What can I eat!?!?!?

[Forestdweller]

As the title says... what can I eat. I’m 8stone 2 and 5ft 4... bmi is 19 I think. I eat really healthy anyway diet very low on sat fat . No red meat. No snaky things like crisps etc. No sweets or chocolate. Eat mostly veg/ salad, fish and fruit.. no dairy except a splash of semi skimmed in a coffee...healthy fibre foods ryvita etc..But I’ve got a bit obsessed now since finding out about my arteries, I know that the type1 diabetes is the real culprit but I have always been very controlling over what I eat and now I feel like a can’t eat anything and honestly between having a massive mental health meltdown today.. was due after everything I’ve been trough the last 6 months... I haven’t eaten yet at all..

[Sunnie2day]

When my American pericardial specialist told me I had to cut my sodium intake to 1500mg per day I though my world ended. I went to the supermarket to do a big shop, started loading my trolley and did as the specialist advised - I read the labels.

I ended up having to walk out of the store to sit in my car and cry like, well, like my world was ending.

It took me a while (including consulting a nutritionist and a counsellor) to adjust to my new reality.

If I say to you to hang in there and find a nutritionist to help you reorganise your daily diet, would it help make you feel less melted-down?

If I say to you there really are things you can eat that will make you feel full and stay within your dietary restrictions, you just have to find them (and a nutritionist is the person to talk to about finding those things), would it help you feel less melted-down?

If I say to you 'this too will pass', would that help?

[Forestdweller in reply to Sunnie2day]

I understand the crying in the car thing! I circled the kitchen yesterday opening and shutting all the cupboards a few times, and then burst into tears! I always have a lot of fresh food and a ton of veg in the house so it was stupid... as I could have pulled at least 5 meals together with what I had in. I was a tad hormonal yesterday which did not help the mental anguish! Thank you for your reply x

[MichaelJH Heart Star]

Hi... I am a lifelong diabetic who was diagnosed with PAD in 2010, CVD in 2017 followed by a quadruple bypass in 2018 and had my lower left leg amputated 8 weeks ago. Whilst diabetes is definitely to blame for the PAD my surgeon said the heart disease was heredity complicated by diabetes - my father, his brother and their father all died prematurely from heart attacks.

First off I personally think your weight is too low! When I recently moved from hospital to rehab I had lost 12kg (15kg inclusive of leg)). Could you afford to lose that much? My cardiac surgeon prefers people to have a BMI over 22 so they have some reserves in the event of complications. Post op I had an electrolyte imbalance and anemia.

I do not know all the details of your diet but if it is really low carb, say 80gm CHO, I would suggest 130gm minimum. Also increase healthy fats like olive oil, avocado's and herring. Beware of too much fresh fruit as it can really spike your BG. If you haven't done so have a look at the Mediterranean diet.

And finally I assume you are on and taking a statin...

[Forestdweller in reply to MichaelJH]

Thanks for replying, as I’m fairly new here I’ll add this.. I’ve always had trouble keeping the weight on to be honest, not caused by high BG just seem to be like that. My mum and grandad both had/have heart disease and I was told that added to my risk factors. My diabetes has been pretty much life long I was diagnosed aged 7. Wild child in teens early 20’s with horrific hba1 in mid 20’s I got myself together and have been fairly well controlled ever since. On pump and Dexcom combo now..I don’t know how to keep weight on I know I’m probably just not eating enough😬I will talk to my dsn and the dietician at clinic and get some help. I hear what you are saying about having some reserves. I worry about that too. I am not intentionally low carb it just works out per meal I don’t have more than 60. So over the course of the day Im probably not having that much. My cholesterol was at 4.5 total and they want to half that number. I am on 40 mg of Atorvastatin, in the last couple of weeks since the stent my BG’s have been running higher so having to take 30% more insulin at the mo. I’m very insulin sensitive my ratio is 1:20 with a correction factor of 1:7 anyway, thanks for the Mediterranean diet tip I will look that up, I only use olive oil anyway so that’s easy.

[MichaelJH Heart Star in reply to Forestdweller]

I have no idea of my HbA1c in my teens and early twenties as it had not been invented! The consultant always felt my control was good as my random clinic BGs tended to be good and urine tests OK. At one time I drunk about 8 pints a day! The NHS issued glass syringes you had to sterilise by boiling and needles you had to resharpen! Disposable needles were a huge advance but they would only prescribe about 25 for occasional use over six months when going out. It was the same when disposable syringes came out. I used to buy disposable needles and then syringes so spent hundreds of not thousands as they were not particularly cheap.

The first long term blood glucose test was Fructosamine which some consultants were dubious about. It was the same when HbA1c was introduced.

BG meters first appeared around 1980. My friend got an early one and paid about £1000. I waited till they were about £200. Only consultants could prescribe strips but you only got 25 for six months. Once I discovered how inaccurate the urine tests were I started to buy my own strips. The half brick meter with strips that had to be rinsed and dried after 30 seconds wasn't really portable. By 1990 BG testing was routine. I am on MDI with porcine insulin, and don't really understand your ratios and correction factors.

If you have 60gm CHO per meal that is around 180 per day. I have about 40gm CHO per meal so total 120 - 130gm per day. Years ago I tried a vegetarian diet but it did not work out. I do tend to eat larger portions of lean protein and if there is any excess here in rehab the staff tend to give it to me.

I would be interested to see what the dietician says to you...

[JennyRx]

I would agree that your BMI is probably a bit too low. Am I hearing a worry in there about the possibility that you’re developing an eating disorder? It might be time to have a chat with your GP and your diabetic nurse too.

[Forestdweller in reply to JennyRx]

I don’t think in developing and eating disorder, I think I just feel very restricted as I already had a fairly health diet, a bit lost I think is probably an accurate description. what I can adjust in my diet to make it better x

[JennyRx in reply to Forestdweller]

So maybe the dietician and/or diabetic nurse? It sounds like you’re eating healthily already but maybe a bit of support might help.

[isobelhannah18]

I eat a Mediterranean diet which is quite varied as well as tasty and healthy. I've no knowledge about diabetes but it's usually suitable for everyone. I agree with JennyRx . Also perhaps ask for referral to a dietician.

[Esselstyn]

These guys are very knowledgable about both type 1 and type 2, as alway I recommend a whole food plant based diet and I am shocked by Diabetes UK and their recommendations, as is common with major health charities they don't seem to have the right knowledge or even seem to want to help people.

youtube.com/user/mindfuldia...

I am around the same size and shape that you are and I just checked I am 19.1 BMI, I am a little puny, but if you eat well its natural to be slim.

here Cyrus Khambatta, and Robby Barbaro are on the Rich Roll podcast

youtu.be/enIvfC985U8(Not working as expected?)

I don't have diabetes and eat lots of unprocessed vegan food myself, so I hope these guys help. The one thing I do know about insulin sensitivity is that the fat in your cells prevent insulin and sugar working properly. Also as I eat unprocessed vegan food I need eat lots of it, low fat and no sugar is low calorie and so bigger mass. I would say it is very hard to be over weight on a whole food plant based diet, but that does not mean that you will wither away on it, its the natural food of primates.

[AndyM69]

Hi there

Reading your other posts you’ve certainly had a rough time over the past few weeks. I would suggest giving yourself a bit of time to take it all in and let all the new information settle. Give yourself a break!

I’m not going to give you any advice on diet other than to just accept you’ve got something else to think about as well as your diabetes and to speak to the appropriate medical professionals who can advise you the best way to manage both the diabetes and the heart disease.

I’m 51 and was diagnosed with high cholesterol at 19 years and the advice has changed over the years about what is good and bad. It was then discovered that I had high triglycerides and the diet advice and drug regime changed again and then changed again... at one point I was told to eat no more than 25g fat a day which is very restrictive and remember a few meltdowns when I went over this.

I had stents for the first time when I was about your age and have just had a bypass operation - something I always thought would happen eventually.

My problem is apparently related to genetics and there’s not much that can be done other than follow the best medical advice relating to medication and diet.

As I say, find the appropriate medical professional, whether that be a diabetic nurse specialist, dietician or your specialist consultant, BHF nurses etc.

Just don’t feel you have to ‘fix’ this right now as it sounds like you were doing pretty well anyway.

I hope you feel better very soon.

Take care

Andrew

[Forestdweller in reply to AndyM69]

Thank you 😊