Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by picklebird on June 20, 2011 at 12:37pm

I found out that the diet recommendations given to me were not low enough in carbs. I was told 60g per meal and 15 for snacks. I do better at 30g. Now I can do up to 45g per meal but dinner is still at or below 35g. Keep a diary every meal count your carbs and just take in less and less until you get the number (2hr postmeal BS) that seems to work for you. In the beginning, you might have to eliminate a lot of foods you just can't eat, but once your BS is stable, then you may be able to re-introduce yourself to some of them. For example, I couldn't do bananas for a long time, but I can now. I still can't do root beer.
I do workouts, too, and it helps right after a carby meal. And if you can do it without starving yourself, a limited carb and low fat will surely lead to some weight loss. But a pound won't fall off any faster than every ten days.

Permalink Reply by Natalie ._c- on June 20, 2011 at 4:27pm

Well, maybe it's because there is a lot of conflicting advice about nutrition out there, and maybe we have different metabolisms, and therefore different food needs?

I read an article recently that says that exercise alone does NOT do a thing towards losing weight, although it's great for strengthening your muscles and increasing your cardio capacity.

Diabetes diet advocates range from Dr. Neal Barnard, who advocates a strict vegan diet to Dr. Richard K. Bernstein, who advocates a strict low-carb diet. You can google both of them; they both have books and blogs.

Then there is everything in between, and if you don't go running away screaming, I commend you for your strength! LOL!

Personally, I have found that restricting carbohydrates makes all the difference in the world for me. I don't go as low as Dr. Bernstein recommends, but at 60g a day (NOT per meal), I am a lot lower than the Standard American Diet (SAD). I've lost 30 lb. with this way of eating, and my blood lipids have never been better. My BGs are more stable, too, because it's carbs that raise your BG.

It's VERY rare to find a dietitian or CDE that will advocate low-carb eating, but if you look at the Dr. Bernstein group on here, there are TONS of people who swear by it. And Bernstein himself, a Type 1 since childhood, is now in his 70's with no complications and still practicing.

I'm NOT telling you what to do, but encouraging you to do some research and figure out for yourself what's going to help you. It may take some experimentation, but there are lots of people here who are willing to help. I think there's a vegetarian group too, don't know.

Best of luck!!

Permalink Reply by Cathy Jacobson on July 7, 2011 at 6:42am

dj, I've lost 70+ lbs in the last three years...I am much older than you are probably your mother's age, 59. I was heavy all my life, and during my learning to take care of myself with diabetes, I found that by losing weight I could help the meds, etc work better. BUT, most of the meds I was on Actos, Avandia, etc had "may cause weight gain" as a side effect. My first summer of losing weight I gained 29 lbs due to a med.... Picklebird is right, the prescribed no. of carbs is usually too high for us to lose weight, so my suggestion is to find out more about your meds, either ask your pharmacist about them, get a paper copy that should come with all your meds of side effects, and then get yourself to a nutritionist or dietican. Tell them what you want to do, lose weight, control your BS's, what meds you have been on, what meds you are on right now if any. Ask for a diet that will fit for those things, and then fit for your financial budget. I say this last part because some of the ones I have seen think nothing of telling me to eat very spendy foods, which are great at losing weight but don't fit into my money for food.
Then keep track of every morsel that goes into your mouth.....everything you drink. Have them look at your meal plans for a two week period and see how you are doing, if it needs to be tweeked, then you can do that.
I am so envious of your ability to exercise that much, I am lucky to get in three days for 1 hour...so good for you!!!! That will help with the lowering of your sugars, AND the weight loss.
You can make it work, but sometimes we have to take on our own care, and be persistent in getting what we want. Sad to say but most docs don't get a whole lot of education in diseases like diabetes so we have to do our own. Good luck and check in here often....these are good people.