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I was just told I have pre-diabetes and that I have to lose weight fast. Like 50 lbs.
I've been reading up on line and I decided that following a diabetic diet would be the way to go. This will require extreme changes in my habits but it's a must. I think keeping the calories that low will be the hardest part until my stomach gets used to starvation mode.
What do you guys think would be the best way to count carbs and calories?
Another vote for this book. I just started two days ago so I can't vouch for results, but it is a simple concept and an easy quick read. You can eat everything you want but you have to balance carbs with appropriate amounts of protein - - and of course you can't eat nearly as many carbs as you (or me ) may want to. I already feel more alert at work because eating as the book prescribes is balancing out my blood sugar throughout the day.
I am a 47 year old woman who has been diagnosed with high blood pressure, dangerously high cholesterol and Type 2 diabetes. I have had all three for about 2 years now and although I take medications for all three I cannot seem to lose any weight. I have extreme belly fat but, the rest of me is small. I read in a magazine that there is a metabolic syndrome diet. I also have a hard time using anything but white sugar in my coffee which I know is a no no. The magazine didn't give the diet it just recommended the Dr. who specializes in it. This Dr. happens to be in a different state. Any suggestions or help would be appreciated.
It's a terrible shame that so many doctors don't pass on state of the art instruction for controlling the health issues you mention, choosing instead to write prescriptions. Many of them think that the average person isn't going to change their lifestyle to improve their health, and so drugs are the treatment of choice. The average person can't even easily get accurate information to implement the diet and lifestyle changes that they need.
I have a friend with Type 2, whose doctor tells her it's o.k. to eat white rice.
Here are the most important things you can do:
Learn about the glycemic index of foods and avoid high glycemic.
Eat more protein to help stabilize insulin.
Eat fewer carbs, and completely avoid white bread, pasta, rice, potatoes, sugar. Get most of your carbs from non-grain sources, such as leafy vegetables, beans, fruit, etc.
Exercise.
Use olive oil in your cooking.
Good luck! These changes are completely doable, and will benefit all your health issues. I'm older than you and struggle with eating issues, so I've taken it upon myself to learn about the same diet and lifestyle changes that truth be told, we all should make. The "Western diet", meaning the typical American way of eating, isn't good for ANYONE.
Make sure you clear any changes with your doctor, especially increasing exercise.
There is so much info. on the web for learning about the glycemic index of various foods, recipes, meal plans, exercise plans, etc. Google on!
Last edited by ShermanJoe2; 04-24-2010 at 12:55 PM..
Reason: clarify
As a part of my treatment for type 2, I was enrolled in a diabetes management class. In that class I was prescribed a diet low in carbohydrates 60 grams per meal for a total of 180 grams per day. I can have snack carbs between meals, but I have to reduce, in kind, my carbs at mealtime. If those carbs included 5 grams or more of fiber, then I could subtract the fiber from my carb budget. It's an arbitrary rule (even if there is 1 gram of fiber, you can subtract it), but it makes me look for high fiber foods (My goal is 25 to 35 grams per day). Reducing my carb intake and increasing my fiber consumption were first priority, and adjusting my lifestyle to these goals has taken a while (4 months, now).
I also exercise intensely for an hour a day - usually 4-15 minute sessions. And I also take every chance to be more active, since I work in an office.
I have lost a lot of weight (35 pounds) and my blood glucose has been normal. My doctor said that I had to lose weight if I wanted to avoid taking medicine (which is what I really wanted). I have been doing good, so far.
My next goal is to monitor more closely my fat intake.
The most difficult time I've had is the monitoring. It is a lot of work, but the benefits are priceless.
Another vote for this book. I just started two days ago so I can't vouch for results, but it is a simple concept and an easy quick read. You can eat everything you want but you have to balance carbs with appropriate amounts of protein - - and of course you can't eat nearly as many carbs as you (or me ) may want to. I already feel more alert at work because eating as the book prescribes is balancing out my blood sugar throughout the day.
It's been 16 days now and I have lost 6 pounds!
I don't know if it's as much the protein-carb combining in this book as the fact that I am simply not allowed to have the carb portion sizes that I would've had before. At any rate, I like the results so far!
The hardest part for me is forcing myself to eat breakfast because I am not hungry in the morning.
You are supposed to never get hungry, eat several small meals a day, etc, so you actually find yourself eating (small) snacks when you don't particularly want food... it's counterintuitive but I'll take 2+ pounds per week!
You are supposed to never get hungry, eat several small meals a day, etc, so you actually find yourself eating (small) snacks when you don't particularly want food... it's counterintuitive but I'll take 2+ pounds per week!
Congrats on your weight loss. How's your blood sugar levels?
I was told that you are supposed to keep your blood glucose count within normal levels. Snacks between meals are not mandatory; however, if your blood sugar drops too low between meals a snack will help raise those levels.
I've read about some docs having a great deal of success treating diabetes with an Atkins style diet. When I was on it, my cholesterol came down too, and my triglycerides showed the most dramatic improvement. At one time when I had my trigs tested, they were over 700, but when I had them tested after a few days on Atkins, they were 90, which is normal. I just wish I could stick with it and leave the sweets alone. I exercise regularly, which is extremely important for pushing the numbers towards normal but it won't do it all. BTW, I am overweight, but not obese.
I'm 62 and I've had diabetes for 10 years now and always had overly high sugar levels due to a poor diet and since retirement a sedentary life style,at this point various mental and physical systems are shutting down so my diabetic clinic doctor suggested seeing a psychiatrist and my wife got me seeing a life coach to try to figure out why i'm not taking this whole issue seriously,Well both professionals are saying about the same thing
,there aint no magic pill Jim you got to get off your butt and start doing something physical and get rid of the beer while you're at it,if you dont like exercise then call it something else but its entirely up to me to do something about the problem. Diet low in carbs , sugar and processed food is only part of the solution,exercise and increased mobility have to be part of the regime, Its tough to get motivated about exercise i hate it but the consequences for not forcing myself to do physical activities will be the eventual loss of limbs,blindness,various organ failures and on a mental level the ceasing of passion for life.
At the moment i'm on the South Beach diet and wow do i miss carbs and beer
Good luck
I'm 62 and I've had diabetes for 10 years now and always had overly high sugar levels due to a poor diet and since retirement a sedentary life style,at this point various mental and physical systems are shutting down so my diabetic clinic doctor suggested seeing a psychiatrist and my wife got me seeing a life coach to try to figure out why i'm not taking this whole issue seriously,Well both professionals are saying about the same thing
,there aint no magic pill Jim you got to get off your butt and start doing something physical and get rid of the beer while you're at it,if you dont like exercise then call it something else but its entirely up to me to do something about the problem. Diet low in carbs , sugar and processed food is only part of the solution,exercise and increased mobility have to be part of the regime, Its tough to get motivated about exercise i hate it but the consequences for not forcing myself to do physical activities will be the eventual loss of limbs,blindness,various organ failures and on a mental level the ceasing of passion for life.
At the moment i'm on the South Beach diet and wow do i miss carbs and beer
Good luck
Your post reminded me of my husband. He's been a diabetic for 15 years or so. About 5 years ago, he started slacking on taking his insulin and watching his diet. Eventually he stopped taking the insulin, was always eating fast food. He also quit going to the doctor about 7 years ago. He didn't realize just what could happen to him. 4 years ago he got a cut on his toe and it got infected. He didn't take care of it and ended up getting below knee amputation. A year and a half ago, he was real sick and throwing up all the time. Went to the ER....diagnosed with ESRD(kidney failure). He is on dialysis 3 times a week for 4 hours at a time. He has problems with his eyes(diabetic retinopathy). High blood pressure. Congestive heart failure(CHF). Oh yeah....he's only 38 years old. So for anyone who isn't taking diabetes seriously, think of my husband anytime you start to cheat on your diet. You really don't want to end up like him. And dialysis is no fun. Diabetes and/or high blood pressure will take out your kidneys if you don't control it.
The only good things that have happened to him recently...a year ago we got married. I go with him every time to dialysis. He is doing extremely good on dialysis except for the anxiety issues he has developed due to it. He stopped taking his insulin again a little over a year ago. However this time it was doctor approved. His kidney doctor isn't sure exactly why this happened but his pancreas is working. My husband had tests done so he could get a pancreas and the transplant center informed him that he didn't need one. His pancreas is producing insulin and he is no longer insulin dependent. He doesn't have to follow a diabetic diet anymore. (of course he can't go overboard and go back to the junk he was eating before). His sugar is checked all the time and it is always in a normal range(never more than 115-120). They think that the high blood pressure was the main culprit of the kidney failure and that the diabetes just added to that and made it worse. He has been told that he is very lucky his pancreas is working.
He has been told that he is very lucky his pancreas is working.
Wow! All I've been told is that the pancreas dies a slow death over the years. Now, there is hope that it can come back! Wow!
Is he a candidate for a kidney replacement? Whether or not, good luck to him.
Was your husband obese when diagnosed? What happened to his weight for the 10 years before he lapsed on his diet? How did he lose his weight: diet, exercise, both?
Wow! All I've been told is that the pancreas dies a slow death over the years. Now, there is hope that it can come back! Wow!
Is he a candidate for a kidney replacement? Whether or not, good luck to him.
Was your husband obese when diagnosed? What happened to his weight for the 10 years before he lapsed on his diet? How did he lose his weight: diet, exercise, both?
I still don't understand either about the pancreas. His doctor just says to be thankful. There are alot of diabetics at his kidney center and the doc hasn't seen it before where someone that is so insulin dependent is suddenly not anymore. I asked him if dialysis affects the sugar levels and he said not enough to make that big of a difference. My husband is eating whatever sweets he wants and drinking regular soda(although not dark because it's against the renal diet). He was always over 200 without insulin(and usually closer to 300, many times even higher). He still gets his sugar tested at dialysis. They do monthly reports for many different things including that. He also gets tested occasionally with a meter just to make sure. Had dialysis today and tested with a meter. His sugar was 89 and like I said, he eats and drinks what he wants. Don't remember what his A1C result was but they are always fine. The doctors we met at the transplant center couldn't give us any answers either.
As for the kidney, I don't know if it's a requirement in all states but here in IN, he has to quit smoking before he can go on the list. That is the hard part for him right now. He's depressed enough with all that's happened and now is a just a hard time for him to quit. He's gradually cutting down until he can quit. In the meantime, he does good on dialysis.
He was overweight when he first became diabetic. He lost weight and followed the diet and stuck with the insulin. He did diet and exercise to lose weight. He says he also drank alot of water. No soda or juice. He weighed somewhere around 250-275. I don't know his weight when he stopped following his diet. His weight when we left dialysis today was 172 pounds. (by the way, he's 5'8") He's probably put on about 10 pounds since starting dialysis a year and a half ago. He's still got some fat on his stomach area but not alot. He doesn't follow a diabetic diet anymore but is now on a renal diet so he still has to watch what he eats. The biggest things he has to watch is sodium, potassium, and phosphorus. Too much of any of those is a bad thing.
He doesn't exercise as much anymore because he's weak from dialysis but he does still get some. We live on the third floor at an apartment building and everyday he has to go up and down all those stairs to build up his leg muscles. (got weak when he started dialysis and never wanted to do anything so lost alot of leg muscle. now have to build it back up.)
The only things I can suggest are stick with the diet, take your insulin, lose the weight, even once you've lost it still exercise to maintain it, watch your BP, get a support group to talk to(friends, family, anyone). Talk to a nutritionist about creating a diet that you can stick to.
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) may want to. I already feel more alert at work because eating as the book prescribes is balancing out my blood sugar throughout the day.
