IM SO HUNGRY please help, what is a filling free food snack??!!

[kt89]

i've only had type one diabetes since friday. before i was diagnosed i was used to not eating a whole lot and just drinking lots of water and things. now i've started injecting insulin all i want is food. i have such a strong hunger!!

any suggestions on how to fill up without putting on weight or mucking up my levels? i need some kind of free food snack thats yummy and filling!!
:confused:


(still new to levels, at the moment i call my doctor before meals for a dose)

[matingara]

nuts, celery, cheese, salami, eggs, pickles, pork crackling, broccoli, cauli, peanut butter.

that is a good start!

eat as much as you like til you are full!

:)

-- joel.

[jshuffle]

When I was diagnosed, I gained about 30 pounds in the first 2 weeks. You were basically starved when you did not have insulin. It is healthy to gain the weight back that you had lost.

What were your levels (if you remember any) at diagnosis?

[mazea]

So you've had diabetes not long hey?

these things don't have carbs in them and don't put my blood sugar up at all: beans peas, cauliflour, broccoli, carrots, peas, meat, cheese, cabbage, advocado. homemade pumpkin soup, chicken stock.

and beer nuts hardly have any carbs.

Low GI foods like milk or low GI Le Rice snacks, bannana, homemade bananna oat muffins, oats weetbix, Peters no sugar 97%fat free icecream are good for snacks WITH some insulin. They don't put my blood sugars up too quickly before insulin kicks in in the second hour.

[AngelKitty]

Hi KT,
Being newly dignosed is so overwhelming and life changing.
I usually snack on mixed nuts, celery sticks with peanut butter or bits of cheese and kabana. Also diabetic friendly jelly are good snacks to make up in portions and have handy in the fridge. Hope this helps, hang in there we're all in the same boat with you ;).

[kt89]

thanks so much!! i only had my first dietician appointment today so im so confused. my parents have bought kitchen scales and all this stuff and im nervous about eating anything now. i used to be very conscious of my weight. still am a little. so i'm a bit miffed about eating carbs each meal with the insulin.
i guess i'll have to get used to putting on some weight!!
thanks for your suggestions im going to have some green veg and some peanut butter and see how i feel after that.

my levels are around 11 at the moment. when i first got diagnosed on friday they were HI off the scale. sat/sun they were all over the place with the first few shots. i think its plateauing out now. but i really dont know what i'm doing yet with diet its so complicated

[jshuffle]

It is complicated, but since it is a constant integration into your life, it will be learned relatively fast. Joining this forum is also a good move, as there are members here who can help you with nearly everything you could possibly need. Just ask away and we will answer as fast and accurately as we can!

[AngelKitty]

Hi KT,
You'll find that being a diabetic is like walking a tight-rope it's all about balance: food / insulin / exercise - with the occassional spanner in the works!
Feel free to ask as many questions as you like, we all try to help and support each other on this forum - glad you found us :)

[matingara]

thanks so much!! i only had my first dietician appointment today so im so confused. my parents have bought kitchen scales and all this stuff and im nervous about eating anything now. i used to be very conscious of my weight. still am a little. so i'm a bit miffed about eating carbs each meal with the insulin.
i guess i'll have to get used to putting on some weight!!
thanks for your suggestions im going to have some green veg and some peanut butter and see how i feel after that.

there is a lot to learn! visit here often and you will learn lots!

i am confused why you think that taking insulin means putting on weight? i started on insulin in Nov 08 and i have not gained any weight at all! this is probably because i try to consume < 50grams of carbs PER DAY.

also, it is likely that dietitians will recommend far too many carbs. do as they say when you start - but as you learn you may like to change things.

dietitians can recommend, say, 40g of carbs per meal and 20g per snack. that leads to 160g of carbs per day! a lot of diabetics consume a max of 30-40 grams PER DAY!!!

you need to learn for yourself. a good book to read is the "Diabetes Solution" by Dr. Richard Bernstein.

-- Joel.

[UpNorth]

Welcome to the forums :)

Ah, the hunger after diagnose... It's just as bad as the thirst before being diagnosed:eek: But what the others has said... Vegetables, and nuts. Try to keep the carbs to a minimum until you're more stable and have gotten a hang of things.

Feel free to ask any question that comes into mind :)

[Tattoo azz]

DON'T PANIC!!!!!
you've done the right thing in joining df, there're loads of good, decent people in here who know lots of good stuff. I would suggest that salad foods are good snacks. I would also advise you to stay away from "diabetic" foods like diabetic chocolate, jelly etc. It tastes like Ghandis sandals and acts as a laxative if u eat too much. Ask away. "Think like a Pancreas" is a good book to read too.

[TommyC1]

I like coldcuts, sliced turkey, salami, roast beef, etc., rolled up in either swiss or provalone cheese.
Good, filling and no carbs at all.

IMO the trick with not gaining too much weight is to learn to match your carbs and insulin.
I was on a steady dose of NPH insulin, 26u twice a day, for years. I had to eat enough carbs to feed the insulin else I'd go hypo. I gained 60 lbs within three months after diagnosis and was slowly but steadily creeping up thereafter.
Last July I switched Endo's and was put on Novalog and Lantus.
I take a fixed dose of lantus to cover my basal needs and I match my Novalog to my carb intake.
Since I started that I have lost 15 lbs and improved my sugars.

If you are not going that way it would be well worth your while to ask about it.

Good luck!

Tommy

[e||ement]

hard boiled eggs are filling! also peanut butter on celery is filling. these have very few carbs (and don't affect me personally).
also, turkey bites are filling and low fat and pretty delicious!

[kstreeter513]

there is a lot to learn! visit here often and you will learn lots!

i am confused why you think that taking insulin means putting on weight? i started on insulin in Nov 08 and i have not gained any weight at all! this is probably because i try to consume < 50grams of carbs PER DAY.

also, it is likely that dietitians will recommend far too many carbs. do as they say when you start - but as you learn you may like to change things.

dietitians can recommend, say, 40g of carbs per meal and 20g per snack. that leads to 160g of carbs per day! a lot of diabetics consume a max of 30-40 grams PER DAY!!!

you need to learn for yourself. a good book to read is the "Diabetes Solution" by Dr. Richard Bernstein.

-- Joel.

Yes as Joel said learn for yourself!!! This also means don't necessarily believe that people here speak the gospel truth either. I eat between 300-400 grams of carbs per day and weigh 150lbs. Weight management is all about calories in vs. calorie out, no matter the source (so don't fear insulin:D ).

[milespro]

A lot of great snacks listed that I enjoy also (t1), but I'd highly suggest doing some tests at 1, 2, 4, and 6 hours because they affect people differently.

I get large spikes after eating nuts, deli meat, and peanut butter at different durations. I think it is from the protein and fat. Good luck!! :D

[TommyC1]

Yes as Joel said learn for yourself!!! This also means don't necessarily believe that people here speak the gospel truth either. I eat between 300-400 grams of carbs per day and weigh 150lbs. Weight management is all about calories in vs. calorie out, no matter the source (so don't fear insulin:D ).

The saying is YMMV, Your Milage May Vary.
I don't agree with Kyle about weight management. My take is it's all carbs and insulin.
BUT I only know what works for me. Sounds like things work differently for him.
So Yeah don't take anything you read as gospel. But do take it as what works for the writer and might work for you.

YMMV:cool:

Tommy

[OctShadowz]

what you can do is eat foods that have a low carb count and to check your blood before you eat to make sure you levels is not goin to raise. I usually eat sugar free pudding/jell-o or anything that is lower than 3 grams of carb. remember though that you can have a high if you eat more than the amount per serving.

[Subby]

Hey kt89. As you might see, diet can evoke very strong opinions and beliefs. There is nothing wrong with that for the most part, and like those before I'd urge you to look into it and what might work for you, at some stage.

Being diagnosed type 1 is a very tumultuous time. I think you'll do best to get the basics working say over the next few weeks, before worrying too much about weight gain or any kind of particular theory. Any current weight gain is going to be a reaction to your body not being starved as it has been for some time despite whatever you ate. You'll just need to let it adjust and reassess your food strategy. Observing how insulin dosaging works for you and testing a great deal to help with this, are tools that you need for future health and also weight control/influence.

With those basics in mind, I was wondering can you explain what lies behind this comment - what doses of insulin you've been told to take, and how to balance the question of carbs and insulin?

i'm a bit miffed about eating carbs each meal with the insulin.

You see, an approach that many diabetics have taken on is not to fit the carbs to the insulin - but the insulin to the carbs. It is very beneficial to avoid weight gain through over eating carbs (the teaching of constant high amounts of carbs through the day is rather outmoded but hangs around). Not every doctor is up to date with this stuff! Let us know how you've been taught.

[owlyn]

It will take a bit to get everything sorted out and settled down, but... The main thing you will want to do is learn what your I:C ratio is- that is insulin-to-carb, and also, you insulin-bg ratio. Once you get these figured out, things become easier. For example, my ratios are like this:

1 unit Humalog = 15 grams carbs = 30 BG points.

So, it's all just simple math after that.

Check my BG, say it's 180. Okay, I need 3 units to get it down to 90. then, I am about to have 45 grams worth of snack food. So that's another 3 units. Total- 6 units.

It takes a while and a lot of experimenting to determine the ratios, and it can get a little more complicated, as in some people, the ratios can vary throughout the day, and different foods take longer to bring down the bg. But don't worry about that yet- that's the advanced class. Concentrate on discovering your general ratios. There's been much written here about how to do it- you might want to try a search.

I eat whatever I want (you wouldn't beleive the craip I eat), and take enough insulin (and exercise) to counter it. Basically, it's like a non-diabetic. If you eat poorly and don't exercise, you gain weight (due to the insulin). I've found that an hour's worth of moderate exercise (like a 3 MPH walk) lowers my insulin need about 50% I am a few pounds hevaier (about 10) than I would like to be. Not bad, considering what I eat. If I would reduce the carbs, I know I could lose the weight and keep it off, but I am a vegetarian, and my diet is already limited, and I am a carboholic. Actually, I am a pastafarian. :)

[foxl]

Hey kt89. As you might see, diet can evoke very strong opinions and beliefs. There is nothing wrong with that for the most part, and like those before I'd urge you to look into it and what might work for you, at some stage.

Being diagnosed type 1 is a very tumultuous time. I think you'll do best to get the basics working say over the next few weeks, before worrying too much about weight gain or any kind of particular theory. Any current weight gain is going to be a reaction to your body not being starved as it has been for some time despite whatever you ate. You'll just need to let it adjust and reassess your food strategy. Observing how insulin dosaging works for you and testing a great deal to help with this, are tools that you need for future health and also weight control/influence.

With those basics in mind, I was wondering can you explain what lies behind this comment - what doses of insulin you've been told to take, and how to balance the question of carbs and insulin?



You see, an approach that many diabetics have taken on is not to fit the carbs to the insulin - but the insulin to the carbs. It is very beneficial to avoid weight gain through over eating carbs (the teaching of constant high amounts of carbs through the day is rather outmoded but hangs around). Not every doctor is up to date with this stuff! Let us know how you've been taught.


This is wise advice (tho I am a type 2).

I too am a vegetarian -- ovolacto anyhow. I am doing GREAT, not eating pasta AT ALL, at least for now, and preparing my same old pasta sauces and putting them over other things -- fried tofu, tempeh, fake meats, Quorn cutlets, even, occasionally, EGGPLANT :D . And I feel pretty satisfied with that!

[MJM]

One way to keep weight off is to eat a healthy diet, which I think you probably do and also to exercise. This will help with your insulin resistance and you would more than likely require less insulin.
What Subby says is correct, in my opinion. You should take insulin to match the carbs you eat and not the other way round.
You will get lots and lots of information on the internet and also in books on diabetes. Take your time and don't rush in too quickly. It will take a little time to gain the experience you need to be comfortable with your decisions. In the meantime, you will get lots of info here and all you need do if you have a question is just to ask.