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Yes, you're definitely killing two birds with one stone by learning to eat healthier and losing weight. And the bonus is that you are young. Your body is going to respond WAY better at 25 than it will at 55, and once you get your weight down, you can enjoy so many things you weren't enjoying before. Really DO try to think of this as something that will be good in the long run. It's just hard today.
I think you are confused about blood sugar because it's not as simple as sugar=blood sugar. I know my mom could have something sweet on occasion, but she had to eat it with a meal. The protein in the meal would slow down the processing of the carbs in the sugar. Though I'm not diabetic, whenever I have a donut in the morning with nothing else, I get "the shakes" two hours later. That same donut in the evening doesn't affect me at all. So I think there are a lot of variables to glucose and how we process it. Your challenge will be to become better educated on what will and won't spike your blood sugar, but learning more will also teach you that you won't have to spend the rest of your life eating celery sticks.
I know for me, I respond to weight loss and hunger MUCH easier when I do a grazing thing all day. I'm losing weight and eating 6 times a day, basically every two hours. It keeps me neither really full or really hungry, and helps me eat less without feeling like I'm starving all day. With the exception of one meal a day, which is either lunch or dinner depending on my schedule, the meals are very small. Around 150 calories each, and high in fiber and protein. After much trial and error, this seems to be the best way for me to remain under 1,500 calories a day without being constantly starving. We are all individuals, that might not be appealing to you, but it's something to consider or maybe talk to your nutritionist about.
So does that mean diabetes is associated with weight gain? Say, if I lost 90 - 100 lbs (that would put me in normal weight for my height) and ate things in moderation and not gain any weight (maybe + or - 5 lbs) would that mean that my bs would pretty much stablize? Does that mean I can drink an occasional coke during birthday parties instead of cutting it out completely? Basically, what I am trying to ask is if I were to successfully lose all the weight 1 year from now, would my bs be the same as a normal person's and I can eat the same amount of recommended carbs that a normal person get to eat? I read in an article that said the recommended carb intake for women based on 2,000 calories is between 225 - 325, would I be able to eat that much without worrying (given, I dont gain weight on the amount of carbs).
Its just the way my doc said it weight loss is key and since he said my numbers are not horribly high my blood sugar could go back to completely normal once I lose weight and I could eat like a normal person adn not have to count carbs (of course no more binge eating). He wouldnt know for certain though until I actually lose the weight.
Sadly, if carbs cause blood sugar issues for you they will always cause blood sugar issues for you. If blood sugar/insulin issues are driving diabetes and obesity simply getting to a normal weight and resuming regular consumption of foods laden with carbs (esp sugar) will result in a new cycle of diabetes and weight gain.
Diabetes can sometimes be reversed by losing weight and removing most carbs from your diet. However, it does not go away permanently. A resumption of high carb consumption will bring the problem back.
Thanks everyone for your replies. I really appreciate it and its helped me learn more about diabetes since some replies I am getting on here are from people who have experienced it themselves.
However, I still cant brush off the feeling of being "doomed". I feel like I am young, with a full life ahead of me and this disease will follow me for the rest of my life.
I hope you don't feel doomed. There are plenty of foods that taste good that you can eat for the rest of your life.
Quote:
Originally Posted by conlainhothuong
I havent been eating any carbs, rice, bread, pastas to be specific (the only carbs that I have eaten came from lettuce and veggies which probably consist of barely anything). Its really getting to me and messing with my head and makes me feel like I will have to stick to this "diet" for life. I dont dare season my food. All I do is put a piece of chicken breast or fish on the grill (without any seasoning or very little garlic salt) and put it on top of a bead of lettuce, carrots, and tomatoes, everything tastes so bland and I am chewing away like a robot.
NO! Season your food. Eat salt to taste. Use herbs/spices. Make full fat sauces. Eat full fat salad dressing. Eat all the green veggies you want. They have very few carbs. Add butter or cream sauce to your veggies.
Quote:
Originally Posted by conlainhothuong
I have to cook separate meals the rest of my family (husband and kids) and have to watch them eat delicious food (that also contain the carbs that I cant eat). Its so saddening.
I make the same main dish and veggie/salad for my family that I make for myself. Low carb food can taste GREAT! You can use all of the fats that are not permitted in traditional low fat diets.
Try this site: Recipes - I Breathe... I'm Hungry.... You just have to learn a new way of cooking. My kids eat my low carb cooking. I sometimes add some rice or pasta for them.
Quote:
Originally Posted by conlainhothuong
Since last night, I have been falling asleep with thoughts such as "do I have to be like this forever? What do I eat when we go on vacation? Do I get to eat my birthday cake?"
I just got back from a vacation in Maryland. I ate crabs with butter, steak with veggies, salad with chicken and things like that. I eat my birthday cake but I don't eat everyone's birthday cake.
Quote:
Originally Posted by conlainhothuong
I dont know, its just the thought of never being able to live a "normal" life again scares me, despite overcoming the weight loss thing. I know losing weight is a priority and nothing is for certain until I lose all of it but just the thought of being thin and still being a diabetic is horrifying. Sorry if I am being repetitive. Need to go check on my salmon thats on the grill now.
I guess I don't understand what is abnormal about eating meat, veggies and fats. It sounds to me that you have some emotional issues that need to be addressed. Lots of people are overweight. Most of them eat in a way that is unhealthy for their health. You are looking to make a positive change to improve the rest of your life and you are totally overwhelmed by the prospect. I wish I could help you with that aspect of things but I don't think I can.
I hope you begin to feel better about yourself and your life.
Like mentioned earlier, I had no problems eating rice by itself when I was "normal". It wasnt the cause of my weight gain. I gained weight after I incorporated fast food, hamburger, french fries and all that stupid junk into my life style. So I am hoping (keeping my fingers crossed) that after I lose weight, I can eat a little bit more without having any problems. There are only 23 g of carbs in one cup of white rice (the brand that I eat), so even if I were to eat 4 cups per day that would still be only 100 grams.
Going low carb to lose weight doesn't mean that eating high carb is the cause of the problem. I would not eat 4 cups of rice in one day.
I dont dare season my food. All I do is put a piece of chicken breast or fish on the grill (without any seasoning or very little garlic salt) and put it on top of a bead of lettuce, carrots, and tomatoes, everything tastes so bland and I am chewing away like a robot.
The vast majority of herbs and spices have no impact on blood sugar. Some even help (like cinnamon). Don't skip the spices. Maybe cut down a bit on salt, but most salt in our diet comes from processed foods not the salt you season with.
Sadly, if carbs cause blood sugar issues for you they will always cause blood sugar issues for you. If blood sugar/insulin issues are driving diabetes and obesity simply getting to a normal weight and resuming regular consumption of foods laden with carbs (esp sugar) will result in a new cycle of diabetes and weight gain.
Diabetes can sometimes be reversed by losing weight and removing most carbs from your diet. However, it does not go away permanently. A resumption of high carb consumption will bring the problem back.
That's actually not quite true. There are varying degrees of insulin resistance and sensitivity, hence why some people can become very obese and not develop diabetes while others develop it at much lower levels of bodyfat. There are many variables that would have to be taken into consideration.
I think you need to sever your ties to your love of food. You are so concerned about never being able to eat things that are bad for you. You seem to have some sort of an addiction to eating things that cause self destruction. I could easily be completely off base here, but through this entire thread the vibe I am getting from you is you want to protect your ability to be able to eat things that aren't healthy for you. Eat to live, don't live to eat. You have let yourself go for a long time, it is going to take a few weeks of solid effort before you see results on either a scale or a glucose meter. get up and get moving and stop worrying about what you can't eat and start focusing on what you can eat. Build lean muscle mass and the weight will start coming off and your whole metabolism will change. It will take a few months to start getting your body heading in a positive direction. You will see results with the way you feel though almost immediately.
Take care of you! The body is an incredible piece of equipment, it needs your help though. I say to people all the time, "I plan on carrying myself around in here for quite a while." take care of the thing that you carry your heart and soul around in. It seems you have a great one of both, show some love to what's around it.
I was diagnosed pre-diabetic this year age 46 my A1C had been last few years 5.9 then starting 2015 I hit 6.1. Doctor said I need to be on meds, so I asked for 6 months to try and drop the weight. I dropped 15 lbs in 30 days so far stopped all the junk food and I go to the gym 6 nights a week. I haven't felt this good in 20 years why I never did this before who knows. I don't get cravings anymore for high glycemic food now. Just have to get over those first couple of weeks then it gets easier.
I had labs drawn last Friday and they came back as high. I had the A1c test, and the result was 6.4. I know, I know its very, very close to the cut off of officially having diabetes (6.5 and up), but still technically, I am still in the gray area (pre diabetes is from 5.7 - 6.4). So what my doctor said was "the cut off for a normal a1c is 5.7, and yours is 6.4, so you have diabetes". He immediately put me on metformin, 2 tabs a day (1000 mg), and wants me to monitor my glucose for the next 10 days. He said if I lose 10% of my body weight, chances are my blood sugar will elevate itself and he could take me off the meds. This is a wake up call for me, and I am trying my best to exercise and diet but pretty bummed that he categorized me as a diabetic. I mean I am only 25, if my sugar does get better, and at some point I lose a significant amount of weight, would I still consider myself as a diabetic?
He gave me a glucometer at the visit this morning and I was so anxious to test as soon as I got out the car. My fasting glucose level was 106. Not the greatest, but upon further research, that would not put me in the diabetic range (although very close, since morning bs cut off is 110 for non diabetics). So based on my research, I am pre diabetic, but based on doc I am a diabetic (again, his cutoff is 5.7 - he's going by the "normal" range). So, what am I? In the future, when I fill out health questionares, do I check box "diabetes" in my health history form?
Your doctor has given you the warning that you are pre diabetic,at 20 yrs old you can do something about it through diet and exercise,its up to you, you can take the doctors warning seriously and do what needs to be done, or you can ignore the warning and watch your diabetic condition get worse.
Thanks everyone for your replies. I really appreciate it and its helped me learn more about diabetes since some replies I am getting on here are from people who have experienced it themselves.
However, I still cant brush off the feeling of being "doomed". I feel like I am young, with a full life ahead of me and this disease will follow me for the rest of my life. I havent been eating any carbs, rice, bread, pastas to be specific (the only carbs that I have eaten came from lettuce and veggies which probably consist of barely anything). Its really getting to me and messing with my head and makes me feel like I will have to stick to this "diet" for life. I dont dare season my food. All I do is put a piece of chicken breast or fish on the grill (without any seasoning or very little garlic salt) and put it on top of a bead of lettuce, carrots, and tomatoes, everything tastes so bland and I am chewing away like a robot. I have to cook separate meals the rest of my family (husband and kids) and have to watch them eat delicious food (that also contain the carbs that I cant eat). Its so saddening. Since last night, I have been falling asleep with thoughts such as "do I have to be like this forever? What do I eat when we go on vacation? Do I get to eat my birthday cake?" Just some crazy thoughts. I'm scared, I really am. I scared about what WILL happen after I lose the weight and always having to deal with the paranoia that something is going to happen. Sometimes I start acting sarcastic and be like "next time when we go eat out I will just order a single olive on a plate (got an idea from a pictue I came across online".
I dont know, its just the thought of never being able to live a "normal" life again scares me, despite overcoming the weight loss thing. I know losing weight is a priority and nothing is for certain until I lose all of it but just the thought of being thin and still being a diabetic is horrifying. Sorry if I am being repetitive. Need to go check on my salmon thats on the grill now.
Don't get hung up on what you can't eat I'm telling you I have the same issue as you A1C of 6.1 once I started using the treadmill everything changed. Set it to 6% grade 3 mph for 30 minutes a day 5-6 days a week it's about 1.43 mile walk. I watch TV at the gym they have 10 TV's running. I haven't felt this good in 20 years I alternate days and do the weight machines. I have a treadmill at home but too much distraction there to use it. In the morning I drink a protein drink like atkins, or ensure. Lunch I eat something that is lower carb. If we go to subway I cut out most of the bread or just get a salad with meat. Dinner I eat swash with chicken or we BBQ something. You don't have to cut out all carbs just do portion control on the fast burning carbs. The exercise and less carb meal will work together to turn things around. I plan on going back in December to get my A1C checked my first goal of 22lb loss is about there I started at 222 now I'm 205. I'm in it for the long haul and plan on being 180 be December. I know my A1c is going down because I feel lot better I knew something was wrong before I got tested just didn't feel right. The typical thrust and peeing all the time was starting to happen.
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