Failing to diet

[reefedjib]

What can I do to start and stick to a diet. I happen to be sold on some form of low-carb, but it doesn't have to be 6-12-12. It could be < 100g. But I am not sticking anywhere close to that. I am still going to McDonalds for breakfast (120g) and getting Starbucks mochas (25g x2). I had pad thai (122g) again for lunch.

My numbers are through the roof. I have stopped testing, although I tested pre breakfast (114 - 26units Apidra), post breakfast (350!!), and post lunch (265!!) today, but this is the first time in weeks. I just now took a 7 unit correction.

I am way off track here.

[foxl]

Do you LOG everything you put ito your mouth, Rob? That is what helps me the most. I log my foods and blood sugars and exercise on one page.

[reefedjib]

Do you LOG everything you put ito your mouth, Rob? That is what helps me the most. I log my foods and blood sugars and exercise on one page.

Well, I had been logging it all into my UltraSmart (food, BG, bolus/basal, exercise), but I stopped carrying it and doing anything with it - logging, testing, bolus. Serious denial.

[foxl]

Well, I had been logging it all into my UltraSmart (food, BG, bolus/basal, exercise), but I stopped carrying it and doing anything with it - logging, testing, bolus. Serious denial.

I like my paper -- I have a 3 x 5 Tinkerbell notebook (DH's sense of humor), of all things! Then can transcribe it later ... but if you have the visual of all that info in one place, it helps me!

I have been slacking on my weekend blood testing -- but more just that, than my actual eating. Go figure! But it does save some strips so I can test new foods so that is not all bad.

Do not beat yourself up ... just find a novel way of recording the info for a while and see if it does not help!

[reefedjib]

I like my paper -- I have a 3 x 5 Tinkerbell notebook (DH's sense of humor), of all things! Then can transcribe it later ... but if you have the visual of all that info in one place, it helps me!

I have been slacking on my weekend blood testing -- but more just that, than my actual eating. Go figure! But it does save some strips so I can test new foods so that is not all bad.

Do not beat yourself up ... just find a novel way of recording the info for a while and see if it does not help!

Ok, perhaps just going back to logging it and testing again will help. I need to start carrying my fanny pack with me.

It's really weird because I was getting some good results. I really wasn't losing weight yet. But my BGs were getting under 100 with a low-carb diet - omelets in the morning and watching my lunch, salads and meat for dinner. I got tired of it all. It takes effort. I said screw it. I think I actually said it. That's a dangerous attitude to take.

[foxl]

False sense of security?

That is my big trip to guard against, personally!

Let us know how it goes!

[reefedjib]

I will!

Thanks for the help! I just needed to let it out with people that understand.

[jlaracuente]

I don't follow a specific diet and haven't lost significant weight in a while. Also haven't gained weight. I test before meals and eat accordingly. I don't do Macs or any other fast food. Seldom eat chinese take-out or go to restaurants. Don't add salt or eat sugared pastry. Also don't have my sugars down to the levels I feel comfortable at. It's always a work in progress. My doc wants me to intensify my workouts to reduce the need for pre-meal humalog and night-time lantus. I hope to start using my home treadmill more often and reduce more carbs.

I hope you find what can work for you because it's so critical to properly manage the sugar levels and avert the awful consequences of uncontrolled diabetes. Log what you eat, how much you exercise, what meds and/or supplements you take, and blood test results. Use SugarStats.com (http://www.sugarstats.com) to keep an online record of sugars levels. The site will display all kinds of charts and graphs and encourages you to be more concientious about your progress or lack of. The basic site functions are free. Also keep posting to DF. Lots of good advice and different perspectives. I wish you lots of luck.

[jer.lawrence]

I think what helps me is just looking up what I'm going to eat before-hand. Just SEEING the numbers makes me want to avoid them.

I'm very new at this, though, I don't know how difficult it can be as time wears on.

I've found that the first few weeks were pretty tough, but I'm sort of "used to" it at this point. I actually enjoy low carb foods. I can eat steak all I want, man. :P

[Granny Shanny]

I will!

Thanks for the help! I just needed to let it out with people that understand.

We not only understand, we'll hold you accountable! :D :D :D

You have my best wishes, Rob . . . I know you can do it.

[lark 27]

I do think the logging can really help. Also, having someone to show that log to or discuss it with. You've always got us here, but perhaps you have someone else that you can sit face to face with and that person can call B.S. when he/she needs to. I'd also encourage you to start your log with specific list of reasons why you're doing this. Make it as tangible as possible and build on it.

I'm going to write down everything I eat in order to better control what I eat so that I can better control my BG levels so that:
1) I can lose 20 pounds. I want to lose 20 pounds so that I don't tire out when going on walks with friends, or so that I simply can enjoy going on a walk, or whatever.
2) I want to maintain a stable BG so that I can still see to read this forum and get wonderful advice in 30 years...

I paraphrase Victor Frankl (who survived the hollocaust) wrote that Man can survive almost any what as long as he has a why. (I can survive this diet if I focus on the positive, reward and value of it.)

All the best to you and hoping to do better at living up to my own advice as well.

[soso]

we have 'low carb daily diet thread' and on another forum we had a reporting out days food thread that I think led to a greater awareness of what we are ACTUALLY doing..yes, others read it, but we get to look at it nd look at it through other peoples eyes... you are halfway there...you are saying..look I'm eating this and drinking that and saying s***w it...

My opinion is success breeds success, I think the reporting system (either to yourself or others) really helps, but I also know how depression at the situation just makes you want to bury your head in the sand and turn away.

Make yourself WANT it..you can fill in your own reasons why. Make yourself
see that it is worth it and you are worth it. I am on a diet right now too, I have my reasons and they are valid ones, not having a ball but it is not the end of the world or forever. Bit like going to the dentist.. gotta be done and I will be glad I did.

If you want to start a reporting thread, I will happily join in.
All the best... you can do it...

[reefedjib]

I think it has been entirely a situation of "sticking my head in the sand". I have joined all you great people here at DF and I read daily, though not everything. I have read several books on D and on dieting. I even managed to go a week on a 6-12-12 diet. I had changed to eating much less carbs, even beyond that diet, but I am no longer doing this. I am enjoying biscuits and hash browns and pad thai and pizza and spaghetti carbonara (my favorite!). It is all temporary pleasure and it prevents me from being successful with the diet I have to be following. I had a steak and applesauce for dinner - not bad diet wise.

I'll start logging again, and checking carbs, and hopefully that will help me make better choices.

[Marcia K in Fl]

I think just writing here what you have been up to is the first step toward making things right. You know what is right and what is wrong. Get off the pity party tracks and on the tracks that will lead you to a healthier you. We all get side tracked. It is human. Forgive yourself and you will be fine. Keep writing here to-it helps to know you are not alone!

[RobinP]

I got tired of it all. It takes effort. I said screw it. I think I actually said it. That's a dangerous attitude to take.

Been there...done that. Not sure what phase I'm in now.

[yannah]

okay, rob, I took the seroqule, so bare with me...typing will be worse then usual and then I am going to bed.

you don't like to put any effort into eating, Me either. but i do now. bttom line is that I was so pisssed of and scared at diagnosis that I was able to do low carb a few days. numbers were way better. then I got over intial shock, ate normally, numbers crappy.

I was then able to generate enough immediate gratification from low numbers to stick too it awhile, then I was loosing alot of wieght, i liked that...than after 6 weeks I started never wanting carbs, then I noticed I did not really even get hungry anymore. low carbing was making life good.

Now its a habit and painless. don't have to test much, don't have to think much, prolly been doin this about 13 months.

sunday is veggy cutting day, I spend a half hour cutting veggies for a week.

at mcdonalds, just learn to love the salads, but dressings can be a nightmare I carry vinegar and oil with me.

I would keep typing on this subject to infinity..but...seroquel..

I will pm you my number. I can help you with this - I think.
call me. give me a shot. If I stay awake, I may succeed at being helpful,

good night all.

[DeusXM]

You don't need to worry religiously about what you're eating at this stage (you're still adjusting), but you can make the whole process a LOT easier.

Don't worry about carb amounts right now. What you need to really do is simply start making your own meals.

I guarantee you that if you make your own meals instead of getting take-out the whole time, your body will thank you for it and your numbers will improve.

If you hand someone some money and they give you some food or drink back, you're doing it wrong. This goes all the way down to the coffee you're buying.

You're only human and yes, you're going to make mistakes, but eating food or buying a drink from a restaurant more than once a week is NOT normal or healthy behaviour, diabetes or not.

[yannah]

You don't need to worry religiously about what you're eating at this stage (you're still adjusting), but you can make the whole process a LOT easier.

Don't worry about carb amounts right now. What you need to really do is simply start making your own meals.

I guarantee you that if you make your own meals instead of getting take-out the whole time, your body will thank you for it and your numbers will improve.

If you hand someone some money and they give you some food or drink back, you're doing it wrong. This goes all the way down to the coffee you're buying.

You're only human and yes, you're going to make mistakes, but eating food or buying a drink from a restaurant more than once a week is NOT normal or healthy behaviour, diabetes or not.

not if you make pasta, or potatoes or rice or eat frosted flakes etc...

I think Making your own meals is great!!! and definatley a big help, but if you make ramen noodles and frozen hashbrowns....

[DeusXM]

There is that line of thought but I still believe that even if you cook pasta or noodles yourself, it's still overall going to have less of an effect on your BG that if you bought the same meal in a restaurant.

Eating out is a 'treat', which is why restaurant meals typically are far higher in carbohydrate and fat than their homemade equivilents. Case in point - a pizza from Pizza Hut sets me up for 8 hours of struggling to sort out my BGs. But a homemade pizza that's actually larger than one from Pizza Hut...well, that I find much more manageable.

The only exception I've ever found to this was buying fried rice from street vendors in Thailand, where it seemed I could eat as much as I liked and not even need to bolus. Whether this was because I was walking round a lot more, I don't know. But the food always had a lot of chilis in it and I've found that eating food with actual chopped chillis (rather than the powder) always seems to work well for my BGs.

[Josselyn]

It's really weird because I was getting some good results. I really wasn't losing weight yet. But my BGs were getting under 100 with a low-carb diet - omelets in the morning and watching my lunch, salads and meat for dinner. I got tired of it all. It takes effort. I said screw it. I think I actually said it. That's a dangerous attitude to take.

I don't think I've said screw it at all...so far.
I have been overwhelmed at doing so much pre-thinking and preparation of food. I wrote a thread about it last Monday...because sometimes I wonder if I really am strong enough to carry this lifestyle off for the rest of my life. I was fortunate in that many people wrote to help sort out my feelings about a decision I'd made regarding an increase in Metformin...and let me lean on them a bit while I was melancholy about the "forever" part of this.

I need to tell you the reason I haven't said "screw it"...my former brother-in-law. He's just two years older than I am, and when I saw him this summer (two months after my dx), I hadn't seen him in fifteen years or so. He looked old and beaten...and he wore leg braces from knees to feet. I asked him what had happened and he said it was his own fault...that he'd gotten a dx of D several years before and largely ignored it. He was too busy, and besides, he liked his doughnuts, his fast food. The cumulative result of this was neuropathy in both feet so severe that he is unable to stand or walk without the support of the braces. He's home, disabled now. No job. He's 57. Looks 75. :(
He scared me witless.
And it's a real tragedy, because it could have been prevented. He could have prevented it, certainly from happening at his age. If I had any loss of resolve at that point, two months into my dx, he certainly cured me of it.

We're each different. I don't know what it takes to motivate you. The above was one moment that confirmed my resolve to control this as best I can.

I'm genuinely concerned about you, Rob. You seem to want input and/or assistance, and so I'm writing to you. You were dx-ed with a scary A1c. Your posted numbers are high, and it seems they're getting higher. You're an adult and will, ultimately, do as you wish. But please re-think this method of killing yourself softly with food...it's a long, frightening, debilitating way to go. Please do what needs to be done in the short term to stabilize your BG numbers at a more normal level before indulging in a treat from time to time.

You can lower your BG, lose weight, and still have delicious food (yes, even delicious-to-you food :) ). But for a while, as you try to balance out your system, you need to control yourself more than this.
Much more than this.

Your love of fast food will always be a problem if you don't learn how to order food that won't work against you. It can be done, but it's gotta be worth it to you to put in the effort. Eventually, our restaurants get accustomed to us and our odd requests ("Philly Cheese Steak grinder, hold the grinder roll," etc), and it gets more tolerable...even easier.

What would make these efforts at modification worth it to you? Because, there's no magic pill, no silver bullet that's going to make this easy. Having D isn't easy. Heck, life isn't easy. But by starting now, it does get easier, and replaces bad habits with better ones as you go along.

And know you've got us in the trenches with you, big guy.

I understand your love of food...me too. But you should try to work past this grief period; it's hurting you. The food will still be there when your BG is normalized, but you may be surprised to find that you crave it less.

Try taking it one day at a time ("Just for today...") like a 12 stepper.
It's what I've been doing, because just for today is manageable (no, I'm not a 12 stepper, I have respected friends who are).
So far, so good.

And while I'm not perfect at all of this, I'm pretty darned good - most of the time.
And it's working for me. I think it'll work for you.

C'mon Rob. Try. It gets better; I promise.

Here's a (((hug))).
Now c'mon, man. Let's get on with it.

[themarquis]

It strikes me that maybe part of the issue is that you are trying to make changes that are too extreme or too fast. And (like anyone trying to make extreme changes) you can do it for a few days or even a couple of weeks, but then eventually it seems so difficult that you backslide and say "oh, screw it -- I'm gonna just hit the McDonalds" and then it all goes to ****.

I know I'm like that ... I launch a new exercise plan and can do it religiously for ... oh, about three or four days. Then I think "screw it" :D and end up back on the couch.

My nurse practitioner who I adore said to me at some point when we were discussing me exercising more: "don't go train for a marathon; don't hit the gym and start doing hours of training. Go outside and walk around for half an hour."

Her reason was that this is something you can do every . single . darned . day . of . the . rest . of . your . life. And I will get healthier. Going out and training for a marathon for a few days ... then dropping it and going back on the couch ... doesn't help me get healthy. And it also will make me disappointed and mad at myself for quitting and then less likely to exercise tomorrow!

So what I'm saying is that DON'T log every darned thing you put in your mouth and eat 100 carbs a day and test 12 times a day and never go out to eat and live on lean meat and salad :D

DO decide that you're not going to McDonald's anymore (or go once a week or once a month, or whatever you think you can live with). DO drink one mocha a day rather than two (or one regular and one sugar free). DO get a side of broccoli along with your pad thai. DO test your blood sugar three times a day (or heck, test it once a day if you think that's what you can live with). DO go to your doctor regularly, take your meds, and be honest with them about your diet. DO go outside for half an hour and walk around :D

Do you see where I'm going here? What can you live with? Whatever that is will be so much better than going "on a mission" to fix your health and then backsliding after a few days. And you will be healthier and your disease will be more managed. And someday, if you think that "what you can live with" has changed and actually you don't want to eat pad thai anymore and maybe you want to count 100 carbs or whatever, then you can do that. But right now, that's not what you can live with, so screw it! :)

P.S. I still go outside every day and walk around for half an hour, which is 3 1/2 hours of exercise a week! (and 3 1/2 hours more than I was doing!) I've been thinking of increasing it by a minute a day until I"m doing 35 minutes a day :T And that's a BIG deal for me!

[yannah]

I say, jump in - the water is fine.

[reefedjib]

I'm genuinely concerned about you, Rob. You seem to want input and/or assistance, and so I'm writing to you. You were dx-ed with a scary A1c. Your posted numbers are high, and it seems they're getting higher. You're an adult and will, ultimately, do as you wish. But please re-think this method of killing yourself softly with food...it's a long, frightening, debilitating way to go. Please do what needs to be done in the short term to stabilize your BG numbers at a more normal level before indulging in a treat from time to time.

McDonalds, Pasta and Cokes are my downfall on the diet side of the equation. Exercise is another beast entirely. Now if we are talking a slow death sentence, then I'll have to include smoking. Since this thread is about dieting, I'll stick to that.

As I have said before, I have made some improvements. Today I had sausage in a bun at a festival I went to, but I skipped the bun. Unfortunately, I had several cokes.

I am dedicating tomorrow to be a low-carb, eat healthy day. One day at a time.

Thanks for your note.

[reefedjib]

I know I'm like that ... I launch a new exercise plan and can do it religiously for ... oh, about three or four days. Then I think "screw it" :D and end up back on the couch.

I know where you are coming from! I just have to make the right decisions as they come and take it one day at a time.

What can you live with?

I think this is another powerful mantra for eating healthy (and exercising). No grits, no McDonalds. Eat a good breakfast and start the day right.

[lark 27]

McDonalds, Pasta and Cokes are my downfall on the diet side of the equation. Exercise is another beast entirely. Now if we are talking a slow death sentence, then I'll have to include smoking. Since this thread is about dieting, I'll stick to that.

As I have said before, I have made some improvements. Today I had sausage in a bun at a festival I went to, but I skipped the bun. Unfortunately, I had several cokes.

I am dedicating tomorrow to be a low-carb, eat healthy day. One day at a time.

Thanks for your note.

Here's my 2 cents: Don't drink the Coke! Don't drink SEVERAL cokes, and don't drink a Coke. Don't do it. Just don't. In other words, go ahead and have the sausage even with the bun, but don't drink the coke. Tell yourself that Coke is not an option. Don't drink it. Chant the mantra for a bit as you go for a walk, don't drink the coke, don't drink the coke, don't drink the coke. Maybe that will stick next time you're forced to order a beverage.

No of course behavioral change in usually not achieved through telling yourself don't do something, but at some point that has to be a key. You can try to better support positive behavior by focusing on things you can drink. There have been some threads posted about drink options that I believe you've already perused, so you'll be much more successful if you choose some of those options to stock the fridge/car with so they're readily accessible.

Good luck.

[Josselyn]

McDonalds, Pasta and Cokes are my downfall on the diet side of the equation. Exercise is another beast entirely. Now if we are talking a slow death sentence, then I'll have to include smoking. Since this thread is about dieting, I'll stick to that.

As I have said before, I have made some improvements. Today I had sausage in a bun at a festival I went to, but I skipped the bun. Unfortunately, I had several cokes.

I am dedicating tomorrow to be a low-carb, eat healthy day. One day at a time.

Thanks for your note.

I hope you had a good day today, Rob.
One day at a time works for me so far.

As for what you wrote (above): I miss pasta and Cokes, too. I get chicken Caesar salads at McD's (and lose the croutons)...if anything.

I largely look at my choices at McD's and other fast food places as one more part of the life that brought to D, so it's become the enemy.

Glad there's Dreamfields pasta, though, even though I can't have it often. ;)

I think Diet Coke and Coke Zero are disgusting and should charge by the calorie, so I bite the bullet on avoiding my beloved Coca Cola. Sprite Zero, Cherry Coke Zero and diet Barq's Root Beer are good...but not until you're off sugar for a couple of weeks. I'm an iced coffee fan, but I also try to push the water.

My personal Boogeyman is that it's hard to find the motivation and time to seriously exercise (as you'd mentioned). I walk sometimes, but it really isn't enough if I ever want to go off Metformin and have "normal" numbers.
But, as you pointed out, this is the diet thread...

Know that you and your struggles are in my thoughts. You're not alone, Rob.

[reefedjib]

I am doing pretty good today, so far. I had an omelet for breakfast - yummy. I did go for a mocha at Starbucks, but I get reduced chocolate pumps. Lunch was a spinach salad and a little chicken. Still, my pre-lunch reading was 219! It'll come down, I just need to get into the right habit first.

I actually don't like cokes that much anymore - too sweet. I get one and drink about half of it and throw it away. I'll stop entirely one of these days.

I had a Dreamfields pasta shipped to me for entirely too much money and saw the carbs and threw it away.

I work out twice a week for a half hour with the trainer. No more. I am enjoying it but I hate cardio. My doc wants me to workout an hour a day. I don't see it.

Good luck on your workouts!

[Granny Shanny]

Ever hear of throwing the baby out with the bath water?

I'm sorry you pitched the Dreamfields. Why didn't you at least try it & test? The trick is in the cooking, and if you cook it exactly as the package says, possibly even slightly LESS, it's less likely to spike you.

Not that you can pig out on it, but if you like some pasta now & then, I haven't been able to tell any difference from the popular brands, and I don't get a spike from Dreamfields.

[notme]

I had a Dreamfields pasta shipped to me for entirely too much money and saw the carbs and threw it away.



I really don't care for Dreamfields pasta. I have found that most of the processed foods that are made to be low carb just taste like an impostor. I love spaghetti squash. Try it, you might find that you like it. I was skeptical and ended up loving it. Very easy to cook.

One food that is a "fake" for the real thing that I do like is Hood Calorie Countdown milk. I have let my husband and father try it and they both like it also. Very little difference from real milk.

[foxl]

I have been quite pleased with Dreamfields -- it gives us a chance to have a pasta-centered meal each week, so the feeling of loss ;) never builds up!

[princesslinda]

I really like Dreamfield's and have had good results from it. I enjoy al dente pasta, and that's how you have to cook the Dreamfield's. The trick is to cook it exactly according to directions. And forget having leftovers...they react just as "regular pasta" blood sugar wise.

For me, I knew I was not going to go the rest of my life w/o pasta...so the Dreamfield's was a blessing. I can have my pasta on occasion w/o problems.

I like the "Hood Calorie Countdown" milk as well, esp. the chocolate.

[Josselyn]

I had a Dreamfields pasta shipped to me for entirely too much money and saw the carbs and threw it away.


Ah, you have to read all of the information on the box, Rob. I almost did the same thing (tossing it).

Yes, the carb value listed is fairly high...BUT they are not all "digestible carbs." I don't have a box here (at work) to quote from, but only about 5 of the 41 carbs listed per serving work on your digestion system and affect your BG. Obviously, portion control is necessary, but it's an awesome break from my low carb menu for this former Carb Queen.

One caveat to pay attention to, and others have stated it here in this thread:
Do not overcook it; follow the directions exactly, and do not reheat it and eat as leftovers. Apparently, with reheating, they all become digestible carbs! :eek:

BTW, I like the sound of the baby steps you're taking. Good for you. Just keep doing the next right thing (a mantra of my fiance's). ;)

[themarquis]

Sounds like you're doing great!

I also have done great with Dreamfields. When you look on the box, it looks like it has a ton of carbs, but they use a special process to make it so most of them don't digest like carbs do. I admit I was pretty skeptical, but I tried it and tested and found out my body LOOOVES Dreamfields pasta! I spike less than with a lot of my normal low-carb meals.

And it does taste really good. I have heard a lot of folks say it tastes "better than regular pasta" and it's true! It has a nice, springy "al dente" bite to it that I think is just perfect. It is not "fake food" at all!

Now ... even though you sound like you're doing amazingly :) :) :) :) , don't forget ... don't go overboard! Hee hee ... don't do too good of a job at the dietary changes! 'Cuz, well, it just makes it easier to backslide like I said earlier. So make reasonable changes and stick with them, and if that works out, make some more (and more and more!).

One mocha with SF syrup instead of two with sugar syrup is a great reasonable change!! One coke instead of three is a great reasonable change!! And they're going to help you get healthier day by day, slow and steady :)