67 year young Type 2 Diabetic

I am your age, an avid reader and also had some medical issues before I decided to "tow the line." After 4 months of eating healthy, logging everything I put in my mouth, weighing and measuring my food and staying within my calorie allowance, my last blood work showed normal cholesterol and glucose. I started to exercise but did so very slowly. Today I do either a 5K or an hr. of step aerobics every day. Aside from the normal aches and pains that go along with the 60's, I feel great and I am almost half way to my goal wt. So....don't be afraid. You can do this and reap the same benefits as I did. I am sending you a friend request. My name is Carol by the way and I live in SC.

I'm glad to see another 'senior' is doing MFP. I just started on Tuesday and hope to have good results. I am 73, a mom of 2, grandmother of 7, and great grandmother of 4 (one deceased). My husband is diabetic also and so we weigh and measure everything. He is so GOOD that sometimes I really feel rotten about 'falling down' on my food plan. I love the automatic food tracker which shows exactly how much of everything you should be getting and where you are at that point in the day. We have a VFW dinner this evening and I've put in the food I expect to eat. I discovered that I was way over in my 'fats' so I removed the potato salad from the list and now I know I will just skip it tonight and still be fine. Just take everything one hour at a time.

The value of regular exercise is going through loud and clear! It's great to hear how so many people are fitting walking and other types of exercise into their daily routine. It's encouraging to hear how starting off slowly and then building up gradually leads to improved blood sugars and weight loss. A friend was motivated to exercise so she could keep up with her 2 year old grandson, and now she enjoys going for walks with him and playing on the beach. ~Lynn /Glucerna

Hi, 63 yrs, married female here (SoCal). Currently on 3 meds (Glimperide, Metformin, Victoza) which are helping keep sugars in the 110 average (morning check before breakfast). Primary desire is to get off meds so need to keep losing weight. Retired in 2012 weighing 410. Currently down to 383. This site was recommended to me by my water exercise instructor where I go twice a week for 2 hours (2 classes: Level 1 = range of motion and stretching, Level 2 = mild cardio). Have arthritis in both knees (use cane) so the water lets me be somewhat active without pain. I'm having trouble controlling the carb desire. Candies not a problem, but love my chips! Suggestions welcome

Hi, 63 yrs, married female here (SoCal). Currently on 3 meds (Glimperide, Metformin, Victoza) which are helping keep sugars in the 110 average (morning check before breakfast). Primary desire is to get off meds so need to keep losing weight. Retired in 2012 weighing 410. Currently down to 383. This site was recommended to me by my water exercise instructor where I go twice a week for 2 hours (2 classes: Level 1 = range of motion and stretching, Level 2 = mild cardio). Have arthritis in both knees (use cane) so the water lets me be somewhat active without pain. I'm having trouble controlling the carb desire. Candies not a problem, but love my chips! Suggestions welcome

Adore;
Beating the addiction (and it IS an addiction) to carbs, sugars, or whatever else is sabotaging your efforts IS NOT easy but it IS doable.

Some are able to do it on "willpower" alone, some because they're just too damn stubborn to "give up", some are able to muster the "inner strength" to just tell themselves "it's only a couple weeks, I'll give it a go, I can beat this."

The good news is, for many, it really is "just a couple weeks" - not easy, and for many that "urge" for "my sweets" just never does go away (although there is very good medical evidence demonstrating that actual physiological changes that occur with proper adherence to known programs WILL reduce (if not eliminate) the urges.

But...if it were just "willpower" or "it's you own fault" we really wouldn't have the epidemic proportions of obesity we do, would we?

Simple fact of the matter is, "willpower" alone DOESN'T work for many food "addicts" just as it doesn't work those addicted to most other substances.

Keep doing what you're doing (you are off to a VERY good start and the results to date (with the exception of the "cravings") bear that out. Know that, for many, it's just a matter of time (assuming you are following a diet plan specifically targeted at the chip cravings issue).

How long it takes is a question for which there just is no simple answer - couple of weeks for some, months for others - every body is different is pretty much all there is to it.

If you do reach the point where "this just isn't EVER going to work for me" before you give up, consider employing a different diet approach. If you are currently utilizing one with low fat/low cals at it's base, research the alternatives (low carb/high fat or others e.g.). but MAKE NO CHANGES without first consulting with your Doc.

Dietitians, Trainers, or Swim instructors all may be the best intention-ed but also may come with their own built in biases and it's unlikely any one of them would know the complexities of your particular "issues" or the interactions any major diet change would have with your particular med "cocktail" - your Doc WILL. (or if s/he doesn't, FIND a new one).

What I'm about to propose for your consideration (again, ONLY with your Doc's approval) will likely bring the pitchforks out but so be it. As you are obviously aware, there are thousands of "drugs" out there, many of which actually do mean life or death for those with certain afflictions (T1D comes immediately to mind).

There are also any number of drugs designed not for "life long" consumption but rather to address (and treat) very specific, immediate heath issues.

The term "diet pills" is one that raises the hair on the back of the neck for many - and somewhat, rightly so (think FenPhen).
What is not quite so "rightly so" though, is painting the entire definition of the words with the same brush - there ARE safe, and effective, pharmaceuticals (sounds much better if you don't call them diet pills but that's what they are).

They (some of them) are NOT "magic bullets", "fads", concoctions blended together in some guy's basement or Dr (Wizard) Ooze's backstage lab but rather drugs that have undergone years (decades in some cases) of very tightly controlled FDA clinical trials, involved thousands and thousands of trial participants, double blinded studies, and modifications to address concerns discovered along the long trial path.

Are they 100% side effect free, or 100% guaranteed "safe" for everyone?
Nope, of course not, but neither are ANY of the meds you are currently ingesting daily OR are ANY other (well, maybe "almost any") pharmas.

Life is, for better or for worse, a balancing act - risks vs rewards, your decisions (with your Docs assistance and advice) always come down to "is it worth the possible risks?" - as it is with any diet pill as well.

As a result of the FenPhen debacle there were NO "diet" drugs approved by the FDA for over a decade - partly because the topic was just too politically charged and partly because none were submitted for approval that could meet the FDA's very high standards. There were, however, trials going on, and new, groundbreaking "discoveries" in the research labs that produced at least one drug with potential beyond most people's expectations.

About two years ago the FDA finally approved two "new" drugs. One based on completely new (previously undiscovered) science, and the other simply a slightly altered compounding of two existing generics.

In the meantime, thousands and thousands of Docs were prescribing (off label) various drugs (mainly generics) alone or in combination with others and achieving results albeit at the expense of the negative effects of the stimulants most employed.

The recently "FDA Approved" drug Qsymia (which will likely be the first to pop up when you search the googlemachine) is one such drug and the stimulant part of the equation (and related effects on the heart), is the primary reason I don't recommend it.

The second drug which obtained FDA Approval (Belviq, Lorcaserin HCI), however, has at its basis, a completely unique approach to diet (and urges which align closely with your own) that targets a very specific receptor previously unknown to play the critical part it does in the satiety chain of events your body is engaged in daily. Further, by targeting that specific receptor, many of the problems associated with the other meds (heart valve issues, and stimulant effects, e.g.) are eliminated or reduced to the point that they are very marginal at best (risk vs results).

First, do your OWN research (google is your friend or start at "belviq.com" (without the quotes).
Everything from the complete trial results to labeling requirements (and all in between) is out there for the finding.

You didn't specifically say, but I'm guessing that preD or T2D is either an issue with which you are currently dealing, or one(s) at least of concern both to you and your Doc. An "arm" of the trial studies was directly aimed at uncovering the effects (and results) on those with diabetes and I would encourage you to look at (and make available to your Doc if s/he isn't familiar with) that section of the trial results data.

Table 8, on page 8 of the prescribing info data sheet, summarizes the results of the arm which includes T2D diabetics.
Here's a link to that: (but look to the full study results pdf, available at belviq.com for complete details)
http://tinyurl.com/n7ner66

From the basic info you provided, you absolutely ARE a candidate, BUT, I have not reviewed any interactions with your current meds that might be an issue (that's your Doc's job to do before he agrees with you (if you do) that a prescription is in order.

What I can tell you (purely from "anecdotal" experience) is that it DOES work, many (the vast majority of people with whom I'm acquainted) experienced few or NONE of the listed "side effects", and a very surprising number of users report as their #1 response to the question "what has impressed you most regarding your use of Belviq?" that, "I'm just NOT hungry" (despite being on cal restricted diets and exercising), and/or, "I just don't have the cravings that I had before."

It's NOT the "magic bullet" and certainly won't work just because you buy a bottle - it still takes work and commitment on your part (which shouldn't be an issue for you as you've already demonstrated) - basic diet and exercise.

BUT, for many, it's the next best thing (for them) - "It's willpower in a bottle" is a frequently heard statement by many users.

May, or may not be available as an option for you (because of "other" issues noted above) but if it is, (and if other methods tried, but not helping you achieve your goals), BELVIQ would be my "suggestion".

And, NO, I don't not "work for" Arena (the discoverer and manufacturer), Eisai (the US distributors), or any other company (retired) which would imply a financial interest on my part.

But that reminds me, I didn't check your bio, but for both you and any others that might be interested, Belviq is currently available only in the US, applications for approval in various other countries have been submitted and are currently under review.