Hello fellow betics!Hope we area all well today!
I hope this discussion doesn’t come accross as self obsessive but I feel I need advice from people who really know where I am coming from!Basically I know I need to lose weight both for my health and my self esteem.When I discussed this with my team they designed an eating plan for me which contains 120 grams of complex carbs.I am also supposed to be exercising… but I need to rescheduele my day and make exercise my priority!It’s just that in the past I have gone low with exercising and then had to eat unesecarry food and then I become disheartened…plus I read everywhere that insulin makes you fat and a high protien diet is the only way to lose weight…but how could I exercise with little or no carbs??I was thinking about joining weight watchers…the new propoints plan…but then fruits are free…but if I eat fruit I have to givelots of insulin and won’t that stop me losing weight??I feel hopeless…losing weight while also looking after my diabetes seems impossible…I’m tempted to skip my insulin…but I know thats not going to solve anything!I am very downa bout my weight…I don’t want to leave the house…sorry this is a long rant…I probably don’t make any sence…anyone have any advice??I am on an insulin pump…novarapid.total daily dose 55-60 units.
Which diet approach to use is a personal decision but you can loose weight regardless of which one you use. I am not a Low Carber but I have seen other people post they can prevent lows around exercise with protein. I am sure they will chime in.
If you decide to stick with the 120 grams of complex carbs daily I would suggest exercising around meals and only give a bolus for 50-75% of the carbs you are actually eating (you will have to play around with this to see what works for you). This works 2-fold. First you take less insulin which is always a good thing when trying to loose weight. Second you end up using that glucose from the meal to prevent low blood sugar instead of eating more once you are low. I also think that you need to think of exercise as not burning calories (if you look how much you burn during exercise it is pretty depressing) while you are doing it but more that you are gaining muscle mass which will help you burn more calories throughout the day which in the end is far more significant as far as creating a calorie deficit. Also as you exercise more and loose more weight you are likely to see a drop in your insulin dose so you start into a positive feedback cycle.
Self-obsessive and diabetic?? No way!! =P
Plenty of low-carbers here.
I seriously doubt that you’ll feel any type of limitation in your exercise program, as long as you keep up your protein and fat intake. If you decide it’s time to challenge Usain Bolt in the 100 meters for London '12, and you’re planning to train for it now, then you might have problems with a low-carb diet. =)
You will go through a period of adjustment that I heard, quite frankly, does not feel all that great, with various symptoms as your body converts over to what’s called a ketogenic metabolism. That might last a couple of weeks, but then you’ll feel fine.
This may be a stupid question but I need to ask it anyway!!!When I eat low carb do I need to count calories aswell…on the atkins diet you can eat cheese and nuts and still lose weight…I know that if I eat cheese and nuts versus bread I would have to take way less insulin but I would be getting way more calories from protien foods such as cheese and nuts!
Beibhinn, I applaud you for making the choice to improve your life! You sound like me when I am exploring something new - so many options, so many choices. It can be overwhelming. Start with one thing: which way of eating do you want to choose? Once you’re started on the new eating plan (a week maybe?) then you can begin to work out an exercise program and work out how it will alter your insulin needs. I’m sure you’ll get plenty of help here!
I do eat very low carb, but it’s not for everyone. There is a weight loss group here on TuD. You might want to check out Dr. Bernstein Diabetes Solution Group. There are low carb recipe groups if you choose that path, just search groups.
Again, congrats!
Hi there -
How much weight do you hope to lose? If you’re looking for 10-15 lbs that would suggest a different approach than if you’re looking for 50-60.
Unlike MossDog, I go low if I exercise too soon after I bolus for a meal and I try to plan my exercise 3 hours out.
How many carbs are you currently eating a day? For me, 120 carbs would be cutting back. If you’re eating 80, that same 120 would be a 50% increase.
There are lots of variables here but if you work consistently to improve your control, increase your exercise and lose the excess weight you’ll feel much better. I wouldn’t obsess over the different strategies. I’d pick one, try it and modify the parts that don’t work.
Good luck!
Maurie
Maurie- You go low after bolusing if you exercise even if you bolus for only 1/2 the amount of carbs you ate?
Intitially you will see weight loss as your body depletes it’s glycogen stores. As this is happening you will loose water weight. After your body gets to the point where it converts to burning ketones as one of the fuel sources as well as the conversion of protein into glucose you will need to watch the calories as well. One positive of low carb is less insulin. Less insulin = less fat deposit. Problem is no one can really quantify what difference this makes as far as weight loss. If low carb could get some research behind it these things would be more clear. Some people swear that Low Carb provides something far and above what cutting calories alone does. Others may not see this effect. The little research that is out there on Low Carb shows an equal amount of weight loss at 2 years on a Low Carb vs Low fat regimin. So again it comes down to what your meter says when you DO eat carbs and what your personal preference is.
It has been a long time since I exercised within the first two hours and don’t remember if I cut my bolus by a full 50% when I did. I tend to dip early and then rise in hours 3 and 4 (high fat/high fiber diet).
Maurie
I eat some protein before exercise to keep me level during & after. The goal of losing weight is to burn fat stores, so that means limiting carbs.You’ll have enough energy to get through exercise without a lot of carbs.
Low carb isn’t low calorie.
I agree protein is good. If you are “used” to taking a lot of insulin and have a pump, you can turn the basal pump down, maybe to 50-75% before you head out. I test a lot before I run, even though I have a CGM, I want very precise data to know for sure which direction my BG is going and that it’s in a good spot. I also take two 8 oz water bottles, one w/ 10G of Gatorade powder, for thirst, and one with 45G, for hypos. It seems like a lot of junk but, in some ways, having invested in all the junk sort of serves as additional motivation to keep at it.
Another thing to consider is to exercise to feel better and not focus on the weight. I have lost some weight but it has been VERY slow, almost 90 lbs but over like 5 or 6 years and tons of working out. I think cutting back on carbs helps more w/ the weight loss but exercise makes me feel very good, both just the sheer runningness of it and also beating up diabetes. If I have problems (and I’ve had a few…), I look at it more as accidents and usually can pinpoint my error, a lot of times when I get distracted by other stuff (chores…) and do too much?
Thanks so much for everyones advice…it means a lot!xx