I need help

[fairyblood]

I have been gaining large amounts of weight since I was a child. I have been trying to change that for years and yet still I struggle and I now weigh the most that I ever have. I am scared. I work very hard to keep my blood glucose under control and now need to do the same with my weight but I don't know how to do it. I am an intelligent person and it seems simple in theory, calories in/calories out but I can't seem to fix anything and I am so tired of living like this. I eat good food... lots of veggies, some meat, not much grains, almost all home cooked. I love good food. I try to keep my carbs reasonable.

I really need advise from other type ones one how to do this. I respect people with type two however I feel like it is a different set of challenges. But hey I am not going to turn down ideas from anyone so feel free to talk if you have either type.

I am not sure how I feel about low carb. I know it works for some people but I am not sure how I feel about it. I don't think that eating lots of carbs is healthy but I do think that for me eating some makes sense.

I have such a hard time sticking with anything when it comes to diet and the more I think about it the harder it seems to be.

I also have IR and I know that that makes it a lot harder.

I need help. How do I change this. I thought getting my BG back under control was hard but this doesn't feel possible. I sometimes wonder if it is even possible for me to lose weight.

Thank you in advance for your thoughts.

[Jonathan_R]

Counting calories is not where it's at. Count carbs. Your body metabolizes foods differently. Glucose, being the simplest of carbs, gets metabolized first. If it ends with ose it's probably a sugar. For example, dextrose, maltrose, sucrose, lactose, and fructose just to name a few. To help calculate the absorption rate, we have the glycemic index and the glycemic load. The glycemic index will tell you how quickly the food will be absorbed. The glycemic load. tells you how much it may raise your blood sugar.

So do this. For the next month, keep a journal of what you eat. Be detailed about it. Study the nutrition facts, and follow portion sizes.Also, in your journal, note the glycemic index and the glycemic load of the foods you consume, and note your blood sugar levels. Use this GI Database (http://ziag4.mmb.usyd.edu.au/)

After the month, you should be able to see a trend. Things like potatos are very high on the glycemic index.

So count carbs, watch the glycemic index and glycemic load, and see what happens.

You should also consult your doctor and a dietitian.

[sarahspins]

Counting calories is not where it's at. Count carbs.

Actually I think both are important... counting carbs and ignoring other aspects of one's diet is a surefire way to overeat.

My first suggestion - have you been checked for thyroid disease recently? Many T1's also develop hashimoto's and being hypothryoid can make it all but impossible to lose weight.

I'd also suggest keeping a food/activity log, sort of like a glucose log. It's good for keeping yourself accountable - I know that I certainly think twice about snacking when I have to write it down. It's important to use the log to see what's working for you, and what's not - it's not about berating yourself for the times you slip up. I know from my own logs that I feel better when I eat better. When I feel better I'm more likely to work out regularly.. which makes a HUGE difference for me.

[fairyblood]

My first suggestion - have you been checked for thyroid disease recently? Many T1's also develop hashimoto's and being hypothryoid can make it all but impossible to lose weight.

Yes I am hypothryoid and my doctor just let me know that we need to increase it again. Hopefully that will help. I like your idea about writing everything down... it always helps with BG's so surely it would give me a better idea about what is happening with my food. Being accountable is hard and important. Thanks for the advise.

[poodlebone]

Over the years on MDI I had gained a lot of weight and could not get it off. I had many lows from long acting insulin and felt like I was constantly eating to feed them. This also turned me off from doing any exercise because I'd go low and then have to eat more. For me it was getting a pump that really helped. I didn't have to constantly feed low blood sugar and I could exercise without dropping too low. I also started to pay more attention to what I was eating. Everyone is different and I know that almost all of the Type 2s and many Type 1s here do low carb. I'm a carb fiend and am not a huge fan of most meats other than turkey & chicken so low carb was out of the question. I did a lower fat diet and used Calorie King to track my food and carbs. I lost over 120 pounds which was a little too much. I then ended up gaining about 30 back and now still need to re-lose about 20 pounds.

Low carb works very well for some but it can be harder to manage while on insulin. I could not do it. Some people who do low fat diets end up eating so many carbs that doesn't work either. For me, moderate carbs + low fat worked. I think you'd run into trouble with a high carb and high fat diet.

I also wouldn't try a "diet", something with a name and a specific list of things to eat. It's better to learn portion sizes and how different foods react in your body. I also avoid fast food and highly processed foods, which used to be a staple in my diet.

[kgm0612]

Let's not forget EXERCISE!

"Diet" & exercise goes hand in hand. Whether you cut back on your carbohydrate intake or count calories, it's important to fit in some sort of exercise. My exercise of choice is walking. I walk 3 to 3-1/2 miles almost every evening with a neighbor.

Karen

[Subby]

Fairyblood, just wondering how much IR you feel you may have? Out of interest what are your insulin needs?

I found, opposite to Liz, that the pump seems to have encouraged more weight for me, not less. I have also found lowering carbs even further has not resulted in weight loss, if anything, weight gain. I say these things to show that yes we are all frustratingly different. Personally I'm thinking of trying metformin if I can get a doctor to support it. It helps cut insulin if one has insulin resistance. Have you considered it?

[MJM]

Let's not forget EXERCISE!

"Diet" & exercise goes hand in hand.
Karen

Karen of course is correct and exercise is also vitally important for both diabetics and non diabetics alike, as well as diet.

[fairyblood]

Fairyblood, just wondering how much IR you feel you may have? Out of interest what are your insulin needs?

I take 55 units of lantus split. I use 1 unit novolog/ 5 grams carb and 1/20 down to 80. All in all it usually adds up to over 100 units a day.

Thanks for everyone's thoughts. There is no easy answer I realize, I would just like to get a better idea of what has worked for other people.

I have used a pump on and off for about 11 years. At this point in time if I decide to go back on it, I would need to get a new one because I have mm512 and the 175 unit reservoir will drive me crazy with my insulin use right now.

Exercise is a two sided issue for me. I know it is important and needed but it can make having the right insulin hard. Often times I feel like I end up on the wrong side of the ratio because of having to treat lows.

Nonetheless, when I have a pool available I try and swim at least four days a week and workout two or three. I haven't been good about getting exercise right now. I am not sure why it is all such a struggle for me.

Thanks for everyone's ideas, keep them coming :)

[fairyblood]

Personally I'm thinking of trying metformin if I can get a doctor to support it. It helps cut insulin if one has insulin resistance. Have you considered it?

My doctor has suggested metformin for me before. I have taken it but not for long enough to see the effects. At the moment I am taking Symlin and my Endo doesn't think it would be a good idea to mix both Symlin and metformin. Maybe I should think about Met again... not sure. Thanks for the idea.

[mjshaw]

Diet and exercise is what works for me. However I call it a "lifestyle change" because it is easier to deal with. I try to watch everything that I eat. I use a website that allows me to track my exercise and what I eat. So I know how many carbs I am eating, how many calories burned, and other nutritional information. This will allow me to know how many calories I need to burn for the week to be able to lose a pound (or two). I lost 30 pounds this way and still going. Just being aware of what I am eating has been a tremendous help.

[shiftzor]

You don't have to eat "low carb" i.e. 15gs of carbs a day to lose weight, eating enough carbs is important especially for your activity level. Try this (http://www.diabetesnet.com/diabetes_tools/tools_calorie.php), use this as a guide as what works for you probably isn't written on a website. ;)

You can talk to countless people on this forum who have tried every diet going, some gave up and others found it really worked for them. I personally do my own diet imposed by myself, keeping all the good bits and bad bits. I avoid all white foods like pasta and bread, choosing to stick to brown foods and low GI. Eating my fair share of veg and fruit, with bad things like chocolate every once in a while. It's important to keep the bad stuff as it reduces the cravings and stopping me from binging, although having said that stress still makes me binge in weak moments :D. Usually if I binge I try to eat packets of things which allow me to carb count and inject later/during.

Best way to beat insulin resistant is with exercise. Getting more active isn't as hard as you think even walking the dog is beneficial. Finding a sport you enjoy is really worth while you don't have to go down the gym. Keep trying and remember we all fall off the bandwagon it's never how far you fall its all about how quickly you got back on.

[Cluck]

I have been gaining large amounts of weight since I was a child. I have been trying to change that for years and yet still I struggle and I now weigh the most that I ever have. I am scared. I work very hard to keep my blood glucose under control and now need to do the same with my weight but I don't know how to do it. I am an intelligent person and it seems simple in theory, calories in/calories out but I can't seem to fix anything and I am so tired of living like this. I eat good food... lots of veggies, some meat, not much grains, almost all home cooked. I love good food. I try to keep my carbs reasonable.

I really need advise from other type ones one how to do this. I respect people with type two however I feel like it is a different set of challenges. But hey I am not going to turn down ideas from anyone so feel free to talk if you have either type.

I am not sure how I feel about low carb. I know it works for some people but I am not sure how I feel about it. I don't think that eating lots of carbs is healthy but I do think that for me eating some makes sense.

I have such a hard time sticking with anything when it comes to diet and the more I think about it the harder it seems to be.

I also have IR and I know that that makes it a lot harder.

I need help. How do I change this. I thought getting my BG back under control was hard but this doesn't feel possible. I sometimes wonder if it is even possible for me to lose weight.

Thank you in advance for your thoughts.

Hi there fairyblood. It's hard to read your story because it sounds like you are stuck and not able to move forward right now. I feel for you.

I have only been Type I for 7.5 years so my experience is far, far less than yours and others here. All I have to go on is what I 've learned up to now and honestly, if you can get a handle on your weight, your IR would decrease and good BG control would come so much easier.

The best,fastest, most diabetic friendly way to lose weight is to cut carbs, which means some level of carb counting. How many grams of carbs do you eat/day?

If I look up on the internet, it's suggested I should eat around 275gs carbs/day. I'm 5'3" and 145lbs. If I ate that many carbs I'd be totally huge with many more BG swings because of having to take way more insulin.

Even if you could cut carbs by 50-100grams/day this could help with weight lose a great deal.

I wish you all the best with your journey:)

[kt89]

hey hey
i love all this carb counting business its really working for me. i only eat a top of 80g carb a day. the lower the better but you need some sometimes. i can lose half a kilo every three days doing that. its plateauing out now though because im pretty much my ideal weight.
i highlllly recommend getting calorie king software installed on your computer. you plug in exactly what you plan to eat each day which set out your daily goal. you can just work on cutting down on carbs each day.
also you can put in the exercise you plan to do. i get really excited about exercise when i plan it the day before. i can plan out what types of exercise and how long for the next day or a week in calorie king and then when it comes to do it im mentally prepared. no backing down!!
also a great tip from an awesome dude on here was if you feel like a snack, if your levels are steady, eat something fatty like peanut butter or cheese NOT carbs!! best advice ever. i guess a fatty snack is heaps better for you because if you dont burn carbs they are stored as fat where as contrary to popular belief doesnt really make you fat in small amounts. woooot

[GeishaGirl]

I've always found it tough to lose weight. The only time I successfully lost weight (40 pounds) was during my misdiagnosis phase, so it's not like I was doing it anyway -- the diabetes was.

Frankly, the best diets I've ever been on were self-constructed. "Amanda's Common Sense Diet" was just that -- I'd stop and ask myself "should I eat this?". The good part about that diet was that it allowed for treats :) The best one I was ever on was "Amanda's No Sugar Added diet" -- LONG before I was a diabetic :) Nothing I ate could have more than 5g of sugar per serving, except fruit. I actually broke my carb/sugar addiction that time, for several months. But that was before I was diabetic and sometimes sugar became a necessity :(

Right now, I'm on the "Amanda Sucks" diet which is really bad for me. Basically, it means I indulge myself and then beat myself up about it. Bad diet.

Anyway, a pump is a great idea if only for the ability to lower basal or shut it off for exercise. As for diet -- YOU know what's best for your body. Go with it.

[It Ain't Over]

You should consider asking your MD for a prescription for Symlin. It can make you uncomfortable, but it will help stabalize blood glucose and will sharply reduce your appetite. Even in small doses it will lower ones appetite and slow the absorption of sugars.