Not quite the normal post I guess but just wanted others thoughts on this .I had my HA on 27th February and 3 stents.
I think I'm making a decent recovery, and have re run and completed couch to 5k again .
Soon after leaving hospital my blood sugar levels peaked into the diabetic range and then within 8 weeks I have managed to get it down to normal , so even below the pre diabetic level.
My Question is diet related .
Having been very strict with a low carb and no added sugar diet since my HA and loosing almost 2.5 stone with diet and intermittent fasting I am now thinking of maintenance.
Am I safe to have a day off? (Without going crazy!)
A friend has asked me round to his house as his wife is having friends round for her birthday, she always cooks lots of delicious foods but not necessarily advised for a heart patient or someone who is actually still considered diabetic !
How strict do I need to be ?
Just interested in people's thoughts 🤔🙂
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I definitely don’t think one day will make much of a difference at all. If you drink alcohol, I would probably be cautious to not drink excessive amounts. As long as everything you are eating and drinking is in small to moderate amounts, I don’t believe this will affect you.
Re the diabetes I've no idea, but as for your heart go on and give yourself a treat, you've done brilliantly well in your weight loss and blood sugar levels, you deserve a treat.
You would certainly be able to have a day off.In fact , if you have been very strict on your diet it is wise to have a small portion of something with simple carbs or sugar in it the day before , because this helps your body to get used to dealing with these foods and means you are less likely to eat bigger portions of treat foods and suffer with it ,
How are you planning to eat from now on in your Maintenance phase?
That is the way to go , the Maintenance phase of weight loss helps you to reintroduce other foods and create a balanced " Diet For Life" that you can enjoy and sustain. Being too strict during the longer maintenance phase of weight reduction is usually one of the ways that you can lose momentum and fall off the good diet wagon. Portion Size , Persistence and Patience are the essential tools to achieving a loss in weight that has the chance to be a permanent change .
So the occasional small treat once or twice a week helps you to maintain your goals and gain a new positive attitude to eating a more controlled and balanced diet.
You may lose less weight per week than on a strict weight loss diet but it's done in a healthier way , teaching your body to feel more satisfied with new eating behaviours which you can keep up and that is how the weight is more likely to stay off.
You can increase your carb intake to a level between the level you had eaten in the stricter few weeks of weight loss to a moderate/ mid range below the average carbs you would eat for your gender / build and activity in a balanced diet after you have reached your goal.
The most important lesson about eating carbs for better health or weight change isn't just eating less carbs but in the quality of carbs that you eat.
Choosing to leave the "white" carbs like processed sugar , peeled potatoes, white bread , rice or pasta to the occasional small treat .
Choosing small portions of the more complex carbs with more nutritional benefits , and a good fibre content than are slower to digest and keep your appetite satisfied for longer like wholegrain , wholemeal , skins on, and a variety of fruits , vegetables and grains and seeds .
These promote heart health , help you with energy and nutrition, but also prevent the sugar spikes that cause insulin imbalance and the urge to binge on certain foods.
The quality of fats in your diet is also important.
Adding a few skin on new potatoes, rice , or wholemeal pasta or pulses to a stew or meal is a good option . A small slice of wholemeal or multiseed bread or toast with a protein and veg packed meal.
I think a day off is absolutely fine, I am on slimming world I have 1 treat day a week, I might treat myself for one day to a takeaway or a slice of cake. As long as I'm back on track after that day I'm usually okay.
As my best friend says you only live once, might as well enjoy it! And as my Mum says everything in moderation
I would say it depends on how you react to a day off.
One day of bad eating won’t set you back physically/medically etc. But one bad day could lead to another and another until you have more bad days than good - and that will undo your good work.
I’m super bad with this - one day of bad eating can derail me for a month. Others cope just fine.
How do keep an intermittent fasting when you have to take the medicines at 9 am? I’d like to go back to IF again but taking my meds means I have to have breakfast.
I lost over 3 stone after my HA and have kept most of it off over the past 3.5 yrs. I try to keep to a balanced diet and walk everyday and do a bit of running. If I want a day off to have treats I do. You still need to enjoy life so enjoy treat days now and again.
Good morning. I think you deserve a day off and with the exercises you are doing you will soon work it off anyway. Interested to know more about what sort of diet you are following. Because I need to loose 3 stone plus. But due to severe copd I struggle to do exercise at all because of getting breathless so quickly. Hope your day goes well. Brian
Thanks for the information. Sadly doing exercise does sometimes lead to injuries of knees and feet over the years. I used to get Plantar Fascitis fairly often. Well done on the weight loss and Thanks again. Brian
personally I think a day off is a really good idea - otherwise it becomes a non sustainable diet and will be really hard every time you go to an event or celebration. Personally I allow myself several days off a year (Christmas day for instance I eat whatever I want!) I eat out about once a month and try to pick low saturated fat dishes and also keep in mind my pre-diabetic state. A did go to a nutritionist for a 6 session course which was brilliant and her mantra was ‘it’s what you eat most of the time that matters’ and she certainly believed in having a few days off!
Firstly, well done, those are some very positive changes for your health.
With respect to cheat days, I would say this is a very individual thing. Be realistic about yourself and whether you are a “sugar addict”. If you struggled with cravings etc, a cheat day could be a trigger and you will have to go through that effort again. Speaking from personal experience, I have had to accept that this is my lot, one cheat day turned into more and more, until every day was a cheat day again ☹️.
I think you've done amazingly well and if it was me I would definitely have a day off from diet and enjoy your friends company and their delicious food. Life is for living .
There seems to be some evidence that a light walk -as opposed to sitting still, but not heavy exercise-after eating helps regulate blood sugar . Worth a Google to see what you think . Don’t know whether that would be something you could factor in to your evening if you think it worth trying.
Have just done Zoe predict study, may I suggest that you try to eat a goodly portion of high fibre foods like a salad topped preferably with vinegar/ oil dressing 10 minutes or so before you you tuck into the more interesting foods. I learnt on Zoe that that flattens the sugar spike by quite a margin. And if you could leave starchy stuff til last to eat it works even better.
Only my opinion but once in a while I personally do not think will make a difference and life is for enjoying and treating ourselves now and again and sounds like your friends cooking could be one of those one of times when you can treat yourself
I hope you enjoy yourself and the day after you can get back to your healthy eating x
It has ! 😁My friends wife is Filipino so loves to cook !
There was maybe 20 people there .
It was basically a help yourself buffet
So ended up eating white rice which I have not had for ages because I have been restricting carbs , fried chicken drumsticks, noodles and a few bits and pieces of red meat which again I have avoided completely since my HA
Also some deserts made from cassava, quite sweet so I'm sure contains a fair bit of sugar !
Various dishes really as most of the Filipinos who attended had cooked and brought some food 😁
I enjoyed it !
No immediate side effects that I'm aware of , but back straight away onto 16/8 fasting with low carb and no added sugar 😁
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