Diabetes and weight loss

If you're too busy to exercise, the only thing to do is monitor what you eat. You can make full use of the MFP Food diary to record your daily calorie intake and adjust as needed.

I'm a type II have been since the mid 1990's. I started doing Keto about a year and a half ago, my weight has went from 305 to 237, my A1c has dropped from 12 to 6.5, (6.5 was over the summer 2018). My insulin has dropped from 160 units to 50. My goal is to have my diabetes in remission by the end of next year. I do Keto, Intermittent Fasting and Hormone Replacement Therapy. The longest fast I've ever done has been 27 hours, had I done longer fasts (72 hours plus) I would much, much, further along. Fasting isn't for everybody, and I don't think it's really necessary it just depends on you, your situation, and how badly damaged is your metabolism. If your metabolism is like mine fasting is necessary.
YouTube is a great free Keto resource, I would recommend Doctor Jason Fung, Doctor Eric Berg, and Doctor Ken Berry. Also the Keto Connect channel is must watch, one of the challenges I've found Is quick simple low carb cooking. Keto Connect is a great resource. The best line I've ever heard about Keto is it's a healing diet, you have to fix your hormones, and your metabolism and that is going to take time. HRT is somewhat controversial, but it works for me. I would stay away from the shots, the jells and the creams, they don't work or work that well. The pellets work wonderfully but they're pricey mine is about $700.00 every five months, but well worth it.
I know this is not going to sit well with most people, you hear all sorts of nonsense out of the media about Keto. I just ignore the nonsense. I know what Keto has done for me, and that's all I care about. If you don't want to do Keto that's fine, but for god's sake get refined carbs and sugar out of your diet. If you are a type one or type two refined carbs, and sugar will kill you in the long run as bullet to the head. If you have any questions I will be happy to respond, if you want to get some crap started I'll just block and ignore you. This is about people lives, if you can't get your mind around that, then that is your issue.

Walking is good for health, and for improving A1C and BG, but it isn't overly helpful for weight loss. Eating less is the key for that.

For diet, I too would recommend LCHF or Keto for better BG and A1C control through diet. If you are eating moderate to high carb, you will not get as good BG control from your diet. Many find that LCHF reduces their appetite and cravings which makes weight loss easier. There is some evidence that it has a slight metabolic advantage for weight loss for those with higher insulin levels.

The book, Dr Bernstein's Diabetes Solution is a great help for diabetics getting started with LCHF. He also has a website. Fung's Oesity code or Diabetes Code are good, easy to read books on LCHF and fasting for improved BG control and as a tool for weight loss.

nvmomketo wrote: »

Walking is good for health, and for improving A1C and BG, but it isn't overly helpful for weight loss. Eating less is the key for that.

For diet, I too would recommend LCHF or Keto for better BG and A1C control through diet. If you are eating moderate to high carb, you will not get as good BG control from your diet. Many find that LCHF reduces their appetite and cravings which makes weight loss easier. There is some evidence that it has a slight metabolic advantage for weight loss for those with higher insulin levels.

The book, Dr Bernstein's Diabetes Solution is a great help for diabetics getting started with LCHF. He also has a website. Fung's Oesity code or Diabetes Code are good, easy to read books on LCHF and fasting for improved BG control and as a tool for weight loss.

Do not do keto without talking to a doctor or RD first, it can be dangerous to do keto while taking medications that lower blood sugar. In fact speaking with a dietician if possible is probably a good idea because you do have special dietary considerations.

I think anyone with diabetes under the care of a doctor should consult that doctor about changes to their diet/medication rather than a book.

OP, I assume you're under the care of a doctor and have been given instructions on how to eat and structure your meals. Most diabetics get nutrition advice to limit carbs to certain amounts with each meal, for example.

Saying that, the single best way to lose weight is to eat less than you burn. Are you tracking your food here on MFP? Have you read the posts about logging accurately? It will be a big help in getting your weight down.

Kudos for getting some activity in while having such a busy schedule! Exercise is very important for managing many health conditions, and is a good habit to develop. It's not much of a help with weight loss, but it does improve insulin sensitivity, especially if you try to walk briskly and make it a good workout.

happytree923 wrote: »

nvmomketo wrote: »

happytree923 wrote: »

nvmomketo wrote: »

Walking is good for health, and for improving A1C and BG, but it isn't overly helpful for weight loss. Eating less is the key for that.

For diet, I too would recommend LCHF or Keto for better BG and A1C control through diet. If you are eating moderate to high carb, you will not get as good BG control from your diet. Many find that LCHF reduces their appetite and cravings which makes weight loss easier. There is some evidence that it has a slight metabolic advantage for weight loss for those with higher insulin levels.

The book, Dr Bernstein's Diabetes Solution is a great help for diabetics getting started with LCHF. He also has a website. Fung's Oesity code or Diabetes Code are good, easy to read books on LCHF and fasting for improved BG control and as a tool for weight loss.

Do not do keto without talking to a doctor or RD first, it can be dangerous to do keto while taking medications that lower blood sugar. In fact speaking with a dietician if possible is probably a good idea because you do have special dietary considerations.

It is true that cutting carbs by a great deal can be dangerous if you are taking insulin, not checking BG and adjusting (lowering) your insulin accordingly. Bernstein goes into those details and so does Fung.

If you check your BG regularly, you will be able to quickly see how cutting carbs lowers BG, and be able to talk to your doctor about cutting or eliminating some medications.

As usual your advice is irresponsible. If the diet advice in this book is so awesome, why would it be a bad thing to check in with your doctor first before starting it? There are glucose-lowering medications other than insulin that would need to be considered when drastically cutting carbs and I doubt this book goes into every single possible combination of medications a diabetic person could be taking.

Your response is overly reactive, IMO.

I never said it was bad to check with your doctor. I agreed that cutting carbs quickly while on some medications can be dangerous if you are not checking BG regularly and adjusting meds accordingly. Then I said it could be time to talk to a doctor about cutting or eliminating medications. Bernstein recommends keeping in touch with your doctor and letting him know your plans. It really is a good read, and he does go through all the medications.

Your initial blanket statement that they should check with their doctor before starting Keto, without knowing circumstances or if they are even on meds, is excessive. If they are not on meds to lower BG, there is no requirement to see their doctor beforehand. If they responsibly check their BG and control their own medications, there is very little risk there either. Ten year old type 1s can handle it (relying 100% on administered insulin) never mind most adults.

When I started Keto it was after I followed my endocrinologist's dietary advice and the statement that she'd keep an eye on it., and I made my BG worse and gained more weight. I did the opposite of her advice, achieved great BG control and then lost some weight. I did not need to consult my doctor on a dietary change, neither will all diabetics.

I realize that there are other meds used to keep BG lowered. Which one, besides insulin, are you worried will cause a dangerously low BG that a person won't be able to address with more carbs at that time followed by a visit with their doctor? A good diabetic goal is to reduce the need for drugs. Drug reduction usually happens after there is a reduced need for it, ie. after BG starts coming down, and not before.

True. A calorie deficit is needed for weight loss. I brought up LCHF because it offers better BG control, can reduce appetite for some, and may offer a slight metabolic advantage to those with elevated insulin. A nice bonus to have have co occur with weight loss.