Week 6 - Low Carb Bootcamp - Drawing a Line Under It

[BIWI]

Time for the new thread ...

Am on iPad and have no time to link to the Spreadsheet, but please talk here! Will do links later (unless some kind soul could do them for me)

Type 2. I have reduced my glucose levels drastically to pre-diabetic range but if I don't stick with it I will end up back where I started. I have messed up once by slowly starting to have more and more of the wrong things over a few months, and once by relaxing a few weeks ago because it was my birthday. It doesn't work very well for me to have a bit of what I fancy because I have a very very low threshold for carbs before the cravings come back, and also I think I have to be honest with myself about the fact that I am absolutely, no question about it, a carb addict. I can't allow myself just the one slice of bread, for example, because it just isn't worth it for the resulting derailment.

I have been doing low carb high fat for quite a while, from August last year. Lost three stone in three months on my first period of low carbing which I did on my own without following any particular framework, with a nod to Atkins. But since the carbs started creeping back in from about feb this year I have found it very very difficult to get back into the right headspace for sustained low carbing. I finally did with May boot camp but as I said, it only took one small cheat 'for my birthday' to make things go way too far into the relaxed zone. So I am happier just being honest about the fact that I really shouldn't stray too far off the straight and narrow, ever.

I think I remember being able to tell myself - I can't have some food (same as vegetarians/vegans won't touch meat). I think if you know is bad for you and you are not hoping for miracles you will be avoiding food which is bad for you.

What is the advice about Diabetes 2 in Denmark Holger?
My DP got diagnosed with it 2 weeks ago and he is waiting to see Diabetes Nurse to give him further advice.

I am trying to convince him that low carb is the way forward but he is quite reluctant....

That's a difficult one, antimatter

Trouble is, there's a lot of disagreement in the diabetes community as to whether or not carbs are good or bad. You may find that the diabetes nurse is an advocate of carbs, little and often, which will make it very hard to persuade your DP.

Best thing would be to get him to do some reading, if you can. Dr John Briffa's blog would be a good place to start, but there are plenty of others.

Oh I am in the UK, antimatter

The NHS approach to type 2 diabetes is crap, frankly. Based on the usual carbs should make up half of your meal mantra, with a traditional approach to dieting. Counterproductive if you have blood sugar problems. Luckily I have a young GP who is very knowledgeable about low carbing and its increasing use in treating diabetes and she is fully behind my approach.

I would definitely encourage him to go with low carbing, or maybe 5:2 if he can do it without going mad on the 'normal' days.

This is a good place to start!

The visit I recently had with a nurse for my annual diabetes review was laughable, really.

'Healthy' carbs, flora, yada yada yada. I smiled and nodded :-)

thanks BIWI for that suggestion, he is of very scientific mind (by trade/education too) and I don't want to get into arguments...
www.drbriffa.com/blog/
I'll suggest it to him.

Scandinavia seems to be making headway in making positive links between low carbing and diabetes control. There's a blog by a Swedish doctor referenced on BIWI's spreadsheet.

Holger it sounds like you've done brilliantly with the weight loss. Don't beat yourself up, I actually think it is pretty common to start this, lose lots of weight, then fall off the wagon a bit either because of denial or doing it too strictly, or just carb creep and then feel a total failure. But then it's about getting back to it and finding a way to make it sustainable long term. And if you can crack that you're sorted. It happened to me. I did a whole30, lost 10 pounds, spent a month then putting those all back on (partly whole30 was too strict, partly my brain went, wa-hey, this chocolate is only 20g carbs, I can get away with that), and then since then (about 9 months ago) I have been much, much more stable in terms of what I eat and slowly losing weight. It was a huge wake up call that I could do so much damage and I've had to find a more moderate approach to doing this (whole30 is very strict!!).

I guess long term there are things like low carb cakes made with almond flour, and other treats like that. You might not ever want to go there (I think for me they are a slippery slope) but at least there are some options. And I guess it's about really focusing on eating the best low carb food you can. That has totally worked for me; I have to feel like I'm indulging myself with things like pork belly and nice duck eggs and kale chips, and then I can be firmer with myself when that self-pitying craving voice pipes up.

If he's scientifically minded it will hopefully be fairly easy to convince him as the evidence speaks for itself.

Thank you for the encouragement :-)

I'm feeling good, really. It's just that relying on carbs for emotional issues has been so long a part of my coping mechanism, it takes a long time to switch that, and it only takes one or two cheats to fall right back into it.

I'd much rather be fit, slim and feeling fabulous!

Antimatter - I am a good case study for you. I was diagnosed with Type 2 about 2 weeks before I started this BC. I had been diagnosed a pre-diabetic before and had got quite serious with losing weight and trying to eat better, but when I moved into my new job a year vago, the stress and other factors derailed my efforts.

I need to set up my next appointment with my doctor this week, to see how I have coped with things and what effect the diet has had on my bloods and other elements of the tests. I will let you guys know once I get them.

I am on medication as well as prescribed vitamin D and so far I have lost 11 lbs exactly (down 1/2 lb this morning). It is not easy, but this woe suits me and I do not feel deprived.

It seems to help me manage my blood sugar spikes - only occasionally do I feel ravenously hungry the way I did before. This morning was not great - I woke up starving for some reason, but I turned over and went back to sleep and it seems to have faded. Breakfast was 2 eggs scrambled with smoked salmon and cucumber. Not sure what I am going to do for lunch yet - possibly tuna in mayonnaise with celery wrapped in lettuce leaves.

Thank you all for your wishes. DH is doing well - some periods of sadness, but that is to be expected. The funeral is on Friday 27th - but I am not sure he wants to go without us - he seems very reluctant. It will be a long journey and I can understand his feelings. We are planning to travel to the UK at the end of July for 2 weeks, so it may be better if we go and pay our respects together at his sister's grave then and visit her kids and grandchildren - what do you think? He is the only one who can decide, I know, but I am wondering whether I should push him?

readyforno2 don't beat yourself up. Just think of all the stuff you haven't eaten since following this WOE. A lot of us have had slip ups. Sometimes they're useful as you can realise that it wasn't worth doing and then you are more unlikely to slip up again. It's a hard job shifting a lifetime of habits and the world isn't geared up to this WOE at the moment. Just keep on keeping on

Holger Don't know if this is any good?

I've just returned from a Father's Day meal out. Was really chuffed as it was not stressful at all. We just went, I chose appropriate food and I'm still full now. Must be becoming me normal for me. I had gammon steak with 2 fried eggs and I swapped the chips for buttered mushrooms. Coffee and cream for pudding.

me normal ?? more normal

readyforno2 here - have a veil to draw over your weekend.
Lots of water, lots of buttery goodness, you know the drill!

Anyone suffering from sugar cravings still? I've found that chromium picolinate has worked like a charm this time round for levelling out cravings.

today..
B - Spinach omelette
L - Not v hungry, had a pick at some bresaola, pork scratchings and celery
D - coconutty cumin cauli soup, with applewood cheese to dip in

3l water, 1l of chilled hibiscus and cucumber infusion (LUSH)

He isn't extremely stubborn but I also want him to want to do it because he believes it's good for him - that site will be very good start.
He sees how much better I feel (deeper sleep, rest feels like regaining energy not just keeping alive )and and I think that will be also helpful.

My strategy is to tell myself that its my choice not to eat certain foods rather in the way that a vegetarian chooses not to eat meat. If I think that I cant have something then it immediately becomes the most atteactive thing in the world! You aren't lying to yourself doing that. Lets face it, you could eat carbs but you choose to help yourself by not having something that you know will make you ill. You could always follow NHS policy which isvto let people slide slowly down the sugary sloe into full blown diabetes and then medicate them! Personally, however much I love chocolate, I love life more!

antimatter would it be any use directing your hubby to the Diet Doctor site? Lots of blokes on there who are reversing Type 2. The diabetes.co.uk site is very good too. They have a simplified low carb plan called Viv's Modified Atkins that a lady originally did for her brother. Its about 50g carb which is often low enough for a starter. Dont get it mixed up with Diabetes UK. They are a totally different bunch and are stuck on NHS guidlines. Dr Briffa recommends the diabetes.co.uk site on his blog.

thanks spamm I will share your story with DP

I was brought up by my GP's, I moved to London from another country in my mid twenties and visited them every year until they died

when my GM died funeral was arranged very quickly (that is the custom, but nowadays often is delayed if relatives live far away), my uncle asked me when can I cam and I was able just to jump on a plane next day and fly

I decided to go on my own (kids were 9 and 7) and it was end of November - I didn't even have suitable clothes for them. Now whenever we go back to Poland we always visit her grave.

That trip was very cathartic for me, being on my own gave me chance to come to terms with her death and inevitability that I would never see her again.
She was also unwell for few years with old age and her death wasn't a surprise to us.
Our custom is that the body stays in the same house where they lived and having opportunity to say Goodbye over 2 days was very helpful to me.

There are pros and cons of going alone to a funeral far away. I am glad I went and had a chance to mourn and reflect on my own. I stayed 4 days after funeral with my Granddad and that was valuable time for both of us.

Hello
I am just catching up with the thread, I haven't been able to read it all but just wanted to back up Holger and BIWI's suggestion to antimatter of low-carbing for diabetes 2. My DH does this and has reduced his blood sugar (contrary to all advice by diabetic specialist at the hospital who gave the usual advice of wholemeal carbs for diet).

I have thought for a long while about whether to post this as I don't want to derail anyone. I am in a dilemna as I have been diagnosed with high LDL cholesterol (it's a genetic thing) - (the rest of my cholesterol is good but overall figure is high) and Doc doesn't approve of my current diet (I love this woe and want to stick with it, have been bootcamping since January) - so I am re-reading Briffa on this but it's thrown me a bit. Anyone else had this occur?

Thanks for the comments.
Think I will have to forgive myself. Have drank a load of water today.
Back to behaving tomorrow!

Why doesn't your doctor approve, Suzymoo? Do you think it's just general prejudice/ignorance about low carbing, or is there a more considered medical reason?

Hello all!
Very interesting posts today ..!! I have been catching up with this thread today. One of the disadvantages of living in the countryside is that the internet was playing up yesterday for nearly all day so, to cheer myself up, I decided to make a carrot cake. I have to say that it looked fan -tas-tic !!
However I can't say how it tasted as I didn't even lick my fingers when I get some cream on them when doing the filing.. :)
It must have been pretty good when dh asked me where did I get it from.!!
Anyway in laws today for lunch; so I cooked roast beef with all the trimmings and a profiterole cake for desert.
For my has been beef with some broccoli and some cauliflower and 3 tbs of homemade mayo.
Tea has been a BPC and a ff yogurt with a tbs of cream.

I don't have no cravings at all for any kind of food, but I know for sure, that my sweet tooth never is going to go away, but I can control myself very well.
Will see what the scale says tomorrow , if after two months has decided to make a move or not :(

Good night :)

Omg - best meal ever tonight! I could live on this! Made courgetti with garlic, butter, mushrooms, Philadelphia and cream and ate it with two turkey Italian sausages. Wow - I do not need any more pasta. That was soooooo good.

Weird day - had a good breakfast and then only had a cheese stick and a spoonful of almond and coconut butter until dinner. It was not deliberate, I went for a pedicure and then I was just trying to get organized as DS is off to Cub Scout camp next Sunday and I have not done anything for it yet.

Working on my water though, as I am behind the curve. Goodnight everybody. Keep on keeping on!

I haven't seen cauliflower rice in Morrissons for two weeks now. Everybody must be buying it. I haven't pisted on here for awhile as things haven't been great since a family wedding three weeks ago, I've been back on it for about two weeks. Will weigh myself later today. I'm going to a famous festival in eight days time. I really don't want to be the fattest one amongst my friends. It's bad enough thst I'll be one of the oldest there!