Dieting with Type 2 Diabetes

My partner did the "sleeve" about a year and a half ago. She started out at 280 pounds, lost about 15 before the surgery during the class they make you do and got down to 196 after surgery. She is currently at 215. She does eat small meals but she is making up for it by snacking a lot throughout the day. I still think it was the best choice for her personality type. But the bottom line is you can gain it back if you have poor eating habits.

May I ask why you believe that the surgery will help with diabetes management, unless you follow a diabetes eating plan?

Congrats to you for making the decision to do something about your weight. Before your surgery, may I suggest that you look into counseling. I come from a family where several have had gastric bypass surgery, a few successes (only 1 long term) but unfortunately most have lost and then gained it all back plus a few more because they never addressed why they over ate in the first place. Doesn't matter what your vice, if you eat, drink, do drugs, don't eat (anorexia), we all do it for a reason and until you understand the reason why and deal with that the cycle will continue. Surgery will not help depression, but counseling will. Loosing weight permanently is HARD WORK physically and mentally and it takes time - most of us are not very good with it taking time - I wasn't. We are all looking for quick and easy. No matter how hard I try, I can never loose more than 1 pound a week. It took me years to come to terms with that. I would always give up or come up with a new excuse - diabetes, thyroid, etc. Plain and simple: eat less, move more and most importantly DON'T STOP. There is no magic, no quick fix. If you are good and loose the weight, you can't go back to the way you were living and eat to feel good. You must learn to feel good without food. Start now. Don't wait for surgery, start moving now, start eating less now. Take the surgery seriously - its not like TV. Many family members have had secondary issues come out of the surgery (no longer able to comfortably tolerate eating meat, vomiting continues months afterwards for no reason, dairy intolerance etc). I wish you the best of luck and will be cheering you on from the sidelines!

Starsel wrote: »

I have Type 2 Diabetes and have asked for weight loss surgery, as new BMI levels have been introduced, so now I qualifier for it. I am now with a team called, weigh ahead, as part of a 3 tier system, which will help you prepare for weight loss surgery, by helping eat more healthy, to exercise and make you approach food differently.
Is there anyone else thinking about this or maybe doing it already.
I am over 50 and have dieted all my life. Lost weight then gained it all back and more, even since I can remember, so I've got to the point where I'm fed up with it all. I dont wont to go on like this as I get older. Would any one like to share they problems with me. Maybe would be friend and help one another

I've never had WLS, and it is something you shouldn't tread lightly into. There are some major life changes that come with WLS. One of which is you need to drastically overhaul your intake. You will be forced to eat a very small amount of food per day, because your stomach will hold less. Some WLS reroutes your digestive tract, and you lose the ability to absorb nutrients from much of the food you eat. You still need to be able to prove to the team you can stick to a diet before surgery, then go on a liquid diet before surgery, and then be on a liquid/soft food diet for weeks afterwards. There can also be complications. It's a great option for some people, but not for everyone.

Given the prerequesites for WLS, it could be very plausible for you to undertake this on your own. You can eat better, you can exercise, and you can work with professionals to re-evaluate your relationship with food, and come up with a sustainable eating plan for you. All of these are things you can do now. MFP is free, and can be an excellent guide to help you reach your goals.

Whatever you choose, I hope you choose the best option for you!

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I'm 5 months out from having sleeve surgery and am down over 80 pounds so far. I exercise now more than I ever have before and it's made a dramatic difference in my outlook on things. I've been extremely lucky to have virtually no long-term complications so far or food tolerance issues. I'm not going to say it's the right decision for you, but it's worth looking into. I would check out bariatricpal.com - it's probably the largest online forum for WLS patients and there's a lot of good information on there.

As for the liquid diet prior to surgery - most surgeons require it (my surgeon had me on a liquid diet for 10 days) and it was extremely difficult. But, I got through it.

OP. Youtube has a very nice video by Dr. Sarah Hallberg (TED talk). She is an obesity specialist and has great success with helping her diabetic patients by diet. You may want to watch her video.