Hello everyone, I’m a 23 year old T1D. I was diagnosed to type 1 a little over a year ago so I’m still adjusting.. my diet is rather poor for someone who has this disease and I can feel it taking a toll on me. I’m ready for a change. I want to change my diet completely, I love all foods but typically choose the worse of the bunch. I want to feel good again, I want not feel like my heart is going to slowly die and there’s nothing I can do about it.
Im 5’10” and weigh 135, I used to not be so skinny but the last 2 years I lost a lot of weight before I went into ketoacidosis.
The main problem I have is not knowing what foods I can eat and how much. They diagnosed me as type 1.5 because my pancreas still produced a little insulin so currently I am only taking 1, 12 unit dose of 24 hour acting insulin, Lantus. My current diet goes as follows.
I wake up and get ready for work, on my way I eat a whole wheat bread sandwich with some meat and cheese, and usually a bag of chips which is crazy high in carbs I know i suck and I want to change..
Somewhere in the middle of the day I eat or snack on something, usually pork rinds or another sandwich, no chips. Once I’m home at night time I usually eat chicken I made myself, peanut butter and Greek yogurt, or whatever I can find.
My work schedule is 12:30pm - 9pm and I typically take my insulin before bed around midnight. I’m unsure if the time I take it makes any factor. This year I’ve gone through a lot and moved states, rarely having time to actually see a doctor for a long period of time so I fee left out of stuff.
I have a lot of time before work to eat and after work, but with COVID going right now work has the refrigerators locked and no way of storing food for the day time which is why I resort to snacks.
From what I read this is all about intermittent fasting which is one meal a day Correct? I feel as if I do this I get a large spike in blood sugar and then once I take my 24hour dose I get a drop and have to eat something again. I’m on a rather tight budget so I can afford the $39 a month for the membership on the website to learn more so I’m asking for help. Where can I find a list of foods I can eat? When should I eat? I want to change my life around.. it’s only been a year and I hate it.
Check out this article: https://www.dietdoctor.com/diabetes/type-1
This might also provide some insight.
Intermittent fasting doesn’t have to be just one meal a day. It simply means that you shorten your eating window, at least a little bit. For example, instead of eating all day long (about 16 hours), you could eat within a 14-hour window instead.
Any changes you make that reduce your overall carb intake will mean you probably need a little bit less insulin. Similarly, if you start fasting at all you’ll probably need to reduce your insulin intake. So work with your medical provider on the doses, and keep a close eye on your blood sugar when you make any changes to your diet.
The article that the other commenters linked to will probably be helpful in terms of food choices. Diet Doctor also has a bunch of other resources about how to eat low carb / keto.
If you’re looking for more information about daily intermittent fasting, I also wrote a really comprehensive guide a few months back that you might consider checking out:
https://fastingwell.com/intermittent-fasting-beginners-guide/
Good luck!