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Recently I was on a reduced calorie diet. I weigh 260 lbs and want to lose 50 lbs. I am 6'3" tall. I was restricted to 2150 calories a day. I was using a diary to keep count. Well, after over a month the scale hasn't moved.
If your weight hasn't changed in a month you are eating too many calories. It's that simple. When your caloric intake is greater than your energy usage, you put on weight. When it's less, you lose. The body is naturally programmed to put on weight when food is abundant. It's a natural survival mechanism, to save up body stores for times when food is scarce. But in our modern society food is almost never scarce unless we choose to make it so. That's why the majority of the population is overweight, because food is so abundant.
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I am thinking of trying intermittent fasting for a while. I have not talked to a doctor about it. Maybe go for a day or two on just water / sugar free juice or maybe try to eat just one meal a day for several days.
I strongly recommend that instead of just doing kinda sorta hit-or-miss fasting on a random plan, that you read "Fast Diet," one of the books by experts that started the whole 5:2 or intermittent or fast(ing) diet movement.
The basic principle is to eat normally 5 days a week... say 2,000 calories in your case, then to severely restrict calories 2 days a week, to not more than 500 calories for women, 600 for men. What this does, by invoking the "scarce food" response that burns stored calories, it also inhibits the "abundant food" response that packs them away.
Spend some time searching on "Fast diet and diabetes" and you'll find some very interesting material about how people are losing weight and reversing early stage Type II diabetes this way. Here's one to get you started, which mentions that there are indications that the 5:2 diet can increase insulin sensitivity: http://www.diabetes.co.uk/diet/5-2-i...fast-diet.html
The probably with "any-which-way" fasting is that it doesn't work as well for a number of reasons. Suffice it to say the 5:2 ratio was found to be the most effective regimen. Read, read, read!
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If I do this and while I am fasting should I stop taking the diabetes meds?
Would the combination of not eating and taking the meds cause my BG to go too low?
Nobody can answer that for you. You need to test, test, test in order to keep on top of what is happening with your blood sugar throughout the day. And keep an organized log, with detailed notes. Don't rely on memory. Watch for any dangerous drops in blood sugar level and be aware of the symptoms. If you do decide to cur back on meds, do it carefully and gradually, perhaps cutting dosage in half, and then tracking the changes on your log. And of course, be in full communication with your doctor about what is going on for you.
I lost the most weight by following a diet low in carbs, not by counting calories. I was eating a low carb, moderate protein/moderate fat diet. The more I ate, the more my weight dropped.
But that's just me personally. You have to find what works for yourself.
Juice is generally not good for diabetics so if you go that route please be sure to check your blood glucose often.
I have diabetic friends who sometimes fast for a day or two in order to help remove excess glucose from their liver, not to lose weight. It works for one person and not another. Me, I found it much more pleasant to reduce carbs and eat as much lower carb foods as I wanted.
It is my opinion that diabetes cannot be reversed. It can, however, be controlled and controlled well.
It is my opinion that diabetes cannot be reversed. It can, however, be controlled and controlled well.
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Everyone's entitled to their opinion.
Thanks to everyone for the info. I will read the 5:2 thing which I was not aware of. Looks interesting.
As far as reversing diabetes (type 2) it is not only possible but has been well documented. Not that I am going into bariatric surgery but something about it has caused people to reverse their diabetes. It is still a mystery as to how and why but it is happening. I do believe that drastic weight loss and lifestyle changes can actually do it (in some cases).
I think it has something to do with the effects on the colon.. Many medications such as Metformin affect the colon. It is also thought that it prevents certain types of cancer. Metformin Research Update - National Cancer Institute
D cant be reversed, im of that group too.
I wouldnt fast with t2, it would throw your BG way off after the fast
Don't be close minded. Research is making new discoveries every day.
One of the interesting things about the 5:2 Fast Diet is that it was developed by medical researchers working on possible life extension techniques. The possible benefit for diabetics was unexpected, especially the weight loss and increased sensitivity to insulin.
As I cautioned, the key to trying any major dietary change is to test, test, test! so you can carefully monitor what is happening. One of the features of the 5:2 Fast Diet is that the 500-600 calorie days are much easier for most people to manage than 0 calorie days, which increases compliance and decreases "cheating," yet is restricted enough to keep the body from going into "store food" mode on the regular days.
In effect it keeps the body in "scarce food" mode all the tine so it is prone to burning fat rather than storing fat, and that makes it easier to lose or maintain weight as desired with minor dietary adjustments
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Just a thought on reversing T2 diabetes. I figure since it is usually "adult onset" and brought on by a bad lifestyle and if it has not caused permanent damage, in theory it just may be reversible. Maybe it's just a trigger where your pancreas stops working correctly and does not produce enough insulin etc. If one gets their body/lifestyle in order it could be that everything starts working as it should. Again, just a thought and I don't think it's that easy. I tend to think of T2 not so much a disease but a metabolic disorder.
Just a thought on reversing T2 diabetes. I figure since it is usually "adult onset" and brought on by a bad lifestyle and if it has not caused permanent damage, in theory it just may be reversible. Maybe it's just a trigger where your pancreas stops working correctly and does not produce enough insulin etc. If one gets their body/lifestyle in order it could be that everything starts working as it should. Again, just a thought and I don't think it's that easy. I tend to think of T2 not so much a disease but a metabolic disorder.
Thats not even true of t2 though. Its not always adult onset. There is adult onset t1 and even childhood t2. It is not always brought on by bad lifestyle, but being overweight, genetics, etc. T1 and y2 are completely different in how the pancreas works and insulin.
Youre really past the stage of reversing if you already have t2. You might have held it off at Pre-D.
Just a thought on reversing T2 diabetes. I figure since it is usually "adult onset" and brought on by a bad lifestyle and if it has not caused permanent damage, in theory it just may be reversible. Maybe it's just a trigger where your pancreas stops working correctly and does not produce enough insulin etc. If one gets their body/lifestyle in order it could be that everything starts working as it should. Again, just a thought and I don't think it's that easy. I tend to think of T2 not so much a disease but a metabolic disorder.
I think you are sort of right. Here's my understanding.
Let's say your normal diet -- before diabetes -- is to eat eggs and potatoes and toast for breakfast, hamburgers and fries and cokes every day for lunch, and dinner is pizza or big sandwiches with potato chips. And lots of donuts and cookies.
You get diabetes, but you aren't diagnosed right away -- you go into some sort of crisis to find out. You eat right and exercise and lose weight and take your meds.... and you get down in weight and get off your meds and maintain a normal blood glucose and A1C.
If you go back to your old diet, your diabetes will come back. If you stay on the new diet, you might be able to cheat a little and maintain... but you are not cured.
Barn door's open, the horses are out. Shutting the barn door doesn't get your horses back....
Thats not even true of t2 though. Its not always adult onset. There is adult onset t1 and even childhood t2. It is not always brought on by bad lifestyle, but being overweight, genetics, etc. T1 and y2 are completely different in how the pancreas works and insulin.
Youre really past the stage of reversing if you already have t2. You might have held it off at Pre-D.
Maybe not always adult onset but in my case it is adult onset. I was a drinker of regular coke in large quantities, enjoyed candy bars, ice cream and cake quite a bit. Never watched what I ate. Eventually started developing the classic symptoms of t2, frequent urination etc. Then one day I felt really bad, decided to get checked and surprise!
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Originally Posted by Oildog
Diabetes is a genetic issue. Lifestyle can accelerate the problem.
In the case of T1 maybe it is genetic. No one and I mean no one in my family has had diabetes. I am the first. As for lifestyle read above.
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