dining out

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Ron AKA replied on Mon, Oct 12 2009 6:48 PM

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Sometimes the Japanese grill type places will have a dish which is mainly meat, veggies, and bean sprouts. I find that to be quite ok, if you ask them to hold the sweet sauce. Some chilli without a bun, or minimal bun is ok. McDonalds currently has a large salad with grilled chicken which I find not too bad, if you are easy with the dressing.

Most fast food places have on line nutrition information. I look to see how many carbs are in each dish, and what type of carbs they are.

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Spirit replied on Mon, Oct 12 2009 8:26 PM

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Doomed:  How many carbs are you shooting for at each meal? That makes a difference. I try for salad and veggie dishes with maybe a "treat" of a small portion of high carb item instead of a dessert. As Ron said, many places post a nutritional chart online, so you can decide on what fits into your meal plan ahead of time.  That way, you can order with confidence and still enjoy the social aspect of a meal out with friends and family...or even by yourself when you feel like it.

And have you tried walking off the carbs after a restaurant meal? That can almost be magic.  I have even partaken of some small slices of truly decadent dessets and then taken a very brisk walk for 45 minutes.  My meter then told me that all was well and I was still within normal range.  And that was diet and exercise managed only for about ten years.  

Sometimes I think we hear the DIET part loud and clear, but the EXERCISE part gets only a whisper.  And yet exercise can be the very thing that revs up our metabolism so that diet works optimally.  Daily exercise has allowed me some wiggle room in food choices.  It might work that way for you,too. 

Spirit

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jen1229 replied on Tue, Oct 13 2009 9:33 AM

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It seems to me that you are trying to eliminate most carbs from your diet.  I don't agree with this because even if you are diet controlled exercise can help to reduce you BS after meals. 

Wendy's has great chili which you can have with a side salad and/or a baked potato. They also have good salad choices with grilled chicken.  At Bertucci's I order eggplant parmesan, because it is not breaded and it is baked not fried.  I opt for tuscan vegetables rather than pasta with it.  I like to go at lunch time because they have unlimited salad (ask for no dressing or dressing on the side). At most Asian restaurants you can order made to order foods.  I order chicken with broccoli steamed with either no sauce or sauce on the side.

At almost any restaurant you should be able to get a salad with grilled chicken on top.  However, I don't know howl long you will be able to keep this up. You body needs carbs for fuel.

Have you discussed meds with your doc?  You should take the initiative if they don't.  It is terribly hard to control with diet as you know.  Do you test?  you need to start testing, AM, before and 1-2 hours post meal, and at bedtime and keep a log.  Don't do away with the carbs.  If your doc sees that you can't keep your numbers down while eating a reasonable diet, then he/she will have to talk meds.  If he/she doesn't then you should request it. If they wont listen to you, you need to find a new doc.

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Dee replied on Tue, Oct 13 2009 5:02 PM

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Jen has given you great advice, I wholeheartedly agree!  Dee

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nora@joslin replied on Fri, Oct 30 2009 9:54 AM

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Dear Doomed:

As many of the other responders have replied there are many things you can have and if you are unable to tolerate between 45 and 60 grams of carbohydrate in a high fiber low fat meal then you should have a conversation with your health care provider.   Sandwiches, wraps with soup, salads with beans and a small whole wheat role, or soup is reasonable.  It should  also be possible for you to have a slice of pizza and a salad  on occasion or a small low fat submarine sandwich.  Health carbohydrates are an essential part of the diet and it is also essential to enjoy your food.   So occasional splurges are very important.  Take a walk after your meal with friends or if you find that you are unable to keep your sugars in control, have a realistic conversation with your health care provider.

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Tor replied on Tue, Nov 10 2009 1:54 AM

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I discovered early on in my diabetes that diet controlled diabetes would probably only work if you were living in some austere Buddhist monastary -  and even then the rice could end up throwing a loop on your diet. If you want to eat with friends and/or family, and do so without going on meds, the ONLY solution is to integrate exercise into your lifestyle and your mealplan. Diet and exercise control is do-able, diet and meds are do-able, diet alone will, as you are discovering, drive you up the wall in frustration.

I found that walking AFTER eating had the greatest effect. I know that it's not always practical to go for long walks, especially if you are out with friends. If I had a dollar for every time I've excused myself at a restaurant and went for a brisk 10 minute walk up and down the nearest stairwell, I could go on a pleasant vacation now. It's tough to begin with because walking up and down stairs is not the usual thing we want to do on a full tummy. However, my meter doesn't lie and that solution has many a time meant the difference between a postmeal blood sugar of perhaps 180 (without walking) or a reading of 135 after that brisk encounter with a stairwell. (Or even a fast walk around the block can do wonders.)

There is no easy solution to diabetes type II, either we literally have to be prepared to go the distance without meds, or suffer the consequences when we try to control diabetes by searching for that holy grail of foods that are palatable and blood sugar friendly at the same time.

Tor

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Spirit replied on Tue, Nov 10 2009 6:03 PM

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I agree whoelheartedly with Tor about the exercise part. It's diet AND exercise that work.  Skip the exercise portion of the equation and results will be less than desirable.  Consider a walk to be the dessert!

Spirit

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jen1229 replied on Tue, Nov 10 2009 6:44 PM

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Now that I have upped my laps to a quarter of a mile, along with my water fitness class, I have to watch BS very carefully and have to check  my number between laps and WF class.  Sometimes after laps BS drops down to the 70s so I have to eat a gluco tab so I don't go  low.  A far as weight loss is concerned, I think the exercise is counter-productive.

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mrfino replied on Wed, Nov 11 2009 11:20 AM

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Spirit: I don't call my walk the dessert, I call it my medicine. I tell my 7 year old that to take care of myself I have to eat right and take my medicine, ie, the pills, the shot and the walk.

John

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Spirit replied on Wed, Nov 11 2009 2:06 PM

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John:  And a spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down?  :)  As Mary Poppins would say!

Spirit

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jen1229 replied on Wed, Nov 11 2009 4:40 PM

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docioiusaliexpalisticfragicalierepus?

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nora@joslin replied on Mon, Nov 16 2009 1:50 PM

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Yes,  having a low fat sandwich on whole grain bread with a small piece of frut is a  reasonable lunch and contains about 45 grams of carbohydrate.   Depending up one's level of exercise somewhere between 130 and 180 grams of carbohydrate is acceptable. 

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Spirit replied on Mon, Nov 16 2009 7:03 PM

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jen1229:

docioiusaliexpalisticfragicalierepus?

Well, sure, Jen, you can spell it, but can you say it?

Spirit