Is it me, or is the weight just slower to come off when you're diabetic? After finding out I am diabetic, I tried WW for a while. I've been very successful with WW in the past...my weight just didn't budge after several weeks. I tried calorie counting for a while. No go. I've now read a lot of books and have come around to a low carb way of eating which, again, has worked for me in the past and I have lost weight but it's like 3 pounds in two weeks of induction. I've done this before and lost 10 - 15 pounds.

I know slow weight loss is ideal, I know it's a lifestyle, I know most of that initial weight loss is water, I know all those things. I'm not really looking to lose weight faster. This is not my first fat rodeo and I'm not even particularly complaining (I feel great, my skin looks amazing), I'm just curious if other people find that it's harder to lose weight once you cross the line into diabetes? I'm comparing myself TO myself a few years ago and finding the weight loss slower. Which is fine unless I am somehow totally on the wrong track and should be approaching this differently to manage my diabetes.

I am much more concerned with managing my blood sugar and losing weight in the long term than I am white-knuckling my way through a "diet." My mother was diagnosed type 2 when she was around my age and she chose to just crash diet on and off and pretend it wasn't happening. She is really, really not doing well and has had a whole cascade of other issues secondary to diabetes. That's not where I want to be in 20 something years.

Hi SecondHalf! I am type 2 diabetic, diagnosed in 2008. I am struggling to lose weight, and also to keep my blood sugar in line. I consider the blood sugar to be more important, although I know weight loss would help with that. I used to be able to control my weight easier, and lose faster. I don't know how much diabetes has to do with it, but I know age has a lot to do with it. And also, the number of times you have tried to lose weight. Your body seems to get used to you dieting off and on, and it says "Here she goes again!" and slows down to preserve it's fat supply. LOL

What type of meds are you on for diabetes? Insulin makes you gain weight, as does some diabetic pills, such as sulfonylureas. Even without meds, if you get blood sugar spikes, your body releases insulin to try to get the blood sugar down, and that insulin causes your body to store fat. It is best to eat foods that have little or no effect on your blood sugar. If your blood sugar stays steadily low, your body doesn't have to release as much insulin.

This explains the "why", but doesn't help with the "how." We want to eat the foods we love. We try to get by with small portions, when actually, no portion is better for us.

And all this is why I'm still fat.

Hi and thanks for all the info!

This is actually my last-ditch effort not to go on meds. I tried WW and calorie counting with no impact on my weight and zero weight loss so I've promised my doctor to make a good faith effort with low carb. So far, my blood sugar is behaving beautifully so I hope that's a good sign. At this point, that is my priority. If I can go a while like this and keep losing slow and steady, I'll be happy. Otherwise she's talking Metformin (sp) and I hear it is really really terrible on your stomach. No thank you, please.

I have had a MUCH easier time of just not having things like pasta and cookies and Halloween candy (it's still early days, if I smell a Reese's pumpkin this could all come crashing down). If I could do "reasonable portions" I probably wouldn't be so fat and at the moment, my fear of diabetes HEAVILY (no pun intended) outweighs (ha ha, another one) my desire for cookies.

The only time I've gone off-book is two (ok, three) glasses of wine on Friday but lemme tell ya, if you haven't had carbs in a while two glasses is plenty and three feels like maybe one too many. As we were trick or treating with the hoards, I walked about three miles and it had no impact on my blood sugar. So now I finally understand how all my skinny runner friends are also winos.

Don't be afraid to try Metformin if necessary. Some people have issues, but most don't. You have to start out with a small dose and then increase if necessary. Most doctors start with 500 mg per day and adjust if necessary. If you can control your BloodSugar without it, all the better.

I started with 500 mg twice a day. Then increased to 3 X a day. When he tried to increase it to 850 3 X a day I started throwing up in the middle of the night. That was great for my weight loss, LOL, but not desireable. So he cut it back to 2 X a day and added Glimiperide.

Exercise will help with blood sugar over time. If you can get into the habit of taking a walk after your largest meal, that will help. It helps push the blood sugar into your cells so the body can use it.

Try not to keep foods in the house that you shouldn't be eating. My biggest fear is losing my eyesight or my feet. I want to be able to see and walk around. Once you lose these, it can't be turned around. I hate diabetes, but it has to be controlled.

Good luck to you!

Thanks so much!

Hi, this may sound odd, but it's been easier for me to lose weight than ever in my life since being diagnosed as a diabetic.

Are you testing your blood glucose so that you can find out how your body reacts to everything you eat? That one thing has provided amazing information to me, and allowed my blood sugar to drop, making me less hungry and taking the edge off. Google "eat to your meter" to see what I mean.

Why has it been easier this time to lose weight? For one thing, I am eating LCHF and can test with my monitor to find out whether or not certain foods spike my blood sugar or not. Some foods that I did not expect made my blood sugar jump fifty points. Other foods that I thought would be unacceptable have been great for my blood sugar. I have noticed that small slips (such as not checking the portions for the nutritional information) can lead to elevated blood sugars for days. I am prioritizing my own needs, not just my family's preferences.

Good luck, you can do this.