Informative Website I Just Found ....

[Kim_in_TN]

This seems to have helpful information. I like the calories needed to maintain a certain weight calculator!

The Calorie Control Council - Information on cutting calories and fat and achieving a healthy weight. (http://www.caloriecontrol.org/index.html)

[Lulika]

Thanks Kim I just had a look and its really helpful :)

[BlueSky]

This seems to have helpful information. I like the calories needed to maintain a certain weight calculator!

The Calorie Control Council - Information on cutting calories and fat and achieving a healthy weight. (http://www.caloriecontrol.org/index.html)
The site has lots to say about restricting calories, but it says nothing about restricting hunger. Have you tried low-carbing, and by that I mean restricting carbohydrate to 30grams a day? Because you don't get hungry, food choices and limiting the calories in your meals becomes irrelevant.

[SpringRam]

This seems to have helpful information. I like the calories needed to maintain a certain weight calculator!

The Calorie Control Council - Information on cutting calories and fat and achieving a healthy weight. (http://www.caloriecontrol.org/index.html)

Kim,

This really is a super site with a lot of execllent tools for good health. Thank you for sharing it.

By the way, I thought you were to have a "weigh-in" recently. Did I miss you advising of the results? I have found that just eating healthy (meaning somewhat low-carb as suggested by BlueSky - lots of veggies and meat) keeps my BG in exellent control and I also seem to lose a pounds. Of course, I have to also take my Lantus and metformin to keep the BG numbers in line.

Thanks again for the site.

John

[Kim_in_TN]

The site has lots to say about restricting calories, but it says nothing about restricting hunger. Have you tried low-carbing, and by that I mean restricting carbohydrate to 30grams a day? Because you don't get hungry, food choices and limiting the calories in your meals becomes irrelevant.

BlueSky ... I actually went to this site for the weight loss / calorie intake calculator! The main thing that I found helpful with the site is that it stresses that you can't simply watch fat grams (as was a fad a while ago) and you also can't just watch carbs ... calories do and always will count as well. I just want to be sure that I don't shoot my weighloss in the foot by focusing solely on low carbs and ignoring calories. I guess I should have stated what benefit the site was for me! Sorry!

YES, I am definitely watching my carbs and getting anxious about my official weigh-in on April 1st!:eek:

Spring Ram .... I haven't had my weigh-in yet .... still have until April 1st to bust my chops! ;) Thank you for thinking of me!!!

[BlueSky]

BlueSky ...... you also can't just watch carbs ... calories do and always will count as well. ....
I haven't had a weight problem, but my experience may interest you. I used to be a compulsive snacker and, as a T1, it really messed with my blood sugars. I used to feel a lot of guilt about this as it was an unnecessary habit and I just couldn't break it. That changed when I started eating very low carb, especially in the mornings. Breakfast consists mainly of eggs and cheese - the carb is minimal. I now find that I don't feel the need to snack between breakfast and lunch. I simply don't get hungry and I don't think about food. I certainly don't feel deprived.

My wife, who is not diabetic but has always struggled to keep her weight down, has had a similar experience. Cutting out carbs has stopped the snacking. And it has also enabled her to lose a lot of weight. She lost 9Kg over the course of a year, and she has kept off. She doesn't count calories. She just avoids carbohydrate.

The website maintains that eating a balanced macronutrient, reduced calorie diet will make you lose weight. While this may be true, most people have difficulty doing it because of the carbs. The reason for this is that we eat because we are hungry. And eating carbs stimulates hunger. It does this in two ways. Firstly, eating carbs raises insulin levels and the subsequent decline in blood glucose stimulates hunger. Eating carbs also raise seratonin levels. Seratonin is the feel-good neurotransmitter. You are probably not aware of it, but eating carbs makes you feel better. This why carbs are addictive.

The harsh reality is that losing weight, and sustaining that weight loss, is very difficult if you are hungry all the time. This is why most dieters regain the weight they lose. And the real villain of the piece is carbohydrate. The bottom line is that people eat more than they need to maintain body weight because they get so much of their calories from carbs. For the most part, if you cut out the carbs, the calories will look after themselves.

Having said all that, good luck with the weigh-in, Kim. It sounds like you have been making good progress. The trick, of course, is to keep it up. You will need to make it as easy as possible for yourself. ;)

[Jan B]

I see more all the time that Blue Sky knows what he's talking about. I didn't have a weight issue, but was scared that going low carb (to fix my bg fluctuations and health) would make me gain weight (those wicked fat grams). Not at all. I don't count calories; just avoid most carbs, especially bread, pasta, and all that type 2s need to watch so closely. For a snack, I'll have a piece of cheese, or even a big spinach salad -- very low carb.

[Kim_in_TN]

I understand and appreciate your input, Blue Sky! I am focusing mostly on low-carb and that is what has definitely worked for me thus far! I guess I am just trying to not allow myself to be fooled into thinking that I can eating anything and as much of anything I want to as long as it is low-carb! I know my own weaknesses! ;)

Thank you for the well wishes on my weigh-in .... 13 more days! LOL!