[Lita]

Hi Everyone,

I have been up and down with my weight for as long as I can remember. I was recently diagnosed with Type II diabetes, and now I finally GET that I need to lose the weight or my health will continue to spiral out of control.

I am not on meds or anything as of yet. My MD is giving me a chance to try and control my blood sugar with weight loss and exercise etc. I was thinking about trying either the South Beach Diet or Atkins. Any opinions or suggestions about what to try first would be greatly appreciated!

I need to lose a total of 100 pounds but I am going to try a short term goal of 35 pounds and take it from there. Thanks for listening and I look forward to hearing from you. I need all the help that I can get!


L

[JEO1982]

Welcome Lita!

You have definitely made a great start just by coming here and joining in... everyone here is fantastic and you will absolutely get all the support and encouragement you need from the fabulous ladies on this site.

My mom is a Type II Diabetic as well and they have her counting carbs and not sugars so I would say that either diet would work for you. If you are currently not on an exercise program and you start exercising, that alone could control the diabetes. I wish I could offer you more information about the 2 different diets, but I have never tried either of them and my mom is justlimiting her carbs to what her doctor specified...One thing I know from going to Curves with my mom is that being diabetic it is important for you to eat before you exercise.... My mom will get light-headed and her blood sugar will drop if she exercises too long after she's eaten, so please just keep that in mind!

I look forward to reading about your success!

[Pkwolfie]

Hi Lita! I, too am on the "100" path, just started and doing pretty well I think. I am not type II, but at my physical I had elevated glucose and cholesterol levels, so that jerked me to straighted up. (Also, my friend had gastric bypass and it scared the crap out of me so I want to avoid that path at all costs!!). I have also been a "quiet observer" around here, but love the variety of input. I am 32, married with 1 child...feel free to send me a PM if you want to email (I am online alot at work as well, so I do well with email!). Best of luck with your journey!

[Ruthxxx]

I am Type II diabetic and am now in "perfect control", to quote my very supportive doctor. Cutting carbs does the trick!

I have been on Atkins but am now on The South Beach Diet. IMHO, South Beach is the healthier plan as it does not have the high saturated fat content of Atkins. It eliminates trans-fats and stresses whole grains or good carbs. There is a whole Forum for South Beach further down on the screen. Feel free to join us and check out the Frequently Asked Questions Section.

[Lita]

Hello Again Jenn, Patty and Ruth!

Thanks for the encouraging words. I am going to get started as soon as I finish reading the South Beach Diet book. I think my first day on will be 5/31 - wish me luck! I really appreciate all of the input about diabetes and when to eat etc. Thing is I feel FINE and really do not have any symptoms. It was by accident that I was diagnosed, so I am going to use that as a sign that I have a chance to rule the disease and not let it rule me!

Patty I will be in touch with you soon - maybe we can cheer each other on and swap some recipes. Thanks again for the responses and I look forward to coming back on a more regular basis. This site is REALLY informative and you just feel at home from square one. Have a great Sunday!

Lita