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Old 06-02-2011, 07:54 PM   #1  
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Default Diabetes and hunger

I'm type 2, controlling it with diet and exercise for nearly five years. Have brought my A1c down from 6.9 to 6.1 by eliminating all refined and processed carbs from my diet and daily exercise. I've now lost 50 lbs.

I still have another 100 lbs to lose. My excess weight has come of in batches, with long, arduous plateaus in between. My most recent weight loss success has been with additional calorie counting. I lost 20 lbs, then had some significant emotional events through which I lost focus and backslid again.

I'm trying to get on top of cutting calories again, but I'm really struggling with hunger. I did some reading and learned that hunger was a symptom of diabetes because a diabetic isn't getting proper levels of nutrients due to the insulin problems.

Did any of you experience this? Did it go away once you lost more weight, or if you were put on metformin? If I didn't get so hungry in the afternoon/evening, I'd be just fine cutting calories. It seems that I can't find satiety if I eat less than 2100 calories a day, but I don't lose weight unless I eat less than 1600 a day.

I don't generally have hunger issues in the morning. It's only the later part of the day. About half an hour ago I ate 670 calories in a balanced meal with lean protein, vegetables, fiber and healthy fats. And while my abdomen feels the pressure of being full, I still feel edgy, hypoglycemic and plain, ol' hunger. I know the difference between real hunger and wanting to eat for emotional reasons. I'm not experiencing any emotional hunger at all right now.

I'm going to just ignor it and go to my Pilates class. Sometimes I can do that, but not all the time. Just want to what others have experienced with hunger.
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Old 06-02-2011, 09:36 PM   #2  
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Hi Georgia,

Congrats on the long term changes and the weight loss.

I understand the struggle, also, although I have never managed my bs through diet and excercise. I have been on metformin since diagnosis last year.

I am rarely hungry but I eat large amounts of low carb veggies. Cucumbers, broccoli, cauliflower, etc. If I am hungry, I just eat more salad. :-)

When you say that you feel "edgy, hypoglycemic and plain, ol' hunger" are you testing? Is your blood sugar actually low?

For myself, as someone who used to eat "for fun", I have considered the need for more food despite a full belly to just be part of my food addiction or eating problems. It is always a struggle.

Feel free to join us on the June Chat. Maybe some of the more experienced people will have better advice for you. Good luck
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Old 06-02-2011, 09:48 PM   #3  
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I mostly feel hungry at night too, but its really feeling snackish, and rarely hunger.
As montana suggests, some things work better to fool your body.
I find atkins, with the higher fat content works well for me, as long as I get lots of low carb veggies for volume with it. Lots of people find a "volumetrics" approach helps them feel full.
I think you are not experiencing true hunger 30 minutes after a meal. But I often miss the feeling of being "full" after meals now, and I think its missing that overful, overfed feeling that I used to experience regularly with previous eating habits.
That said, feeling hunger is a sure way to undermine any weight loss approach, and you will need to keep working to find a way to change that or you won't be able to stick to plan. Lots of water and fibre are good approaches.
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Old 06-03-2011, 11:57 AM   #4  
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I have found I do still feel hungry when I "shouldn't", specifically after eating certain fruits. In fact, I can feel hungrier right after eating them then I did before I started. I am rather amazed at this phenomenon. It is the main thing on my list of things to ask my endo about when I see him in two weeks.
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Old 06-18-2011, 11:26 AM   #5  
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Since I have been put on metformin my hunger has gone away in the night time. If I do eat at night its purely out of habit and not hunger. I also find that relaxing to some relaxation music or reading helps subside the hunger if it arises. I drink tons of water.
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Old 06-30-2011, 06:37 AM   #6  
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Are you getting enough protein, and eating protein with carbs? I read in The Insulin Resistance Diet that eating protein (a minimum of 7 gms protein for every 15 gms total carbs) will keep BS stable.
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Old 06-30-2011, 09:48 AM   #7  
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As others have suggested, it may have to do with the glycemic index of foods you eat causing your body to release more insulin? I'm hypothesizing a bit, though, because I have type 1. I do know that insulin is a GROWTH hormone, and if you're getting a big release of it you'll the insulin will tell your body that you're hungry. Sometimes when I get a low, I am absolutely ravenous and it's easily explained by that principle.

Good luck! You've done a great job so far.
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Old 07-21-2011, 02:42 AM   #8  
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I spent many years being hungry. Like you, I could just finish a meal, and then I could turn around and eat again. I was on metformin for several years, and it didn't help this. Earlier in the year, my CDE said I should try Victoza, because it helps with appetite as well as a number of other things...what a difference!!! I eat breakfast, lunch, dinner and snack before bed most nights to combat DP...but other than that, I'm good. I feel like a normal human being again. What a difference in my life not to be always eating, or thinking about eating.

I spend a lot of time on the internet with other diabetics...a lot of them say the same thing. The hunger never stops.
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Old 07-21-2011, 06:07 AM   #9  
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Trowter, I'm on Victoza too and the weight is finally going away. It certainly is a miracle drug although an expensive one. No hunger except on the days I forget to take it!
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Old 07-21-2011, 10:56 AM   #10  
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Quote:
It seems that I can't find satiety if I eat less than 2100 calories a day, but I don't lose weight unless I eat less than 1600 a day.
This. I'm prediabetic (insulin resistant) and I also think I'm wheat allergic/sensitive because I seem to go beserk once I eat a sandwich or similar. I have allergist appt to see what's up with that.

I haven't see that mentioned yet. Interestingly, I feel fuller on homemade bread than store bread. Still clogs my nose up though.

A.
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Old 08-23-2011, 11:02 AM   #11  
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Fruits make my blood sugar spike and then drop due to the fruit sugars (fructose) they have. Typical diabetes educators recommend fruit, but I have to stay away from it. Some fruits aren't SO bad, like berries and apples.

On another note, echoing what another poster said, I go with the volume approach. LOADS of low carb veggies, including lettuce (NOT iceburg, it's hard on your digestive tract and does not have any nutrients), broccoli, cauliflower, snap peas, green beans, and sometimes carrots. I eat these as snacks, they have those little one serving ones you can get that are frozen, i take them to work with me.
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