Eating low carb and some exciting (to me) diabetes news

If you are not interested in my diabetes situation (and who can blame you) you have my permission to skip this post, we can still be friends. This is an exciting update though, so I hope you can live with not knowing.

Do you remember when I went to the specialist diabetes Dr and found out my BSA was 9? And that Dr put me on fast acting insulin injections 3 times a day and I was having hypos? And I ended up firing her ass and going to the GP?

WELL!

The GP took me off the 3 injections quick smart, and started me on another tablet called Diamicron, which is just a little tablet with breakfast every day. Rather than putting more insulin in your body, it helps the insulin that is already there to work better and be more efficient.

As well as this, I've been trying to eat in line with Paleo ideals, not so much because I love the lifestyle, more from a 'lets reduce my carb intake' point of view. It's been super hard to give up grains and I'm not even attempting to do the rest of Paleo, which includes no dairy or legumes. I don't disagree with it, I just needed to take baby steps.


And those baby steps have paid off! I just came back from the GP's and my BSA is 6.6! If you are diabetic or know anyone who is you will understand how awesome this is - happy tears kind of happy. My BSA hasn't been this low for about 9 years, so to achieve this reduction in 4 months is fantastic. It goes to show I did the right thing in firing the Dr and stopping the insulin injections!



So what exactly have I been eating? Well, I'm a bit of a failure at Paleo, I eat wheat every day. I try and reduce the amount that I eat, but Dude, it's winter and sometimes a toasted sandwich is just the thing. Also, I have a family to feed - a family that is not interested in giving up grains. I also need to feed this family on a budget, and sometimes the more economic choice is not the most Paleo friendly. But, I try.



Generally I substitute pumpkin on my plate, instead of the rice or pasta that the rest of the fam are eating. So, bolognaise, chili, curry, any sort of casserole or slow cooker meal I will eat as usual, but with baked or steamed pumpkin (with the skin on), rather than grain product. Sometimes for breakfast I will fry an egg (in a nonstick pan with hardly any butter) and put that on some pumpkin. I really like pureed cauliflower instead of mashed potato, and I've also played around with 'Paleo rice' (finely chopped cauliflower) with some happy results. The Paleo diet allows potato and sweet potato but that doesn't work for me if my aim is to reduce carbs.


It also helps me if I jazz up the visual and taste appeal with some chili sauce, chopped shallots, parsley or a few olives - things the monkey boys won't eat. I am not one of those people who are happy with a salad, I need my tummy to feel full in order to not feel deprived. This is probably something to take to therapy but I don't even care, I'm just going to accommodate it!
I will generally have a small piece of roast potato, or a few hot chips; and there is no way I can live without sushi or burritos. I try and keep it to moderation and the results in terms of BSA are so much better than I thought they would be. If I've only been giving it 50-60 %, imagine what will happen if I ramp it up another 20%?


NB: I am not AT ALL an expert on diabetes or the Paleo diet, I am just sharing my journey with you. If you have any questions or concerns about your own health, please seek advice from someone qualified. This certainly wont be me!
xx
(linking to FYBF)