how do i lose weight? only no slimming world...help!!

[Baruney]

That's really good results,thank for sharing. Feeling a bit better now thanks to you guys and girls. Have actually been in tears today as didn't know what to do or how to even begin losing weight with out slimming world while trying to get my blood sugar under control.

Hola bel74

I too have been on and off slimming world for quite some time before being diagnosed t2 diabetic in August last year. Yes I lost weight (and yes I put it on again) and lost and gained - you get the picture! Enjoyed the people and the expectation of the weigh in and the Syns. There I was tucking into my onken fat free yogurt for brekki and 30g of cheese with some heathy meat with the fat cut of and a big old healty portion of cous cous thinking how healthy I was. My body disagreed!

Diagnosis was a bit of a shock as I had just started a running programe- couch to 5k run/walk and eating healthily but something didn't feel right and the world was a little fuzzy to put it mildly at that time. The diagnosis was a blessing in disguise and the more I read about what had happened to my body the more rational low carb/keto/Atkins etc etc. this forum has helped as has reading various websites and books.

Looks like the low carb route is calling out to you.

Go for it. It goes against most things we have been taught about diet and health. But as people testify on here the is no one size fits all and find what suits you and as others have already mentioned - test. You wouldn't drive a car without a speedo would you.

Just as a general observation I don't buy into the cost of testing often sprouted by some health care professional. Our diabetic nurse was keen to aggressively treat the diabetes with meteor in I said I wanted to try diet and exercise first. Our surgery follows the NICE guideline of giving out meters initial for self testing but with the proviso that it will stop in the future.

If I'd taken her up on the offer then I would be the entitled to free prescription for the strips and also add the cost of the metformin to that. Know it's cheaper than strips but in the long run is it? By opting for diet and exercise I'm adding over £8 per prescription to the coffers for a test strip cost of below £10 to the nhs and the odd visit to eBay.

Right I'm rambling now.

Go for it bel 74. That half stone in a month will be a breeze especially as your water rebalances in the initial stage.

Cheers (shame no alcohol for a while but well worth it).

 

[moonchip]

I disagree, hunger is not good! Hunger causes your metabolism to slow down making it harder to lose weight in the long run. LCHF is a new way of eating for life, not just a quick way to lose weight. With only 3 stones to lose there is no need to take on such an extreme diet as the ND if you don't want to. After the ND you still need to find a way of eating that suits you, so you may as well start and stick with LCHF.

It's best to start off as you mean to go on. Change habits for life.

Hello Zand

I'm only a newbie here relatively speaking so I'll respect your massive postings count & obviously greater experience than I.

However, as regards 'hunger' I'll agree to disagree with you on that one; both for ND & LCHF (DietDoctor) diets.

From everything I've read and experienced on 3 weeks on the ND, 'hunger' signals that my body has run out of carbs to 'fuel' my day. That happened around day 4 / 5 and continued for a few days.

I very rarely feel 'hungry' now. Certainly not the "is the sofa edible ?" hunger I experienced around the end of week 1.

From the notes from Prof Taylor and the comments from others, both on here & around the net, that hunger signifies the start of the switch of my body changing from carbs to fat to fuel itself, starting with 'core' fat around my liver and pancreas & other internal organs (ie, closest to its point of need)

I fully recognise that without adequate exercise, muscle will also be targetted by the body to provide the requisite energy; hence I am religious about exercise, both aerobic & anaerobic and a mixture of both. Today me and my little dog did 16.97 Km's (thats what my GPS logged, hence so precise)

Weight loss, especially from obesity (my starting BMI was 30.5) will always slow down the more you loose and the closer one gets to ones 'personal fat threshold' or ideal weight. It has to slow - if it didn't we'd disappear to nothing - literally !

I'm trying ND as a newly diagnosed T2 and at the end of it switching to a 'modified' LCHF as my maintenance diet (modified as in I'll still have my ND shake for breakfast on earlies as I cant face food at 04:00). My shake, tablespoon of oil, milled flaxseed, water mix sets me up, allows me to take my morning meds and lasts me through till noon ish

I think the key point, mentioned on numerous other threads on every topic is that we're all different and all need to find what works for us as individuals

For me, personally, it is an enforced journey of self discovery which - truth be told - I'm actually rather enjoying. At 46 for the past 3 weeks I feel healthier, sleep better, have an abundance of energy, feel more mentally alert than I have for as long as I can remember

Peace & best wishes

 

[zand]

Hi @moonchip you don't need to respect the amount of posts I have made. You are quite right we all have different views and need to find what's right for us individually.

I too tried my own version of the Newcastle diet as soon as I was diagnosed, so I can quite understand why you have done this. I ate 600 cals of mostly veggies for 7 weeks. The thing is, I had dieted so many times before, trying just about every diet there ever was, so that my metabolism had really slowed down. I did lose just over a stone in those 7 weeks, but some went back on when I started to eat other foods again. I was disappointed because I thought I could cure my diabetes this way and found I couldn't. I found the key was to eat more of the right things, not less food.

I'm glad you are feeling so much better - me too. I wasn't questioning the Newcastle Diet as such, just the need to feel hungry. I found once I gave up most of my carbs I stopped feeling hungry, which I suppose is similar to what you have said in your post too.

I'm sorry if you thought I was being critical of you. That wasn't my intention. I spent 25 years trying to lose weight and just wish someone had told me about LCHF way back then.

 

[Daphne917]

Unfortunately a very low calorie diet does not suit everyone - I only managed to lose about 8 lbs in 2 months on one, felt terrible and was told by my doctor to start eating properly again because my metabolism had slowed to the extent that my body was beginning to shut down. Since starting to eat low carb, full fat 5 months ago I've lost about 2 stone - not as much as others but an achievement with my metabolism!

 

[mikej1973]

For me intermittent fasting has worked really well. 2 stone in 3 months. I've low carbed before. It wasn't for me. It fosters an obsessive behaviour which I wasn't happy with. I wasn't a way of life because it encroached on everything I did. I thought about it all the time. With diabetes of course, that may not be such a bad thing!

But there are other ways to lose weight!

 

[moonchip]

Unfortunately a very low calorie diet does not suit everyone - I only managed to lose about 8 lbs in 2 months on one, felt terrible and was told by my doctor to start eating properly again because my metabolism had slowed to the extent that my body was beginning to shut down. Since starting to eat low carb, full fat 5 months ago I've lost about 2 stone - not as much as others but an achievement with my metabolism!

Why not just boost your metabolism through exercise ?

Cardio, resistance, or aerobic exercise will always counter & raise metabolism & help ensure that the weight loss is fat, not muscle

 

[Daphne917]

Why not just boost your metabolism through exercise ?

Cardio, resistance, or aerobic exercise will always counter & raise metabolism & help ensure that the weight loss is fat, not muscle

Been there done that and I do exercise. My problem is that i have hypothyroidism and I was told by a specialist that until it made up it's mind what it was going to do I would always have issues losing weight - in fact he told me that I was one of the few people who could honestly blame their metabolism for being over weight. I began treatment for my thyroid about 18 months ago which is 30 years after first being told this and it had made a difference.

 

[Paul59]

It's mostly carbs/sugars that lay as fat if not used up in someway. That's why lchf or as i like to call it, low carb increased fat is the best way to go as the increased fat replaces the energy lost from the lower carb intake & keeps you felling fuller for longer so less food consumed during the day & you have higher energy levels.

 

[rowan]

I had a quick look at the Newcastle diet and there's no way I could manage on 600 cals a day......I'm still reading up about LCHF,am I aloud any carbs each day? if so roughly how many. Also have you had good weight loss while doing it,I've ready a few people saying they haven't lost any weight even after 2 months

I started lchf in January when my BG was dangerously high and I had around 3 stone to lose. I aimed for 30-50g carbs a day. I tested religiously before every meal then 1 hour and 2 hours after meals so I could learn what I could eat and what made my BG spike - porridge was my first shock, sent my levels sky high! I counted carbs, but I haven't counted calories at all, just enjoyed the higher fat I was eating for the first time in my life without feeling guilty about it!

I've had other health problems get in the way of everything which slowed things down a bit for me, but I've now got my BG down to near normal levels and have only about half a stone left to go!
I was quite happy to go against doctors dietry advice, I listened to this forum instead and I'm so glad I did! (Thank you everyone!) I told my doctor what I was doing but didn't tell her just how low I was going with carbs, and she's very pleased with me

I think it helped that I started in winter so I had a lot of home made soups which were very filling, but I can't quite manage them in summer somehow. But being allowed Hellmans Real Mayonnaise on a salad really helps me enjoy them now, it still seems like a treat which makes all the difference to me
I've spent a lifetime yo-yo dieting and I must say this has been the easiest weight loss I've ever had and I know I can easily continue with it - it's not a diet, it's a new way of eating and I'm enjoying it.

Good luck with it all, I'm sure if I can do it anyone can, and the books in my signature will be a big help in understanding how lchf works and what you can/can't eat.

 

[rowan]

Looks like the low carb route is calling out to you.

Go for it. It goes against most things we have been taught about diet and health. But as people testify on here the is no one size fits all and find what suits you and as others have already mentioned - test. You wouldn't drive a car without a speedo would you.

That's a good analogy, I'll have to remember that one

 

[SueB743]

Hi and welcome.
I was only diagnosed earlier this year, and prior to my official diagnosis I went into diet mode (SW style), but also used a phone app to watch the calories and portion size, and was depressingly good on a weeks holiday (or so I thought). When I weighed after the hols I had lost precisely nothing, but I stuck with it, and lost a few pounds.
By the time I met with the nurse following diagnosis, I was doing ok, but then had the good fortune to find the forum. Since then I've cut out as many carbs as possible, no bread in the week (but I do have a sandwich with one of the lower carb breads on a weeked just for convenience), no rice, pasta or potatoes where I can help it. Have a lovely salad with feta every day for lunch, and in the main freshly cooked meals on a evening with lots of above ground veg. My snacks are a few nuts, or a few berries, or cheese.
The food section will give you some more ideas, but there is loads of amazing things you can eat and still lose weight, but it takes a while to change what you have had instilled for years that low fat was best. Many low fat products have sugar added to replace the fat, the low carb principle is taking away the sugars and replacing with fat (there are good fats and some not quite as good) as carb turns to sugar.
I still use my app to keep tabs on my calorie intake and will keep using it, but am a stone and a half down already. Now trying to include more exercise as I want to improve my fitness also.
Ultimately you will find a diet which works for you personally, but whatever you elect to do needs to be sustainable for the long term as this is not a fad, its a new way of life to keep you in the best health you can have. Enjoy trying new things, or better versions of things you already enjoyed - you will find what works for you before you know it.

 

[sara*big*73]

hey everybody!
this is my first post here on diabetes.co.uk! I’m Sara Liz and i’m obese – diabetes-related. I lost within 20 pounds in the past year. It’s really hard for me. I try to go to the gym twice a week and eat healthy and cook fresh things.
But as you wrote *bel74 – i count calories as well! I keep a tally of my daily meals. I have a little book, where i can write all those things. I dont like those apps. And if i want to know the exact nutrients or dont know the calories, i check http://www.calories.info. Thats the only help i use. It’s very important to look after carbs.. it’s so hard to eschew the carbs.. i love potatoes!! What do you do know, *bel74?
@all: what are your handy tips to avoid bad things like carbs e.g.?

 

[Clivethedrive]

hey everybody!
this is my first post here on diabetes.co.uk! I’m Liz and i’m obese – diabetes-related. I lost within 20 pounds in the past year. It’s really hard for me. I try to go to the gym twice a week and eat healthy and cook fresh things.
But as you wrote *bel74 – i count calories as well! I keep a tally of my daily meals. I have a little book, where i can write all those things. I dont like those apps. And if i want to know the exact nutrients or dont know the calories, i check http://www.calories.info. Thats the only help i use. It’s very important to look after carbs.. it’s so hard to eschew the carbs.. i love potatoes!! What do you do know, *bel74?
@all: what are your handy tips to avoid bad things like carbs e.g.?

Hi sara*big*73, welcome to the forum. @daisy1 has given you some basic information in your other thread.
http://www.diabetes.co.uk/forum/threads/hi-newbie.84765/

 

[GeoffersTaylor]

I was diagnosed in May, and I've lost over a stone and a half since then, mostly on LCHF. I found that counting total calories was very useful in addition to changing my carb intake. In detail, what I did (from reading around here and other places) is this ...

1) I found an online calorie requirement calculator, so I knew how many calories I needed each day - then I subtracted 500 to plan for weight loss. In my case that came to a target of about 1400 calories.
2) I learned that protein & carbs are 4 calories per gramme, and fat is 9 calories per gramme (twice as much!)
3) I decided on a low limit for carbs - 30g (120 calories)
4) I decided on a target protein of 100g (400 calories). That's based on between 1.5 - 2g of protein per KG of bodyweight which is what I've seen as a recommended amount.
5) I'd now set targets for 520 calories out of my 1400 total. That left 880 calories, which had to come from fats. At 9 calories per gramme that works out at a touch under 100g.
6) I joined an online food recording site (MyFitnessPal, but there are others) and record my meals in detail. That way I can see how my foods convert to carbs, protein & fats.

Notice how both protein & fats worked out at about 100g each. I eat roughly the same quantity of each,but I get double the calories from fats so the nutritional mix is about right.

Proteins - bacon, eggs, steak, ham, chicken (including skin), fish. Frying in butter adds fat.
Fats - avocado, butter, coconut oil, oily fish, olive oil, double cream - not milk.
Carbs - veggies mainly. I don't eat any fruit apart from blueberries. Lots of spinach!

I was very strict indeed in the first three months. Now that I've lost most of the weight I needed to I've been less strict about total calories. I occasionally overdo protein which can affect my blood sugars but I try not to.

This is what has worked for me. Weight down, cholesterol down, blood sugar and HBA1C all down to near normal levels.

This LCHF lark runs completely counter to everything we've been told about healthy eating, and I still find myself thinking "this can't be right" as I melt some stilton into double cream to make a rich, fatty, yummy cheese sauce. But it is right. At least for me, and for others on here.