Being told to exercise to help my type 2

[Philipo]

A few weeks ago I had the National Health over 50's check at my doctors and I went back to hear my results....

1 you have a 50% chance of a heart attack owing to you family history and you are also overweight

2 your BM reading is high 7.9 so may i suggest you change your diet and you increase your exercise...

Now these two statements have really hit a sore point as I am constantly having a battle with doctors & nurses who only use the charts and information they are told to tell us...in my case I have a long term serious mobility problem which excludes me from taking exercise that will reduce my weight and because of certain drugs I take I just don't feel like eating at times....

Prior to my spinal problem I was able to walk 20miles with a rucksack full of camera gear inside, to complement this I played squash & badminton so I am not a lazy person who used to sit on his backside and I took my health very serious....

In fact over the past 5 years my weight has stayed the same, (5'11 & 16st) so in my eyes this is a good sign that I am controlling my weight whereas if I was overindulging my weigh would have gone sky high....I don't drink alcohol or smoke...well the only smoke that is happening is coming out of my ears as I am so damned annoyed at being told to lose weight with out any practical advice being given as how to do this with a serious spinal disability...I can't even go swimming!!!

If there is anyone out there who can advice me on how lose weight I would be very grateful to hear from you....my last GP's answer was "don't eat" now that's what I call a good suggestion as we all know you have to eat sensible with type 2....

Looking forward to hearing some advice...

 

[Grazer]

As a type 2, I started eating a reduced carb diet to control my blood sugar levels. That worked well, but a side effect has been that I've lost 2 stone in weight and 4 inches round my middle. I struggle now to keep enough weight on! So maybe you could try that diet if you're not already. Avoid flour based products like bread and pastry, white rice and pasta, mashed potato and boiled old potatos.
I eat boiled new potatos (a few), burgen low GI bread from sainsburys, wholewheat spaghetti (a bit), basmati rice not overcooked (sometimes!), loads of salad, fish, meat etc
There are lots of lower carb/low GI diet tips on this forum that can help.
Try some and see how you get on
Remember to test your sugar levels if you change diet a lot
Good luck!

 

[Wendywu]

Exercise possibilities that I can think of include:

Swimming with flotation aids
Recumbent stationary cycle
Adapted arm use only stationary exercise machine
Rowing machine with adaptive seat for wheelchair users (provides bum cushioning, a fairly high seat back and straps)

And you could request an appointment with your local physio department for exercise ideas?

Dieting - you could count carbs, or calories - there are many helpful books about. I bet there are some that cover specific problems relating to severely restricted mobility and weight loss; there seems to be a diet book for just about everything these days.

 

[bowell]

I have lost 7lbs in a week ?

i am wheelchair bound with semi spinal brake also damage to my neck thats left my right side next to useless top it off a recent TIA
I am as near non moving as you likely to get ,, Well a full quad would have me
Since sitting here in this chair for 18 months now I have a nice wheelchair belly :evil:
Making it harder to transfer from chair to bed ,bog, armchair ,and back

Also asked for help from NHS told to eat a healthy diet only :?
my GP sent my twice to the dietitians same advise
who told me to go to slimming world or weight watchers as we dont do diet plans ?
called both the local belly buster clubs, nether wished to take me on with the problems i have
also just getting there at the times running and one with no wheelchair access no way
to use any there scales :?

In the end my GP said he would help me himself in the meantime this Newcastle study thing came up /Gave him all the info on it told me to hang on until he had a good look and made some phone calls Given me the GO and following me with check ups every week together with bloods ect

What im trying to say I move one arm and my eyes around sit in my chair all day and type with one hand a bit ,So you have a problem getting less laid back than me

Cutting my calories right back has worked ,,,, well first week it has :roll:

So comes back to my old mum my Cake hole was bigger than my Bum Hole :mrgreen:

IF YOU HAVE OTHER MEDICAL PROBLEMS LIKE ME ASK YOUR GP FOR HELP

Cut it short im am now on the 600Kcal plus 200kcal veg diet 800kcal total see INFO HERE
http://www.diabetes.co.uk/diabetes-forum/viewtopic.php?f=27&t=23135#p210168

and my account of my first week early days still :roll:
http://www.diabetes.co.uk/diabetes-forum/viewtopic.php?f=27&t=23392#p212832

Pm if you like

 

[borofergie]

Like (the artist formerly known as) Malc, I've managed to slip about 50lb in 15 months using the old Low Carb (apart from 10lbs or so of that was down to 2 weeks on the Optifast thing).

There is a growing body of opinion that it's not just about "calories in vs calories out", but how the carbohydrates that you eat generate insulin responses and ultimately insulin resistance. If your insulin is high, then your body gets stuck in glucose burning and fat storage mode (rather than fat burning mode), and so you get, and stay, fat.

It's still a little contraversial, but I'd suggest you check out Gary Taubes writing on diet and weight loss. His NY Times article is a good place to start:
http://www.nytimes.com/2002/07/07/magaz ... t-lie.html
his book "Why we get fat" is also very good.

In the book he also suggests that exercise isn't necessary for weight loss, and might even be counterproductive (it's difficult to burn a significant enough amount of calories, and that its main effect is just to increase your appetite).

I find Taubes' (Lustig's and others) argument very compelling, but it's worth spending some time reading and watching YouTube videos to understand some of the competing opinions too.

 

[pianoman]

Agree with above... I am also of the school of thought which says it is more about the quality of what we eat, than the quantity. Read around the subject and make up your own mind. Good luck

 

[Grazer]

Like (the artist formerly known as) Malc

Like it! Perhaps I should have called myself Prince Grazer!
Malc

 

[bowell]

Exercise possibilities that I can think of include:

Swimming with flotation aids
Recumbent stationary cycle
Adapted arm use only stationary exercise machine
Rowing machine with adaptive seat for wheelchair users (provides bum cushioning, a fairly high seat back and straps)

I used to love the rowing machine and used it to strengthen my back
when working to help and stop me pulling my back when lifting heavy boilers out or lifting something the wrong way as you do

Thats Ok if you have a stable spine or no injury

Some have unstable spine and or injuries
Perm damage that will give chronic pain , like lesions on the spinal cord
Exercise can then be dangerous to the spinal cord or just too painful
I have multi level damage in my neck that considered too high a risk to operate on
small knocks and straining will give me unbelievable pain spasms so arm exercise is ruled out
NO Physio is on the top of my all hospital notes ,Extreme care when lifting moving

Some of us exercise is no longer an option

Bob

 

[Wendywu]

Appreciate that Bowell, but just trying to be helpful

 

[bowell]

No problem it annoys the hell out me that, I cant exercise

 

[viviennem]

Hi Philipo

I have a very good little book by Rosita Evans called Rosie's Armchair Exercises. Also I have just bought one of those little exercise pedally things to either pedal with my feet when sitting in my chair, or to put on the desk and pedal with my hands. Both have been approved by my physio, and do help a bit.

The diet I use is based on Robert Atkin's low carbohydrate diet. It's a 'sticky thread' at the top of the Low Carb Diabetes Diet forum on here, called Viv's Modified Atkins Diet. It doesn't suit everyone, but it works for me and a number of others, and the beauty of it is, that if you stick to the list of allowed foods, and the quantities where stated, you will never be hungry, you will have lots of energy, and you will lose weight. I think that the most powerful thing about it for me, is the feeling of being in control that it gives me.

As I've said, it doesn't suit everybody. But it's a good base to start from, and you can add in more carbs if that suits you better. Or there is plenty of other advice elsewhere on the forum.

I hope you find something that suits you. The standard NHS recommended diet just doesn't work for me, and others, so you need to look around.

Viv 8)

 

[Maudie]

I was at the stage where the Doctor prescribed additional medication on top of my metaformin. Since I don't like taking any medication, I decided to go swimming to see if I could beat the problem. My sugar levels were hovering around 12.. I started swimming and then joined Aqu-running which turned my life around. I went swimming nearly every day but aqua-running twice a week and my sugar is now down to 7 and often below, even 5.6 to 7 is normal now. I would advice anyone to go and swim and preferably to take up aqua running. I have two knee issues so walking for me is out, but in water, you can do the same as anyone. Aqua-running the trainer said, is equal to running on dry land or the gym machine. It also gives you lean muscle which is different to that on dry land. I do 45 minutes twice a week. During my own swim now, I incorporate a minute each time I swim to the deep end and after it, I feel really good. I made excuses why I couldn't walk due to my knees but with swimming and aqu running, there is no reason why you can't do that. Also in my location for over 60's it's free! By the way I am quite overweight and I never changed my diet but I started losing weight. My overweight problem was really from no exercise, sat at a computer all day and not the wrong diet.