Self Medicating With Food...Diabetes, Support?

[73kittycat73]

Hi, I've tried to word/start writing this a few times, so I hope it comes out OK...But, today I have finally realized that I eat junk/sweet food to self medicate.
I have type 2 diabetes and have been 'getting away' with it for a while, but I'm starting to feel the effects of eating sweet food. If I eat chocolate before bed for example, I get terrible cramps in (Mainly my left) calf. Recently I have cut down on chocolate as it was making me feel like crap after eating it. I take depression and anxiety tablets and they make me tired so I thought it was them. However I have really noticed recently that eating it makes me so wiped out afterwards.
Today I was bored so ate a bit of cheesecake. Boy did I feel like shit afterwards. I was still feeling a bit rubbish a few hours later so I decided to dig out the old blood sugar testing kit. My blood sugars were17. In the dangerous category. (A non diabetic person should be between 7.1 to 10.0). It has given me a shake, and a wake up call.
I went to my Sainsburys delivery (Due Sunday.) and have taken all the sweet things out, including Pepsi Max. I drink 2ltrs of the stuff a day (I get 'cotton wool' mouth from the medications I take for depression/anxiety and just water does nothing.). I have read conflicting articles on whether Pepsi Max spikes your insulin so have taken them out my list too. I tried finding a decent drink that wasn't full of sugar or artificial sweeteners, I couldn't find any! So I have ordered some fizzy water and orange squash (With sweeteners.) to have it very diluted for some flavour.
However, like I said, it's only just clicked that I self medicate with food (Sweet stuff being the most.). I know I'll be back to craving even later tonight, or definitely tomorrow, so I was wondering if anybody would like to join me on cutting down on junk food. We could come on when we are craving, or just for some support generally. If you're doing it to loose weight that's fine too.
I hope I haven't gone on...I just wanted to be honest (With myself too.) and start a new, healthier, way of eating.

Do you feel better now something is being done about it? It's good news that you've managed to see someone. I hope the exercises help. Oh, birthday cake. Hope the birthday person had a lovely one!

@WreckTangled Iwas like that last week,i had a big black hole where my stomach used to be.
I just went with it

@PaperMonster Im going to make it again tomorrow,i have a bit of veg that needs to be used up.
Never thought of the boursin cheese,might give that a go.

Not totm no, it's so annoying! Ah well, tomorrow is another day.

Oh ouch that must have hurt 73kitty things like that always seem to bleed lots.

Hope the exercises help paper

I've booked the gym for 6am tomorrow. I would rather go a bit later but need to be back before dh leaves and to get ready for work. Life would be easier if I didn't have to work

Anyone find at this time of the night you get a dose of the munchies.
Im not even hungry but i keep opening the presses.

My worst time is about 3pm. By now I'm thinking about bed

@73kittycat73 - at least I know exactly what it is now and can let work know what’s going on. I’ve been seeing a private physio which helps with pain relief, but this NHS physio is about getting a diagnosis and repairing the damage. It can take a long time apparently- am just impatient to get to the point where I can get back to work! Been off since Jan.

Weekend was just the start of birthday girl’s celebrations! Not had the actual birthday yet. Will all finish by seeing family next weekend!

BorderlineHappy My danger time is the evening, and at night. I don't sleep very well and the one thing almost guaranteed to get me off was getting up and eating something sweet. I don't know why? I'm doing really well on 16:8 though, and haven't snacked on anything sweet at night, bar once, for weeks if not months. The 16:8 keeps me on track, why waste all that time I've fasted to ruin it at night?!
Yup, did bleed a lot WreckTangled. It's always the little cuts isn't it?! Hope you are feeling more full today? Good luck with it.
PaperMonster Very good luck healing up then, and back to work soon. I hope you get some relief? Birthday week sounds awesome! I bet you're looking forward to seeing your relatives?

Right, this cheesecake was lush but its VERY rich and massive. I think 1/3 of these quantities in MFP was still about 400 cals a slice so approach with caution! But what a treat: www.ibreatheimhungry.com/keto-chocolate-hazelnut-cheesecake/

It was a bad weekend as we also had a cheeeboard. No crackers or carbs for me - I used celery and wrapped some cheese in little gem lettuce leaves. This is my way forward for the cheese board. It was lush and I did not eat as much of a cheese board as normal!

I need a low-carb birthday cake for myself in a few weeks. Any ideas?

Hi travailtotravel, well done on the no carbs cheese board! I always say to my mum, as she loves cheese too, that I wish I loved cheese as much as other people seem to! I have a total sweet tooth, savoury I can take or leave most of the time. But people seem to love cheese and get such pleasure eating it. I could never just eat a chunk or slice off the block. I don't mind (Mild Cheddar.) on toast, or pizza, even like a bit of Philadelphia and Boursin, but that's it for me. Do you have yours with grapes and apples, etc?
Sorry, don't have a low carb cake recipe but hopefully one of the regulars will be along soon and may be able to help.

@73kittycat73 i might go back and do the 16;8.
I did it before and lost some weight.
I used to do 12 to 8.
But im up early doing exercise so i dont know whether i can last till 12.
Might do 10 to 6.

Hi BorderlineHappy I didn't manage 16:8 last night. Ate a load of Skinny bars. Am paying for it today though...They have a laxative effect...

Hello all, hope everyone’s doing ok. Nothing much to report here. Was going to do a walk yesterday with a friend but it chucked it down so did housework instead! Went to the cinema last night!! That was exciting! Back to painting again now and off on a short walk in a little while.

Ooh, what did you watch? Was it exciting being able to go to the cinema again? I need to go for a walk today and it was raining a few moments ago, now the sun's out again! How's the painting going now? I hope you enjoy your walk.

Hi @73kittycat73 we watched Peter Rabbit. It was lovely to be back there! It’s a little old-fashioned one! All the seats were marked out where you could sit - I got ones at the back so I could stand up if needs be as I get pained sitting too long. Daughter enjoyed popcorn and giggled the whole way through.

The painting is ongoing! It doesn’t look brilliant but it will do. Will do another coat tomorrow - brown doors I’m painting white, so eleventy billion coats are required! Then I’ll need to do the other side of them. I also need to put a small bit of flooring down and I’m not sure if to do that before I start on the other sides of the doors.

The walk was lovely - just a couple of miles, glorious weather so the views were great! I am lucky to live here! Get out whilst you can before the rain returns!!

Also had a chat with HR at work about hopefully getting back to work next month. Depends on how my shoulder gets on though. Got Occ Health in a couple of weeks.

Also, I forgot, I tried low carb porridge yesterday from the Seriously Low Carb website - it was a sample in with my bread order. By crikey it was delicious!!

Glad you enjoyed the cinema. I've not seen Peter Rabbit yet, apparently it's good, and funny? Good luck with the painting! Are you at the stage where you wish you hadn't started? It gets better after that. Lovely that you had a nice walk. Good luck about getting back to work. Thanks for the heads up about the porridge. I did see that on their site and wondered about it.
Hope you're OK BorderlineHappy, and WreckTangled, travailtotravel?

I'm doing well @73kittycat73
I've started the intermittent fasting today.

I was starving this morning but powered through and had my lunch at 12.
So we shall see how I get on.

I'm ok just busy and still eating everything

I started 16:8 this past few weeks BorderlineHappy. It had mostly been working...apart from tonight. What type of fasting are you doing?
Hi WreckTangled, I can relate to that tonight! What are you snacking on, sweet or savory?

Im eating from 12 tIll 8.
I find that works best for me.
It's easier not to eat in the morning as I can do bits and bobs to pass the time.
What about you @73kittycat73,what hours are you doing.

Sweet. All the sweet stuff back to it Saturday when I've eaten all the stuff in the fridge

I'm just having a shit day today,no motivation what so ever

Hi, it seems it's catching today. I didn't do my abs workout, movement, or went for a walk. In my defence it's blowing a gale out there! I think I needed a day off.
I'm doing 11am to 7pm and fasting the rest. I only drink water during the fast, do you? I've been reading the boards in the diet section and they say as long as you stay under 50 kcals, you don't break your fast, so can have tea or coffee with a dab of milk and sugar. Luckily I don't drink tea, and very rarely coffee.
I was also pleased to read that you don't have to keep up 16:8 every day of the week. I find that good because I've got a treat planned for Saturday night (A chocolate muffin. Can't wait! ) and also on Monday I start yoga. It's from 6pm to 7pm. I usually eat my tea at 6pm. I plan to have some soup or something a few hours before and maybe a sandwich or something afterwards.

Yes if you add milk or sugar or lemon to your coffee/tea its called a dirty fast.
Ye i only drink water during my fast.

I went over my calories today,not by too much but it was such a shit day.

Just popping in to say hi to all - miserable bloomin day here too xx

Oh, I wondered what a dirty fast was, thanks for that. Hope you're having a better day today! Seems we all went of kilter a bit yesterday.
Hi PaperMonster it's still blowing a gale here too. I think I shall do a Youtube video rather than go outside!
I hope everyone else is doing OK?