Diabetic with questions

[Rose1942]

Hi there - just surfed into this forum and found it to be a nice place! Wondering if anyone here has been faced with my dilemma.

I am diabetic, just found that out a few months ago, and have been following Dr. Bernstein's diet, which is very strict as you probably know. It has worked great for me - losing weight easily and dropping my blood sugar readings too. Problem is - I am not sure I can live without fruits and a few more carbs. All of a sudden I am craving things, wasn't doing that until now.

I am not talking about a lot of carbs, just certain things. For instance I only allow myself 1/2 a grapefruit about twice a week - I would like that every morning! I had some cold boiled shrimp and though I DID dip them in cocktail sauce (has ketchup in it) - I felt guilty about it. I want a small sandwich sometimes, I just do. I can stay away from dessert, no problem - same with things like bagels and muffins. No junk food passes these lips!

Has anyone that has diabetes felt that eventually, on a very low carb diet, their insulin resistance does improve, and that they can safely add a bit more carb without undoing all the work? I try and keep my blood sugar under 120 post prandial and usually do that well, but if I eat even a tiny bit extra carb, it goes higher. I am not interested in taking drugs or insulin if I can help it.

So ..... anyone else have this situation? And if so, how did you deal with it, and do you feel that it is working for you AND controlling your diabetes as well? I know, that's a tough question, but this seems to be the place to pose it! TIA :)

==== P.S. ==== OOPS. I truthfully thought I was posting this to the semi low carb group, I don't know how it got here! So, I certainly didn't JUST surf in. But I will leave the questions because they are valid ones anyway. Sorry :) I just wanted the perspective of people who are doing semi low carb for the long term to see if it is something I can think about eventually.

[Cajunboy47]

check out my journal... I've been doing ok with BG control and enjoying my fruit and nuts daily. My situation is probably a little different, but it is possible for anyone if it is possible for me...

[eddiemcm]

If you restrict yourself to no meds or supplements, you have to determine how many carbs you can intake without violating the blood
glucose goals you have set.You simply will not be
able to eat things that spike your glucose.
Exercise helps a bit.
Good luck
Eddie

[Charran]

Rose...It is possible, but it's such a matter of individuality. Even though we are all diabetic here, the amount of carbs that anyone is able to handle varies alot. Many people have seen improvements in their tolerance over time. Unfortunately for you, it's one of those things that you will just have to wait and see if it happens for you.

[Rose1942]

Thanks all. I guess I was thinking about what someone posted here in another thread. They were referring to the Atkins Diabetes book and said that Atkins had you do a very controlled diet 'until your insulin resistance returned to normal' and I took that to mean that sometimes this does happen. But I dunno........ probably not gonna happen, lol:) As far as Bernetein goes, I don't think he forsees that either in most people.

[Lottadata]

Rosie,

Strawberries. Blueberries. Raspberries.

Eat lots of them. They are very kind to the blood sugar and most definitely fruit.

Frozen ones work great in protein pancakes.

I also find that I can eat small amounts of fresh green and red peppers and tomato despite the official carb count. My body does mind them and even though I am very sensitive to carbs, they don't cause spikes.

I hope you are upping the veggies, too. The lower your carb intake the more important it is to eat avocados, artichokes, asparagus, broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, green beans, romaine, mesclun greens, kale, zucchini, etc. The more the merrier.

I have long felt that veggie carbs should be counted differently than others. I avoided tomatoes and fresh carrots for years, but learned there was no need to do this.

The body usually will handle them a lot better and just about every nutrient you need will be supplied if you eat a variety of colorful vegetables.

[Rose1942]

Yes, I am having veggies, lots of them! And I do have berries. Right now, besides what I have in the freezer (frozen mixed and also raspberries) I have some fresh strawberries. They are great and do satisfy me. I guess I don't know what brought on the sudden cravings for the past week or so. Maybe it is going away because tonight I am not thinking about food at all and it is 2 hours past dinner, at which I ate very little because I wasn't that hungry. I also think I have 'delayed stomach emptying' because I felt like my lunch (almost all protein) never left and then I ate a small dinner - becaise it was TIME and my husband was eating! - and that filled me up. Have to watch that, it's very uncomfortable.

[waltc]

Rose,
I would second what lottadata has to say. My carbs are mostly veggies and berries.

Also, I have found that a little coconut oil dampens the appetite. You can put a spoonful in your coffee or hot chocolate.

[Lisa N]

I guess I don't know what brought on the sudden cravings for the past week or so.

Rose, I have noticed, at least for myself, that for a few weeks in the fall and again in the early spring, carb cravings increase even when I have been spot on plan. I don't have any scientific explanation for it, but it does seem to be seasonal and doesn't last for long; might have something to do with the shortening daylight hours in the fall and lengthening daylight hours in the spring triggering chemical changes in the brain.

[bike2work]

All of a sudden I am craving things, wasn't doing that until now.
In my experience, feeding a craving only leads to more cravings. If you don't feed it, it will pass. I promise.

Make sure you're taking your supplements, too. I have a superstitious belief that fruit craving can come from vitamin C deficiency. I have zero evidence for this superstition.

Also, you might look into Celestial Seasonings herbal tisanes in fruit flavors. They're tasty.

[triplemom]

Rose, I was diagnosed last fall. I went through diabetic eduction,who put me on 30 grams of carbs per meal and 15 per snack. It was just too much for me. I've played around with the carbs and testing my sugar, and I do best with around 60 per day total. I also have to spread that out evenly and not have all 60 at once. This morning, I had ham and eggs scrambled in butter and my carb choice was milk. My breakfast total was around 15 grams. My 2-hour BS was 128. I also do better if I have my carb after the protein. I feel better knowing I can have a piece of toast with my breakfast if I want it - I just can't have the toast AND the milk - it's one or the other. It's all about choices for me. I try to get most of my carbs from non-starchy vegetables and occasional frozen blueberries.