Weight Loss

[pmurray6]

Hi my name is Liz (Type 2) and I am a new member. I have been told that you cannot not lose weight if you are diabetic...I hope that is not true....If any of you are having success with weight loss could you give me some help...like how many calories per day, how many carbs, etc.

Thank you.:confused:

[Phonelady61]

Hi my name is Liz (Type 2) and I am a new member. I have been told that you cannot not lose weight if you are diabetic...I hope that is not true....If any of you are having success with weight loss could you give me some help...like how many calories per day, how many carbs, etc.

Thank you.:confused:I try not to do more than 40 carbs per meal . I have lost 50 lbs by walking 8 blks 3 times daily. I eat a breakfast bar for breakfast and a lettuce and tomatoe salad for lunch and then for dinner I eat 2 oz of lean meat and a 1/4 potatoe baked and 1/4 c of veggies . Also I dont eat anything after 7 pm . I hope this helps and this might not work for everyone but it works for me .

[princesslinda]

Hi Liz, welcome! Seems weight loss is a challenge for many, diabetic or not. There are many here who have lost quite a bit of weight by making the necessary lifestyle changes to keep blood sugars in check. Bottom line, you will lose weight if you move more and eat less. Sounds really simple, doesn't it? ...yet we all struggle at times with it. It is hard to make healthy eating and exercise a habit, esp. if you've ate badly and been sedentary for a long time.

With insulin resistance, we seem to get hungrier, so there's the temptation to eat more and that can make weight loss more difficult....as can being over 40 ;) ..but I assure you it can be done.

Find some type of exercise you enjoy, it will be easier for you to do it if its fun. Find simple ways to add steps to your day...take the steps rather than the elevator, park further away from the store or mall....wear a pedometer to keep track of your steps, then increase the # of steps you take daily.

Food wise, start your meal with a small salad and big glass of water. This will help you feel full faster. Eat lean proteins and lots of green veggies.

As for carbs, find which ones you tolerate. Check your blood sugar 2 hrs after the first bite, you'll how different foods affect your blood sugar and be able to make good food choices.

Above all, try not to think of it as a diet....diet seems "temporary," and with diabetes, eating right is now a way of life....for your longterm health.

[kgm0612]

Hi Liz & Welcome!

The key to losing weight is to limit your carb intake and exercise. I personally know of 2 people who both followed a low carb diet and walked every day on their lunch break from work and again after dinner. In one year's time, she lost 105-lbs and he has lost somewhere in the range of 70-90 lbs. Both were able to come off their oral meds and feel great!

Good Luck!

Karen

[Scrabblechick]

You can indeed lose weight with the D. I've lost somewhere in the neighborhood of 51 pounds since Jan. 1. I've totally revamped my diet and I walk 20-30 minutes most days of the week.

I shoot for about 100 grams of carbs per day. I don't count calories that much. Mostly, I focus on keeping my portion sizes small, avoiding sugar when I can (I am not obsessive about this).

You can lose weight! Find a food plan that works FOR YOU and you will do well.

[ElleMarieR]

In my case I have been trying unsuccessfully to lose weight for about 3 months. I have been exercising watching what I eat and basically being more active. NOTHING actually I gained 4 lbs.

I went to an endocrinologist and turns out I am insulin resistant. She started me on Avandamet and I cut carbs drastically. I take in NO enriched flour and as much as possible no sugar. It has been three weeks today and I have lost 12 lbs. This is even while cutting back drastically on my exercise (mom was sick in hospital I lost a week of exercise)

I am so hopeful. I can honestly say the first 3 days were HARD. I wanted my old foods so much but on day 4 I woke up and lost my desire for my old foods. They say that flour and sugar cause hunger, I now believe that to be true. Since day 4 I have only had ONE day when I wanted to EAT ALL DAY. It was after my Mom got REAL sick and it was touch and go all day.

I believe that was the old me wanting to EAT instead of FEEL, and we all know that doesn't work long term.

Always consult with your doc but it is pretty common that cutting carbs will result in loss and more constant blood sugars without the spikes. Good luck and keep us posted.

[Jocelyn25]

No, that is not true. There are ways around it. No one ever wants to believe me when i say that I am nearly cured of my diabetes and it is frusteraing. I have been taking natural supplements for some months now, and I'm amazed!

I even created a website to help others. I hope it helps.

[pmurray6]

ElleMarie,

Thank you for your reply. I know I need to get this thought out of my head when I was told by a friend that diabetics cannot not lose weight. Today I start reducing my carbs and getting my mind straight.

Thank you again.
LIz

[ElleMarieR]

Liz how about an update? Have you dropped any pounds yet? I have lost a total of 19 and this was even with vacationing for three weeks last month.

I think that eating low carb is getting easier everyday. I am learning new ways to prepare foods and making them more interesting to eat. Tonight I had pizza toppings. I just baked the toppings and then served them in a bowl. It was wonderful. I LOVE the crust but it just doesn't work out for me to eat it so instead of wiping pizza off my list I just learned a new way to eat it.

A little change here and there WILL pay off in the long run. I do wish the weight would FALL off but we didn't get here overnight and we won't magically wake up one day thin, but slow and easy we will arrive.

[volleyball]

Elle, according to her profile, she has not been back. Maybe she is lurking or was disappointed that effort was required to lose weight.
But I wanted to say, have you tried the crust alternatives? Either an different flour or baking shredded cheese to use as the crust and it serves double duty as the cheese and the crust. More appealing to me than a bowl of pizza. Also be careful of the sauce, too many have corn syrup in them. I prefer the ones with no sweetener or a little sugar to cut the acid

[princesslinda]

Speaking of pizza, I like to take the low-carb tortillas, add a little sauce and toppings and bake on a cookie sheet until crisp and cheese is melted....a good alternative to pizza, as you can pick it up instead of eating it from the bowl.

[Noturningback]

I am going to try the tortilla pizza. That sounds good. I was also thinking whole grain English muffins. They are around 20g carb for one muffin. I guess it depends are how far one needs to cut back on carbs. I would try the tortilla version first though.

~Danielle

[princesslinda]

If you're trying the pizza, first crisp the tortilla in a skillet on the stove after brushing w/olive oil...this will make it hold up better for the toppings.

I was always a "thin-crust" fan anyway, so it reminds me a little of the appetizer pizzas some restaurants have on the uber-thin crust. Hubby likes it w/spinach, onion and feta. I like it with a little sauce and turkey pepperoni and cheese.

[volleyball]

I think we should start a new pizza thread in the food section, we haven't had one there for weeks.

[shutterbug]

Hi my name is Liz (Type 2) and I am a new member. I have been told that you cannot not lose weight if you are diabetic...I hope that is not true....If any of you are having success with weight loss could you give me some help...like how many calories per day, how many carbs, etc.

Thank you.:confused:

Thats not true. I've lost over 25lbs after diagnosis. I wouldn't have lost if I wasn't diagnosed :D

Welcome to DF!

[ElleMarieR]

I do use the low carb wheat tortillas for pizza. It is wonderful. I love my Cuisinart Convection toaster oven as the convection part crisp it up well.

Tonight I made pizza for my DH and myself by first cooking a THIN layer of hamburger in a pan then when it was done I topped it with turkey pepperoni, onions, canadian bacon and cheese. It was so good. Almost no carbs.