OK, I will go on record here. I am working on shedding more than just a few pounds. Apparently I’ve been eating a little more than I should have lately because for the first time in a long time, I passed the 200 Lb mark. The day I saw that figure in the scale I freaked out, so I’ve been diligently working my way down to the 180 range, which is where I should be.
In the process, I welcome all tips. I know this sounds weird, but for the longest time, I’ve mainly focused on getting my BG in control and been good at it (along with my lipids, etc.) but for the first time in a long time, I concerned about my weight. So I began to exercise more on a daily basis, drinking LOTS of water (at least 8 glasses per day), trying to reduce the calorie intake too. Any other tips?
Hi Manny,
And losting weight is the most difficult thing you will ever do. But your doing exactly what you need to do. Drinking lots and lots of water.I drink a gallon or more a day. Exercise more and more. Walking is the best exercise. But I have read that using free weights is good. Exercise at least an hour a day 6 days a week.
Do not worry about the pounds as much, worry about the Body Fat content. That will tell you when you are working in the right direction. And once the body fat comes down, the weight will also. And be fair warned that once you tone your muscles , you may gain a few pounds. That is perfectly normal. 1-3 pounds. Dont decrease the calorie intake to the point that you began to starve the body. And please dont go on any of the stupid diets. Atkins and South Beach are sensible diets, but they are diets. And when you go back to eating normal, it comes back plus ten. WEight Watchers is the smartest way to lose. But it is a life style change, not just a diet. Lose no more than 2 pounds a week. (on average) Good Luck!
Thanks for the feedback, Andy. Indeed, funny you’d mention it because I am coming back from a good hour outside working on our yard with my wife. It feels great and I broke more than a sweat! (it’s good exercise for the whole body).
Hi Manny,
I work at Curves. And I have heard ever diet known to man and not known to man for years. The women who have been successful have worked with Weight Watchers. And no I am trying not to eat any proccessed food. Or eat out at Fast Food. And no it aint going so well. lol.
Funny. It’s two people, two days in a row that tell me about Weight Watchers. At lunch (workdays) I am frequently having their frozen meals: they seem to do it more for me than the Lean Cuisine ones (which almost always leave me hungry).
When I was on injections I gained a lot of weight - a LOT. I had serious lows and I’m hypo unaware so they were a major problem. Some days it seemed that all I did was eat to keep up with the insulin. Going on a pump 2 years ago was the best thing I ever did because it finally allowed me to lose weight. I started out not really knowing what I was doing and mostly paid attention to carbs and tried to eat low fat, since I was learning carb counting with my new pump. I went to a Minimed class on carb counting and they gave us copies of the Calorie King food count book, and I checked out the Calorie King web site and decided to join. It’s not a fad diet. You basically count calories and try to stay within reasonable limits of fat, protein & carbs. There’s a food diary and it keeps track of everything you eat. You can see at a glance if you’ve been eating a lot of fat or tons of carbs and know where you have to make changes.
My highest weight before starting the pump was 268 pounds (I’m 5’8", female) and once I started pumping the weight came off. I got down to about 144 at one point but my body didn’t like that. I’m now around 161 and at my last appointment with my CDE she & the nutritionist both told me that my weight is good and I shouldn’t try to lose any more. I would still like to drop another 10 pounds but my motivation has been lacking. Losing 100 pounds was easy. Losing 10-20 is hard!
I used the GI diet by Rick Gallop & long distance hiking on the weekends to shed 30 pounds and to drop my glucose from 10.6 to 7.0 in three months. I’ve maintained that weight loss for almost two years now and my glucose was tested at 6.2 last week (I was surprised it wasn’t higher though).
What I like about the GI diet is it just basically groups food by color, red is stop don't eat it if you are diabetic, yellow eat with caution in limited amounts, green is for the food that is good for you, eat almost all you want (be reasonable).
For me it was just about eating the same ol’ stuff but in the right portions.
On the weekends I hiked in the nearby Blue Hills near Boston for 4 to 6 hours on both Saturday & Sundays, then one or two shorter evening walks during the work week. I ate a decent breakfast, carried a box of Glucerna bars while hiking. They enabled me to walk long distances without stopping and I tested every hour while out in the woods.
I slacked off on the hiking last year but took up kayaking, this year I’m kicking off the summer with a seven mile hike for Children’s Hospital Boston and I want to drop another 20 to 30 by September.
I was on WW for about four months and lost 13 pounds. I was hungry all the time and thought about food all the time. I hated it. Right now I’m trying to get back into walking the dog (both the dog and I had knee problems and had to quit walking for a while) but it’s hard getting back into the habit. I am doing better at eating better (more salads, chicken, etc.) and avoiding fast food and trying to not have junk food in the house.
My main problem is my dislike of most vegetables and fish. I cannot force myself to eat stuff that tastes horrible. The only way I can choke down some of it is to have it swimming in sauces or butter and that defeats the purpose. I do like a few veggies (mostly green salad types of veggies plus tomatoes) and, as I said above, I’m eating more of them.
Walking is really good and writing down what you eat and how many miles you walk that kind of thing keeps me going. I lost 97 lbs in 10 months when I started. Of course I cut out the donuts holes and sodas you just kind of lose it. But keeping it off is hard too. You have to keep yourself motivated however you have to do it.
I just recently started using weight watchers online. I started doing it more so that I could really tighten my bloodsugars, but it certainly doesn’t hurt that they tell you how much you should be eating to get down to a certain weight. The think that I find the most helpful is that it is making me so much more aware of portion sizes and how much I should be eating. I think it’s tremendously helpful as a general guide to eating better.
I’ve done weight watchers online the past couple of years and lost about 50 lbs… since my diagnosis, though, I’ve tried to do more carb counting coz with WW, I just counted points and ate all the carbs I wanted (which got me in big trouble~!) I bought & downloaded a program called “Diet Organizer” to keep track of my food, exercise, weight/measurements and even has a journal page. I do so much better when I journal and watch every bite that goes in my mouth! so… now I’m on a journey to loose at least 75 more lbs…
The best thing for me has been weight training 3x/week and cardio. I’ve been doing what’s known as “short high intensity training”. You begin at a weight that’s somewhat challenging, and go up when you can. For example, I do bicep curls at 10 lbs/each arm. When I can complete a set of 12 reps, I go up in weight. I’ve done that for all my exercises and it’s worked beautifully. I did gain a few pounds as I was putting on all the muscle I’d lost before being diagnosed, but my weight is steadily going down. (Just before I was diagnosed I weighed in at 125, after getting the pump I got up to 175, now I’m a much leaner 152)
I avoid soft drinks (even diet) opting for tonic water, iced green tea, etc. I also eat slowly, avoid fast food and one meal a week I CHEAT: one meal every week I can have something that I usually consider “naughty” like Waffle House, or egg rolls, or bacon with syrup. That one cheat every week helps me to avoid slipping up and the food tastes so much better if I only get it once!
I absolutely agree with what Andy said:
“DO WHAT YOU ENJOY As a personal trainer I see people on a daily basis that come into the gym and FORCE themselves to climb up on a treadmill. I would just simply ask yourself,… What can I do for fun…, or that I would enjoy, that would get my body moving a little bit?”
For several years until just recently I had a little weight gain from insulin - not too much, but I definitely had 20 lbs to spare. I found that when I was going to the gym (and therefore needing less insulin) the weight would fall off. But I could never stick to a workout schedule for more than a couple weeks, I’d get more resistant to insulin, and the weight would come back.
A couple months ago I started commuting to and from work on my bike and really found a great workout. I started slow but before I knew it I was riding 11 miles each way and going for another ride when I got home. I didn’t think I enjoyed cycling and I certainly didn’t think of myself as an athlete, but in less than 4 months I’m in the best shape of my life and I’m training to ride a century in August, something I never thought I’d do!
If you’re able to bike the distance from home to work (or bike to and from public transportation) it’s really a great way to make time for exercise - even if it takes you 45 minutes longer to get home from work, how much time would you spend driving home then to the gym? And cycling is a fantastic workout - pretty low impact, but wait till you see what it does to your thighs!
And another bonus - I haven’t bought gas in a month and a half and by the time I get home I almost forget that I’ve been at work all day!
I have that book but found it a little too extreme. I prefer “The glucose revolution life plan” - dispite the overblown title it had more information and allowed for more variety, but was along the same lines.
Thought it was funny that a research like this would come up in the BBC site as groundbreaking… because it seems intuitive, but here it is: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/6238740.stm
“Using a simple portion control dinner plate can help people with type 2 diabetes lose weight and decrease reliance on medication, research shows.”
I can’t add anything new here, but only reinforce what has been said. I am at the verge of losing 40 pounds, with another 30 to go. I started my new eating habits when I was diagnosed with Type 2 in early 5/06. I don’t enjoy exercise, but I do enjoy walking. My wife and I have a 1.8 mile course that we walk 3 to 3+ times a week. I seldom have fast food and I drink beverages that contain no sugar. I do not count calories. I do monitor portion control. My biggest challenge has been eating a lot less at supper, and not eating after supper. This slow process has resulted in me eating a small supper and I have dessert of sugar free pudding, yogurt with fruit, etc. later in the evening. It works and I am happy with it. As I have said in other posts, it is feels great to give clothes away because they are too big!
I’m new here. I’ve found that replacing the usual carbohydrate laden foods with vegetables is an excellent way to fill up and lose weight. Did you know that Carl Lewis is a vegetarian? Visit my website and check out my diabetes info page for more tips and links. Dr. McDougall’s site is an excellent source of nutritional info. For the lipids and triglycerides, try a half teaspoon of cinnamon a day on your cereal in the morning. It also helps the insulin get the job done. If that was you that invited me, thanks… Craig.
As a personal trainer I see people on a daily basis that come into the gym and FORCE themselves to climb up on a treadmill. I would just simply ask yourself,… What can I do for fun…, or that I would enjoy, that would get my body moving a little bit?”