I have tried WW, low carb (on my own) grapefruit, and other diet plans. I am finding when I am stuck and not being a compliant patient, I need to have a plan to follow.
I have shyed away from South Beach, Atkins, etc just because of the hype and expense. Someone please talk about their experiences with Atkins for me. I know how to take and pick the parts that work for me, so that’s not a problem, but tell me of your experiences. For your weight and for your diabetes. Thaks
I found this video to be extremely interesting although it is quite lengthy. It compares four different diet schemes and measures how sucessful they are. Their methodology was to teach the people the diets so part of what they are studying is how easy the “plan” is to work with? Part of it is that I’ve always loved California accents that Christopher Gardner seems to have in spades? At the same time, his discussion of a researcher’s perspective challenges of studying diets (“no one is compliant”) is also very interesting to me. It seems like the people here (Tu) who are successful with a “low-carb” approach are more comfortable just being “low-carb” rather than being “Atkins”, etc. That being said, I don’t really do it but I do watch what I eat pretty closely?
Thanks loads for posting this video.
I don’t follow any specific diet (i.e., Atkins, South Beach) because once I feel I am on a diet, I tend to rebel. Also, I am just not a detail person and those plans seem like more work than what I do. What I have done is stay below 30 carbs a day (or try, some days I approach 50 but absolutely no more than that). I also make sure to eat plenty of fat. In the past year, I have lost over 80 lbs. and my cholesterol levels and triglycerides have all come into the normal range. I had high cholesterol since I was a child and I am unable to take statins (caused major problems…breakdown of muscle). Eating a low carb/high fat diet has done wonders for me. Good luck on whatever you decide to do.
It kinda depends what you mean by ‘compliant’.
Do you mean compliant with a routine that will give you well-controlled blood sugars?
Or compliant with a routine that will help you lose weight?
I think the first is much easier than the second.
In fact I am not at all sure that some people would ever be able to lose weight, short of locking themselves up in a concentration camp. Our bodies have a pre-set ‘natural’ weight and to try to fight against this is futile.
Also as a person once diagnosed with Type 2 at BMI of 23.9, I am not at all convinced that losing weight would help my diabetes management at all.
I have struggled with my weight all my life; I am guessing you also have. There are two battles to fight here and I decided I only had the resources to fight one. The blood sugar battle is more important and that’s what I chose to focus on. Some people do find that while fighting the blood sugar battle, they manage to shed some pounds. That was not the case for me. But I’m picking my fights carefully and I think I’ll pick the normal blood sugars anytime.
I don’t follow any plan other than the general principle of low carb. I don’t trust any ‘plan’ with a brand name where someone is trying to sell something to me. Plus I HATE the idea of being on a ‘plan’ because it has all these negative connotations of ‘compliance’ and ‘keeping on the right track’ and following rules. That’s just calling out to be broken.
Just take it one step at a time, choose your battles wisely, and fight the good fight. You can do it!
Thanks for sharing your ideas with me. I was diagnosed in 1999, and up until that time, I had fought the daily battle of calories vs. a need to eat. In 2002, when I finally did start to take my diabetes seriously, I also started to take weight loss seriously, I went strictly WW because it is the only plan that I trusted and was real food. With a family in mind, I had to have real food, that I could serve them, also. Sure I went up and down with both the sugars and the weight for a couple of years. I can’t tell you what finally kicked me in the head and said “now is the best time as any” , but since then I have lost 70+ lbs following a modified WW and low carb plan, and my sugars have been well more controlled than ever. I still have my ups and downs with both…but now I am finding that without that support of WW nothing works. So I have my own private WW mtgs with a CDE who has been my medical provider for over 22 years. I have about 50 lbs left to go…to get to a weight that isn’t skinny, but for a 59 year old woman, is indeed better than I could have hoped for, and something I can stay at…and my sugars will continue to do what most diabetics do…stay straight on, and then move a little, and back to the drawing board. I am really looking to see what kind of things are out there that I can incorporate to make life easier and healthier for me and my family.
70 lbs is an awesome feat! Way to go Cathy!!
Hi Cathy,
First… congratulations on losing the 70 pounds!
I too am 59 … diagnosed 2004. My aunt taught me the “eat to your meter” approach because that’s how she managed. I just had to eliminate fruit and fruit juice for awhile and my numbers went back to normal as did the weight. My greatest setback came in 2007 when I had a bout with pneumonia and a bad reaction to an antibiotic. My A1C went up slightly and I was prescibed Metformin and a sulfonylurea. I found that with the sulfonylurea my numbers climbed no matter what I did. Now that I’m off the sulf and back to a low dose of Metformin I am able to use the meter approach again. I’ve lost the 20 pounds I had gained and then some.
As I had developed neuropathy while on the sulf, I did take chromium to assist with lowering the sugar until the neuropathy healed and the numbers fell back into normal range. I used the meter to time the dose of Metformin as well as the chromium. I stopped the chromium once my numbers fell back into line.
I am now back to that “not skinny but so-so for a 59-year-old” weight of 149. The “you look great” comments have changed to “you look so tired”. I too have hit a plateau so I’m hoping it’s just my body’s way of saying: "Wait while I redestribute some of this weight."
At least that is my hope. 
Joanne
I have type 1 and while I don’t follow any “diet” in particular, I have found that keeping my carbs to around 90-120/day and eliminating all bread, pasta, and rice from my diet to do the trick for maintaining more steady BGs (steady for me as a type 1 being anywhere from 70 to 220). I don’t think following a particular fad diet really works for anyone, because it’s not realistic in the long-term. I eat lots of fresh veggies, fruit in moderation (that can cause my BGs to spike), fish, eggs, and plenty of dairy. I love cheese and eggs and despite consuming them in quantities that should not be compatible with human life (as my endo likes to joke), I don’t have high cholesterol.
Thanks, I think it’s pretty cool, also.
Good luck with it Joanne. I know that some of those plateaus are just that, our body readjusting to what we have gotten rid of. I had one major set back, three summers ago, when my doc wanted to put me on Avandia and Actos, during those three months I gained 29 lbs eating ONLY what was written on my WW charts…I was so faithful to exercise and my eating plan, but the docs wouldn’t believe me until I found info that those two meds caused weight gain…and I wasn’t going back up to the 250 mark for anyone or anything. AFter I got off those two meds, I went down pretty quickly to my original start of the summer, but swore that if a medication said “may cause weight gain” in any of the first five side effects, it wasn’t going to be taken my me. Thankfully, those meds are being observed and watched more carefully now.
Well, I guess I don’t consider WW to be a fad diet, as it’s so balanced and has years of study and practice to prove it works. But, it’s way to spendy for me to join up again. So as I said, I am trying to put together a plan for Cathy, and her family. Not a fad diet either. We eat a LOT of vegetables, salads, some fruit, little juice, and chicken, fish, or lean pork. Where we live is a strictly BEEF country, so we are almost denying our identities by not eating a lot of beef, but one meal a week is enough for me. We are bread eaters though and that is tough, my dh is a baker and he bakes the bread at work, and brings it home…thin sliced for more slices and fewer calories and carbs. Brown rice, and brown pasta in very small quantities…we have to live life too. and pasta and rice and bread are things we enjoy, but for health’s sake don’t mind cutting back a bit.
Hi Cathy, I was diagnosed in 2005 (T2). I have also struggled with weight for most of my adult life. Quite a few years ago I tried WW and was somewhat successful. However, like you, once I was “off the program” I gained it back. (having babies didn’t help.) It wasn’t until this year that I finally hit on what works for me. Starting in January I concentrated on smaller portions, especially at dinner. I’ve been using a smaller plate (it really does help!) and basically eating less. It was difficult at first but now I’m content with the smaller portions. When I eat more I feel like crap. I am also using a food diary. I write down everything I eat. It’s a way to keep myself honest about what I’m putting in my mouth. Regular exercise has probably been the biggest assist for both weight loss and bg control. So far I have lost 20lbs since the beginning of the year. That doesn’t seem like a lot but I believe that slow and steady will be what helps me keep the weight off in the long run. I’m not only concentrating on weight loss, but I’m changing how I look at food. Re-education is a must! As for my glucose, my last A1c was 6.2, down from 6.4 earlier in the year. I don’t follow a plan, but eat what works for me. I still eat pasta now and then, bread on occasion. My plate has more veggies and less carbs but I’m not eating low carb. I test every morning and before/after meals if I’m curious to see how I’m doing. It’s working for me. I encourage you to pay attention to what foods spike your bg, eat less per meal and exercise. Good luck!
I’m lucky my work pays for a program called Naturally Slim. Its different than any other plan I’ve seen and very user friendly. And it actally work. The whole premise of this program is that what you eat is not as important as when and how you eat. I’ve been on it for about six weeks and have lost 8 pound which is a healthy loss rate. A lady at my work has lost over a hundred pounds in a little over a year. The most important thing they teach is to eat slowly, Very Very Slowly. We are taught to eat slowly for 10minutes then stop and wait for 5 minutes. Then continue for ten more minutes until you are satisfied. It takes the brain 20 minutes to realize its full and this method lets you feel full without overeating. I don’t know how much the program cost but would be worth looking into.
Think I’ll do that.
SIMPLE MOVE MORE EAT LESS
STRESSED SPELLED BACKWARDS IS DESSERTS
DIET…Delight in Eating Thoughtfully.
There is no Magic Bullet to weight loss it takes hard work.
I have lost 56 pounds and kept it off for 16 years.
I count carbs fat grams calories I keep a journal. I close the kitchen at 7 I do not eat in front of the TV.
Even a jelly bean has to be counted.
Good Luck. You can do it.
This is kinda random but here goes.
I don’t do Atkins but I do a Mediterranean diet which is basically what I call no carb/lo carb. I tried going higher fat, but it didn’t work. You are allowed monosaturated fats on the Mediterranean but when I did, I didn’t lose. As always, customize that diet to fit how your body reacts. Because of my gastroparesis the diet works for me – example, I just can’t eat red meat anymore so the fish works well. I’m not allowed fruit juice unless my sugar is bottomed out, makes me spike.
I wanted to add what a nurse told me once and I found it true – if a diabetic med starts with the letter A, you are gonna gain weight. I laughed but boy was she right. Every time they have tried an “a” med, my weight DID go up. How funny is that? She also said stay away from white foods, they = sugar (white bread, potatoes, rice, pasta) Isn’t it interesting how we glue together little tips and words of wisdom?
My success/failure is always wrapped up in portion control and WW is great for that from what I understand.
I also find my energy level is important. I need my protein at at least 6 oz a day or I’m whipped. That’s a good point. You want to look good not tired. Too true. I liked that comment.
Good Luck. The battle continues!
Okay, I’ll chime in. First of all I firmly believe that diet programs may work well for only a small percentage of people (PWD or not) I, like many others here do not work well with a lot of do’s and don’ts. And, I am terrible at anything remotely resembling record keeping. That being said, here’s my story.
For as long as I can remember I was over weight. As a kid, teen and adult. In 1974 I went on Adkins with several future in-laws and dropped down to 185 (I don’t remember what I started at, probably around 230 and I am just over 6 feet tall) before getting married. That weight loss lasted until about 2 months after I got married in 1975. I then bounced between 220 and 250 until early 1992 when I went through a tough divorce and escaped through food. I shot up to over 280 before I knew what was happening. I knew I did not want this and began to change my habits. I didn’t want to count things so I cut back on portions, ate slowly with breaks and ate anything I wanted (or could afford).I stayed between 210 and 220 for several years. Then around 1997 I started to work on it again and paid more attention to the quality and quantity of my meals (still did not count anything). By 2002 I was down to 180 and maintained until last year when I dropped to 145 without doing anything different (we all know how that happened). It only took me about 3 months to gain back those D pounds after starting insulin. In fact, the quick weight gain is what really prompted me to try low carb to manage my BG.
There are very few thing I do not eat at all, but many things that I avoid because I deem them unworthy of the effort. My need for sweets is all but gone and I have found that just a few bights are enough to satisfy that desire.
Be careful what you choose to eat, eat slowly, chew well, watch your portion sizes and build a diet that meets your needs and likes. Then just be patient. It took me ten years.
Well, congrats, Randy, I am so glad that you found something that works FOR you. Losing weight isn’t easy, it is by far one of the harder things I have done in my life. And yep, I yoyoed up and down the scale for 35 years, through two pregnancies and many emotional upsets. Told my OB/GYN I wouldn’t make it to 200 with my second son, all but not eating during the first 6 months, then started eating when he told me I had gestational diabetes…Whooooo up to 250. And stayed right around there until I was into my 50’s. I can’t tell you what clicked because I was still eating horribly after I was diagnosed with diabetes… I firmly, very honestly will tell you and others that you have to find something that works for you…it may not be a national program, it may not have thousands of books written about it, but if it’s healthy, filled with the kinds of foods that make you healthy, you can and most likely will lose weight. I believe you have to a have the inner most desire, and a sound eating plan, and patience to go the long road you will lose weight. My reason for the question is that I do need to mix my “plan” up, to keep moving, I don’t say NO to anything…unless it’s not healthy… So congrats again for all your work at being a healtly guy, keep it up.
Try this: Weight Loss Cooking and Eating Plan
It's free, and it works.
At least, it did for me :)
Cheers, Alan, T2, Australia
Everything in Moderation - Except laughter