Help! Just diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes.

[MOSusan]

Any tips on cruising with Type 2.  Foods that I can eat?  Drinks?  etc.  I feel fine, have no issues but I don't want to tempt fate by  doing things I shouldn't.  Right now I don't know way more than I know.  

 

Thanks for any input that my fellow cruisers might be able to give to me.

[flamingos]

Consult your doctor as well, of course.

[MOSusan]

2 minutes ago, flamingos said:

Consult your doctor as well, of course.

Absolutely.  I know that my fellow cruisers are a wealth of knowledge and might be able to point me in the right direction for making some good choices.  They know the offering where the doctor does not.  I do know I'm going to have to push the bread basket back and that breaks my heart. 

[Kathscof]

I was diagnosed type 1 a week before I went to Disney World.....the best thing is that the guidelines the dr/nutritionist gives you are fresh in your brain, so its easiest to stick to them and not go crazy!

 

There are a surprising number of things you can eat and drink (though I know that t1 and t2 are different), but just ask you dr or nutritionist for a list of meal ideas and you can start there 🙂

 

you can do it!

 

(sorry I don't have any specific advice haha)

[muttoneater]

just make sure you see the doctor, take your medication and check your blood sugar.  I've been borderline for awhile.  Weight has a significant impact on this.

[firefly333]

Just go easy on starches. Anything white is starchy. And rcl has a no sugar added dessert nightly in Mdr. I'm not diagnosed but watch it as I can. The no sugar added desserts were really good. The berry cobbler was my favorite. 

[Lolly Pop]

Hey there @MOSusan - check with your doctor - and depending on whether you're on insulin or just watching what you eat (moderation) / exercise - then this link hopefully will help you.

 

I'm a Type 1 Diabetic (my next cruise I'm celebrating 56 years of being a PWD) ... so obviously on the juice of life.  I've been cruising now for over 20 years and for myself, food is no issue.  I just try to eat in moderation, test my blood sugars before / after. Personally, I use a CGM (Continuous Glucose Monitor) called the Libre , it's affordable for myself as a Canadian.

 

Because I'm active despite my failing knees, so that helps any little splurge that may temporarily raise my blood sugars past my usual 80 - 180 mg/dl that I like to stay in, but again, I'm using insulin.  

 

Have an awesome cruise!

[irishgirl]

I just came off from a 25 day cruise.  I asked my Dr. what I could do to help and he told me to walk at least 1/2 hour every day.  I go back for a check up next week so I’ll know then how I did.

[reallyitsmema]

8 minutes ago, MOSusan said:

Any tips on cruising with Type 2.  Foods that I can eat?  Drinks?  etc.  I feel fine, have no issues but I don't want to tempt fate by  doing things I shouldn't.  Right now I don't know way more than I know.  

 

Thanks for any input that my fellow cruisers might be able to give to me.

 

My DH is also diabetic and when he was diagnosed, they had both of us meet with a nutritionist, which we found very helpful.  You can eat!  You just need to watch your portions, especially carbs and sugars.  If the bread basket is important to you, you don't have to push it away, you just can't eat the whole thing and you need skip the rice with dinner or whatever starch you were having.  Be careful of the sugar free desserts too as they have sugar alcohol in them.

 

You can cruise and enjoy yourself.  Once you figure out what you can eat and how much, you will be fine.  Good luck!

[Starry Eyes]

Perhaps ask for a referral to a registered dietitian.  They are trained to offered advice tailored to help you at home and on vacation.

[logan25]

I second the observation that “sugar free” does not equate to “carb free”.  Refined sugar is just one form of carbohydrate.

 

While food choices can be complicated by lack of access to the recipes for analysis, eating “cleaner” can simplify your choices. Continue to educate yourself.

Edited March 9, 2022 by logan25

[logan25]

While I don’t drink alcohol, I found this an interesting list of lower carb options.

 

https://www.thelittlepine.com/low-carb-alcohol/

[ChattTenn]

25 minutes ago, firefly333 said:

Just go easy on starches. Anything white is starchy. And rcl has a no sugar added dessert nightly in Mdr. I'm not diagnosed but watch it as I can. The no sugar added desserts were really good. The berry cobbler was my favorite. 

I am a Type 2 too and love cruising.  When on a cruise I would eat a lot of protein stuffs (meat, eggs), vegetables and very few starchy stuff and would walk some to burn some of the food off.  As an Asian the hardest thing for me to give up is rice but over the years I am learning to eat very little of that stuffs.

The sugar free lemon cookies on the buffet are very good give them a try.

Have a wonderful cruise. 

 

[LynneL]

3 yrs a T1D and on a pump so my needs may be different than your's but I found cruising almost a bit easier than eating at home - example: grilled chicken & fish, when at home my husband likes beef.  More salads & veggies, etc. As others stated I would go easy on white bread, pasta, starches, carb laden foods. Same as at home but sometimes harder when there for the taking on vacy. For dessert I asked for fresh strawberries with whipped cream every night.  Even though not on menu our fantastic waiter had it waiting for me each night so I wasn't tempted to even look at dessert menu.  I LOVE sweets but I avoid them & this satisfied my sweet tooth while keeping numbers in range.  I would suggest skipping those sweet drinks like pina colada, mud slides & such & go with a light beer (Michelob Ultra has about 5 carbs) or a white wine that isn't sweet (also about 5 carbs for 5oz).  Walk around the deck after each meal to enjoy that sea air & keep your BG down.  

 

Have a great time!

[spoonful]

i have a friend who is low carb and recently cruised. she said the staff was very helpful when she was trying to find things to eat. they even brought out packaging for the foods at the buffet so that she could see the ingredients and carb count. she is pretty strict and had no issues. 

[loman]

Sour dough bread is a better choice if you like to eat bread.

[S.A.M.J.R.]

Watching this thread because I will be doing my first cruise as a Type 2 diabetic in July.  

 

I got diagnosed last June.  My A1c at that time was just over 10.  The last time I was checked (about 3 weeks ago) it was down to 5.6 (normal).  

 

What I've done... 

1) Watch what I eat.  I cut WAY back originally, but have slowly added things back in.  This includes looking at packaging for the number of carbs.  I've tried to change my bread choices (and I *LOVE* bread) to whole wheat.  

2) I walk 30 minutes a day 3-4x per week.  We bought a used treadmill to help during the cold winter months.  Once it warms up, I'll walk outside.  This is not a fast pace, but ~15:00 mile.  

3) Take my medicine (lowest dose has been prescribed).

4) Take my blood sugar 1-2x per day.

5) Not get TOO upset/frustrated if I have a bad reading.  For me, anything over 110 in the morning or 140 in the evening is "bad".  

 

While I won't go totally crazy on the cruise, I don't plan on totally depriving myself either.  I will get fru fru sugary drinks.  I will get deserts (hopefully not as many as I used to get).  I will have bread at dinner (hopefully just 1/2 a roll).  At the same time, I plan on walking (a lot), either on the treadmill or just on deck.  

 

I wish you luck!

[S.A.M.J.R.]

1 minute ago, loman said:

Sour dough bread is a better choice if you like to eat bread.

Good to know!  I love sourdough bread!

 

Thank you!

 

[MOSusan]

2 minutes ago, loman said:

Sour dough bread is a better choice if you like to eat bread.

Really?  Can you tell me why?  I love sour dough.

[S.A.M.J.R.]

Oh, BTW, pasta is another food I love that I have all but given up.  However, the family wanted to go to Fazoli's last night.  According to this site, the three cheese baked ravioli is only 25g carbs.  I'm not sure how accurate it is, but I had some last night.  🙂

 

Also FWIW, when I was first diagnosed I got really down on myself (of course my doctor had been saying 'watch out' for a couple of years.  I was convinced I'd go through the rest of life hungry and that I'd never be able to have any of the foods I love (bread, pasta).   After about a week or two, I started getting out of my funk.  I found food that was better for me.  Baked fish, sweet potatoes (always liked them, just eat them more).  I found out Wendy's (don't know about other Fast Food) will serve you a burger with lettuce as the bun.  

 

I won't say it's easy, but it hasn't been awful (unpleasant, yes).  

Edited March 9, 2022 by S.A.M.J.R.

[loman]

10 minutes ago, MOSusan said:

Really?  Can you tell me why?  I love sour dough.

It has a gradual rise in blood sugar rather than a spike.

Sourdough Bread & Blood Sugar (livestrong.com)

 

[dleahy4444]

2 hours ago, MOSusan said:

Any tips on cruising with Type 2.  Foods that I can eat?  Drinks?  etc.  I feel fine, have no issues but I don't want to tempt fate by  doing things I shouldn't.  Right now I don't know way more than I know.  

 

Thanks for any input that my fellow cruisers might be able to give to me.

Sorry to hear of your diagnosis but not to worry, you can cruise and still be in control of your glucose reading. My husband was diagnosed several years ago and it’s been a struggle because he loves to eat and hates to exercise. I’m sure your doctor can put you in touch with a nutritionist who can give you some guidance. My two cents are: load up on protein and vegetables, easy on the carbs, even the sugar free desserts. Don’t deprive yourself of everything, you are on a cruise after all. Besides strict diets are hard to stick to. According to the hubby’s doctor the occasional glass of red wine is ok but check with your own doctor. My husband found that he had much more success when he added moderate exercise to his diet. Walking to the point where you feel it but aren’t fatigued would be great if you can do it at least every other day. Filling these general guidelines my husband cruises without his glucose reading going up. Good luck and enjoy your cruise. 

[Itchy&Scratchy]

2 hours ago, MOSusan said:

I know that my fellow cruisers are a wealth of knowledge and might be able to point me in the right direction for making some good choices.

always combine carbs with protein. Protein slows down the carb absorption, so your blood glucose doesn't shoot up like crazy. Take your meds if you are on them. Check your glucose levels as directed by your doctor.

Before your cruise, measure your glucose levels after different meals to see what foods spike your glucose levels worse.

Opt for slow carbs. Forgo juices/regular sodas. Opt for sugar free desserts.

You can talk to your endo about keeping your main meals at or below 40 g of carbs per meal and snacks at or below 15 g of carbs.

Try to walk after meals to "burn off the sugar." It really helps keep glucose levels lower.

If you control your blood glucose levels well, you will have a long, healthy life.

 

P.S. Type 1 and Type 2 are very different, and what works for T1 may not work for T2. Even within the same type things may work very differently for different people.

P.P.S. My dad has type 2 and he cruises just fine. 🙂

Edited March 9, 2022 by Itchy&Scratchy

[Fontaid]

Lots of good tips in here! I'll try not to repeat too many. I've been a T2 diabetic for over 7 years now and struggled at first to change my diet. Note that I said "change my diet" and not "go on a diet." You must have a different mindset from now on. To me "going on a diet" implies that at some point you will get off your diet. For a diabetic, I will say - probably not. So, change your mindset.

 

First, checking your blood sugar. I prefer Accu-Chek FastClix to do the finger pricks. It uses a VERY small needle, is easy to use, and is virtually painless. But, you can use any out there. I don't think your doctor will prescribe a cgm (continuous glucose monitor) like the Libre if you've just been diagnosed. If he will, that's great. If not, go with individual readings. Before you go on your cruise, do the following in addition to how your doctor wants you to monitor your blood sugar. Just before dinner, measure your blood sugar. Then 2 hours after you start eating, measure your blood sugar again (that's called post prandial blood sugar). Normal post prandial blood sugar (w/o diabetes) should be less than 140 mg/dl. Diabetics should be below 180 mg/dl. I am not a doctor. You should double check with your doctor. Once you and your doctor agree on what your post prandial blood sugar reading should be, try different foods for dinner at home and see how you do. Then, do the same on the ship after dinner every day (you can do it after lunch too, but you will use up a lot of the disposable test strips). Note: "disposable" does not mean cheap although your health insurance may cover the cost. You will then know if you're eating properly for your diabetes.

 

Regarding foods - ugh! I love carbs!!! As others have said, you don't have to give up carbs, but you do have to cut back. For me - I had to cut back a lot. But, I will still eat a baked potato - just half of one. Go mainly with greens, veggies and proteins. Go ahead and have a little bit of bread. If you can get whole grains, eat those. Just remember - wheat bread is not necessarily whole wheat bread. Whole grains help you digest slower and help keep your post prandial blood sugar reading down.

 

On your cruise, get to know your servers and bartenders. Tell them that you're diabetic and see what they recommend. They've probably served many diabetics in the past. Most will remember what your order, and virtually all of them will be willing to help you.

 

One last thing I'll mention here - alcohol. People mentioned bad things about the sweet and fruity drinks. All true, but I'm going to tell you about it from the other side. Alcohol can cause a diabetic to go hypoglycemic - yes, it can make you have too LOW a blood sugar number. Acutely, that is much worse than being too high. I can't tell you how drinking a lot of alcohol will affect you. You'll have to measure it yourself. But, a lot of people like to buy the unlimited deluxe beverage package on a cruise and then ensure they get their money's worth. That's probably not a good idea for a diabetic. Since you will be away from home and not near your own doctor, read up on how to "treat" hypoglycemia for a diabetic. It's actually pretty easy - fruit juice, a piece of candy, a cube of sugar, etc. help. 

 

Lastly - don't fret and most importantly - enjoy your cruise!

 

Dave

[mugtech]

2 hours ago, ChattTenn said:

I am a Type 2 too and love cruising.  When on a cruise I would eat a lot of protein stuffs (meat, eggs), vegetables and very few starchy stuff and would walk some to burn some of the food off.  As an Asian the hardest thing for me to give up is rice but over the years I am learning to eat very little of that stuffs.

The sugar free lemon cookies on the buffet are very good give them a try.

Have a wonderful cruise. 

 

Am also type 2, my doctor told me to eat brown rice and whole wheat bread,  avoid the white stuff.  Was hard to do in the Philippines.