Anyone Diabetic and trying to lose weight?

I am a type 2 diabetic for almost 7 yrs. now....gestational diabetes NEVER went away but it ran in my family on both sides so I knew it probably wouldn't. Before joining MFP I lost 11 lbs. and so far another 3..I'm trying to be healthier which in turn will hopefully decrease my meds and help me to live a longer life.

Type 1 for 27 years. It can be done!

Been diabetic (type 2) for 8 years now. Finally trying to lose the weight and get off the insulin. Still trying to figure this out myself, but am always looking for friends to help me towards goals.

I went into settings on MFP and added sugar under what to track, definately an eye opener

I was diagnosed just before Christmas 2012, and immediatley decided I was not going to "be" diabetic, .
It was the kick in the pants I finally needed - to get off my *kitten* and take control of my life!

I heard abour MFP, started tracking here, after I had already lost 5 pounds (over Christmas no less! *happy dance*) since lost another 5, so actually down 10

I am on Metformin - for now - but once I get my weight down, hopefully I wont need it.

Shopping, wow, another eye opener! All that so called healthy stuff, is so NOT good for us, example ; Kashi golean.. almost a whole days sugar allowance! I dont look at calories, I look at Carbs, Sugar and Cholesterol, if those are ok, the rest will follow.

To be totally honest - I guess the only number I look at is my sugar intake, everything else just falls into place, my A1C is down to 5 something now, from 6.8



Feel free to friend me

Type II diabetes is reversible but you have to be willing to make some lifestyle changes. You must be willing to say goodbye to sugar and probably wheat--because they both raise blood sugar precipitously. And you also must be willing to exercise (as that increases insulin sensitivity and lowers blood sugar. If you have joint problems, most public pools have aerobic exercise programs for those with arthritis or other joint problems. Fake sugar is problematic as well because there is experimental evidence that many people respond to fake sweeteners with a surge of insulin, the same as if something sweet was eaten.

I had consistently high blood sugars a couple of years ago and I decided that I was going to fight it, as I had seen my brother (who has Type II) go through some bad stuff medically. Since I have a first degree relative with Type II (my brother) and I also had gestational diabetes, I knew I was a prime candidate (plus, I was about 100 pounds overweight). The first thing I did was to cut sugar and wheat out of my diet (as I found both to be addictive). Then I began restricting my carbohydrates to between 100 and 150 grams per day--making them complex carbs. I have since lost 50 pounds and my blood pressure and blood sugar are back in the normal range without medication. Contrary to what you may have been told, it isn't the weight loss that makes the difference---it is getting your blood sugar under control that helps to control appetite and makes you lose weight. On my heavy exercise days, I find it difficult to get very close to my MFP-recommended calories. Friend me if you want to see my food diary.

I am not a diabetic, but my husband is type 1. He recently had a discussion with his doctor about his weight/ a1c and was given a few tips.

1. Try to eat at the same time every day for every meal as often as possible.
2. Try to have the same servings of things at each meal.
Ex. If you have chicken for dinner on monday, then have the same serving of steak on tuesday, sausage on wednesday, pulled pork on thursday etc. You don't have to eat the same thing, just have the same general servings each meal.
3. He said the MOST important thing a diabetic can do is eat a breakfast containing a fruit, whole grain, protein, and dairy every single day. This helps keep you fuller throughout the day, helps prevent sugar spikes or drops, and helps maintain your schedule of eating.
4. The next most important thing, portion control. Here's what most people don't understand, a serving of potatoes, is 1/2 a cup, a serving of meat is the size of a pack of playing cards, a serving of bread is 1 slice.
5. Try to eat some of each food group at every meal. That's a dairy, fat (like butter), vegetable, fruit, and protein.

My husband has only been doing this for a few weeks and he has already lost 15 pounds! He is only about 40 lbs. overweight to begin with but he cut back on carbs, calories, and processed foods and replaced them with a salad a day and fresh fruit.

Hope this helps!

All good suggestions! I'm glad to see that the docs have gotten away from recommending a very low-fat or no-fat diet. They put my brother on that for about ten years after he was diagnosed and his diabetes got worse and worse. The problem with "no-fat" eating is that it tends to be carbohydrate heavy and that just makes the blood sugar swings worse. Good fats are the diabetics friend (even organic butter is a good idea in moderation). I have always routinely exceeded the recommended fat allotment (even though I stayed well within my calorie allotment) and have never, ever been hungry once since I began.

Also, too much fruit can be a problem--especially high-fructose fruit (like dried fruit). There is a really good book by cardiologist/diabetes and renal researcher, Richard J. Johnson, M.D. called, "The Fat Switch". His research has shown that it is fructose that produces the problems--especially in the form of table sugar (sugar, i.e. sucrose is 50% fructose). He says that Type II is just a very normal mammalian response to eating a lot of fructose (ours comes from eating table sugar) but a black bear gets it at the end of summer from gorging on massive quantities of wild blueberries. The bear then "feeds" off of his fat stores all winter. Unfortunately, when we eat sugar and simple carbs (which have a similar effect) it is "August" every day for us. Now, if we could only figure out how to hibernate....

I am diabetic. Type 2 since 2005, but pre diabetic for several years before being diagnosed for sure. On Metformin only. Have recently lost 12 lbs. and am feeling better. Just had a scare with my heart, had a heart cath. Found a small blockage on backside of heart. On new meds, feeling better now. More energy. So scary!! Need to lose about 50 lbs more. Seems like it is so hard to stay on track. I hate the journaling and watching everything I eat. Most of the time I don't eat enough throughout the day and the doctor says that is why I have stopped losing and have regained 2 or 3 lbs. I don't get hungry most of the time and ii is hard to eat when you are not hungry. Have to force myself to eat. Tore my achillies tendon about 3 months ago at the gym, so no cardio since then and that is not helping the weight loss either. Last laser treatment on foot coming up and hopefully dr. will let me get back to exercising on treadmill. I found this sight and am going to try to come here often for encouragemnet and keep up with my food journal and exercise journal. Thanks ahead of time for all your encouragement and helpful tips before hand.

Blueyedgrits

I was diagnosed a year ago.

Wondering If anyone could share with me some of your secrets to managing better with diabeties. I am diabetic and have been for about 7 yrs

Diet and exercise are key! I refused to allow myself to be stuck on medication if I could control it on my own which I managed to do. I basically cut out all processed foods and worked to keep my carb intake below 100 everyday. The carbs I get come primarily from vegetables and sometimes whole grains. Exercise also does alot to help keep those sugars under control. I would aim for no less than 30 minutes every single day.

Good luck!