I made a deal with my doctor..lose 50lbs or be placed on medication

anna_mjrd
anna_mjrd Posts: 5 Member
edited December 3 in Health and Weight Loss
So. I went to the doctor today and he told me that I have hormonal imbalance due to insulin resistance. So im pretty much on a fast tract to full blown diabetes. Of course he recommended that I should start taking medication to help keep my blood sugar down. I told him that I am currently working on losing weight and that I am putting a serious effort into changing my eating habits. I see him again in 6months and my goal is to lose 50lbs by then. Is it possible? Or should I start the medication. I can use as much support as I can get..fell free to add me.

Replies

  • mike_milligan90
    mike_milligan90 Posts: 6 Member
    Of course it's possible you got this!
  • PaulaWallaDingDong
    PaulaWallaDingDong Posts: 4,645 Member
    You might be able to get pretty close to that, depending on how overweight you are now.
  • SusanMFindlay
    SusanMFindlay Posts: 1,804 Member
    Just playing devil's advocate, but is there any reason not to take the medication while losing weight then go off it in six months?

    50 pounds in six months may well be doable. That's about 2 pounds per week, and most people can safely lose 1% of their weight per week. So, if you're over 250 pounds, it's definitely doable. If you're under 200 pounds, it may be a bit ambitious - but you could still lose the 50 pounds in a slightly longer period of time.

    Many people with insulin resistance find a low carb high fat diet helpful. I'm sure someone from that crowd will chime in with resources. I believe there's one or more LCHF groups here.
  • anna_mjrd
    anna_mjrd Posts: 5 Member
    dreaming13000 wrote: »
    In 2006 I lost 70 pounds in 7 months, it's very do able. FYI I was 220 lbs at 5'7.

    That's amazing! I'm 5'7" and currently 222lbs. What was the biggest change in your diet? I can now say I workout regularly. I drink mostly water. 90% of the time. Care to share any tips?
  • icemom011
    icemom011 Posts: 999 Member
    It's possible, i lost 59 lbs since mid February. Stay at the calorie deficit, weigh all solid food, mesure liquids, don't eat mindlessly, be aware of what the portion sizes are, drink plenty of water. You got this. I'm 5'7 as well, started from 220 lbs.
  • EricaKemp44
    EricaKemp44 Posts: 9 Member
    Opt out of the meds !!! A good doctor will keep you off meds , not put you on them.
  • jgnatca
    jgnatca Posts: 14,464 Member
    Hormonal imbalance sounds like PCOS. You can certainly improve your outcomes by losing weight. If you do end up needing medication like Metformin I wouldn't take that as a failure if I were you. Best of success to you.
  • the3dwizard
    the3dwizard Posts: 39 Member
    Good for you! It is best to try and make the lifestyle changes than just go on medicine, ( if that is an option). Trying to keep my A1C down so right there with you.
  • TonyB0588
    TonyB0588 Posts: 9,520 Member
    I'm pre-diabetic and my doctor suggested a 10 lb weight loss mainly through exercise. I've lost 9 lbs and of course the last 1 lb wouldn't go!!

    I was also given a Diet List as a guide. This has "foods to avoid", "foods in small quantities", and "unrestricted foods".

    So the agreed plan at the moment is more exercise, be careful about food but not strict, and no medication. Due for another check-up this month, so we'll see what the new findings are. My own basic testing at home is showing improved numbers over what the doctor found, but the one I can't do myself is the HbA1c test.
  • jgnatca
    jgnatca Posts: 14,464 Member
    @TonyB0588 if your home testing is showing improved results then your A1C will be better too. Congrats!
  • pzarnosky
    pzarnosky Posts: 256 Member
    Sued0nim wrote: »
    anna_mjrd wrote: »
    dreaming13000 wrote: »
    In 2006 I lost 70 pounds in 7 months, it's very do able. FYI I was 220 lbs at 5'7.

    That's amazing! I'm 5'7" and currently 222lbs. What was the biggest change in your diet? I can now say I workout regularly. I drink mostly water. 90% of the time. Care to share any tips?

    You need to log everything you eat and drink

    Use a food scale

    Pick food entries carefully and double check

    And stick to your calorie defecit over time

    Workouts are great for health and adherence, drinking water, and diet sodas, black coffee etc, reduces your liquid calorie intake

    But you need to eat fewer calories than you use consistently

    This. Especially the first 2 points.
    Weightloss happens in the kitchen.
    Quote that I found to be true "Weightloss is 80% diet, 20% exercise."
    You can do this!!
  • ugofatcat
    ugofatcat Posts: 385 Member
    Opt out of the meds !!! A good doctor will keep you off meds , not put you on them.

    This is simply not true. A good doctor will look at the pros and cons to putting someone on medication, and if the pros out weigh the cons, put a patient on medication discuss this with the patient. For example, if a doctor has a patient with blood sugars out of control who refuses to make any changes but will take a medication, they will put a patient on medication to try and control their blood sugars, preventing complications.

    Good doctors do not always tell you what you want to hear.
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 28,052 Member
    anna_mjrd wrote: »
    dreaming13000 wrote: »
    In 2006 I lost 70 pounds in 7 months, it's very do able. FYI I was 220 lbs at 5'7.

    That's amazing! I'm 5'7" and currently 222lbs. What was the biggest change in your diet? I can now say I workout regularly. I drink mostly water. 90% of the time. Care to share any tips?

    What's your goal weight?
  • elisa123gal
    elisa123gal Posts: 4,333 Member
    Iv'e seen amazing stories on here..on how weightless reverses a diagnosis like yours.. Why not get your eating habits under control..cut your sugar..and exercise. You know that daily exercise regulates your blood sugar. Maybe get a quick blood test in six or eight weeks and see if things are improving… then you'd feel better about not going on medication. Also.. he/she must not be too worried to give you six months. If it was more serious they'd want you back earlier than that.

    i believe you can turn it around quick with nutrition and exercise.. and yes.. lose the weight too..but what you eat will matter greatly.
  • dasher602014
    dasher602014 Posts: 1,992 Member
    There are a number of pre-diabetics and diabetics using LCHF to lower their blood sugars. My husband is one of them and his doctor is pleased.

    There is a group that gives good support for this way of eating.

    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/group/394-low-carber-daily-forum-the-lcd-group
  • workinonit1956
    workinonit1956 Posts: 1,043 Member
    You've gotten good advice already, best of luck-- you will do great! Please keep us posted:)
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
    I'd do the same thing. And it's completely doable in 6 months.
  • snowflake930
    snowflake930 Posts: 2,188 Member
    Doable.
    Go for it! It is not an unreasonable amount to lose in 6 months!
  • Unknown
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  • exr_nick
    exr_nick Posts: 16 Member
    Wow, that is the EXACT deal I made with my doc in 2008 (the first time I did this). Well except hormonal imbalance, but for me it was blood sugar. He wanted to put me on metformin, and I asked him for a six month reprieve. Six months later I had lost 40 of the 50 pounds and my numbers were totally fine. This time, I'm a little less overweight but I know that if I let it go, I'll be facing meds again, something I'd like to avoid.
  • nvmomketo
    nvmomketo Posts: 12,019 Member
    edited September 2016
    I bet you can do it. Good luck.

    In the meantime, consider using a low carb high fat (LCHF) diet to lower your blood glucose and insulin, and as a tool for weight loss. LCHF diets improve blood glucose even without weightloss so even if you don't hit your weight loss goal, chances are your blood glucose will have improved a great deal, if not normalized. http://www.nutritionjrnl.com/article/S0899-9007(14)00332-3/fulltext Dr Bernstein's Diabetes Solution is a GREAT guide for those with insulin resistance issues.

    The Low Carber Daily group mentioned above have many members using LCHF to put diabetes into remission. http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/group/394-low-carber-daily-forum-the-lcd-group

    A good short lecture:
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=da1vvigy5tQ
  • rsleighty
    rsleighty Posts: 214 Member
    I lost 50 lbs in 6 mo. I started at 214 and have 10-15 more to go. It CAN be done.
  • fireytiger
    fireytiger Posts: 236 Member
    I'm also 5'7, started at 239 pounds, and I lost 21 pounds in about 3 months (and that's with me falling off the wagon for the last couple of weeks of August). That'd put my loss as a little slower than what you're needing to do, but I do believe a faster loss is possible! I work a sedentary job, eat around 1900 calories a day and exercise moderately about 2-3 hours a week (spread out over several days, that's like 20-30 mins a session). Heck, I even have days where I eat more calories than I should, because sometimes you just need the dang cheeseburger, lol! Clearly, there are ways I could make my loss faster: I could exercise a little more each day, I could cut my daily calories, etc. Hope that gives you some ideas of where to start! Good luck, you can do it!
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