Personal Info: I'm Demi. I'm 40, a single mom of two boys 16 and 6 and I've been divorced for about fifteen years. I work for the local government in HR and I'm finishing my BAS in Business Administration in the summer 2014. I've been overweight for most of my life and have been on every diet known to man. I love my kids, reading, cooking, being a "housewife" on the weekends, traveling. Oh and I have massive anxiety that I deal with on my own but take meds as needed.
Diabetes Info: I had gestational diabetes in 2007 and then "it went away." I've tested borderline for type 2 every since but this past summer my doctor said technically I fall into the diabetic group with a 7.5 A1C. They immediately put me on Metformin but after a week my blood sugar was so low upon waking that I couldn't stay conscious and was weak and sick for days. The doctor swears that can't happen but I've talked to a lot of people and found that it does happen. So for now I'm controlling it through diet. I'm keeping a food journal and testing at waking, before and two hours after eating. My daily numbers are great but my waking numbers tend to be high.
Diet/Exercise Info: I'm 5'8 and at my highest weight ever of 330. I lose weight, gain it back...horrible cycle. I hate exercise but I know that I really need to incorporate it into my life. I just joined Planet Fitness.
Hopes: I want to be healthy to be around for my kids for another forty years!
Thankfully, until now I've been very healthy. This has been a rough month for me (8/2013). I haven't felt good all month and was diagnosed with an ear/sinus infection and treated with three antibiotics and no relief. Finally, I went to my dentist and found I had two cracked molars. They did root canals and no relief so I was sent to an oral surgeon who extracted one tooth. The pain is so much better now but I'm still healing after a week and taking massive antibiotics for an infection that was seriously spreading. This doctor scared me and said that I'm recovering like a diabetic, which is slow. He also said that my reading should always be under 121 one hour after eating! Sometimes I am but now always so I panicked! Then I called my doctor and was told it's two hours after eating. Guess I'll listen to her and not my dentist lol
PERSONAL INFORMATION: Tell us about yourself, your family, your pets, your hobbies, your occupation, your most (and least) favourite books/movies/TV programs/music; – just about anything that helps us know the real ‘you’.
My name is Michelle and I'm 51. I moved back "home" to the SF Bay Area in May 2012 after living in Wisconsin for 12 years. I was married twice, divorced twice, no kids. And am now enjoying making the rest of my life the best of my life. I have a wonderful boyfriend, and an adorable dog. I work full-time as a website developer.
DIABETES INFORMATION: What Type; when diagnosed; what medications; any complications you’ve experienced.
I was diagnosed with Type 2 a year ago. Haven't experienced any complications thank goodness. I'm on Glipizide and Metformin. I don't test as often as I probably should, but my morning fasting blood sugars run between 92 and 115. It's the two hours after a meal that are tough ones because I usually drink water with MIO all evening and don't know if that would give me an accurate reading. My A1C from Spring 2013 was 6.1. I just had it tested again and will find out the results on Friday.
DIET / EXERCISE REGIMEN: Height/Weight Statistics. How much you hope to lose and in what timeframe. Formal or informal diet and exercise regimens. Things that work for you. Things you tried, that didn’t.
I'm still trying to figure out the right diet that works for me. I tried Weight Watchers...but I found I kept having blood sugar crashes. I try and limit carbs and eat more proteins. But yesterday, I could NOT stop eating candy. Someone at work brought in Halloween Candy and put it by the water dispenser.
For exercise, I usually get to the gym at least 3-4 days per week and do 1/2 hour on the bike. Because of chronic back pain, I haven't been able to walk more than 10 minutes for the past 8 years, but I'm optimistic that weight loss and the right physical therapy, I can get myself to a point where I can walk for longer periods of time.
SPECIAL HOPES / ASPIRATIONS / ACHIEVMENTS: Anything you’d like to share with the group.
Now that I've moved back to California, I'm eager to go on hikes and plan to get myself in shape so that by spring I'll be able to do wildflower hikes, or hikes along the beach or among the redwoods.
PERSONAL INFORMATION: Tell us about yourself, your family, your pets, your hobbies, your occupation, your most (and least) favourite books/movies/TV programs/music; – just about anything that helps us know the real ‘you’.
My name is Shannon and I am 40, married with one daughter (3.5 yrs) We have one dog, Buddy (Pomeranian). I have been staying at home with my daughter for almost 2 years but before that I worked in the clinical research field. I live in Raleigh, NC. My hobbies are sewing, embroidery/applique, baking, reading, watching TV/movies snuggled up in bed.
DIABETES INFORMATION: What Type; when diagnosed; what medications; any complications you’ve experienced.
I was diagnosed with Prediabetes around 6 years ago. For several years I took Metformin but discontinued it after getting pregnant. My lab results appeared to be normal after my pregnancy for quite some time so I thought maybe I was fine but over the past 6 months my A1c has been rising (while my fasting bg is normal to only slightly above normal). My most recent A1c was 6.2%.
DIET / EXERCISE REGIMEN: Height/Weight Statistics. How much you hope to lose and in what timeframe. Formal or informal diet and exercise regimens. Things that work for you. Things you tried, that didn’t.
I am at my highest weight right now of 210. I am 5'4". I am just now (like today) starting to make changes and have not really figured out a diet or exercise program but I assuming I need to lower my carb intake and start exercising regularly (which I have not done in a long time). I have binge eating disorder also so even when I have (in the past) gotten into a good routine I have always sabotaged myself with binge eating. Also, in regards to exercise, I have chronic severe plantar fascitis that has not responded to any therapies so I generally cannot do weight bearing exercise.
SPECIAL HOPES / ASPIRATIONS / ACHIEVMENTS: Anything you’d like to share with the group.
I really want to be a good role model for my daughter. My mom is healthy but she is very obnoxious about it. In some ways I have gone opposite of her because of how she has delivered her "advice". I want to be healthy for my daughter but I also want to be full of grace with her, making sure my words are uplifting and not degrading.
PERSONAL INFORMATION: My name is Elaine, I'm 45 years old. I live and work in Toronto as a Technical Operator. I am single, never married and no kids.
DIABETES INFORMATION: I was diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes in 1999. On a fluke, I went to my parents place for the weekend, and my Father had just recieved his 1st glucometer and I curiously tried it out. My blood sugar levels where sky high which led me to get checked out, and low and behold, that's how I found out I had Type 2 diabetes. I've been on a gamut of different meds over the years, metformin being the one oral med that I've always taken for these past 15 years. When I was first diagnosed, I was very much pissed off and in denial, and refused to accept that I had this condition, and continued to eat crappily and not work out. In 2003, I had a health scare with my kidney leaking protein, I'm glad to say I did reverse it and took care of it. Now that I'm in my mid 40's, my endocronologist has put me on once daily injections of 10units of Levemir insulin, 1.8mg of Victoza, still taking 500mg metformin 3x daily and 4mg of gluconorm 3x daily. As of 6 months ago, I started taking 10mg Lipitor once daily for cholestorol.
DIET / EXERCISE REGIMEN: I'm 5ft 1in, current weight is holding steady at148lbs. 2 years ago, my weight was 185lbs, so to date, I have lost 37lbs. I plan to loose 30lbs, over the next few years. For the past year, I have dramatically changed my eating habits, I do not drink diet pops any longer, have cut out alot of carbs, and processed foods products with refined sugar in them. I mainly eat alot of fruits and vegtables, poultry and quinoa casseroles, and make alot of my meals from scratch including raw deserts with no refined sugars. I still have my "treats" as I like to call them, such as a hamburger and fries, but that's like once every 2 months and very much in moderation. As far as excercise goes, for the past 10 months, I have mainly been using a treadmill for 30-40 minutes of fast paced walking. I have currently have hit a plateau, so I have started to slowly incorporate a twice a week - 10 minute HIIT session by using a skipping rope.
SPECIAL HOPES / ASPIRATIONS / ACHIEVMENTS: My goal is to seriously get off of my diabetic meds, if not all of them, then at least the insulin and victoza. My A1c was very decent last time I was at my Endo back in late November, which was at 6.2, and he reduced my Levemir insulin from 14 to 10 units. I visit him again in February 2014 and am hoping he'll futher reduce my insulin units and perhaps some of the oral meds. So far so good! *fingers crossed* I am at a point in my life where I do not want to be reliant on meds anylonger, and am very determined to get off of them for life, if I can. The only way to do this, is to get my weight off. I carry alot of chub around my mid-section and am skinny everywhere else, so it makes sense as to why I have Type 2 diabetes.
PERSONAL INFORMATION: My name is A, I'm 34. I live in Europe, married and have one child (toddler).
DIABETES INFORMATION: I was diagnosed with type 1 1,5 years ago,
DIET / EXERCISE REGIMEN: I'm 5ft 11in, current weight - would rather not tell I try to follow Dr Bernstein's low carb diabetic program 6-12-12 carbs a day, but lately was not successful in keeping it that way. I usually overeat protein, which is getting my numbers up during the night and make me gain a lot of weight. In addition I need to bolus with regular insulin in order to address those spikes (because rapid-acting are to quick for low carb). I feel like low carbing on type 1 is not a mainstream and I have my challenges, which were not described in Bernsteins book :-) He simply doesn't recognize feelings of deprivation, bad discipline etc. I tend to overeat low carb foods and these are more dense in calories. Actually, I usually do not feel the satiety after meals and can eat large amounts of any types of food. I've searched for help, tried opting fat as all low carbers recommend, that caused me a gallbladder problems and my cholesterol went sky rocket, so my doctor wanted to put me on a statin So now I don't know what else I can do or try. Starting on Monday doesn't help either :-)
SPECIAL HOPES / ASPIRATIONS / ACHIEVMENTS: My goal is to stop binge eat and loose 10 kg. I want to be me again, not that needy person with no food control I've become after D.
Personal Information: My name is Gayle. I am 59 years old. DH Steve and I have been married 37 years. I live in Houston, Texas. I have 3 grown children. Jason (single ~ lives here nearby). Sara divorced ~ has two children ~ Corbin ~ 17 years and Maddie ~ 7 years ~ they live right around the corner from us. Jen is married and has two children ~ Evie ~ 4 years and Colin ~ 9 months old. They live in South Carolina. We have a kitty ~ Meso ~ 13 years old. I am a retired LVN. I am thankful to be retired ~ nursing was no longer fun like it was when I first started. My hobbies are computer/internet, sewing, crocheting, crafty type things. I like comedy type movies and TV shows I enjoy the Big Bang Theory right now. I like most kinds of music.
Diabetes information: My blood sugars had been on the edge of diabetes for a while. My dr wanted me to start on medications, but I begged for another chance to lose weight and avoid the medication. Always my hope, but I have been struggling with my weight my whole adult life and have never been successful at losing weight and keeping it off. Sadly over the years, the weight just kept creeping up. I was classified as pre-diabetic last spring and my doctor started me on Metformin 500 mg once a day. In the fall, there were a lot of stressful family things going on and my A1C went up into the full blown diabetic range. The dr upped my metformin to 500 mg two times a day. The stress eventually settled down and the increased medicine got my A1C back to the pre-diabetic range. No complications so far, but if I don't get myself straightened out and doing the right things, I will end up with some.
Diet and Exercise: I am 4'11.5" (used to be 5'2" but shrunk). See my ticker for weight info. Diet ~ I had been following a way of eating of my diabetic friend who has been successful at losing weight, getting her labs back in the normal range. She described it as sort of a low carb/paleo way of eating. It worked when I followed it. Got off track this summer and am still struggling to get back on track. Exercise ~ I do different things ~ walking and riding my granny bike (3 wheels) outside when weather permits, walking on the treadmill or the exercise bike indoors when it is too hot or cold to go outside. I also like the pool, I need to do that more. Our community has great parks with pools and hike and bike paths. Exercise is also a struggle for me ~ it is ok, but it is something I have to make myself do. I am always glad after I have made the effort to do it, but I don't look forward to it.
Special hopes ~ that I can lose weight, develop some self discipline with eating better and exercise so I can feel better and enjoy retirement before it is too late (complications get me).
PERSONAL INFORMATION: My name is Chris and I am 64, single and live in Florida with 4 dogs, a Belgian Malinois and 3 Swedish Vallhunds that I show and train. Retired a couple of years ago and looking to get my life back into some kind of order.
DIABETES INFORMATION: I was diagnosed with Type 2 just over 7 years ago with an A1c of 8.4. For the 1st 2 years I was and ideal patient. Lost 100 lbs and my A1c was down to 5.6. Then it happened – in the checkout line at the grocery store a candy bar called out to me and I got it and ate it. And unfortunately my meter did not react. So, over the next 5 years the more carbs I ate the more I ate of everything. Gained all the weight back and the A1c is back where I started. I’m on Metformin (1000 mg twice a day) and Glimpeiride (4 mg twice a day) and still find myself eating like a child. So, I need to start acting like an adult before things get any worse.
DIET / EXERCISE REGIMEN: I’m at my highest weight right now at 304 lbs (I’m 5’3”) and at only 5’3” a lot of it needs to be lost again. Kept my carbs under 50 and walking twice a day 5-6 days a week. Of course when the weight came back the exercise left. So I’m starting all over. What has been done once can be done twice.
SPECIAL HOPES / ASPIRATIONS / ACHIEVEMENTS: I want to be healthy and active. The dogs would certainly enjoy life more and so would I. I would like to weigh less than 200 gain, I felt so much better when I didn’t have to lug so many extra lbs about.
Hi all I am new here and here is some info about me:
Personal Information: Age 31, name Magda, married for almost 4 years. I work in a gaming company as a Support ( sitting job in front of a PC ). My husband is a Psychiatrist. I love to read books and watch a lot of TV Shows. I actually spend too much time watching them wasting time Other than that I am trying to get back to my hobbies - drawing and sport. I recently have been diagnosed with Borderline Personality Disorder so it is a bit hard as I am often angry and my moods during the day are crazy. It is hard to stick to the regimen of anything really at the moment but I am in therapy so let's hope for the best.
DIABETES INFORMATION: type II diabetes and Hypothyroidism, I take Glucophage 750 at nights and Metformax 500 to breakfast.
DIET / EXERCISE REGIMEN: Currently on South Beach Diet, day two. I plan to stick to it this time as I tried everything else. My dietician made me eat tons of carbs and it did not help with anything. I lost 3kg over 6 months it was not ok so I am trying another approach now. I have a gym at my house and try to some exercises on the cross trainer every day ( at least 30 minutes ). Other than that twice a week aqua aerobic. I am now at 78kg's which is a lot since I am only 160cm. I had weight problems for years bouncing up and down. Highest weight 95kg lowest 42kg. My goal is 55kg.
SPECIAL HOPES / ASPIRATIONS / ACHIEVMENTS: I hope to get back to drawing and I wish of having my own Internet comic. I also hope to lose weight and find the balance in my life so it stays on the same healthy level from now on.
I would love to wear nice dresses I see at stores