New to this group

kyla4u

Hi there. I've been with Mfp since August and I've joined this group because my weight loss has not only stalled, it's reversing and I'm losing faith. I was diagnosed type 2 over 10 years ago at the age of 38. In that time I've had points where my control has been great and other times when it's not been great. A couple of years ago I went through a very traumatic experience that left me not really caring about what I ate. I've moved on now and I'm trying to get things back under control.
I had an HbA1c a few months ago of 10.3 and that was a real wake up call. I had another HbA1c three weeks ago and I was down to 8.2 so I'm moving in the right direction.
My problem is that in the past three months I lost about 10 pounds and then it stopped. I am now creeping back up again to where I started. I calculated my weight loss on Mfp to half a pound a week as I am not in a race to lose weight . This puts me at around 1500-1600 calories a day. I also calculated this as if I did nothing all day, but in reality I hardly get to sit down from 7am to 8pm.
I am currently on gliclizide which I understand can promote weight gain. I also take metformin and januvia neither of which promote weight gain.
At the moment I don't have a working meter but one should arrive here next week. As far as eating goes I don't actively strive for 'low carb' but it is rare for me to eat more than 40 - 50 carbs at a meal. I steer clear of processed food, white bread, sugary drinks, rice, etc.
I guess my main question is - being on 1500- 1600 calories a day - is actually gaining weight a strange thing? It is very frustrating.

LauraDotts

I'm battling this disease. The only diet that I have found to be truly effective is a very low carb, moderate protein, high fat diet. I have been very, very low carb since the beginning of May. My weight loss and the reduction of blood glucose had come to a near stall. Last week, after much reading, I've changed up my diet by reducing the amount of protein and increasing the amount of fat. In this last week I have lost 5 pounds and my blood glucose is now trending downward again. I am not on medication.

Metformin can promote weight gain.

40-50 carbs per meal is a LOT of carbs for a diabetic. I don't care what the ADA says. Every diabetic I've known who eats that many carbs a meal has only increased their medications. As someone who does not take medication I strive to keep my net carb (carb-fiber) intake under 20 grams per day. For someone on medication I would recommend eating under 100 carbs a day. And, as your blood glucose levels start to come down keep in contact with your doctor to work towards reducing your meds. As your meds come down reduce your carb intake more. Stick to low-glycemic vegetables and fruits for your carbs.

Keep your protein intake very moderate. The body will convert excess protein to glucose. This discovery has been key to my breakthrough in getting my blood glucose levels to begin dropping again.

The bulk of your calories should come from fat. Don't worry about cholesterol going up from the fat. Mine has dropped significantly.

Use your meter. I cannot say this enough. Check your BG every morning (fasting). Check it 2 hours after every meal. Log it. Log what you are eating. If your BG is over 140 2 hours after you've eaten then something you ate in that meal is not good for you.

By the way, my A1c went from 8.6 in May to 5.7 in November.

kyla4u

Thank you for that input. Can I ask what a 'typical day's' worth of meals would be for you? I honestly do not know how I could reduce my carbs by that much.

LauraDotts

My food diary is open if you want to take a look. You don't have to reduce to that level right now or all at once. In fact, while you are on medication, don't. Start with 25-30 per meal and watch your levels.

jaygreen55

First of all if you're on 3 meds and a low carb diet and the best result you can get is an A1c of 8.2 perhaps you should consider going on insulin. Glipizide is a drug which works by stimulating your pancreas to produce extra insulin and is long acting. Januviaalso partially works by stimulating the pancreas. It could just be that your body can no longer produce insulin in response to the drugs. You can't squeeze water from a dry sponge and there's no point in beating a dead horse.

I have been using insulin since 1994 when I had my first A1C over 7 and have been keeping it between 5.7 and 5.9 ever since. An intensive regimen of 2 basal shots along with an injection with every meal allows me to precisely match my medication to my diet and exercise giving me tremendous flexibility as to what and when I eat. I consume between 200 and 300 grams of carbs per day (about 45 percent of my calories) giving me plenty of energy to work out vigorously and stay fit. Since I started the insulin my weight has been fairly constant between 175-180 lbs (I'm a 5-10 inch man with an athletic body) so weight gain has mot been an issue

kyla4u

Hi,
Thanks for the information so far. @jaygreen55 - I'm not on a 'low carb' diet - I'm just trying to eat right and control my calorie intake - something I haven't done in a couple of years. 3 months ago I was eating like crap. And that is when my HbA1c was at 10.2. My doctor is monitoring my medication and we have discussed insulin, so it may be in my future. However, I have dropped my HbA1c by 2 points in the 12 weeks since I joined MFP, so I'm hopeful that things will continue to improve.

What I'm still trying to figure out is why I am gaining weight on 1500-1600 calories a day. Considering that just a couple of months ago I was probably eating 3x that amount, I find it odd that after losing the first 10, the weight is now slowly creeping back on. I've gained back 4-5 pounds. I'm baffled, and sad.

jessiekanga

Part of the sad truth is that having an out of control A1C can, itself, bring on weight loss. That's one of the warning signs actually for someone who's undiagnosed, unexplained weight loss. That may be part of what you're seeing. Your body is readjusting to a lower BG level. If you keep at it, though, it should tip back in the other direction with time. I can't imagine consistently gaining weight at 1500-1600 calories. That's about what I'm doing (1640) and I eat back exercise calories, and I am losing with MFP. I know we're not all the same, and there are medication factors for you, etc. But still, I think if you hang in there, keep watching calories and carbs, you should see it start to move in the other direction. I know it's hard a hell to be patient... I suck at it, but try to be patient and gentle with yourself, and hang in there.

Crochetluvr

Metformin can promote weight gain.

Metformin is actually prescribed to non diabetics because it helps with weight loss by removing excess sugar from the blood. I still take it for that purpose and am on no other diabetes meds now.

psv1012

Hi, I am on Metformin and the doctor explained it to me that the medication helps our bodies utilize the insulin in our body,that helps with the insulin resistance we T2 people often deal with and thus,it helps us lose weight. I have also been told it is very important to stay on low fat and watch my carbs. I have lost 34 pounds since aug.16. We are all different,but we all have the same desease. I think th elow fat is important due to the high rate of heart desease that diebetics have.
I have also learned how important daily exercise is. I am on 1280 cal a day, my last AC1 has gotten down to 5.3,so I am super happy. I wish you luck :happy:

kyla4u

@jessiekanga - Thank you so much for your encouraging post. Funny enough, I used to brag about how I could 'eat anything I want and not gain weight'. And now I know that was because my BGs were out of control. I too am hoping by keeping with the better eating plan and working with my Dr. that this weight gain will reverse soon. I'm certainly not giving up :-)

I had wanted SO badly to lose around 20 pounds. I figured if I could do that and then go on maintenance that perhaps I could get rid of one or two of my drugs. I particularly hate the gliclizide and would love to be able to go off of.

Metformin was the first drug I was ever put on for T2 and I lost loads of weight at the time. I wish I could have kept it off.

travisseger

I know it is incredibly frustrating to be in your situation. I'm in the same boat. I lost 115 lbs. in the year prior to my diagnosis. My A1C was 14.8. I've gained 7 lbs. in the 15 months since diagnosis (10 of those months on Metformin, the last 5 month med free). My A1C has been 5.1 for the past 11 months. I can't figure it out, my doctor can't figure it out, no one can figure it out. The key is to keep at it, and do what it takes to get and keep your blood glucose under control. All my numbers, except the one on the scale, are great. The weight has to come off at some point.

Hang in there. Do whatever you can to get your blood glucose right. Don't give up. It will all come together eventually.