I'll have a glass of carbonated water with Sulphite Ammonia Caramel, Phosphoric Acid, Sodium Citrates, Aspartame, Acesulfame Potassium, Sodium Benzoate, flavour and caffeine please. I'm on a health kick."

Funny you should mention this!! UPS delivered my recent netrition order yesterday - stuff like low-carb thickener, erythritol crystals, almond flour, etc., and then there was this freebie. Now is this anything that should be consumed by a 65-year-old fat lady? (just what I need - "a heightened state of alertness and intensity"!!) I've been sheltered from civilization for the last 23 years in the deep backwoods of the Ozarks . . . if "ABB" stands for American Body Builders, as I think it does, how did anyone ever connect me with such a product?!