HI :)

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gentlness
gentlness Posts: 14
in Introduce Yourself
Hi I am a 57 year old woman, right now in a wheelchair and walker. I have diabetes, neuropathy, heart disease, and of course alot of others but I won't list everything. I am a mess. My gall bladder is bad. It is only working at like 4%.... it needs to come out but no doctor will touch me, they say I am too high risk. They don't want to be responsible for me dying on the table. Well heck neither do I! I have been trying so hard to lose some weight so maybe the problems wouldn't be so bad. I have been writing everything down and staying under the calories. But I still am not eating the right things, I just know it. I need to keep my carbs way down the doctor said. And I just don't know what meals to eat or what snacks to have. Can anyone help me? I cannot stand more than like a minute on my own so I can't really make anything. I have to have my husband make it ahead of time and leave it for me. And he will but we have to figure out what. I am begging for help from anyone... This is the first time I am really really scared and don't think I am going to make it much longer if I can't do something about it. The doctors have made that perfectly clear. I am not a quitter. I don't want to let this win. I want to beat it. Or at least give it one hell of a fight. I am not looking for sympathy by saying things are really bad. They are , plain and simple. I would like to stick around a little while longer but I need some help. Can anyone help me? I have to lose about 200 lbs. And the picture you see is me about 13 years ago. not now. I don't let people see me now. Thank you for listening/or reading.. :frown:

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  • mrsdavidtennant
    mrsdavidtennant Posts: 16 Member
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    Hi there!! I'm not sure if you would want to try the Paleo Diet? I lost 7lb in 1 week without even exercising and it envolves zero carbs. It's basically eating only the food that was available in caveman times: lean meat, fish, fresh and dried fruit, nuts, seed, vegetable. No dairy, no cereals, beans, peanuts (a bean not a nut!) no sugar. I did it for just a week but some people on on it permanently! You can google it for more info but it's not everyones 'cup of tea'! Some of my friends had a go at me, said it was just a fad diet and i need dairy and starch, but if it's the diet our bodies were designed for then what's the problem???

    I do hope that you feel much better as soon as possible and that somebody somewhere (medical) will help you,

    Much love and healing thoughts xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
  • LinaBrynn
    LinaBrynn Posts: 3
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    Hi, and WELCOME. I am also in my 50s with a lot of weight to lose (163 pounds for me, maybe more). For help with diabetes, I would highly, highly recommend visiting www.mendosa.com, which is the website of David Mendosa. He is a writer who found out quite a few years ago that he had diabetes, and has since devoted a great deal of time and energy into learning everything he could about what to eat and how to live well in spite of it. His website is now considered to be a wellspring of information. I wrote to him a few times when my brother was diagnosed, and he wrote back immediately and was very kind and helpful.

    I hate to say this, but most doctors really don't have much training in nutrition, sadly. While carbs do need to be monitored, it is much more important to be aware of which carbs cause your blood sugar to rise. Some carbs don't cause it to rise much at all, and others cause it to shoot up tremendously. Look online or go to the bookstore and learn as much as you can about the glycemic load of various foods- these are the number values assigned to foods that indicated how much the food will impact your blood sugar. Some of what you learn may surprise you. Fresh fruit has a very low glycemic load compared to white bread or baked potatoes or refined cereals, which can shoot your blood sugar up more than almost anything.

    I would also recommend taking an omega-3 supplement, because it does so many good and important things: it's an anti-inflammatory, improves neurotransmitter function, helps with depression and menopausal symptoms, just so many good and important things.

    I wish you a long and healthy life.
  • jcbyfield
    jcbyfield Posts: 3 Member
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    Hi,

    I've just read your message and really want to try and help you. I'm not a Doctor or a Nutritionist but can try to give you advice that I've picked up over the years;

    WORST CARB CULPRIT FOODS:
    Potatoes
    Pasta
    Rice
    Bread
    Cut down on these, even if you only eat half the amount you normally do (make sure they are brown bread, brown rice etc) then you WILL loose some weight.

    + If possible, eat more protein than carbs
    + Eat as much vegetables as possible (not potatoes), you can get microwave or boil ones that dont take long
    + Swap real meat for the Vegetarian alternative - it has less fat and more goodness
    + Try having your dinner plate as; 50% Veg - 35% Protein (ie chicken) - 15% carbs (rice, pasta)
    + Drink LOADS of water - I mean, every time you have some food, wash it down with water - it will make you feel more full
    + Do not try to starve yourself - as a diabetic you need to ensure you keep your levels right
    + As a diabetic beware of fruits high in sugar
    + Try doing exercise, I dont mean jumping up or down or running - I mean just sitting down, kicking out your legs, swinging your arms around, whatever, just to get your heartbeat up

    Remember: If you eat 20 Mars Bars a week, and cut that down to 18 a week, you will still loose weight. Thinking of things like this always helps me. It means that even a small change can help in the long term scheme of things.

    I also think you should post the photo of how you look now. Get everything out in the open and start from there. I made the mistake of using 'nice photos' of me years ago when I was skinnier, so in my head I believed I was still that person, and therefore didnt need to loose weight. You have to face up to the reality, people will support you :-)


    JoJo
  • gaderfler
    gaderfler Posts: 14 Member
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    I'm right there with you. I'm 50, 340lbs, wheelchair bound and have so many medical problems my family can't care of me so I live in a nursing home, so I get where you're coming from. I'm having gastric bypass, because I need multiple surgeries and I hearthe same song you are hearing " don't want you to die on us" , well neither do I buddy! Don't know what the answer is for someone in our shoes, but you can bet I'm gonna keep checking these boards for possible help. Good luck to us.
    Gretchen

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