Just wondering what sort of eating plan everyone follows?
My eating plan may or may not be typical. I'm a vegetarian (pre-dating my D diagnosis), 65 years old, a "foodie" and have 19 years recovery from an eating disorder. What this translates to for me is that as a vegetarian I ate a lot of rice and pasta at diagnosis and wondered if I would have to give up vegetarianism for my health. I concluded I didn't, but I do a significant amount of creative cooking to remain vegetarian and keep my carbs down. My carbs vary, generally the average daily amount is between 50 and 75. I don't eat any sugar at all and haven't for 19 years due to my ED. I eat three meals a day and rarely anything in between. My breakfasts and lunches don't vary too much: Breakfast is always some form of eggs: huevos mexicana with vegie sausage or an omelet for weekdays. Weekend treats are vegetarian eggs benedict (with 1/2 double fiber english muffin) or a slice of good bread with fried eggs and vegie sausage. Lunches are either fruit and cheese, fruit salad or salad. Dinners vary a lot and here's where my creativity comes into play. Both as a foodie and as someone in recovery I absolutely must enjoy my food, so no iceberg lettuce and hothouse tomatoes for this girl. I'm not big on substitute foods and it took me awhile to concede to vegie burgers (when there isn't time to cook), vegie sausage and almond milk for my cappuccinos.I gain weight very very easily at my age, but fortunately also have reduced appetite, so my portions are less than some might eat, but I'm never hungry. That's me. Probably too much cooking for some, too little meat for others. But perfect for me.
Wow, you are dedicated! I respect the heck out of the fact you can follow your plan, it must be difficult sometimes. It sounds like you've really figured out what works for you, though, and that's awesome.
Just curious, what part seems difficult? From my perspective, it's not difficult at all! I never feel deprived or like I'm on a "diet". Like many habits, good or bad, it becomes your "new normal". People always say how hard it must be to go without sugar for 19 years and I always say, "19 years isn't hard, but 19 days is very hard!" Sugar and carbs in general are addictive, both physically as well as psychologically and emotionally. Once you get past the addiction,the cravings are greatly reduced or disappear altogether. The only time it feels difficult is when I don't have the control of my food like eating out or at other people's houses and then I tend to be more flexible.
This is very similor to my story…When diagnosed with D2 , ten years ago, i cut out alll whites ( pasta’s, Rice, breads, etc)… It has taken me years till i cut out all diet sodas - now almost two years and asparatame). I am vegetarian, withe The occassional slip on a weekend. Do eat fish twice a week.
I eat organic produce as Often as i can… My best breakfast is oatmeal, piece of fruit and two cups of coffee.
The number one hardest part for me would be the volume of food. I'm constantly hungry and it's a never ending battle to try to follow the diet plan from my CDE. I could probably adjust to the foods you choose to eat, but just not the quantity.
I think you are very right about sugar and carbs being addictive. I'm not a big sugar person, at least not for things like desserts and stuff. Most of the time I can take them or leave them. But carbs are a huge weakness for me, and that's another never ending battle. Some days are easier than others, but it's very difficult most of the time.
I can imagine it can be quite difficult to stay on your plan when eating out. It's hard to stay on any plan when eating out, I find.
I had the same breakfast this morning, minus the coffee. I love coffee but I don't make it at home very often.
Thanks very much for sharing your plan!
Yes, I'm lucky that I don't have a large appetite. But I do think carbs tend to make people hungrier rather than satisfied! What is the diet plan from your CDE like? I personally couldn't follow any plan a CDE laid out if for no other reason than it's something someone else is telling me to do, rather than something I'm choosing myself. Is there any way you can modify the plan to suit your personal likes while still being D friendly?
I eat a very low fat, whole foods, plant-based diet. Lots of carbohydrates. I don't eat animal products, oils, nuts, seeds, or refined sugar and a very limited amount of added salt. I have found this way of eating to be the best for me in regard to my insulin sensitivity, among other things.
Filling your tummy with low carb foods (some ideas here: https://forum.tudiabetes.org/topics/the-top-23-low-carb-snacks?x... ) might help.
About my personal meal plan:
Since i am a T1 on an insulin pump, i eat pretty much everything i want… i somedays try to limit my carbs, my magical number is 120, but most of the days, if my numbers aren't awful, i just eat healthy throughout the day, like any other person would too.
Interesting comment.
I ended up identifying what my calorie input per day should be.
In my case it was 1200 calories gross per day with 300 for breakfast, 300 for lunch and 600 for dinner.
2. Next I got a minds eye view on what the calorie content of all the foods and portion size I eat and best guess portion size.
3. I eat 3 meals a day space day at regular intervals an DO NOT skip meals. For me it is critical to keep the liver out from adding glucose when blood glucose goes low. My insulin levels are low and and liver is sloppy adding glucose and always prone to adding too much.
4. breakfast for me today is a little more flexible but when battling massive dawn phen liver glucose earlier; it was critical to restrict carbs to bare minimum and run low glycemic . By lunch time, body would be running better, pills and meds up to speed and not so severe. Finally with agressive metformin pills and doses and clock timing with added insulin; dawn phen arrested.
5. my approach needs agressive early weigh scale - portion control initially to get a data base in barin what portion sizes look like, After that I did not do but used my glucose meter as a self check on what I was doing and what worked and did not and adjust portion sizes from there.
6. I do restrict grains, breads, flours, corn and rices very carefully at all times and of course sugars et all. Boiled rice - forget it. Fried rice no sweat.
7. 30 years ago I had restricted all the sugars and missed the grains, bread, flour, rices which hammered my body. Today I can eat carefully a little candy and sugar around the edges just to peak up bg.
Yes, initially it was tough and painful to restrict this diet issues back but as Zoe makes clear its not the 19 years but the 19 days that is tough.
I eat a balanced meal, protein, vegetables and small amount of starches.
With my approach I can eat out without hammering my bg.
Best wishes and good luck!
I try to eat good-for-me carbs, or at least fairly good-for-me carbs that help me be fuller. I've noticed it takes the edge off the hunger a little bit.
The plan from the CDE isn't restrictive, other than trying to stay around 1,600 calories, which is what I struggle with. Obviously limiting my carbs is a part of it, but not so drastically I can't live with it. I just have a hard time cutting back on calories. {I should add I weigh 260 lbs, so obviously have quite an appetite!}
Thank you for the link to the snack ideas! Some of those I do, and some of them are new ideas to incorporate.
Thank you for sharing your plan with me! Sounds like you've really figured yourself out and figured out what works for you!
Thanks for replying! I've never heard of a diet like yours for diabetes, but it sounds like it works for you. That's great!
I hadn't either until a few years ago:
http://www.pcrm.org/health/diabetes-resources/
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O7ijukNzlUg (available on Netflix & Hulu Plus)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sR09A_eDsiM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xAdqLB6bTuQ
http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/
I watched the first video and that was absolutely fascinating! I love to learn new things and theories about diabetes and it's treatment, so thank you so much for sharing that video. I definitely learned something today!
I've been doing low carb with a touch of Paleo for several years now. In a while, after you ditch the carbs, your hunger dissipates. Some days I have to remind myself to eat, and I eat a lot less than I used to. It's not hard to eat what's good for you when you don't have that carb monster sneaking around behind your common sense. I eat out a lot and have no problems. Breakfast is especially enjoyable...any kind of omelet, just hold the bread and potatoes. All you're giving up is the cheap junk. If I want a side to the omelet I ask for spinach. They're happy to fill your plate with spinach, it's also cheap. Before I started eating low carb, I couldn't stand spinach. The hardest part, as Zoe says, is the first 19 days (in my case, maybe 29 days). When you get past that, it's mostly easy and when you do have a problem you know right away it's not a moral one, it's a physical one, and you can fix it.
Thank you for your response! I sure would like to need to remind myself to eat, that would be a change I could go for!
I follow what's called "Eat to Your Meter". This means I set a goal, in my case it is to never go over 140. Then you test to see what foods cause me to go over my goal. Then you eliminate or reduce those foods causing problems. For me this means I have eliminated potatoes, grain, legumes, fruit and sugar. The beauty of this system is that although I have had to eliminate these foods others my get by with just reducing quantities, so you wind up with a meal plan tailored to your own individual body. My carb consumption is between 30 and 50 g/day mostly from non starchy veggies.