Trying to avoid head-on collision with diabetes

darnea1232

Hi I'm Andrea, I am trying to lose 30-50 pounds in order to avoid developing diabetes. Besides the vague down-the-road possibility of diabetes, I am not very motivated; I love food, it is very comforting to me, and I am really struggling with trying to change what and why I eat. I am looking for someone or some people to lose weight with and help me stay motivated and encouraged.

LuckyNumbers

Have you actually been diagnosed as pre-diabetic? Or is it something you're at risk for down the road?

The beautiful thing about losing that 30-50 pounds is that it will put you at a significantly decreased risk for all disease, regardless of what you eat. So, if you just start by tracking your calories each day instead of trying to completely change all the foods you eat at once, it will be easier for you to make the right adjustments.

And if you eat calories at a deficit, you will lose weight. And you will feel better, and even though it might take a while, the little changes that you start to see and feel will motivate you to keep going. Don't try to change everything overnight. Just focus on one thing at a time.

RosemaryBronte

One vital thing i am trying to learn is just how delicious healthy food is. A Weight watchers recipe book is a great idea. Also calorie counting has shown me that i can include things i thought i couldn't eat e.g. some bottled plums in natural juice on my breakfast cereal. I used to only have big amounts of nice food but smaller amounts can fit into my healthy eating so i can have fun and have better health too. I used to think dieting was about being mean to myself to punish myself for being fat. Now i don't diet. I just try to learn how to enjoy healthy food and enjoyable exercise so I'm having a good time.

darnea1232

When I was diagnosed with gestational diabetes last summer my sugars were so high that while the endocrinologist says that everything is back working now that my daughter is born, he also says that I'm pretty much guaranteed to get regular diabetesif I don't make some permanent changes. And I really don't want to get diabetes.

What I'm finding hardest is realizing how many calories my staple foods have. I have been going over my calorie goal almost every day, between gluten free breads and cereals being so high in calories (I have celiac) and my wine in an evening having so many calories and my favorite plant material to eat all being fruit...

How does one determine what and how much to cut? It's completely overwhelming

ninerbuff

darnea1232 wrote: »

When I was diagnosed with gestational diabetes last summer my sugars were so high that while the endocrinologist says that everything is back working now that my daughter is born, he also says that I'm pretty much guaranteed to get regular diabetesif I don't make some permanent changes. And I really don't want to get diabetes.

What I'm finding hardest is realizing how many calories my staple foods have. I have been going over my calorie goal almost every day, between gluten free breads and cereals being so high in calories (I have celiac) and my wine in an evening having so many calories and my favorite plant material to eat all being fruit...

How does one determine what and how much to cut? It's completely overwhelming

You don't have to cut anything out. You just have to consume less of it. Guaranteed if you don't change what you're currently doing, your risk of diabetes will be higher.
Eating is a behavioral issue. You need to work on changing how you currently eat and create new behaviors. And that takes a few months.

A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
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Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

OyGeeBiv

There's really no easy answer except to eat fewer calories. One way to figure out how much of which foods you can eat and stay within your goal is to pre-log, instead of logging after you've eaten. Try pre-logging tomorrow's food. First, start with what you'd normally eat. Then play around with reducing portion sizes, or eliminating some of the foods, until you get to a number that's right for you. Then stick with it.

Another thing to remember is that while you don't have to give up your favorite foods, you might want to cut back and eat them less often. That way you're not feeling sad that you'll "never" have something again - if you're not eating it today, you can eat it tomorrow or the day after. Or next week.