I’ve been keto this run for just over four months now, and my type 1 diabetes is under excellent control as a result, but it seems like my biggest struggle is the lack of sharing food habits with my family. I have a tight 19/5 fasting window due to the fact that that was the piece that finally brought level blood sugars and significant ketones, but now my wife complains. I’m German, and food is a huge part of social functions and so on, not to mention the time you’re supposed to set aside for dinner with the family for connecting and so on. How can I handle this and not break my fast? Unfortunately, even tea or coffee cause spikes for me, which is why I put them with my meals, but I do sit in on dinner, that’s not the problem. My wife cooks for me, or used to, and that was how she showed me her affection, but now I’m done eating for a few hours before she even gets home and THAT’S our struggle. I had a hard time at the grocery store my first go around, because I felt like everyone thought I was nuts and nothing was made to help a person on keto, but nowadays I’ve learned to embrace the simplicity with which I shop, but now I feel like I’m alienating my wife, which scares me. That’s not something I can learn to embrace or accept.
I feel so alone sometimes
It’s definitely a conflict, RJ. You still need to do what’s best for you. I think that in the long term other people will adjust.
Show her links to the science. My husband is the cook in the family. I’ve explained and explained but he doesn’t get it. He fried my shrimp in flour tonight! Gasp!. Are there many people in Germany doing Keto? Maybe you could tell your wife how to adapt some recipes to be Keto. Believe me, I understand what you are saying. When I was young, I was always thin. I visited Germany for three weeks and gained 15 pounds. It might be harder there. In the United States, pretty much everyone is on some type of diet and it’s kinda okay. Let your wife know how many health benefits you are getting from the diet. You say you are done eating before she gets home. Can you tweak your window so that you can cook some keto meals to share at mealtime?
That is a difficult situation for sure. If she wants you to be around for a long time, then she needs to recognize your nutritional needs. That can’t be negotiated. At the end of the day, you need to do what is best for your health…even if it means someone getting upset that you didn’t eat something. It can help to find mutually accepted recipes…I know that has worked for me.
Maybe could you possibly change the time of your eating window to fit the same time frame to be able to share some keto foods she might enjoy.
OHH - looks like @Regina beat me to the punch.
Can you enlist her help? I am finding that my husband is a lot more supportive when he feels like he’s part of the solution - now he bakes keto rolls for me, and I thank him profusely for them, and we’re both a little happier.
I did change the time of my window, but it’s based I’m my sleeping habits, which are pretty constant due to our work and home schedules, so unfortunately, eating later is not an option that’ll work. It’s easier on weekends, because we’re both off and home. We try to share good then, but she truly eats around my times it with my in laws on the weekend
Well that helps. I couldn’t do keto in a place where they served spatzle EVERYWHERE.
If she’s a good cook, perhaps she’d take the challenge to help you with keto meals. You two May have bonded over food. Praise every item that fits your diet. Shift your eating window to eat with her. Sounds like time for a talk so she knows how much you value her support.
K
Lol right? My oma used to make lemon squares that were so freaking good too! I will eating lemon squares after she does, long before keto, because nothing else came even kinda close.
Oh honey! Gotta use pork rinds for the breading, or I like pork rinds and parm. But it’s fried in butter! How much better could it get lol? The worst party of that one for me was losing it on the fried potatoes. That was definitely a big party if that meal at my house lol
She does try too. I won’t change my window again, only because when I did shift my bgs were way off and I got pretty sick now that I’m below 100 most of the time, but she makes cupcakes and other tests and bread subs and stuff that I stopped and use daily. There’s this coconut muffin that the perfect cornbread imitation and my favorite vehicle for butter, and she make my pancakes and other things too.
I’ve done that for chicken parm, it didn’t even occur to me to do a schnitzel that way.
I understand where she’s coming from, I love to feed my family, & miss it when they’re all cutting down or eating out, even though I’m not eating myself!! (They’re not keto) I kind of feel redundant…
Can you have bone broth? Maybe have it in a bowl so you’re eating ‘soup’ with the family?
My hubby did sit down & watch The Magic Pill with me, & understood more after that- have you watched it? Maybe have a look at that together.