Sugarbeat wrote: »

Hello all! I mostly just read here to get ideas and inspiration but sometimes I do post around MFP. Anyway, I have been a diabetic for years and have, until the last year and a half or so, controlled it mainly by diet. Sort of. My diet has always been erratic but I do try. On one hand, I have the diet the nutritionist has given me but when I try to follow it I'm hungry all day long and watch the clock constantly waiting for the next meal time. It does get my sugars down but its miserable. When I asked the nutritionist, as well as my one visit to a support group, about what to do when you're HUNGRY (and on a budget, but that's a different matter). No answers, just more of the "shoulds." So I did my own research and came across LCHF, with various plans. I like the idea of Adkins because it gives me a menu to follow and, to be honest, after awhile its just plain hard to know what to eat. The problem is the higher fatty foods upset my stomach and I find myself falling back to starchy foods. It starts with a slice of toast here or there and the next thing I know I'm back to eating more carbs than I should. Does anyone else have a similar problem? Any tips or tricks? I'm currently one the "more carbs" part of the cycle, and planning to cut them back down but I'm really tired of this ride.

Sugar;

Welcome to LCD, we're glad you are here.

As you probably already know, Atkins is one "version" of LCHF, arguably the most well "known" but still just one of the many different "flavors" of LCHF available to you.

While there are a number of members of this group that "do" Atkins, there are any number of others utilizing other plans and a number of folks that move between one version and another for their own reasons.

Point is, we don't argue for any one specific "plan", but rather that what matters most is that you find which is the "right" plan for you.

Given your previous "issues" with how "...higher fatty foods upset my stomach...." and the fact that you are diagnosed diabetic (T2D?), those two facts will influence and should be primary in determining which plan (or one you "design" for yourself) will be best.

It appears to be clear to you that the "advice" you've received to date from the supposed "experts" isn't getting the job done and I'm sure you've already been exposed to much of the research that shows the benefits of LCHF - especially as they relate to T2D.

So if I were you, I'd focus on finding "fatty foods" that you can tolerate and "ease into" lowering your carbs while slowly increasing fats.

Take a look at some of the Atkins meals and try ones you think might work for you.

Perhaps an even better resource might be for you to take a look at a bunch of our group member's food diaries to get an idea of what they are including in their diets and specific meals that might work.

Many members have their diaries open to "all", and many others open them to group members or "friends". You can tell by clicking on the poster's icon on the left and can also send a "friend request" to any that are restricted to "friends" only - most will gladly accept the request and you will have access.

Meanwhile, I'll send you a request and if you decide to accept it, you'll have access to mine - feel free to have a look and if you have any questions post back.

I'm sure you'll also receive a number of replies with additional ideas, tips, or specific ideas to deal with your "fats" issue.

My diet is more primal/paleo. Aiming for a max of 25% net carbs. A bit of carbs helps, but with diabetes, you're better off with resistant starches and high fiber options (sweet potatoes and other tubers vs white potatoes, etc.), veggies, etc. -- this helps curb hunger a bit and is still low-carb enough to control blood sugar and lose weight. One thing I was reading recently, which is interesting, is that eating pasta or potatoes the next day (after they've cooled off), makes them slower to digest -- turns the starches into resistant starches -- causing less of a blood glucose spike. Obviously, don't fill your whole plate, but as a side, this is an interesting option.

Anyway, my point is, 25% net carbs should be manageable without making you crazy, up the protein a bit, and I find that having fats as part of the food (i.e. fatty meat, avocado, coconut, etc) is easier to digest than free-floating fats, as I call them (like oils, coconut oil straight up, greasy bacon, etc.). Basically, I find that "hidden" fat is a bit easier to digest than visible fat, which tends to give me indigestion.