Never been so frustrated!

i always post about my struggles with losing weight. this time i am seriously fed up! i have been working out mostly every day, and i only eat veggies (a lot of veggies) and moderate amounts of meat. the weird thing is that in these past few weeks my insulin requirements have actually gone down but my weight is climbing up. i have stopped eating after 7, kicked my serious almond addiction (was consuming wayyyyyyyy too many), and have been loading up on water. there just HAS to be something im doing wrong...veggies have too many carbs? i have been eating mostly greens, red peppers, tomatoes avocados and cucumbers. TDD of 24ish units every day. i have gained about 15 pounds in the past few months...ever since i got the pump. gets worse no matter what i do. if anybody has had similar experience or any advice please please help!! thank you!!

I can't remember when you've posted before if anyone suggested having a thyroid panel done?

hi, this is always a suggestion..each time i check my thyroid my endo tells me levels are normal. i was on symlin for a year before this and stopped seeing BG improvement so i stopped it, still have good numbers but noticed the weight incline...wondering if i should start using it again.

Did he do a full panel? I forget the names but I believe the standard test is just the T4 and for accurate diagnosis it should be the T3 as well.

I too struggle with keeping my weight stable. I tried Symlin for awhile and though it dramatically decreased my insulin needs I didn't lose an ounce. So for me it wasn't worth it. But if it worked for me, yes, despite the hassle I would return to it. For me the only answer is to keep my carbs down. The instant I let them go up even a bit, I will slowly start to gain. It's very frustrating. In terms of weight I present like someone insulin resistant, but my insulin doses definitely show I'm not. For me I just thin k it's some unknown factor I've always had and in my case my age makes worse. What about you? Any idea why?

First off cucumbers make you retain water bad they take to long to digest to. Secojd you need some carbs so that your body has fuel energy… and avacados makeyou gain weight to lol…either lower the ammount you eat of those things or cut them out try that for a while.

i am exactly the same way. show all signs of insulin resistance except for where it counts. i struggle very much with my weight and always worry that these 2 lbs are the first of 20. i keep my carbs to a bare minimum...only times i would consider out of control is when i eat some dark chocolate here and there..or eat 1 too many red peppers. may i ask what you eat on a typical day while low carbing?

When I was (slowly) losing weight I was eating from about 35-55. Now that I'm (slowly) starting to gain again it's gone up to about 55-75. Doesn't seem like that big a difference and there doesn't seem to be a place in between where I just stay stable! It's crazy! I'm going to bring it back down again. Breakfast and lunch is easy for me, but dinner I get bored.(I'm also a vegetarian as well as a foodie which makes it harder to come up with low carb recipes I like).

Sounds like you are eating way less carbs than me (even at my lowest) and you are much younger. Something doesn't make sense. If you've had the full panel (not just the one) thyroid tests, are there any medications you take that have weight gain as a possible side effect?

For me, since it's just a worsening of something I have had all my life and happens to many post-menopausal women (though not this bad!) I'm not worrying about causes, but at least I know if I maintain the strict carb level I will see results. I remind myself that I'm at a great weight for me, but still, I want to keep it that way!

sometimes i feel like the vegetables can reach high carbs, around 70. i think i should definitely start up with symlin again and see what happens.

The carb list I use says that 1/2 cup of cooked vegetables and 1 cup of raw vegies are each 5 grams. I always measure the vegies. This seems pretty accurate except when my meal is entirely vegies, then when I use that rule I tend to go low.

Andrea, I just got through reading Primal Body, Primal Mind by Nora Gedgaudas. It has the best explanation I've ever read about how your body deals with carbs. Maybe something in the book will trigger an "aha" for you. In the meantime, you are totally not alone, and I know I've told you before how much I sympathize. I'll keep investigating, if I find out anything and manage to make it work, I'll let everyone know.

Thank you so much. I always love book recommendations. I will look into it!! Always good to know I’m not alone.

Hey!
I can see why you may be frustrated. It sounds like you are doing so much right. What kind of work outs are you doing? Have you read Dr. Bernstein's book, The Diabetes Solution? He talks a lot about carb amounts for meals and optimal way to exercise. It's a pretty hefty book, but if you are interested you could just skip to those chapters. Hope this helps a little!
Best of luck, with as hard as you are trying, you are bound to see success soon.

- Hannah

thanks hannah, i have read bits and pieces online and feel like i follow it pretty much, but i should definitely read it in full. :)

I know that you are probably getting tired of my saying so, but this whole weight thing is a secondary issue. The real issue is that you are associating all of your body issues to a stupid number. I don't look at your picture and see someone who is overweight, I see someone who is trim and pretty.

You don't know what weight you should be at, that is something your body "finds." And when you work out and eat better, your body may actually gain weight. Why? Because you are getting more "fit." I would encourage you to choose some separate goals, body fat %, waist measurement, distance run, weight lifted, etc. Make those goals a "higher" priority than your weight. These other goals can often be things where you can see and measure improvement, even if you weight does not change. This can leave you with a greater satisfaction that your efforts make a difference.

Think about it. Do you want to lose 15 lbs of muscle mass? No. Would you like to lose 15 lbs of fat and gain 15 lbs of muscle? Absolutely. Which will leave you looking better? Is measuring weight a good way of seeing if you look better?

I have had the same experience with insulin. Since I started insulin in 2003 I have gained weight every year. I am extremely insulin resistance with your TDD of 24 it does not seem that you are.

The first time I ever lost weight on insulin was trying victoza. Metformin also works well for some.

Also make an Excel spread sheet and get a balance and log everything you put in your mouth. You can break down your food into calories, carbs, protein and fat. This is surprising when you do this. We usually find out we are eating twice or more of the amount of calories we think we are eating. You should log also the exercise you do per day on a calorie basis. To produce what I called net calories. there is a certain limit of net calories below which you will loose weight.

My Endo made fun of this but he was slim and not on insulin which is a make fat drug for many of us if not all. I figure I gain at least 10 lb per year from eating when I go low. This needs the same effort to get rid off as a normal person the difference is we loose nothing.