1. < Diabetes & Endocrine System

Feeling full as a diabetic

Posted by bulgebattler @bulgebattler, May 8, 2019

I am a Type 2 diabetic on Metformin, short and long acting insulin currently working on improving my lifestyle including nutrition, physical activity and mindset. I notice "intuitive eating" in the literature which talks about eating when hungry (physiologically not emotionally) and stopping when full. For the latter I have even read about stopping at 80% full! (Is it even possible for anyone to know when they are 80% full?) I also recall reading that diabetes can affect our stomachs ability to sense when it is full, possibly due to neuropathy. I like the idea of intuitive eating but maybe I need to stick with other methods such as portions or tracking. Does anyone have any information on the ability of people with diabetes being able to tell when they are full?

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bulgebattler | @bulgebattler | May 11, 2019

Just read a diaTribe article on overview of diabetes and prediabetes diets which provided a very quick reference on the various diets

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bulgebattler | @bulgebattler | May 11, 2019
In reply to @retiredteacher "Hello and welcome, @bulgebattler. This is a good topic to make us think about overeating. I..." + (show)
@retiredteacher

Hello and welcome, @bulgebattler. This is a good topic to make us think about overeating. I found early on after i was diagnosed as having Diabetes 2 that diet was so important. In a complete lifestyle change from a Southern gal cooking Southern soul food, that rethinking almost everything was not easy. I don't like the idea of measuring 1/2 cup of this and one cup of something else. It was aggravating enough to cook foods a different way. So, I decided that my way was through portion control. To do this and make it easy, I bought some Rubbermaid divided food containers. They have one large section and two smaller sections. I usually have two leafy green vegetables, a different veggie (squash), and maybe beets or butter beans. That's it. I cook meat either chicken or a pork tenderloin and my husband has a meat and three veggies and I have four veggies. I try to stay away from meat except maybe once a week. In place of a leafy cooked veggie, we might have a salad. The sections in the dish are small, so there is no chance of overeating. That's my method to control what I eat. Knowing poirtions and eating only that is what we have for lunch. For supper we have a sandwich of some sort, and for breakfast just a piece of toast and coffee. I find this easy to do and I can cook for more that one day and store in my divided plates and be ready to go when it's lunch time---just heat and eat. I don't think this should be complicated, so I make it as simple as possible, and it works for my husband and me. I don't take any meds but have been able to control my diabetes through eating this way and exercising.
Does this sound like something you could do?
Carol

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Thanks for the ideas Carol. Keep it simple is one I look for as I try to adapt my eating habits. Coming from a very sedentary lifestyle means that possible changes I can make are vast numerous so simple, consistent plans seem to be crucial for my long term success
Jim

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dorisena | @dorisena | May 11, 2019

The Mayo Diet book says not to eat in front of the TV, so I eat at the kitchen window and watch the mother robin sitting on her nest on the porch deck rail.
Today I see little beaks sticking up and the very thin mother is feeding her babies. This is so exciting and much better than TV. The robin stares at me and doesn't seem to mind that a moving object is in the window. At last I am not alone for meals right now. They will be gone before we know it. Dorisena

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trishanna | @trishanna | May 11, 2019
In reply to @dorisena "The Mayo Diet book says not to eat in front of the TV, so I eat..." + (show)
@dorisena

The Mayo Diet book says not to eat in front of the TV, so I eat at the kitchen window and watch the mother robin sitting on her nest on the porch deck rail.
Today I see little beaks sticking up and the very thin mother is feeding her babies. This is so exciting and much better than TV. The robin stares at me and doesn't seem to mind that a moving object is in the window. At last I am not alone for meals right now. They will be gone before we know it. Dorisena

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@dorisena Awww, that's so nice! However, I'm not necessarily opposed to watching TV, especially if one is alone. It seems to me that if one is already battling medical problems and has been forced to eat an unappetizing meal, suggesting staring at a blank wall in order to eat well is to increase ones discomfort.Think that's good advice for families to follow, however.
.

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dorisena | @dorisena | May 11, 2019

There is no need for anyone to eat an unappetizing meal when you learn which foods raise the blood sugar. Since I have been learning about nutrition since high school, it was not difficult for me to learn which carbs produce too much sugar in the blood that our insulin does not remove well. After you learn which ones to limit or avoid, it is easy to choose different versions of foods that you can really enjoy. I found a multigrained bread with seeds that really have a great flavor, however I had to learn how much I could eat depending on how much exercise I do each day. I can hoe in the garden and burn off some carbs and really enjoy the whole thing knowing that I can have that bread in a well balanced meal. I can bake bran muffins and put applesauce in them to cut the calories.
I can make homemade ice cream with a little sweetener and my family doesn't notice any changes in the recipe, but the calories are a bit much. Once in a great while I will eat a baked potato with all the extras, but know that extra exercise must be done or the numbers will be up in the morning I eat whole wheat pasta once a month and make sure I take the Metformin and limit the amount of the serving. This past year my son and I learned to eat okra sauted in with other veggies and it added to the variety of the meal. I do not feel deprived at all unless I see those donuts in the grocery that I once was addicted to.
What is so helpful is that we as a family have always eaten a lot of veggies, however it was difficult to give up the yearly sweet corn binge. We just don't grow it anymore and wouldn't buy it at the store because it would not taste as good as homegrown. Dark chocolate is an antioxidant so I have a little of that now and then, but hate the constipation that goes with it, so I don't want it often. I love prunes, but they are high natural sugar. You adjust your food choices and remember to eat "safe" foods that you love. There is a lot of choice out there, and you will learn quickly and be more satisfied. What more is there to say about salmon except that it is wonderful baked with basil on it. You can save a lot of money not buying processed food in boxes and that helps very much.
Read labels. Look for total carbs which should be 15 or so grams per servings. Count the servings of carbs each day according to the nutritionist recommendations and soon it will be second nature. Learn to like cooking from scratch. We love to mix vegetables and throw them into scrambled eggs.
Yes, you may have to give up white bread, white potatoes, and lots of pasta. Don't look at mac and cheese. One piece of cake on your birthday will not kill you if you plan ahead. I get a headache, and am glad I don't have more than one birthday a year. For flavor I use basil, garlic, onion, cinnamon, whatever I come up with to try. Garlic is supposed to increase your immunity. I don't get sick much at all, but then I am not around people so much as in the past.
I hope this is enough to inspire you that eating can be a great adventure even without sugar and high carbs. Dorisena

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svo1 | @svo1 | Jul 10, 2019

What has worked for me ... as I am newly diagnosed. I eat enough to take away the hunger feeling then I stop eating. Hope this helps

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