Diabetes

[watervole]

 My first group diabetes talking session is later today.

I'm going to be the thinnest diabetic in the room by far. (because most of the others are likely to have type 2 diabetes)

My weight has fallen gradually over the last few years (which I now know was due to my body finding it harder to produce enough insulin), but not feeling like eating when I had the flu has brought me to an adult lifetime low of 48.4kg which is definitely too low.

The trouble is partly that I'm tired, my asthma is still bad (I've just started on a steroid course) and I can't seem to get interested in food. 

I've put a small bowl of mixed nuts by my computer to encourage nibbling.   I've asked my husband to offer me fruit whenever he has some (nibbling a persimmon right now).

I'm open to ideas...

I tending to eat small quantities, I really need more, but I just don't feel hungry....

 

I don't think it's anorexia - I like the way I look. I've been this shape (well, with nearer 550kg) all my adult life, and I'm very happy with it

I'll let you know if the person running the meeting has any suggestions!  Meanwhile, I can at least have a guilt-free square of quality chocolate.

 

 

Comments

[igenlode]

My converter program says that 484 kilograms is nearly half a ton, which sounds a bit unlikely (my grasp of metric is still a bit shaky, which is why I had to run the conversion in the first place...)

[bugshaw]

Probably means 48.4kg!

[igenlode]

Seven and a half stone -- that's more likely :-D

[watervole]

Ah typo. Will move decimal point....

[bugshaw]

If you're trying to establish a new habit, it can help to attach it to something you already do regularly. e.g. every time you have a cup of tea, think about having a small nourishing snack. It's "habit stacking".

[watervole]

I only drink one cup of tea a day...
But having the nuts near my computer mouse has definitely increased consumption today.

BTW, love your icon photo - I really must update mine...

[lexin]

Best of luck!

[watervole]

It turned out to be a really interesting, well-informed talk. I learnt more than I expected to.

Second session in a fortnight.

[ranunculus]

It might not -be- anorexia, but treating the symptoms might be pretty much the same. I think your idea of the nuts, and the fruit, is spot on.

[feng_shui_house]

If you enjoy a variety of dried fruits and nuts, you could try making up your own mix and keeping it in a small baggie nearby. The different shapes, colors, and flavors keeps in interesting.

[watervole]

Right on the nose. By my desk right now is the almond, mango and sunflower option. I'll need to go very easy on the dried fruit though -high sugar content.

[feng_shui_house]

Yes! If you have a very low proportion of fruit, it just makes it a special surprise when you get one.

I have dried banana chips, papaya, pineapple, pecans, cashews and walnuts I'm going to mix for my next batch. I make a gallon ziplock bag full and it lasts me for a couple months.

I'm assuming all the fruit is way too sugary for you, unless they make special low-sugar types.

[watervole]

As long as they're dried without adding any additional sugar, I'm fine with a small amount. (she demonstrated a small scoop of the fingers, not the hand)

Fresh fruit is high in fibre, which slows the digestion rate. GI is very important.

Banana is the one to watch out for. Half a banana counts as a whole portion, unless it's a very small one.

[feng_shui_house]

If you can get the banana chips with no added sugar, they're precut into small pieces. I like the crunch of them. ;^)

[watervole]

Never been much into banana chips for some reason. I tend to go more for raisins and the like.

And pine nuts, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds and the like.

[feng_shui_house]

It's all good. I find that talking about food makes me hungry, so I hope our little chats have helped your appetite.

Sometimes you just need happy thoughts-I once had a cat who stopped eating because she wasn't feeling well, and even after treatment cured her issue, she wasn't interested in food. Then I gave her catnip and after she played for a while she happily went to her food bowl and ate it all and went back to normal. Appetite restored through joy.

[watervole]

There's a lot of truth in that. I went for a walk round Wimborne after the Diabetes meeting, and bought myself an artisan mince pie as I was feeling happy.

[feng_shui_house]

Yes! Sometimes it's the simple things, a little walk outside in nice weather can be a real mood boost. I let some weeds grow in my yard, so I can enjoy the butterflies that need them.

[feng_shui_house]

One little mental thing I used to do whenever I was putting off cooking (so easy to get trapped in the internet)... I'd think... 'Go and eat the food, Og'... Blake's 7 never fails.

[watervole]

The icon made me giggle.

[feng_shui_house]

I have a lot of Avon icons from way back. He always makes me giggle. :^)

[greenwoodside]

Wishing all the best to you.

Suggestions...could you try to expose yourself more to the smell of things you've found appetising in the past? (For me it would be stuff like freshly ground coffee, hot cinnamon buns, garlic bread, orange zest). Either naturally through making/buying them in, or artificially by putting a decent quality scent diffuser in one room.

Alternatively, perhaps some coffee table recipe books with big photos could help as a way to rekindle some positive food-related feelings?

Or tune in to the Kitchen Cabinet to hear chefs and gastronomes opine with great passion and occasional rage on their specialist subject. (Though the best episode so far had Glaswegian panellist Rachel McCormack explaining jeely pieces. I also seem to recall her singing about why ye cannae fling a piece an' jam oot a twenty-storey flat, but that might be something my brain patched in later).

That was a bit long. I'm afraid I'm rather obsessed with food myself!

[watervole]

Was that perchance one of the verses of 'You canna shove your granny off a bus'? *grin*

I think smells definitely help.

It's also part of the problem. My husband's a great cook, but he's been off his game for about a year now, and my granddaughter finds it a problem too. Too many meals just don't feel appealing any more.

I wonder if his sense of smell/taste is starting to go?

He can still hit the mark, but too many fall below.... (He's the official cook in our house, and that's always worked well until now)

[greenwoodside]

Was that perchance one of the verses of 'You canna shove your granny off a bus'?

PUSH PUSH

It definitely shares genes with the above, though is a different song.

Jeely Piece Song

He can still hit the mark, but too many fall below.... (He's the official cook in our house, and that's always worked well until now)

Oh dear -- have you been able to isolate what it is that's changed in his cooking? I assume like most regular cooks he has a stock of familiar recipes he knows by heart, and can reproduce without thinking too much about it. Is he perhaps overseasoning to compensate for his reduced taste/smell, without realizing?

[watervole]

Well, I've got him to change the way he's cooking spuds and that's helping. He was cutting them into pieces before putting them in the water, and all the flavour was going into the water, and they just tasted soggy.

Yesterday's tea with mash was noticeably better.

[greenwoodside]

Happy things are improving on the culinary front and hope they continue to do so!

[watervole]

Jeely Piece song. Thought I recognised the tune...
It's the chorus to 'chewing gum' - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x6bFTVi0hHs

[julesjones]

If he's had a couple of bouts of Covid, that could be affecting his sense of smell/taste. It only occurred to me recently that this may be why I often find red meat has an odd taste these days; I'd put it down to the weird effect chronic migraine often has on my senses, but I don't remember it happening before I had Covid a couple of years ago.

[vera_j]

Oh yes, I do know you are really...ehm skinny (no offence mentioned) and together with all your activities, you must really cosumme more energy than you can gain. Hmmm...hard to say how to help you. Your stomach has probably shrunk and if so, you really do not feel the need to eat. But how to help you...I do not know your food preferences; ah, you need to come here, I would fatten you, you can bet. However I am not sure if you would find our cuisine to your tastes.:-)
Nuts are great and nutricious; you need proteins - eggs, meat, yeast. Thick soups. less fruit, it is too much ballast for your poor stomach.
When I was after the tongue surgery (3times), I fed myself eating scrambled eggs ot potato puree with cheese... and mixed chicken meat. Just an idea.HUGS

[watervole]

LOL!

I've been eating more eggs. But a lovely thick soup would be very nice.

How is your tongue now?

Are you able to talk more easily now?

[vera_j]

Well, that horrible thing (leukoplakia) won´t disappear and it is very aggressive. The tongue tries to replace the lost left side by growing slowly but with really not aestethic shapes of tissue; also the scares seem to "pull" and prevent the tongue from moving freely...so I must say that it is not better, it is worse. Combined with another problem, which is my denture (upper jaw). My dentist developed a nice design so that it could "hold" better - special "braces". However these had to be removed becaue they kept "teasing" the raw tissue on the bad side of the tongue and under it. Now I have a strange, not full denture, that I keep in place I don´t know why. And the tongue feels like when you burn it with hot tea, day and night, all the time and especially when I eat something more spicy; crunchy food hurts the soft tissue and soft food pulls my denture - oh hey, what a joy. But if I can´t do anything about it (and actually no one can) what use in falling into depressions? I like my life and somehow I got used to this. I only fear of possible worsening - which can happen any time. Still, I know there are people who are much more worse and suffer terribly and still live actively, so what?
Just make any good thick soup and eat it - there are so many variations and they are really good!

[watervole]

It all sounds so horrible. I can only imagine how badly and painfully this impacts on your life.

I admire you so much for coping with it, and still finding ways to get pleasure and meaning from your life.

Here's to soup!

[vera_j]

Ay, my dear, there are people who are much worse and enjoy every day. No point weeping or falling into depression or isolating myself; why? After all, I can see and hear and walk and do things normally (according to my age, that is). One can learn live with such things - but you know this yourself. Ah, and I allowed myself to use a vulgar expression instead that medical name: I call it "white shit". Sorry, but this is what it is! LOL
And thank you for your kind support!

[watervole]

As my mother would say: 'What can't be cured must be endured'.

And we have both learned to find the pleasure in the things we still can do.

[vera_j]

Yes. Absolutely.HUGS