Slowwww weight loss

Ominu
Ominu Posts: 14 Member
Hi, I've recently been diagnosed as Type 2 Diabetic and have been trying to lose weight on all sorts of diets with 4 hardcore gym visits a week to no avail. I found the Ketogenic / LCHF diet and have started that. The first week I lost 4lbs and the next I'd put them back on! I researched this and guessed I was overdoing the protein. I now have 20g or under carbs per day, between 60-85g protein and use butter, coconut oil and olive oil liberally. I'm still not losing weight particularly quickly - I read people losing 80lbs since Spring on here and I'm nowhere near that. I've been doing this for a month now. I know my main issue should be getting my blood sugars on track but weight management is a big part of managing diabetes - I don't want to have to take pills! Any advice would be gratefully accepted!

Replies

  • KetoGirl_ZC
    KetoGirl_ZC Posts: 48 Member
    Ominu wrote: »
    Hi, I've recently been diagnosed as Type 2 Diabetic and have been trying to lose weight on all sorts of diets with 4 hardcore gym visits a week to no avail. I found the Ketogenic / LCHF diet and have started that. The first week I lost 4lbs and the next I'd put them back on! I researched this and guessed I was overdoing the protein. I now have 20g or under carbs per day, between 60-85g protein and use butter, coconut oil and olive oil liberally. I'm still not losing weight particularly quickly - I read people losing 80lbs since Spring on here and I'm nowhere near that. I've been doing this for a month now. I know my main issue should be getting my blood sugars on track but weight management is a big part of managing diabetes - I don't want to have to take pills! Any advice would be gratefully accepted!

    Welcome! You've made the right choice, there's nothing better to control/reverse T2D than LCHF. As you say, your main issue should be getting BG on track, weight will follow.

    Can I ask what are your values? Fasting BG, after meals BG, fasting insulin or other lab you have? And what is a typical meal, what do you eat and what do you avoid?

    Not losing weight particularly quickly is still losing and going in the right direction. Some people lose faster than others, don't worry too much about that. People losing 80lbs since Spring were probably much heavier than you to start and likely male.

    ::flowerforyou::


  • 2manyhats
    2manyhats Posts: 1,190 Member
    I am pretty new to this too, welcome aboard! I am with you on the no pill deal. Just try to play with your numbers, take one day at a time and 1 pound at a time, not comparing to others. I have been losing a pound a week, until last week, but I slipped up so my fault. Hang in there!
  • KetoGirl_ZC
    KetoGirl_ZC Posts: 48 Member
    edited October 2016
    Just bumping the thread so that more people see it. @Ominu, if you use T2D in the header you'll get more attention from fellow low carbers with diabetes.

    If you do not have it already, I suggest you get Dr Bernstein's book:
    https://amazon.com/Dr-Bernsteins-Diabetes-Solution-Achieving/dp/0316182699
    It will answer all your questions plus many that you do not think to ask. It was my bible when I was diagnosed T2D.

    ::flowerforyou::

    Edit to correct faulty link.
  • tcunbeliever
    tcunbeliever Posts: 8,219 Member
    Take measurements, I tend to see nothing on the scale or even an increase on the scale all while my hips and waist measurements are going down...the scale is not the best indicator for everyone.
  • canadjineh
    canadjineh Posts: 5,396 Member
    edited October 2016
    Yep, Dr. Fung and www.intensivedietarymanagement.com
    Also here's a really good simple yet scientifically detailed explanation of the metabolic effects of VLCarb diets: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2129159/
  • jassnip
    jassnip Posts: 116 Member
    @Ominu I'm in the same boat with a recent (mid-August) T2 diagnosis. First let me say, this is a marathon not a sprint. You can't FORCE the weight off your body. You have to look at this as your body needs time to heal, and you don't get to set the schedule for that. One presumes that you didn't develop T2 overnight, that it took years of eating high carb to make you sick. Therefore expecting to have significant weight loss in one month isn't reasonable. Your body has other traumas to deal with: whole-body inflammation, fatty liver, taxed islet cells, plus probably numerous other things.

    So relax. You've chosen a great way of eating for looking after your T2. I second @Sunny_Bunny_ 's suggestion to look into Dr. Jason Fung's stuff (youtube, intensivedietarymanagment dot com, dietdoctor dot com). If you can get a handle on all the things your body needs to fix it might help you feel less urgent, less like you are behind the eight ball and this has to happen right now.

    Breathe, you got this. We both do.
  • Ominu
    Ominu Posts: 14 Member
    edited October 2016
    @KetoGirl_ZC the only figure I have been told is HbaC1 which is at 7.25. I'd like to get it down below 6 pretty quickly.
  • Ominu
    Ominu Posts: 14 Member
    @KetoGirl_ZC also, my GP practice refuses to let me have blood glucose testing kit so I don't know anything else. I've also been refused a referral to a dietician, but from what I've heard about dieticians recently they encourage carbs!
  • genmon00
    genmon00 Posts: 604 Member
    edited October 2016
    Ominu wrote: »
    @KetoGirl_ZC the only figure I have been told is HbaC1 which is at 7.25. I'd like to get it down below 6 pretty quickly.

    Hi I'm a T2D too and been lchf for 5 months now. My A1C dropped from 7.3 to 5.2 in this time. this was of eating can heal a diabetic for sure so many success stories here. When I started I was on 3 diabetic meds and now I just take metformin :) As for a meter, they are relatively inexpensive at Wal-Mart they have a generic version and strips are less than $20 for 50.
  • Aquawave
    Aquawave Posts: 260 Member
    edited October 2016
    Is your doctor requiring you to go to a nutritionist for the glucose strip script? I would be demanding the prescription for scripts from him or or he would be fired. If you cannot get them by script, perhaps you can go down to Walmart and buy their Relyon Brand, they are pretty cheap.

    I am a type 2 diabetic and brought my A1C down from 7.2 to 6.2 in two months by eating a low carb diet. I test 6 times a day. Before meals and 2 hours after meals. The 2 hour after meals is what is important here. By seeing what foods raise your glucose, you can eliminate them from your diet. My average glucose is now 98 and my smart phone app called ontrack predicts an A1C of around 5 next testing date (which is in Feb). There is a whole lot of information on the sticky posts at the beginning of this forum and I found this site to be of immense help: dietdoctor.com. Click on the diabetes tab, that info is free and is like attending a diabetes seminar.

    By the way, this LCHF diet is absolutely wonderful, I have lost 22 pounds so far and my meals are incredible. Welcome to this way of eating!

    Edited for clarity
  • KetoGirl_ZC
    KetoGirl_ZC Posts: 48 Member
    edited October 2016
    Ominu wrote: »
    @KetoGirl_ZC the only figure I have been told is HbaC1 which is at 7.25. I'd like to get it down below 6 pretty quickly.
    Ominu wrote: »
    @KetoGirl_ZC also, my GP practice refuses to let me have blood glucose testing kit so I don't know anything else. I've also been refused a referral to a dietician, but from what I've heard about dieticians recently they encourage carbs!

    @Ominu eating LCHF will get your BG down quickly, regardless of weight loss or not. But it will also bring weight down, that's a side effect of healing the underlying diabetes.

    Can you change doctors? It's unbelievable that he'd refuse you the BG testing kit but you do need it, especially in the transition. If you have to buy it, search for the best price but do buy it, think of the price as an alternative to all the medications that you will NOT be buying in the future.

    We all know carbs bring BG up and you're likely already not eating the worst offenders (grains, sugar, rice, potatoes) but you need to know how your body reacts to the foods you do eat because not everyone reacts the same way to the same foods. At the very least you need to know your fasting BG (first thing when you wake up) and your values 1h and 2h after a meal. Take note of every single thing you eat, if possible with time and quantity. All this note taking is a temporary thing but it's vital to help you understand your body reactions.

    Re the dietitian, unless you were to be extremely lucky their advice would probably be useless. You can find more help online and by buying a few good books. See the Launch Pad for resources.

    I know this situation re medical support is far from ideal and if you can you should search for a more supportive doctor. But behind the times GPs are not uncommon, as many of us know first hand. You can reverse T2D even if forced to do it mostly on your own.

    ::flowerforyou::
  • cstehansen
    cstehansen Posts: 1,984 Member
    Ominu wrote: »
    @KetoGirl_ZC also, my GP practice refuses to let me have blood glucose testing kit so I don't know anything else. I've also been refused a referral to a dietician, but from what I've heard about dieticians recently they encourage carbs!

    You don't need a doctor's permission to test your BG. I was diagnosed last year as type 2. They have these for under $20 at Walmart and most pharmacies. I would highly encourage you to buy one. Look at the cost of the strips of the one you are buying because that is typically where you will end up spending the most money. If you get a prescription for one, they will give you the meter free, but it will be one where the strips are ridiculously expensive - even with insurance.

    Test in the morning after fasting for at least 8 hours. Ideally, you want this number to be under 100, but don't freak out if it is higher. There is something called the dawn phenomenon which you can google which will likely make your reading higher.

    More importantly, test 2 hours after eating a meal. Start now. Ideally, you would have been able to test this before starting this WOE to get a baseline. However, it is good that you are still early so you will see this number begin dropping as your body becomes fat adapted.

    As for not losing fast, that is good IMO. If you keep your protein in line as well as your carbs and don't lose too fast, you will find you don't end up with the saggy skin as much as those who lose really fast. You will also find it is easier to maintain after you lose.

    Personally, the speed of my weight loss was not rapid, although I had a couple of times where there were short bursts with big drops. Overall, I lost about 45 lbs to get to the weight where I believe I belong. I know that is not as big of a drop as many people on here, but I had joked for 20+ years that the only way I would ever be under 200 lbs would be to have something amputated. Now, I am holding steady between 178-180 with no problem (I'm 6'1").
  • Ominu
    Ominu Posts: 14 Member
    @KetoGirl_ZC @Aquawave @cstehansen I am in the UK. I'll see whether I can get a kit from the pharmacy. I was under the impression they were really expensive. Good news!
  • Ominu
    Ominu Posts: 14 Member
    Oh the whole I'm feeling far more positive today than I did yesterday, thanks to all you lovely people who have offered such great support and advice. Thanks very much, I feel so much more motivated to carry on and look even deeper into this way of eating. I use Diet Doctor for keto approved LCHF recipes but has any of you guys found that the macros on there don't always correlate with those on MFP?
  • cstehansen
    cstehansen Posts: 1,984 Member
    @Ominu glad to hear you are feeling positive. Stress leads to increased cortisol and increased adrenaline in your blood which actually will make your body want to store more fat. Keeping well mentally is a huge key most people overlook.

    As far as the macros on MFP, they are set to the SAD recommendations which are HCLF. You can go in and adjust these in the settings under your account. I have found that even though I have done this, they seem to periodically reset to the old numbers. For the most part, I don't pay attention to them now since I know what my numbers should be. There is more control of it if you are a premium member, but that does not seem worth it to me.
  • Sunny_Bunny_
    Sunny_Bunny_ Posts: 7,140 Member
    Ominu wrote: »
    Oh the whole I'm feeling far more positive today than I did yesterday, thanks to all you lovely people who have offered such great support and advice. Thanks very much, I feel so much more motivated to carry on and look even deeper into this way of eating. I use Diet Doctor for keto approved LCHF recipes but has any of you guys found that the macros on there don't always correlate with those on MFP?

    I'm not sure what you've set your MFP macros to but there is some flexibility. Meaning that you don't have to hit every days macros spot on or anything.
    One day, you might be under on protein by 15g and the next you might be over a bit... same with fat and even calories overall for that matter. Have a goal of 1400 calories but aren't hungry and it's time for bed and you only ate 900 that day? No big deal. You don't need to make it up either, your body will take care of that for you. Another day you might be actually, truly hungry and can't keep calories under 1400 (just an example number I'm using), so it's ok to go over sometimes too.
    It all balances out over the course of the week in the end.
  • Aquawave
    Aquawave Posts: 260 Member
    http://www.diabetes.co.uk/forum/category/type-2-diabetes.25/

    That is a link for a UK forum where they give advice about dealing with UK Clinic and doctor issues. Obtaining Glucose Strips and Meters is a frequent topic.