• Guest - w'd love to know what you think about the forum! Take the 2025 Survey »

Mentally draining

G

GemP

Member
Messages
8
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
I was diagnosed with type 2 almost 12 months ago I started off strong with exercise and diet and as times gone on iv literally lost 0 weight despite sticking to all plans and advise given and my sugars went up, I feel I'm on a horrible merry-go-round where I can't get off, nurse has put me on anti depressants but I feel so low and I don't no what to do, had my blood done yesterday I'm waiting for those results so I can contact the nurse, I don't have a diabetic team like some others seam to iv been left to my own devices for best part of 12 months, I don't see 1 nurse it's someone different every time telling me different things every time I go, surely they should all be singing from the same page or at least the same book!! I want to lose weight but can't seem to shift it I have a young daughter and partner, works nights so I can't even go to any exercise classes etc after work as she can't come with me and I'm exhausted all the time so I don't want to get up ever earlier to go walking or anything!! Sorry I needed to get that off my chest!! Thanks for reading
 
GemP said:
I was diagnosed with type 2 almost 12 months ago I started off strong with exercise and diet and as times gone on iv literally lost 0 weight despite sticking to all plans and advise given and my sugars went up
Click to expand...
I'm sorry to hear your approach is not working for you.

May I ask what your diet plan is?
Do you use a glucose meter to test before and after meals to see how you deal with different foods?
You'd likely have to fund yourself, but it can be an amazing tool to get a grip on your diabetes.
 
Hello and welcome @GemP

It sounds like you're having a really tough time. Luckily you've found this site which is full of amazing a supportive people.

Okay- the good news is that diet is much more important than exercise in managing diabetes- fortunate for me as I hate exercise- I do it but really hate it.

I completely agree with @Antje77 . A meter is a great idea. I started of testing many many times a day- I am a bit obsessive. I don't any more but that initial testing was vital for me. The thing about a meter is that it has no biases- it simply reflects your current levels. For me I went very low carb early and my meter showed me that that approach reduced my blood sugar levels dramatically. I found it challenging changing my diet ad my then doctor was not supportive of my diet change so the meter was vital to my mental health- it reassured me that it was working. My doctor liked the results of my diet but was not supportive of it.

I have found it challenging to get medical professionals supportive of my approach but they generally are supportive of the results.

Good luck and welcome.
 
Hi @GemP and welcome to the forum.

Diabetes can be very frustrating, as can weight loss - because there is no one way of dealing with it. However there is at least one way which is the right one for you.
That may be different from what it is for me or for other people because we are all different: different genes, different food cultures, different lifestyles, different micro-biome, different personalities.

I found that testing my blood glucose before a meal and then 2hrs later gave me all the confirmation I needed that the way I chose was working for me. But perhaps you can't afford a BG meter and test strips, perhaps you have been told not to test your blood glucose or perhaps you are needle phobic.

A few lesser known, but uncomfortable facts are:
1. There are only 3 basic methods of controlling diabetes
A). Lifestyle
B). Medication
C). Surgery.

The 2 most successful lifestyle methods are
i). A low carb High Protein Higher Fat way of eating - no dieting required. This works for around 50% of those who try it.
ii). A very low calories crash diet for 8 to 12 weeks followed by switching either a Low Carb or a moderately low calorie diet. This works for up to 30% of people in the first phase, but much fewer can manage the transition after the crash diet

2. The same 3 basic methods also apply to weight loss.
Note that it is a myth that the average person can lose (and maintain) weight by additional exercise. Several studies have shown that slimmer people do more exercise, but that is only because it feels better to exercise if you are slim than if you are lugging around too much weight. People who try to exercise to lose wight often find themselves getting hungrier and so having little treats which undo the good work of the exercise.

I strongly suggest you take a look at the success stories - particularly the low carb ones, because they low that it isn't fat which makes us fat, it is mostly carbohydrates which do that. All that potato, bread, rice, pasta, pastry, fruit juice all digests into glucose and raises our blood glucose, which good old eggs, meat, fish, cheese do not.
 
Do you have a source for this?
I thought the success rate for low carb high fat (and/or protein) diet was much higher for those who stuck to it and liked the lifestyle. Depending on the daily amoiunt of carbs.
 
Hiya I have tried a few different things, so right at the start I was already following a slimming program with my mum this was prior to the diagnosis so I stuck with that and the weight wouldn't shift and I was gaining weight, nurse told me to keep trying and to up my exercise so I did no results, so I switched to trying to eat healthy as low carbs as I could but I have really struggled with that method I'm just going round in circles, I wasn't told I needed to test and right before Christmas the nurse basically fell off her seat when I told her this and she said why was I told that why didn't I just do it, well I didn't do it because I didn't no what was good or bad and I was told not to!! I'm now self funding dexcom and this is my 4th sensor and it's told me loads to be honest, they should prescribe it to everyone with diabetes
 
@GemP , I'm an exercise person. If you are trying to lose weight through exercise then one has to go into the realms of aerobic and anaerobic exercises 5-6 days a week for an hour or so per day. If you are not naturally inclined or dislike exercise then this can be tough going. So I concur with the sentiments expressed. As @ianf0ster states everyone is different, no two people are the same. Diet is not my area of knowledge, so I will leave that to others who are far more knowledgeable than I am. So I will stick to what I know and that is the benefits of some form of exercise.

Exercise has broad health benefits. Even 30 minutes of walking per day (walking with purpose) will have a lowering benefit on your blood sugars. Skeletal muscles can absorb between 70 - 80 % of post prandial glucose. "Role of Skeletal Muscle in Insulin Resistance and Glucose Uptake. " . Resistance exercise has the most benefits, but just walking 30 minutes a day is important for health. Exercise increases muscle mass. The more you use your muscles the greater the uptake of glucose from your blood. Exercise also helps to increases insulin sensitivity. So there are benefits, other then weight loss. Diet alone cannot keep your heart healthy, diet alone cannot keep your muscles primed allowing for an increase in glucose uptake, Diet alone cannot keep your vascular system working at optimum. Looking at diabetes my personal view is diet and exercise is the way to go. Exercise has positives, even if weight loss is a tough order, it may improve your system as a whole.

Here is a link to 'Role of Skeletal Muscle in Insulin Resistance and Glucose Uptake. '

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articl...scle is the,in exercise and metabolic disease.
 
Antje77 said:
Do you have a source for this?
I thought the success rate for low carb high fat (and/or protein) diet was much higher for those who stuck to it and liked the lifestyle. Depending on the daily amoiunt of carbs.
Click to expand...
Source for Low Carb number is Dr David Unwin's Southport GP practice and yes, I have used the lowest number i.e. for those in remission after several (I think it is 3 yrs) taking all who try it, not just those who stick with it.
You are correct that the success rate for those who like the lifestyle is much higher, I don't know how much higher so I don't want to give a number but I would expect based upon this forum for it to be very high indeed.
 
With your worries - anxiety? - about activity levels, you don't have to go to classes! What sort of work are you doing? Go over your typical day as regards physical activities. It can be easier to increase each of those a little bit than add in something new and extra.

For example, I've started to do more housework - cleaning - than I ever used to do. Much less of the quick hoover and more of moving the furniture and cleaning up the cobwebs underneath and behind! And I garden. Again, allowing myself time every week for it. Does wonders for the conscience too!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Menu
Log in
Register
Cookies are required to use this site. You must accept them to continue using the site. Learn More.…