Diabetics - need advice PLEASE

Hi Everyone,

I was diagnosed with borderline diabetes. I am stuck with my weight loss journey and would like to get some advice from an diabetics on MFP.

I lost 60 lbs with the Paleo lifestyle 2 years ago, however, I slipped and started bringing regular foods into my eating and the next thing I know I gained 30 lbs. I tried WW, but their system is not for me.

I started working out again 2 weeks ago, 4-5 days a week, between running, cycling, and doing Bob Harper videos, however the scale nor the inches are showing any results.

Anyone that is a diabetic, can you tell me your journey? How did you do it? How are you doing it? What are you watching: carbs, calories? How often are you exercising? When did you start seeing physical results?

Thank you for all your advice, I greatly appreciate it!

Replies

  • I'm borderline diabetic as well. Think I was diagnosed 4 years ago. Lost some of my stomach fat about 2 years ago by dieting, but since then it has grown back a lot.

    Personally, I eat everything but in moderation. I also split my meals up. Eat half, save it for later. Before every meal, I drink water and it helps me feel full faster.

    I am constantly hungry, and rarely full. Now, I have started to walk on the treadmill in the morning on an empty stomach for 30 minutes. It has really helped me reduce calories and hunger. Let's say I walked at 8:30: I wouldn't feel hungry till 2pm. If an empty stomach workout makes you dizzy, eat something light.

    Also, eating makes me very tired. But yesterday, I found that if I walk after a meal, I feel much better and actually energized from the food.

    Tried insanity, but it was too intense for me. So, today I am starting a 12 week walking program along with some yoga. Maybe i'll throw in some P90x in there.

    Goodluck with your journey. Rooting for you :)
    -Ann
    http://www.active.com/fitness/articles/12-week-treadmill-workout
  • yarwell
    yarwell Posts: 10,477 Member
    You have borderline diabetes so your body struggles to handle carbs. Therefore eat less carbs. Ditch the chips and the Starbucks sugar solutions etc. Try 100 grams of carbs a day for starters and get a blood glucose meter to learn what food affects your body.

    If you're science orientated there are long term intervention studies of Swedish diabetic women on 20% carb diets getting sustained improvements over the controls on a standard diet, to the extent that they switched the controls over not 20% carbs too.
  • evileen99
    evileen99 Posts: 1,564 Member
    You should get advice from a registered dietician.
  • crepes_
    crepes_ Posts: 583 Member
    I've been helping my father (73 yrs old) with his diabetes management for many years and his labs have been looking great and the amount of medications he's on has decreased quite a bit. He's averaging around 100g net carbs per day and aiming for carbs from veggies and whole wheat so his body has time to process everything. He's eating at a small calorie deficit, too, but he never had much of a weight problem. He loves ice cream, so we've been getting the Carb Smart ice cream from Breyer's and sometimes the no sugar added ice cream varieties. They don't seem to have much control over his blood sugar levels, so we've been lucky with that.

    For exercise, he sometimes does light areobics and stationary bike, but he mostly walks.

    I was inching closer and closer to a diagnosis, and pretty much my entire family has diabetes. I started a LCHF diet for management of PCOS and prevention of diabetes and it really worked out for me. However, it's not for everyone. If you can control your carb intake even a little bit, that's an improvement. Carb limits aren't important for everyone, but they are for people with diabetes.

    But ultimately, you should seek advice from medical professionals and make sure you're going in the right direction.
  • A combination of regular physical activity, overall healthy eating and weight loss typically are recommended for people with prediabetes. There's more information at http://diabetes.niddk.nih.gov/dm/pubs/prediabetes_ES/ Many hospitals have free programs for people with prediabetes so that you can learn as much as possible. ~Lynn /Glucerna
  • lindanewland37
    lindanewland37 Posts: 38 Member
    I was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes a year ago. Since that time I have lost 67 pounds but still have probably 100 left to lose. My blood sugar was not as high as some - guess you could say I was "barely" diabetic. I was a fast food junkie and changed my diet completely. All of my blood tests in the last 6 months have been in the normal range. I eat whole grain bread and pasta, brown rice when I eat rice, tons of eggs - love them; low fat dairy, lots of salad and vegetables, some fruit. I still eat some junk food on occasion but I feel a lot better. I am at 1620 calories a day but I rarely feel hungry - I believe that is because I have some protein with every meal and snack. Most days I eat 3 meals and 2 snacks but if I am hungry I eat something - just make sure it fits in my calorie allotment for that day. Thankfully I am not much of a sweet eater so it's not hard for me to stay away from sweet treats. My downfall is fatty salty things and I still have trouble with too much sodium in my diet. I do not have to take any drugs for my diabetes although I do take meds for blood pressure and carvedilol for heart disease. I feel so much better than a year ago I can't even describe it. I love food and am not a person who would be happy on steamed broccoli and a naked chicken breast - so I have done ALOT of cooking experiments trying all kinds of new things to keep it interesting. My goal is to lose another 33 lbs. this year to total 100 lbs. lost in my most recent and final weight loss attempt. You can do it - there's a lot of info out there on the web about what to eat to help control your blood sugar.