I have been a type2 for years. Have good control. My biggest problem is my wieght. I have 20- 30 pounds to get off and no matter what I do it won't come off. Everyone is sick of me talking about it. I have my calories down to about 1500 or a little lower . Need to watch it so my blood sugars don't go low. I exercise walk about 25 miles a week. but it is so slow ,took me 2 years to get 20 pounds off. I have gained 3 back. None of my other sisters have a weight problem. I just cann't get passed the frustration my diabetic team says it is fine. But you know what for all I do it isn't fine to me and no one understands. I see people who write I lost 20 pounds in 4 months. I also have thyroid medication. I just needed to say why isn't this working for me?

The thyroid will make your weight loss slower. Your first stop should be with your nutritionist/dietician. She can help you work out a plan that will work for you. I have insulin resistence and thyoid problems as well. I have done great on South Beach - limit those carbs and increase the protein. Good carbs and good fats. Sounds like you know how to manage yourself, just need a little help in figuring out how much to eat. At any rate, loss will be slow but, hey, you could have gained 20 pounds instead of losing it in the last year. Keep up the good work, you will get to your goal.

I am at risk for kidney problems and limit my meat per team. You are doing great. Keep up the good work.

To Fern:

Make a special appointment with your CDE and place some concrete goals on the table: "I want to lose ten pounds." Bring in your food diaries and your BG readings and your exercise records, and say, "How can I tweak these so I can accomplish that weight loss?" You may need to change your exercise routine, add some cardio to the mix, or walk at a faster pace.

And, as always, make SURE you are drinking LOTS of water!!


Peace and piddlin',
~VOW

I totally understand how you feel!! I'm Type1 diabetic and have had low thyroid since the age of 11. I have a hard time sticking to a really low carb count everyday especially fighting low blood sugars . For the last 2 weeks even though I'm eating maybe 30 carbs per day I'm starting to have high blood sugars all the time. I'm terribly frustrated and can't figure out what's causing the highs. I get really down when I'm fighting so hard to keep my blood sugar good and the meter reads 250. It's really tough , but you just gotta try to stay positive, and do what's best for your health. God Bless, I'm pulling for you !!

Fern - I am a type 2 diabetic too (for over 30 yrs), on insulin, and you are so right - it is almost impossible to lose weight. I started weight training about 2 weeks ago (twice a week with a trainer) and my blood sugars have really gone down to the point that I have drastically lowered the amount of insulin I take. I'm hoping that will eventually help with the weight loss. Keeping my fingers and toes crossed anyway. I don't ever weigh at home - I go nuts. Just every 3 mos at docs office.

Bella - I know what you mean about having the unexplained highs. Sometime you just do everything right and you still get them. I find if I eat carbs with high fat (pizza for example) I will get a high that stays with me for at least 24 hrs. Oatmeal or beans, on the other hand, which are carbs, but high in fiber, never give me a high. Also stress gets me high, or if I'm physically sick, no matter what I eat or don't eat.

I can really relate to what you are saying. I just joined today because of things I read here. I too have lost 65 lbs and it took me 2 1/.2 years to do it. I exercise 5 to 6 days a week eat between 1500 and 1800 calories but still have 25 lbs to loose. Since I got diag last Oct 03 that darn scale won't budge. Has anyone had problems loosing weight after taking glyburide and metformin? Plus I have to take Norvasc & Benazepril for H/B pressure. I wonder if this combo makes it hard to loose the pounds? I hope the best for everyone . Type 2 diabetes too & 2x's frustrated- Lani

Hi Fern,

I am also a Type 2 diabetic, male, diagnosed two months ago. Sounds to me like you are going great, keep up the good work. Continue with portion control and spreading the carbs throughout the day, following the food pyramid, and with your exercise. I'm learning that weight is not as important as a balanced diet and exercise. Forget all those worthless dietary supplements and special diets--what you're doing is the way to go. I've lost weight as a natural outcome of following this formula, but I'm also blessed with a metabolism that skyrockets when I exercise. I walk twice a day, 30 minutes each time, and that helps keep my glucose under control, along with the metformin. Don't worry about the slow weight loss--chances are it took a long time to gain it, so take your time losing it. But your weight doesn't sound excessive to me, so I wouldn't worry about it much if I were you. (To compare, I used to weigh 325 pounds, now weigh 191). Our society puts a lot of unrealistic expectations on women to be thin, often to the point of becoming unhealthy--so just be yourself and don't fret about it. A book I recommend, aimed at women but also applicable to anyone--is LOSING IT: False Hopes and Fat Profits in the Diet Industry by Laura Fraser. It will put your weight loss goals and expectations in perspective. You can find it for great prices on half.com by typing in the title. It is an expose of the diet industry, weight loss programs that don't work, and the unrealistic demands placed on women. Continued good luck with your diabetes control!

I too have diabetes (cystic-fibrosis related, neither type 1 or 2). I gained weight after I started insulin in October. I know how frustrating it is to lose weight while not letting sugars go too low. It is like eating just to compensate for low sugars. My doctor changed me from mid-acting to long acting and I think that is helping. I am also on short acting for spikes.

I have been eating more frequent smaller meals and I find I dont get as many spikes and don't feel as hungry or get hypoglycemic as much.

My doc says I am fine (10 pounds over weight) and that it is better to be that way than have bad sugars...but I dont feel good at this weight.

I guess I am saying is I am there too...good luck

Kitty

I sure can relate only I have about 90-100 pounds to lose. I was diagnosed type-2 about a year ago and I initially lost a bunch of weight but it's all come back. I hate this lifestyle and the changes sure are difficult for me. I really like to eat what I want when I want. Well, I'm not giving up. I'm back to working on just eating healthy and exercising.

Exercise is the key to losing weight, that I know... also to keeping the blood glucose levels in check.

My advice (which I have difficulty following) is to concern yourself more with eating right and getting plenty of exercise... and see a nutritionist if you can. They can definitely give you good help. :-)

Ell-Dee,

When you initially lost a bunch of weight when you were first diagnosed, did you notice any change in your blood sugar control? Was it easier to manage with weight loss? I'm hoping to reverse my Type 2 with enough weight loss. Just curious.

If anyone else has experience w/this please chime in.

Thanks!

K

K as far as bs control. i have had diabetes 6 years and was going nowhere but up. i started atkins 5 months ago have gone from taking 4 pills a day to 1/2 of one. i have lost 35 lbs. but it is cutting the carbs that really helped. you don't have to do atkins just try cutting carbs. pat

Hello,
I was diagnosed as a Type 2 Diabetic back in March of this year. I have been fighting this weight thing and I am having a real difficult time with it. I have an event to go to the weekend of July 4th and would love to be 10-20 lighter. My metabolism runs so slow since I have become diabetic. I am willing to even use diet pills, but which ones really work? Does anyone have any ideas to assist me with weight loss?

It isn't very likely you can lose that much weight by the July - 1-2 pounds a week is all that is healthy, and we have conditions that hinder that. Diet pills do not work - they waste your money. If any of them worked, it would be headline news and there would be long lines to buy them.

I was diagnosed 2 years ago and initially pretty much starved myself and lost about 40 pounds (I'm on metformin, btw, and metformin is actually given to some people to aide in weight loss.). I gained about 25 of that back once the starvation diet got old and started on the Southbeach diet in early April. I'm now down 17 pounds and no longer need to take the metformin unless I have something high carb as a special treat. And that 17 pound loss is without any type of exercise at all cause I'm recovering from foot surgery. I'm happy on this diet and I don't even want to go back to my old ways of eating anymore. Anyhow, I guess my point is that it is possible to lose weight when you're a Type 2, so don't give up.