Debt free and staying that way while I re-evaluate life and keep blood sugar levels down

redofromstart

Similar experience for me when I was properly measured in Bravissimo and for first time ever felt like it fit properly with no bulging, but also like it needed padding in the top half!

badmemory

I find if I wear a size as per the measurement I land up with boobs under my arms.  So bra extenders are an essential.  Even M & S agreed when they measured me that it was the only way to get a decent fit.  The problem of course is that it means the straps land up on the edge of my shoulders, so I am always having to hike them back or have something across to stop it happening.  Wouldn't it be nice if life was simple?  If anyone knows of any bras which are actually sensibly designed please let me know.  As in why can't the straps come up from the centre of the cup like they used to instead of well over an inch to the outside.

Humdinger1

Gosh, we've struck a rich seam of storytelling here, no?! I think last time I was measured, the cup size was OK but the overall size was too small.   The straps have narrowed to the thickness of wire and they dig in.  You need a woman of a certain age and experience I think to measure properly.  An air of cynicism and having triumphed over disaster reassure me. Love Humdinger xx 

Four_Seasons

Hi Hundinger, I have seen your comments about weight on other diary's you have done so well. Apparently I was prediabetic but at my recent blood test I am not - I didn't know! But it has made me think so any tips would be very welcome x

Humdinger1

So @Four_Seasons this is what has worked for me.   Everyone is different of course and what sends one person's blood sugar up won't necessarily be the same for others. I'm not a medical expert, as you all know.  I hope it doesn't sound too off-putting.  If I didn't grip it, I was going to be injecting insulin for life and I wanted to give other methods a go.  My blood sugar levels were 3 times higher than they should have been.

Low carb:  really low carb and even less sugar.  Home made rye bread, 2 thin slices per day.  The tablespoon of honey in there is the only sugar I have and it lasts a week.  Pasta has been replaced with endamame bean noodles which are 20% carb rather than the 80% of most pastas.  I have these with pesto, Indian and Thai curries.  

Only wholegrain rice. Anything processed isn't going to help.  Couscous is off as also high carb.

Better news on potatoes.   The diabetic nurse told me that oil with carbs slows down the conversion of carbs to sugar so you don't get the blood sugar spike.  Roasties and chips are OK in moderation, also baked potatoes with oil maybe as a salad dressing. 

Taking some exercise (within 2 hrs) after eating more carbs than intended is also useful, as it helps moderate a blood sugar spike.

Puddings are non-exotic fruit  (satsuma is as exotic as it gets as fruit like banana, pineapple, grapes etc is not recommended) perhaps with Elml*a or cream occasionally with filo pastry as that is OK.   Also ground almonds with Elml*a and unsweetened cocoa powder. 

I do feel so much better.  Have always binged on carbs to manage my emotions but now feel I've come to terms with what I was hiding from.  Have lost the weight I put on when trying to persuade myself that first husband and I had a perfect life.  I am amazed that it's possible to lose weight in my late 50s and would have done it years ago had I realised.  Exercise helps me to stay positive and I walk or swim every day.  You can't outrun a bad diet which was one of the things I used to try to do.

I do hope this isn't too hard-line.  It works for me.  Onwards and upwards love Humdinger xx 

foxgloves

Thanks for sharing your diet methodology, @Humdinger1. I found it really interesting to read, as somebody who has lost a lot of weight in the past (6 stones) but has gradually regained a significant wodge of it over the intervening 10 years. We renewed our weight loss efforts at the beginning of this week & we are both feeling very motivated. I know you sometimes drop in to my diary, so do feel free to administer a verbal boot up the backside if you detect obvious signs of me straying too far from the straight & narrow!
I haven't cut carbs to the extent you describe, but I've found that in recent years, cutting bread to just 1 serving (toast) in the morning then avoiding sandwich-type lunches does seem to result in more reliable weight loss.
I've been meaning to expand my sourdough baking into rye bread for a while, so I will buy some rye flour & give it a go.
Late 50s......yes, very weird age!
F x

Humdinger1

Thanks @foxgloves I will comment but would consider it a cheek to boot you up the jacksie...am saving that for voting out the incumbents at the next election! One other thing...intermittent fasting seems to help too.  I leave 12-14 hours between dinner and breakfast.   Dr Mike M*s*ley recommends this.  Gives your pancreas and whole system chance to reset.  6 stone is an impressive amount to lose; well done!  The fact that fat per se doesn't make you put on weight has been a revelation to me.  Obvs want to keep cholesterol under control but it is the carbs that pile on the weight.  Doctors should have been announcing this in my opinion, not flaky 'celebrities' as I didn't consider them credible.  That's my fault though for intellectual snobbery.  Onwards and upwards love Humdinger xx 

badmemory

The problem is we have seen so many fad diets over the last, it must be 30 years, that we have stopped trusting ALL of them.  Many many years ago I actually went on an egg diet.  I can barely look at an egg now.  I have also tried one of those like weight watchers (not them though)  stuck to it religiously & put weight on. 

I do get sick of being told I must be cheating.  To stand a chance of losing 1lb a week I need to be consuming under 700 cals a day (by under I mean around 400 most days), whilst according to my fitbit burning over 1500 cals.  I am still doing over 6k steps a day even since my knee & hip, whereas before I did over 12.5k.  Can you tell the whole weight thing makes me want to scream on a regular basis?

teapot2

Would you mind sharing your low carb rye bread recipe @Humdinger1 please?  Bread is my downfall and the lower carb recipes I've tried don't do it for me.  I do like rye bread though, thanks x

jwil

Thanks for sharing how you eat, it's interesting.