Is it just me?

caligirl328
caligirl328 Posts: 41
edited October 1 in Health and Weight Loss
Hey all:-) Got a ? for everyone!
i am a type 2 diabetic, I'm 46 years old and have lost 120 pounds over the last 16 months. I workout at a gym 4 days a week i spend 45 minutes doing cardio then 45 to 60 minutes doing free weights, machines and exersizes. i take in around 1500 cals a day and i find that I'm only loosing about 4 pounds a month, I am told that diabetics loose weight alot slower than non diabetics, do any of you diabetics find this to be true? I have to admit i am obessed with the scale at the gym and cannot leave without getting on it. Heres the thing that frustrates me the most, here i am working my *kitten* off at the gym, I eat right, stay under my alloted daily calories and it takes me sometimes over a month to see any weight loss and i tend to fluxuate during that month within about 4 pounds one day ill loose 2 next day gain one of them back, next day loose 2 next day gain two back so on and so forth then finally ill see a drop of 3 to 5 pounds. Is it me or do all of us middle aged ladies loose weight this way?

Replies

  • pippyrlz23
    pippyrlz23 Posts: 40 Member
    I think losing on average a pound a week is great! I'm not sure about how the diabetes plays into it, but congrats on the awesome weight loss!!
  • xraylady33
    xraylady33 Posts: 222 Member
    I realize you are diabetic, but what food choices are you making? This is 80% of the factor. Now you won't like this, but the love of my life is a trainer, and NO trainer, in ANY gym will say you need to be working out this much! You are creating a void. The body does not rest and then the pituitary revs up, and says wait...I am not suppose to do this much at once.

    Strength is great and can help burn calories up to 38 hours post workout, but are you drinking protien immediately after? Are you enjoying a bite of a mini candy bar post workout? These things MUST be done with every STRENGTH workout.

    Remember the machines are great! But stick with the Kettle bells, dumb bells, squats, lunges and any full body exercise. The machine does partial work, why not reap rewards of full workouts.

    Cardio...burns while you are there...thats it. Follow with protien.

    I have a feeling you are not getting the protien equivalent to recover and build.

    How many inches are lost?

    The TRUE scale of protien for a woman is 108 Grams! YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! this will speed your weight loss. The tracker is great for calories, but PROTIEN IS THE KEY! Trust me on this. I have researched it for 5 years, and have access to a trainer 24/7!

    You have lost an amazing amout of weight! you should be so proud. tweak things a little, and I bet you will see the difference.
  • papastu
    papastu Posts: 737 Member
    try using the scales once a month and a tape measure

    i found i felt better with the tape measure results too when the scales made me unhappy
  • bethj0nes
    bethj0nes Posts: 3
    Its completely normal for a person's weight to fluctuate a few pounds from day to day because of water weight shifts. You should try to limit yourself to only weighing in once a week or twice if you really can't stand to stay away from the scale. Also, muscle weighs more than fat, so as you continue to workout, you are toning and building more muscles. The muscle weighs more than the fat you are losing, and it also burns fat much faster! I think you are doing great. But if you want to see more results try changing up your regular routine. Throw a dance class in during the week. Don't always run on the treadmill or do the eliptical. Do the bike sometimes for your cardio. Also try yoga or pilates. They are great for strengthening your core muscles. Your body might be getting used to your routine so try sometime new and see what happens! Congrats on your accomplishments so far!
  • caligirl328
    caligirl328 Posts: 41
    @xraylady So working out 4 days a week is too much? wow i thought i wasnt working out enough! I usually workout mon, tues take off wed then go thurs, fri take off the weekend! I usually east toast with peanut butter and a hard boiled egg and 1 banana in the morning i workout before noon then come home and eat a large salad and some veggies or a sandwich, dinner usually consists of a meat, fresh veggies grilled or cooked in evoo and either a pasta, bean, or brown rice dish. snacks i try and eat yogurt or fruit or some popcorn , granola bar, cottage cheese with pears. Im not always this strict and do screw up and have a bad snack here and there but most of the time i eat very well. I havent ate a candy bar in over a year! i really want to stay away from sugary starchy foods being that I am diabetic, though my blood sugar is under controll and i can eat those items and not worry about about my blood sugar going out of whack I just choose not to eat them. So what type of protein foods would you suggest I east more of. Thanx for the advice i really appreciate it! :-)
  • caligirl328
    caligirl328 Posts: 41
    I agree i need to change up my workout routine,I definately am stuck doing the same things over and over at the gym its hard though i hate change! LOL :-P Thanx for the advice I am going to do the bike instead of the treadmill today and try and change up my routine some :-)
  • sleepytexan
    sleepytexan Posts: 3,138 Member
    So working out 4 days a week is too much? wow i thought i wasnt working out enough! I usually workout mon, tues take off wed then go thurs, fri take off the weekend! I usually east toast with peanut butter and a hard boiled egg and 1 banana in the morning i workout before noon then come home and eat a large salad and some veggies or a sandwich, dinner usually consists of a meat, fresh veggies grilled or cooked in evoo and either a pasta, bean, or brown rice dish. snacks i try and eat yogurt or fruit or some popcorn , granola bar, cottage cheese with pears. Im not always this strict and do screw up and have a bad snack here and there but most of the time i eat very well. I havent ate a candy bar in over a year! i really want to stay away from sugary starchy foods being that I am diabetic, though my blood sugar is under controll and i can eat those items and not worry about about my blood sugar going out of whack I just choose not to eat them. So what type of protein foods would you suggest I east more of. Thanx for the advice i really appreciate it! :-)

    I work out 6 days a week, and I wouldn't call that too much. Obviously you need to rest every now and again -- I rode 88 miles last week at a fast pace, and I was tired, so I took 2 days off exercise. Do what works.

    For extra protein you can try nutritional yeast sprinkled on anything you're already having that might be complimented by a nutty cheesy flavor. Of course there are myriads of protein powders and bars . . .

    Honestly, sounds like excellent progress to me, but do be aware that the closer you get to goal, the more slowly the weight comes off, and the more you must eat to help it along. I am 2 pounds from goal, but haven't really dropped in over a month.

    edit: I don't know about "changing up your workout". I've been spinning for over 8 years; still love it; still burns calories. I've been dancing since I was 3 years old -- won't be stopping until I'm dead. If you like the activity, there is no need to give it up for something else; you can always vary the intensity.

    edit #2: nutritional yeast is beneficial for stabliizing blood sugar and for diabetics.

    blessings.
  • caligirl328
    caligirl328 Posts: 41
    @xraylady

    dont know how many inches ive lost never used a measuring tape. I have gone down from a size 26/28 pants to a size 16/18 size pants.
  • rml_16
    rml_16 Posts: 16,414 Member
    That's a perfectly reasonable and normal and healthy amount of weight to lose.
  • eventgal
    eventgal Posts: 29
    I feel your pain. Last year, I worked out five days a week at the gym and ate a healthy 1,200 calorie diet. I hired a personal trainer during that time, whom I saw once or twice a week. It took me seven months to lose 20 pounds. The trainer kept encouraging me, but I felt like the weight loss was slow, slow, slow. The workouts ceased when I had a hysterectomy. Turns out, I was diagnosed (this year) with hypothyroidism, sugar intolerance, and estrogen dominance. I am taking herbal meds for these conditions and the weight is coming off at a much better pace. But, I don't think I will ever be able to lose like younger women (I'm 50+). Maybe you have some other factors that are hindering your progress???

    There are some really knowledgeable people on this site, so you will likely get some really good input. Good luck! I think you've already made some incredible progress!!
  • xraylady33
    xraylady33 Posts: 222 Member
    NO four days a week is not too much, but working out for more than an hour is not needed. You can real this in any functional traing guide, or any news article. Unfortunately at our age..yes we are close, the task is more difficult, but so is risk of injury. Try your hour workouts, 4 days, or five, you choose for three weeks. What do you have to loose...babhahahah...add protien powder if you can handle it. Once in morning and one post workout, or evenings for three weeks. This will add 44 grams of protien to your diet.

    You eat great! And good fro you with candy. It is my weakness! I have gummy's after my workout, with a protien shake. They have about 9 grams of sugar. It satisfies my cravings.

    Often you will hit that plateau and others have said, change up the routine. Every six weeks in all honesty will help you continue to meet your goals. Interval training with only 45 sec rests, will rev up your metabolism. Try the kettlebells...if anything will bust thru a plateau it is the wonderful little steel balls of fire.
  • DropsOJupiter
    DropsOJupiter Posts: 131
    Hi caligirl and it apprears we've traveled a similar paths with the type 2 and the weight loss. In research, I don't see where T2 slows down weight loss, but that doesn't mean it isn't true. I agree with the previous posters that change of workout routine is essential, increase protein is essential (and helps with the T2 as well) and strength training incorporated into workout are essential. I have juggled my percentages of protein/carbs/fats to accommodate my T2 and that has been successful so far.

    The only other thoughts I have that it is harder to lose closer to your "goal weight" and that sometimes, if you have a lot of excess skin, that also will impeded some weight loss. However, a pound a week is pretty darn good! Take care and hope this helps!
  • jeepwidow01
    jeepwidow01 Posts: 173
    As well as some of the above wonderful suggestions, after looking over your food diary, with as much as you are burning calorie wise when you exercise (over 1000!), you really need to try to eat back at least half of those. On the days you work out that much, just going back the past week or so, it seems like your average caloric intake is under 1200. Try to up it up some more & see if you see results that way as well. Your body needs to be fueled when it burns that much! :smile: Congrats on your success so far & best of luck on future success!
  • Lleldiranne
    Lleldiranne Posts: 5,516 Member
    It sounds like you're doing just fine. 4 lbs a month is great. And it's normal for weight to fluctuate within a week like that. The important thing is the overall downward trend you're seeing. And remember, even if the weight isn't melting off like you wish it would, the eating right and exercise is good for your body, and I would guess also for managing your blood sugars. So keep with it!
  • idwoof
    idwoof Posts: 76
    You say you weigh everyday before you leave the gym. And thats what you are basing your weight off of? After workouts is a horrible time to weigh yourself, first of all its not your real weight because you are probably going to eat and drink after your workout (you should be), and each workout you are losing different amounts, one day you may sweat 3 pounds and the next sweat 1, thats a 2 pound fluctuation right there. Buy a scale for your house and weigh first thing when you wake up in the morning that way there will be less fluctuating.
  • bethj0nes
    bethj0nes Posts: 3
    Some other ideas for protein if you are not wanting powders and shakes is the have some almonds or other nuts for a snack :)
  • taem
    taem Posts: 495 Member
    I understand you don't like starches. I ask you to look at this video (for free) and understand Dr. Barnard's treatment of diabetes. If you add exercise, you are just going to accelerate your bmi and lower your blood sugar. I am also a T2 diabetic. You can add me if you find the information useful and have questions.
    http://www.mefeedia.com/watch/29711022

    Good luck.
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