Advice on diet.

[Bishop1]

Hello I find this site very informative. Mediterian diet does it include smoked salmon and smoked mackerel or are they too salty. Trying to follow a healthy diet. Had a double bypass in Dec 2020. Making a good recovery. I'm type 2diabetic. Taking a lot of medicine. Accrete D 3. Aspirin 75mg..Bisoprolol 5mg. Clopidogrel 75 mg. Entresto(24/26). Famotidine (40 mg). Furesemide (40 mg). Magnesium (97.2 ) (4 mmol). Metformin (850 mg). Montezuma (10 mg). Spitonolactone (25 mg). Dats a lot of veg fruit and a little red meat . I love ham. Not losing weight. Holding fluid. Any advice would be welcome.

[Chappychap]

I eat a Mediterranean diet, it's been very effective in terms of keeping my weight, blood pressure and lipid levels all in the healthy range. I do eat smoked salmon, although only in moderation (about once or twice a week). Preservation techniques such as smoking or salting, automatically puts food in the "processed category". Smoked salmon or mackerel are unlikely to be as problematic as say bacon or cured meats in this respect, but reducing highly processed foods is one of my key objectives so still I keep a lid on it.

You say you haven't yet managed to lose weight. If you've got type 2 diabetes the challenge is both more urgent but sadly more difficult.

We're all different so what worked for me may simply not be appropriate or effective for you, but personally I found restricting my meals to an eight hour slot each day has been the key to reversing a clear trend towards insulin resistance. From being right on the borderline my HbA1c scores are now comfortably back in the safe zone. I also suspect that sticking to a fairly rigorous exercise schedule has played a part in this.

Good luck!

[Bishop1 in reply to Chappychap]

Thank you so much for your reply. I'll try harder and up the exercise

[Curlyman83 in reply to Bishop1]

Exercise is massively overrated - you can’t outrun a bad diet. Now I’m not saying exercise isn’t important - it absolutely is, but don’t rely on it for losing weight. Simply try cutting out sugars and refined foods - this is much harder than you think as everything seems to contain hidden salts and sugars. The question I always ask myself is “was this produced in a factory?” - if the answer is “yes” then it goes back on the shelf.

The first couple of weeks are difficult (man did I miss my pizza and beers on a Friday night) but your body soon adapts.

Good luck!

[Bishop1 in reply to Curlyman83]

Thank you. On a healthy diet this morning. Bowl of porridge with blueberries and cinnamon and a lead to follow. But of tea. Now cocktail of drugs. Have a good day... Should have read Pear. Cup of tea.

[Curlyman83 in reply to Bishop1]

Sounds just like me! About to have oats with a drop of honey and a cup of decaf tea! Who needs a bacon butty and an espresso!? 🤣

[Bishop1]

Thank you for your reply x

[DCIHarry]

Hi,

This is always a subjective but very important topic for all Hearties, ... and in reality I can only share my own personal experience.

In December 2018 I was advised by my GP to adopt an ultra low carb diet - essentially avoiding all processed foods and white carbs (bread, pasta, potatoes, rice) etc. and at the same increase my activity levels.

This (together with regular Low Level Interval Training) worked for me better than any of the meds I have been asked to take since my HA in 2020.

Pre-HA this change in eating and lifestyle led to a weight loss of 49 lbs in six months, a drop in all cholesterol markers to “normal” levels and it put my T2 diabetes into remission. I also felt fantastic.

It is a difficult diet to follow - you don’t appreciate how white carb heavy your diet is until you make this change - but in my personal experience, it is well worth it.

Ironically, following my HA, I fell off this lifestyle “horse” and despite all the heart meds I am taking, my bloody chemistry and T2 has gone backwards.

So it’s “back on the horse” for me!

[Curlyman83 in reply to DCIHarry]

There is so much misinformation out there. Good job you’ve got a quality doctor!!

[DCIHarry in reply to Curlyman83]

I do indeed. He had similar problems and it worked for him, so he had no concerns in recommending it to me.

[JennyRx in reply to DCIHarry]

You now know what works. So be inspired by yourself and get back on that low carb wagon. We live in an obesegenic society and it’s so carb heavy. I have got myself out of the diabetic range but I’ve had to cut back on saturated fats as these were recommended on a very low sugar diet but my cholesterol went up. Fortunately it’s all back down again Just need to keep at it...

[Bishop1 in reply to JennyRx]

Thank you for your reply. New diet plan today. Have a good day and take care x

[DCIHarry in reply to JennyRx]

Thanks. Started two days ago. Sugar withdrawal is already kicking in, but once I get through that, things will be good again

[Bishop1 in reply to DCIHarry]

New diet plan today. Thanks for reply. Have a good day x

[DCIHarry in reply to Bishop1]

Good luck, it will be the best thing you can do

[ling]

You're asking the right question.Re smoked salmon or mackerel. Read the labels. They could be too salty since smoked. Better to just eat fresh salmon or mackerel. That way u can control how u want to season them.

Re ham. That's a processed food. Not good. A dietitian once told me ham can cause diabetes eaten in excess. I forget the explanation. Something to do with the nitrates etc. If true, u can imagine it must be bad for u too if u are diabetic. Plus its high in sodium so that's not good either.

A heart healthy diet should be low in sodium.

Best wishes.

[Bishop1 in reply to ling]

Thanks for reply. New diet plan today. Have a good day and take care x

[ling in reply to Bishop1]

Take care and best wishes.

[Ecki]

Overweight is BMI over 25. The normal range is 18 to 24.9. If your BMI is 22 or 23 you are well into the normal healthy range, not overweight.

[Qualipop]

The advice is to avoid processed meat which includes ham,

[Bishop1]

Thank you. No ham at lunch today. Beans tomatoes spring onions cucumber . No bread. 1sugar free sweet for afters.