# Long term vs short term



## Feathers (Sep 2, 2021)

I could use some perspective from other T2s in particular.

I'm working with a nutritionist who is also a sort of counsellor. The aim is to try and tackle the problems behind my eating - the emotional eating etc. She's lovely, and I'm getting a lot out of it in terms of understanding why I eat the way I do.

But a key part of the approach is intuitive eating. And the thing is, on one way, it's working. It's reduced my stress around food, and it turns out when I listen to my body I actually get a fairly balanced diet (in a conventional sense)

BUT I also get a lot of carbs. And I have regained weight - both what I lost on my recent attempt at Newcastle, and the few pounds I lost at the start of the year when I wasn't trying anything special, just watching carbs. 

The nutritionist is very resistant to any talk of limiting food, either for carb reduction or weight loss. I get why, and if I'd encountered this approach 5yrs ago it might have been fine. But I'm really worried that I'm doing yet more damage.

I'm trying to just go with the program until the end of the year, to give it a fair try, because I do feel it can help me improve my relationship with food, but I can't switch off the part of my brain that worries about complications.

Has anyone done this type of work? The nutritionist won't make any promises about it leading to weight loss or carb control. Did it eventually naturally lead there?

Do you think it's worth some short-term bad sugars if it might improve things long term?

Any suggestions for ways to introduce gentle control that somehow won't mess with the program? I've been wondering about something like 16-8 intermittent fasting, or intuitive eating but no snacking, or something.

Realisti, I must control carbs, and ideally lose weight.


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## Kreator (Sep 2, 2021)

Hi, so for me (fellow T2) just having completed the Newcastle Diet and experiences posted here, the main thing apart from losing weight that I've learned is resetting my relationship with food and I'm still learning!

One thing is portion size, another is being mindful about what I eat and not being afraid - a month ago I would walk around the supermarket isles and think, I can't have this, I can't have that - what can I have?!

Where-as now I can have anything I want - eg - I looked at the calories in a Pukka Pie - love these - over 500 Cals just for the pie! - can't have that ever again! - oh wait... I can (I haven't yet, but will do one of these days!) - I can have lots of nice veggies (Caulliflour, Brocolli etc) with it - so in the end fairly not calorific meal as a whole - granted the pie is carby but the veggies cancel it out to a degree and if I've had decent breakfast & lunch before it or even if I calm it down the following day it's all good...

This approach works for me...not quite officially in remission but that's just a HbA1C test in a couple of weeks - however...I'm also aware that I'm not quite out of the woods either...my Pancreas still has some work to do, so still need to watch the carbs to a degree - always I guess really!

I wonder if your nutritionist is coming from a T2 perspective? - I'd also say that listening to my body is helping me a great deal - something I hadn't even contemplated before - as well as 'intuitaive eating' - if you're not hungry don't eat - and don't feel obliged to eat everything on your plate just for the sake of it...


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## Kreator (Sep 2, 2021)

The other thing I'd say to counter carb intake maybe increased activity....

Steps - around 10,000 a day - if that sounds daunting, it was for me at first as well, but just slowly increased over a few weeks and spread throughout the day so you're not doing it all in one go - this can help lower blood sugar levels - doesn't have to be rigorous either...


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## Gwynn (Sep 2, 2021)

No idea if any of the following is helpful and I appologise if it is just so much nonesense.

Food is a fascinating topic to me as everyone reacts differently to the same foods. Add to that how we perceive eating, putting on or losing weight. Then add to that the emotions and fears that can arise, and we have a very complex 'relationship'

On diagnosis I was terrified of food, my weight, the meds, you name it. I felt that I had to somehow come to terms with and try to master my health issues, including eating, exercising, fear of blood, etc

I too have walked down the supermarket aisles and felt that I could eat nothing safelly ever again. Horrible feeling and complete lies too.

I manage my fears, emotions, weight by measuring and recording everything. I set goals and limits. Some are short term, some much longer term. The fear of blood has diminished as I have tested and tested and retested my blood glucose levels and found that its not so bad after all. My fear of food was overcome by learning what is in each food and recipe and the longer term effect on my weight.

And I experiment, eating a portion of this or that and testing 2Hrs later to see the effect on my blood.

I also set my expectations to 'longer term' so that short term changes tend not to freak me out as much now. At the start a slight drop or rise in blood glucose levels frightened me a lot. However, I discovered that everything didn't fall apart and adjustment going forwards are possible.

The hard part for me is dealing with the anxiety when my BG goes up or down. However I have found that firstly a little blip is nothing to worry about and secondly over a longer period of time, controlling everything carefully and sensibly, keeping to NHS guidelines and learning about my own body.....works!

I concertrate on getting the carbs down to a level that my body can cope with. It takes some calculations and effort, but the rewards of better long term health are worth it. If I reduce the carbs then I look at increasing the protein or fat in the diet.

Reducung carbs helped me lose weight AND by adjusting all nutrition aspects helped me maintain my weight later on.

Personally I can't just guess at what I am eating (nutrition wise) and hope for the best. I have to look things up and 'massage' each days meals.

I think it may be about 'control'. Either I try to control the diabetes and my body or the diabetes controls me.

Such extreme analysis and control is very unlikely to sit well with many people but the one thing I would say is that there is natural variability in the body from day to day and that learning about your body and how it reacts is empowering and not defeating.

In the end we all have to learn what works and what doesn't for ourselves and that can only happen over time.

Good luck and keep going. It sounds like your nutritionist/counsellor is good and trying the best to help you. Sorry I have wriiten so much but I feel for you and your situation. I hope 5hat things become easier for you in time.


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## Kreator (Sep 2, 2021)

@Gwynn an awful lot of what you’ve said there resonates with me too


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## stackingcups (Sep 2, 2021)

Hi, I'm also seeing a nutritionist with a view to intuitive eating. On my journey I have found a few intuitive eating nutritionists on Instagram who specialise in diabetes too, which I follow to remind me it can be done 

I have been following intuitive eating practices for a while and my weight has stayed stable. Until recently where I've apparently lost a bit unexpectedly. I tend not to weigh myself if I can help it.


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## Inka (Sep 2, 2021)

My advice would be to find another nutritionist. I hope that doesn’t sound rude, but anyone who doesn’t understand that you need to limit carbs is a liability. If it was me, I’d see a separate counsellor and find a proper dietician.


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## Feathers (Sep 2, 2021)

Thanks folks.

@Kreator I tried Newcastle recently. On week 3 my energy went through the floor. I completely couldn't function. I'm gutted I didn't finish it, as was already seeing improved fasting sugars.

@Inka I get why you feel that. I'm torn. She is a qualified nutritionist, and some of what we're doing is great - I'm convinved her approach could be good long-term. I just worry about control in the coming months, and the lack of any long term guarantees.

@stackingcups could you share any insta accounts you'd recommend following for this? It sounds really helpful.



> On diagnosis I was terrified of food, my weight, the meds, you name it. I felt that I had to somehow come to terms with and try to master my health issues, including eating, exercising, fear of blood, etc @Gwynn


Yeah I am probably still in this stage. I feel very overwhelmed by it all.


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## Kreator (Sep 2, 2021)

Feathers said:


> Thanks folks.
> 
> @Kreator I tried Newcastle recently. On week 3 my energy went through the floor. I completely couldn't function. I'm gutted I didn't finish it, as was already seeing improved fasting sugars.
> 
> ...


Seems to me that you should be following your ‘gut’ instinct (‘scuse the pun!) - if it doesn’t feel right change it up a little - my dietitian doesn’t tell me what to eat or what not to eat - that’s very handy to me as she lets me make my own mistakes and then offers alternatives - she is diabetes oriented with the newer teaching ways…


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## stackingcups (Sep 2, 2021)

@theintuitivediabetic
@the.bloodsugar.nutritionist
@everything_endocrine
@dietitiankristie

On the flip side, I am now considering bariatric surgery which probably goes against what these ladies stand for anyway.


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## Drummer (Sep 2, 2021)

Oh dear - not much cop as a nutritionist even if helping with the counselling.
Most type twos can eat some carbs without problems, so the trick is to make the most of them - I make large salads with lots of different colours and flavours, I don't eat high carb veges but cubes of swede to make bubble and squeak is often simmering on my stove, I put curries onto chopped cauliflower rather than rice, I make cheese waffles to put around mushrooms, or bacon or sausages and can  'get away with' under 40 gm of carbs a day.
I make desserts from gelatine and fruit squash - as the sugar free jellies are too sweet for me now. I add in yoghurt or cream and whisk it up, then I might put frozen berries in it to make it set quickly, or eat semi defrosted berries with it if I have found bags of separate types rather than a mixture. Even if I have a second helping or empty the bowl it is still low carb.


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## Leadinglights (Sep 2, 2021)

A good nutritionist has to be mindful of your medical condition, that being Type 2 diabetes, it is no good going down a route that will be detrimental to your blood glucose management as out of control levels are going to have knock on effects on all sorts of other things and give you symptoms that will be unpleasant and also affect your mood.
There is no reason that a low carb dietary regime should be too restrictive. 
In order for them to benefit you, you have to have confidence that they will be cognisant of your medical needs in the advice given.


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