[57Chevy]

Hi everyone!

I just joined & wanted to say hi. I'm 53, 5' 7", 300 pounds, BMI is 47, and was diagnosed as Type 2 last year. My FBS is 205. I’ve been fat all my life, but have packed on even more weight as I got older.

All though it's been almost a year since I was diagnosed, I’m still having trouble adjusting. I try to eat healthy, but sometimes I backslide into my old habits. Especially when CHOCOLATE is nearby. ARGH! I’ve tried one diet after another after another, but never stay with any of them for long.

I’m trying to exercise more, too. So far I just do a slow ten minute walk around my home three times a week, which isn’t much, but still better than nothing.

I joined in hopes of finding people who can help stick to my diet & exercise more and basically deal with being Type 2.

Hope to talk to you all soon!

 

[jwags]

Welcome to the forum. I've been D for 4 years and now my bgs are almost in a normal range. So it is doable. I think a lot of us were carbaholics before diabetes. Once I was dx'd and started to test a lot , I realised what carbs do to my bgs. So as hard as it was to stop eating them, I knew I had to. I still crave crackers, chips, bagels, etc but know if I eat them my bgs spike to 300. So I have created many alternatives in my kitchen that keep my bg in the 80-100 range. I was not really overweight to begin with but just taking the carbs out of my diet helped me get back to the weight I was when I was 20. I still eat a ton of food everyday, just not carbs. I eat bacon and eggs, Eziekel sprouted grain bread, almond butter, 0 carb jam, bunless cheese burgers, tons of salads and all the veggies I want. In the kitchen I make my own peanut butter cookies without flour or sugar, blueberry waffles and muffins, donuts, you name it. So it is very doable. This is a lifestyle I can keep forever.

 

[bigrosiegreenbaum]

Hi everyone!

I just joined & wanted to say hi. I'm 53, 5' 7", 300 pounds, BMI is 47, and was diagnosed as Type 2 last year. My FBS is 205. I’ve been fat all my life, but have packed on even more weight as I got older.

All though it's been almost a year since I was diagnosed, I’m still having trouble adjusting. I try to eat healthy, but sometimes I backslide into my old habits. Especially when CHOCOLATE is nearby. ARGH! I’ve tried one diet after another after another, but never stay with any of them for long.

I’m trying to exercise more, too. So far I just do a slow ten minute walk around my home three times a week, which isn’t much, but still better than nothing.

I joined in hopes of finding people who can help stick to my diet & exercise more and basically deal with being Type 2.

Hope to talk to you all soon!

_________________________________________

Hi there,

I was diagnosed about 3 weeks ago and have been able to bring my BS down from 262 to (today's high) of 118. My diet three weeks ago consisted of thousands of carbs a day and LOTS of chocolate and sugar, so I get what you mean about the chocolate. But I got serious really fast about my diet and I had to literally change it within MINUTES of being told my diagnosis. The minute I heard, I threw out everything in the house that had carbs and sugar in it and going cold turkey is really the only way to do it. What keeps me going is looking into the future - blindness, amputation, and worst of all, growing old in America with no Medicare, Social Security, or savings to pay for medicine and supplies. Who needs that!!!! You have to just decide to get serious and just jump in and DO IT. The first couple of weeks I mourned the loss of my junk food, replacing it with sugar-free puddings and the like, but even those things spiked my sugar by 30-40 points. It just isn't worth it, I decided. I tossed those out as well and to take the edge off the chocolate cravings, I give myself two treats each day - Emerald Cocoa-Roast Almonds and an Atkins chocolate shake, which I split up into two snacks. Both are very filling and they DO satisfy the chocolate craving, and you start to realize you can live without the food you once loved.

You CAN do it! Believe me, if a junk food addict like me can change in just a few weeks, ANYONE can!

 

[bigrosiegreenbaum]

Hi everyone!

I just joined & wanted to say hi. I'm 53, 5' 7", 300 pounds, BMI is 47, and was diagnosed as Type 2 last year. My FBS is 205. I’ve been fat all my life, but have packed on even more weight as I got older.

All though it's been almost a year since I was diagnosed, I’m still having trouble adjusting. I try to eat healthy, but sometimes I backslide into my old habits. Especially when CHOCOLATE is nearby. ARGH! I’ve tried one diet after another after another, but never stay with any of them for long.

I’m trying to exercise more, too. So far I just do a slow ten minute walk around my home three times a week, which isn’t much, but still better than nothing.

I joined in hopes of finding people who can help stick to my diet & exercise more and basically deal with being Type 2.

Hope to talk to you all soon!

____________________________________

I also want to tell you that I've noticed that if I do indulge once in a while in something I used to love, I can do that, but I have to plan for it AND I have to work it off as soon as I finish eating it. The one thing I allow myself to have from my former life is my beloved Thomas' English Muffin. But I only have half and only when I know that I can spare at least thirty minutes for a walk right after I eat it. Overall, I think it's better to have something you love, walk it off right away instead of sitting there dreaming about what it would taste like. I've decided that I'm going to have my favorite dessert - cannoli - only for special occasions - birthday, Christmas. Looking at it that way will make it that much more special.

 

[moon]

and you start to realize you can live without the food you once loved.

This was miraculous to me. If someone had told me several months ago what my diet would be like today, and that I wouldn't be suffering, I would've politely muttered under my breath, 'you have no idea how preposterous that is.'

I do credit the same urgency rosie spoke of, but eating low carb took away the intensity of cravings, something I would've been clueless about. Also, I'm on metformin and that does have appetite suppressant as a side effect. The three together created a beneficial, and for me lucky, perfect storm.

I've lost weight since changing my diet, and that helps motivate me to exercise (move!) more in general. One hand does feed the other.

Glad you're here and look forward to hearing about your progress, because I know you'll make it!

 

[bigrosiegreenbaum]

This was miraculous to me. If someone had told me several months ago what my diet would be like today, and that I wouldn't be suffering, I would've politely muttered under my breath, 'you have no idea how preposterous that is.'

I do credit the same urgency rosie spoke of, but eating low carb took away the intensity of cravings, something I would've been clueless about. Also, I'm on metformin and that does have appetite suppressant as a side effect. The three together created a beneficial, and for me lucky, perfect storm.

I've lost weight since changing my diet, and that helps motivate me to exercise (move!) more in general. One hand does feed the other.

Glad you're here and look forward to hearing about your progress, because I know you'll make it!

________________________________________

It really is amazing how it changes your life. My issues with food and overeating all stem from childhood (as everyone's do) and because I grew up very poor, I have always started to panic whenever I felt hungry and didn't have something nearby to eat. And three weeks ago when I was eating so horribly, I would be eating ALL DAY LONG and never feel full. Little did I know, it was because all I was eating was carbs. And I realized just this morning how NOT hungry I am now and how I feel fuller much longer, so that alone cuts down on the snacking. That, and the fact that I DETEST testing my blood before and after every meal, keeps me from going back to my old ways.

Funny story: When I got laid off, I can remember one of my first thoughts: "Oh my god, how am I gonna buy snacks for the week?" Not 'How will I pay my rent? How will I feed my cats?' but my concern was SNACK FOOD, which was always always chocolate. Now, I can't afford to have that kind of convoluted thinking anymore, and I love that. It puts life into perspective.

 

[Shalynne]

Chocolate

Welcome! You've found a great place here.

I had a sweet mocha this afternoon. Good strong French Roast, unsweetened cocoa powder, heavy cream, a splash of vanilla and a natural sweetener called lo han to taste. (Made from a Chinese fruit. Zero carb, no weird taste. Costs $$$, unfortunately. )

Zero carb mocha! Did not spike me.

Luckily, I've always liked bittersweet, or even unsweetened chocolate. Only way I can afford the lo han is to use sparingly.

Some also say that 70%+ cocoa chocolate bars are fairly safe, as long as one does not overdo. Haven't yet had the nerve to try that out.

 

[bigrosiegreenbaum]

Welcome! You've found a great place here.

I had a sweet mocha this afternoon. Good strong French Roast, unsweetened cocoa powder, heavy cream, a splash of vanilla and a natural sweetener called lo han to taste. (Made from a Chinese fruit. Zero carb, no weird taste. Costs $$$, unfortunately. )

Zero carb mocha! Did not spike me.

Luckily, I've always liked bittersweet, or even unsweetened chocolate. Only way I can afford the lo han is to use sparingly.

Some also say that 70%+ cocoa chocolate bars are fairly safe, as long as one does not overdo. Haven't yet had the nerve to try that out.

____________________________________

I bought some Ghiradelli squares 86% dark cacao and my lord, it was horrible - sooooooooo bitter! Not worth the carbs and sugar, for me, personally. I'll stick with the Atkins Mocha Lattes - they're actually really great, with 2 carbs and 1 g sugar.

 

[Shalynne]

Yeah, I'm weird. I like bittersweet chocolate!

Amazingly, 70% tastes and feels much different from 86%. A few of us did a chocolate-tasting once, and the contrasts from one percentage to another were truly striking.

My homemade mocha can safely be tweaked into a really milky chocolate. But I don't wanna.

 

[Shanny]

Hey Chevy, welcome aboard! Thank you for joining us.

I've enjoyed bites of unsweetened bakers chocolate just by nuking them for about two seconds & coating them with erythritol powder. But dark chocolate makes me sneeze, so I don't eat a lot of it.

 

[ThoseBackPages]

Welcome to the forum

 

[onlymep]

welcome Chevy I'm sure you will find lots of support and info here to help you make the changes you need to do to get on track. Diabetes isn't always easy to manage and we all have our ups & downs. Keep us posted on how you're doing.

 

[57Chevy]

Hi everyone & thanks for that warm welcome & encouragement! Made me smile. Yes, I know I can do this, gain better control of my diabetes & my weight.

I do like everyone's food suggestions, especially about eating very dark chocolate! So far, I haven't been too eager to try any since I don't like bitter foods. Still, can't hurt to give it a whirl, especially if it quiets my cravings & is good for me. I should check with my doc first, though.

Thanks again, and I'm looking forward to spending more time here!