Another newbie here (well doing it mainly for the OH)

[zebredy]

Just been advised by someone on the calories section, to have a look on here as I mentioned that my OH was going to start calorie counting with me but that he was diabetic.

Anyone else here in the same boat, and can recommend doing this LOW GI diet, I'm willing to try anything once (within reason lol) in order to help by hubby shift the last 2.5-3st he wants to loose before he is 40 later in the year..

 

[zebredy]

I forgot to ask, how do you know the numbers of foods without reading a book, looking it up on the web or being told them. Is there some sort of formula? (sorry if it seems a stupid question)

 

[Emmaline]

Hi Zebredy, I use a little pocket sized book called "Carb Counter" by Collins gem. It gives a terrific amount of foods and details of Carbs, Fibre, Calories, Protein and Fat. You can buy it on line for literally only a few pence and I have found it absolutely invaluable.
Hope that is of use to you.

Take care and all the very best in your endeavours...you sound like a really nice couple working together on this....

 

[shakenomore]

Hi, welcome on board. I haven't met anyone who has diabetes that has followed the GI/GL but I have read on so many websites etc that it is excellent for it. It is all about balancing blood sugar levels so it's sure to be good and you can have some fantastic "proper" food on it.

There are some very good books around - Patrick Holford is good and so is Denby. The principles are to avoid processed foods and go for wholegrain options where possible. If you look through this forum you'll find loads of information and if you google it as well. I posted a link to a good website that gives you a shopping list etc on the "good websites" thread in this forum.

As Molly has advised in other posts, watch portion sizes. Good luck and keep posting!

 

[zebredy]

Thanks guys/gals.

Been reading other posts and I get the impression that some people try and cut down on rice/pasta/bread/potatoes but that where I think we are gona get stuck. What do I replace those things with, other then salads which my hubby won't touch and me well I only like certain salad foods...

I'm gona try the brown thing (though as I posted elsewhere neither of us are fans of brown rice) we already eat 90% brown bread, and I would eat only brown pasta all the time, if my hubby just liked it as much as me, or at all for that matter..

And yes we know all about portion sizes in this house, well that is big ones lol, hoping to get some new crockery this month (broke to many bowels and some small plates so need a new set) hopefully smaller plates and the constant weighing of certain food will help (already doing the weighing)

You seem like a really nice friendly bunch of people here, the tips and links are great, I really hope we (my husband and I) can benefit from this new change in our every day eating as I hope we will..

 

[irish molly]

Hi. You are a great support to hubby. I hope he appreciates you. GL is a very suitable diet or plan for life for a diabetic. A friend of mine who's type 2 diabetic is following GL. He is still on meds but much less than prior to GL. He has also dropped about 25lbs.
Give it a try for about four weeks or so.
Refined foods and carb rich foods all convert very quickly to sugar in our bodies.
Ideally, yes, cutting out bread, potato, pasta and rice is the best way. This is because so little if these foods affect blood sugars. Would hubby prefer half a potato or 3/4 tin of broad beans mashed? The broad beans will be so filling.
Bread can be replaced with rye crackers, oatcakes or rye bread or very small amounts of wholegrain( 1 slice a day).
Potato, pasta and rice can all be replaced by using all sorts of beans( borlotti, flagelot, broad, kidney etc etc), lentils, pearl barley, couscous. Google recipes for these. There is so much tasty ways to use them.
Diabetes can have very severe consequences if not properly managed. Diet plays a huge part in managing it.
Get a book on GL by Nigel Denby or Patrick Holford. Winnie Chan's gi&gl counter is a fab handy reference giving both cals and whether it is high low or medium GL
When eating your food leave all the starchy food to one side. Eat the protein and green veg first then eat a little of the starchier bits.

 

[shakenomore]

I'll also post a recipe later for oat bran scones / bread which you might be able to persuade hubby to eat!

 

[zebredy]

The recipe sounds fab thanks.

Ooh this is going to be a lot harder then I thought, don't think I'm ever going to get Matthew to eat lentils and he isn't a big fan of beans either

I was told to maybe try gluten free products as an alternative when it comes to bread etc, but I'm just worried now, as I want to do the best I can. Will defiantly give couscous as try, I suppose its a start.

I was kind of expecting to have to cut down on the things we most like but the alternatives are not going to be met with open arms..

 

[irish molly]

Well start little by little. Put mire green veg on the plate and a little less potato or rice. Even when serving up curry or pasta, there is nothing wrong with including much more veg in the recipe and cut back on rice.
Try quinoa, tesco sell it. It is a grain and you boil it like rice. It is very good GL wise. 80g will be a portion if not using any other protein in the meal. Use 40g if using it as a side dish.
I cook up three portions at a time. It will keep in the fridge. Then you can toss it into a stir fry of lovely veg.
Make your favourite curry dish and substitute beans for the meat. Give him a big portion of this with just a tablespoon if rice.
If all else fails for hubby go back to the low fat, no sugar rules for diabetics.
Though, get Nigel Denby's book, the GL diet made easy, and get hubby to read it. It is short and an easy read. It may persuade him. You probably need to be a little tough with him too! It takes time to come to terms with a diabetes diagnosis but unlike so many other illnesses, diet can really make a huge difference.
Lots of luck