Type II Diabetics - Let's Support Each Other

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katzpawz
katzpawz Posts: 754
in Motivation and Support
HI!

I just thought I'd post this to see what sort of response I get.

I have Type II Diabetes and need to lose another 100+ pounds. I've lost about 35 already!

Let's see if we can get a group going to support each other. Dieting is hard! Diabetes management is hard! We all need a little support from time to time.

Feel free to share your frustrations and your successes; your goals and struggles.

katzpawz :happy:
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Replies

  • lhs712
    lhs712 Posts: 10
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    My husband and I both have type 2 diabetes. I agree, we need all the support we can get. Myfitnesspal is a great tool to manage diabetes. I have lost 6 of the 30 lb of my first weight loss goal. Alltogether I have 100 lb to lose.
  • katzpawz
    katzpawz Posts: 754
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    @ lhs712: Congrats on getting started on your weight loss.

    Thanks for posting!

    Feel free to jump in and share whatever is on your mind.

    katzpawz
  • lhs712
    lhs712 Posts: 10
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    I'm getting blood work done to see if the diabetes is getting better this month. But my blood glucose level is down since I started Myfitnesspal.com and since I started doing Leslie Sansone's walk away the pounds right in my livingroom. I have sent you a friend's request. You are a real inspiration to me since you have already lost 35 lb.
  • penny39
    penny39 Posts: 266 Member
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    I am a type 2 diabetic. I have lost 21 pounds so far. I have a little over 17 more to go I my current weight loss goal. I will probably have another10- 15 after that. It is extremely difficult and I love the support on here.
  • katzpawz
    katzpawz Posts: 754
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    Glad to have you both here. Please spread the word about our thread to any other Type II's you know. The more the merrier!!

    katzpawz
  • cathyv0409
    cathyv0409 Posts: 230 Member
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    Hello friends!
    Katpawz and Librarygirl, we meet again :drinker: Lhs712, nice to meet you. I also do Walk Away the Pounds and will be having bloodwork later this month. I'm type 2 diabetic and take Metformin, my husband is type 1 with an insulin pump. My last A1c was 7.2 if I remember right and I look forward to it being a lot closer to 6 based on what I'm seeing when I test my blood sugar at home. I look forward to the day I'm off of medication and can control the diabetes with diet and exercise and I believe that is possible.

    One of my goals is to get to the point that I look forward to exercise. I can't say I'm there yet but it does feel good to be able to do it. Besides the WATP DVD, I do the recumbent bike and I'm trying to work up my stamina on the elliptical but that seems to be a slow process. I can only handle about 12-14 minutes of it at a time.

    I look forward to sharing our successes, struggles and what is working for us!
    Cathy
  • katzpawz
    katzpawz Posts: 754
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    I have been "off track" with diabetes management for a while. Managed to continue to taking my meds, but dieting and exercise went out the window when I found out in early January that I had to have a hysterectomy. The surgery was a few weeks ago, and I've just gotten the "all clear" from the doc to resume my walking. That's the good news. The not-so-good news is that my energy level is not yet back to the level it was before the surgery. It is frustrating to start feeling better but then be completely exhausted after a very short walk. I know I'll get there, though!

    By the way, the surgery was not a complete excuse for not eating right. I do the meal planning and cooking for myself and my partner. So while I was recovering, we planned meals that she could easily prepare that didn't require a lot actual cooking. Also, my anxiety level was pretty high for a while so I know that there was some emotional eating as well!

    I'm scheduled to have my next A1c in a couple of weeks. I don't look forward to those results!!! But hey...I'm back on track now!

    katzpawz
  • katzpawz
    katzpawz Posts: 754
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    Good morning!

    Yesterday was a good day! I was under my calorie goal, met my water goal (I try to drink 10-12 glasses a day) and took a nice little walk. I hope today goes as well.

    I weigh myself on Mondays and Thursdays. This morning's results were good and bad. The bad news is that I had not lost anymore. The good news is that I had gained either, just holding steady. I REALLY want those next five or six pounds to go. Now that I'm able to get some exercise, maybe the scales will start to move again.

    I hope everyone is having a great week!

    katzpawz
  • lacroyx
    lacroyx Posts: 5,754 Member
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    Keep going! I was diagnosed with it back in Dec. 2009. I was tipping around 470-480 lbs. I was taking 5 different kinds of meds. 3 for diabetes related stuff. 2 for bloodpressure, high cholesterol. Healthy dieting, lots and lots of walking. Lost many lbs. and in Jan. 2011 my doctor removed all medications from me! I no longer am diabetic.
  • katzpawz
    katzpawz Posts: 754
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    Keep going! I was diagnosed with it back in Dec. 2009. I was tipping around 470-480 lbs. I was taking 5 different kinds of meds. 3 for diabetes related stuff. 2 for bloodpressure, high cholesterol. Healthy dieting, lots and lots of walking. Lost many lbs. and in Jan. 2011 my doctor removed all medications from me! I no longer am diabetic.

    That's great news! It's also very encouraging to those of us who've been struggling!!

    Congratulations on a job well done!

    katzpawz:bigsmile:
  • cathyv0409
    cathyv0409 Posts: 230 Member
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    katpawz, are you doing your measurements? Now that you are able to exercise again it would be a good time to start if you aren't already measuring yourself. I hate taking those measurements but sure do like the numbers going down.

    lacrolix, CONGRATS on getting off the meds! That is fantastic and something I look forward to. Also on the weight loss. That is wonderful!

    You ladies have a wonderful week!!

    Cathy
  • katzpawz
    katzpawz Posts: 754
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    katpawz, are you doing your measurements? Now that you are able to exercise again it would be a good time to start if you aren't already measuring yourself. I hate taking those measurements but sure do like the numbers going down.

    lacrolix, CONGRATS on getting off the meds! That is fantastic and something I look forward to. Also on the weight loss. That is wonderful!

    You ladies have a wonderful week!!

    Cathy

    Yes, I've been measuring myself, though not as regularly as I probably should. You're absolutely right, though about tracking progress with the measuring tape as well as the scales!

    Have a good week!
    katzpawz
  • katzpawz
    katzpawz Posts: 754
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    Okay Type II's: let's hear from you!

    How are you doing?

    What would you all think about coming up with some sort of challenge we can all do?

    Interested in everyone's thoughts!!

    katzpawz
  • cathyv0409
    cathyv0409 Posts: 230 Member
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    Hi katzpawz and everyone! Happy Sunday to you!!

    I think a challenge is a great idea! Unfortunately I'm not too createive. I know one thing I need to work on is testing my blood sugar more often. Crazy, isn't it that I just don't think about it first thing in the morning. Since I'm obsessive about weighing every morning, maybe I should put my glucometer on top of my scales :bigsmile: Of course I could always use more exercise too. What type of challenge were you thinking?

    Cathy
  • katzpawz
    katzpawz Posts: 754
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    Hi katzpawz and everyone! Happy Sunday to you!!

    I think a challenge is a great idea! Unfortunately I'm not too createive. I know one thing I need to work on is testing my blood sugar more often. Crazy, isn't it that I just don't think about it first thing in the morning. Since I'm obsessive about weighing every morning, maybe I should put my glucometer on top of my scales :bigsmile: Of course I could always use more exercise too. What type of challenge were you thinking?

    Cathy

    I'm going to work on making myself get out and walk every day for the rest of the month. I find that it's all too easy for me to talk myself out of going for my walks, so for the rest of the month, I'm going to walk at least one mile each day.

    The thing that fascinates me is that once I'm out, I really enjoy being out and getting a good workout. My biggest difficulty is the mental side of it.

    We don't all have to do the same challenge; we can each pick the thing we feel we need to work on. It may even be that one might choose something that is fairly easy to accomplish in order to have something positive to look forward to.

    Checking your blood sugar sounds like a good goal for yourself or as you said getting in some extra exercise. Please just post what you decide to do and let us know for the next three weeks how it's going. There's no judgement here, just support.

    Let me know what you think!

    katzpawz
  • cathyv0409
    cathyv0409 Posts: 230 Member
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    My challenge will be similar to yours, katpawz. I need to make sure I get some type of exercise every day this month. I just invested in some new home workout videos besides the Leslie Sansone Walk Away the Pounds I already have and belong to a gym so there really is NO EXCUSE for me not to exercise every day. Oh my gosh! Did I really commit to exercising every day :-)

    I keep hearing that you can learn to love exercise. I'm not there yet!!
    Cathy
  • katzpawz
    katzpawz Posts: 754
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    My challenge will be similar to yours, katpawz. I need to make sure I get some type of exercise every day this month. I just invested in some new home workout videos besides the Leslie Sansone Walk Away the Pounds I already have and belong to a gym so there really is NO EXCUSE for me not to exercise every day. Oh my gosh! Did I really commit to exercising every day :-)

    I keep hearing that you can learn to love exercise. I'm not there yet!!
    Cathy

    Good for you for committing to a challenge! Let's check-in with each other often to help keep ourselves going. Good luck!

    katzpawz
  • cathyv0409
    cathyv0409 Posts: 230 Member
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    Sounds like a great plan, katpawz! I need someone to keep me accountable. It is way too easy to talk myself out of what I know is good for me.
  • monkeygirl6
    monkeygirl6 Posts: 53
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    I just found out I had type II diabetes in August last year. It wasn't a big suprise since both my mom, aunt, and grandfather have/had type II. I just hadn't been going to the doctor... So my condition is genetically linked. My fasting blood sugar was 227 which apparently was super high, and at the time I had been eating really healthy for about two months. I'm really working hard to get my numbers down because my grandfather died from complications do to diabetes and my mom's kidney function is not working at 100%. I started on 1000 mg of metformin a day but my blood sugar numbers weren't dropping very low so I was put on the max 2000 dosage. My numbers went down to around the 140s but it wasn't until I started exercising that my numbers dropped to around the 110-130 range. My last Dr. check up was in January and the good news is my a1c was 6.5, I was amazed before it was in the 8 range. And both my cholesterol and triglycerides have lowered drastically, so I don't need any extra meds for those issues.

    One thing my diabetic counselor suggested to me that has worked out well even though it's kind of a pain is to each a little snack in between main meals and make sure that snack has a protein. Before I would snack on just a fruit but I'd get really hungry and sometimes my blood sugar would drop too low and I'd feel hypoglycemic but now that I'm eating protein with my snack I feel satisfied and I'm not starving in between meals. Because I'm currently on a diet I eat mostly unsalted almonds.

    One thing I'd like to see would be comments on what foods make your blood sugar levels rise up, my triggers are the carbs in general, when I eat a lot of carbs for dinner, my blood sugar the next morning is higher than when I don't eat those carbs. And not all carbs are equal.

    I'd also like to know how you gals are doing with your weight loss on the metformin if you are taking it. My Dr. says its a little harder to lose weight using metformin and while I'm losing some weight I get frustrated some days when the loss is a slow progress.
  • katzpawz
    katzpawz Posts: 754
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    Welcome monkeygirl6!

    The snack between meals with a little protein added has worked really well for me, in terms of staying within my calorie goals each day and not becoming too ravenous by mealtime. It's taken a lot of getting used to as I've spent most of my adult life trying NOT to snack between meals. My diabetes was diagnosed 14 years ago, and I still have to remind myself that it's okay to have a snack!

    Metformin definitely slows weight loss. Like you, I'm at a pretty high dosage so my goal is to get my numbers down so I can go to the lower dosage.

    I'm from the U.S., but live in the U.K. now. Diabetes is treated very differently here. First of all, the doctor did not spend ten minutes scolding me about my weight and how allowing my weight to get out of control caused the diabetes. Instead, he has been very supportive and helpful. Maybe my doc in the U.S. was just a bit of a jerk, I don't know. Also, they determine how well one is managing it by checking the A1c. Seems they've done studies and for non-insulin dependent diabetics, home testing isn't tremendously useful other than during the process of adjusting medication dosages. My fingers are happier now!

    As for carbs impacting my blood sugars: potatoes have a greater impact than basmati rice (other types of rice act like potatoes for me). I eat very little in the way of starchy stuff (bread, crackers). Wheat seems to be worse than oats, spelt or barley. When it comes to starches, whatever is considered a serving, I eat half that amount. There also seems to be a connection to the amount of starches I eat and weight. If I slip into old habits and start more starches, my weight will start to go up, and rather quickly. That creates some big challenges, especially when eating out!

    Thanks for posting!
    katzpawz

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