Although I'm not T2, I also lost a significant amount of muscle mass and fat pre-diagnosis as a direct result of chronically high BG. Do you think that was the case with yourself also?Hi Im new to this.
I was diagnosed with T2 at the end of last year and have been taking Metformin sine December. This seems to have got my blood sugar levels consistently in the 6 to 7 range.
As a result of my T2 I have lost a fair amount of weight and noticeably in muscles. Despite regular eating and swimming the muscles don't seem to get any bigger and the weight is still lower than I would like, and I constantly get comments - "you've changed and lost weight" which gets old quickly.
Can anyone share similar a similar experience and how to fix these issues.
Thanks.
Thanks for getting back to me Grant.
When I had a blood test in June last year my HbA1c reading was 9.8%.
In December I was told the reading was 106. I have not had another test since so I am unsure what has happened since but as I said before, pre breakfast blood tests are generally showing readings in the 6 to 7 range.
Id like to think my diet is pretty good - Ive cut out bread, potatoes etc and cut down on fruit and no fruit juice at all. I aim to eat breakfast, lunch and dinner. I have reduced intake of rice and pasta and when I do eat these I try to eat wholewheat. I do not drink sugary drinks, eat sweets or cakes and only drink the odd beer, preferring red wine or spirits without mixers - alcohol intake is not excessive. I do not each much red meat, preferring chicken or fish. Breakfast is oats with nuts and plain yoghurt with fresh fruit mainly watermelon and pineapple.
The weight loss is more noticeable in the muscle sizes which tend to make you look unwell. Im currently about 74 kg and height of 1.77m. I guess my previous weight would have been around 79kg with the loss taking place over about 2 years. I have never been over weight and I am active.
Seems like you're doing everything right @wanden, especially with your dietary changes; as far as managing T2 goes.Thanks for getting back to me Grant.
When I had a blood test in June last year my HbA1c reading was 9.8%.
In December I was told the reading was 106. I have not had another test since so I am unsure what has happened since but as I said before, pre breakfast blood tests are generally showing readings in the 6 to 7 range.
Id like to think my diet is pretty good - Ive cut out bread, potatoes etc and cut down on fruit and no fruit juice at all. I aim to eat breakfast, lunch and dinner. I have reduced intake of rice and pasta and when I do eat these I try to eat wholewheat. I do not drink sugary drinks, eat sweets or cakes and only drink the odd beer, preferring red wine or spirits without mixers - alcohol intake is not excessive. I do not each much red meat, preferring chicken or fish. Breakfast is oats with nuts and plain yoghurt with fresh fruit mainly watermelon and pineapple.
The weight loss is more noticeable in the muscle sizes which tend to make you look unwell. Im currently about 74 kg and height of 1.77m. I guess my previous weight would have been around 79kg with the loss taking place over about 2 years. I have never been over weight and I am active.
Thanks for your comments - reassuring - so looks like Im going to have to go to the gym and gnc more.Seems like you're doing everything right @wanden, especially with your dietary changes; as far as managing T2 goes.
Your fasting BG isn't bad at all, and I'm sure at your next HbA1c test you'll see a large reduction from your December reading of 106mmol/mol.
Regarding your weight loss, 4kg is negligible providing that a large proportion of that loss came from body fat. It's entirely possible to loose muscle mass through chronically high BG's, which an HbA1c of 9.8% (83mmol/mol) would suggest.
As for putting muscle back on, I can only suggest regular exercise, weight/resistance training and matching your protein intake against that recommended for your weight.
In my experience, putting on muscle mass is a slow process and because of that, it's often easy to not actually see your gains.
Thank you for your comments - no I have not tried supplements or weight training but I will give them a go now.hi Wanden.
have you tried supplements & upping weight training routines ?
I'm recently diagnosed T2, on Metformin & have started LCHF lifestyle (not diet) lost a bit of weight but more noticeable, lost some abdo fat/ lovehandles..
I'm same, don't want to lose much weight just fat loss so have increased my exercise trying to get back to muscle mass/tone I had a few years ago, since training & back to using whey protein, creatine, BCAA my weight loss has levelled, fat burning continuing & muscle tone / strength returning.. good thing is it hadn't affected my BG, although I appreciate everyone's different..
good luck
Yes I was told it was very high particularly visibly when I attended the NHS lecture on diabetes and compared my levels to other attendees. I haven't had a follow up blood test since December but will get one done soon. I will also start doing before and after meals tests again. Ive really changed my diet since December so hopefully there should be a big difference.Did your doctor or nurse net tell you that your Hba1c result was very high?
It was high a year ago, and had gone even higher six months ago.
Are you testing before and after meals to see if you are still high?
You seem to be consuming some high carb items, it would be wise to check just what they are doing to you, and perhaps get another blood test done.
Many thanks for your comments - I will try.you definitely need weight training to put on muscle mass / toning up.
supplements really help but aren't for everyone, try & see how it goes..
maximuscle are good but expensive for what they are, Phd/USN etc not bad.
wheys are pretty much standard but some can affect stomach, creatine definitely helps strength & I've found best ones are effervescent (no loading doses/time on & off)
BCAA (branch chain amino acids) help protein synthesis & push nutrients into muscle tissue helping muscle recovery therefore growth.
L-carnitine is also excellent for fat loss & building muscle mass.
go to a gym, get advice from them, there's LOADS of supplements out there, you don't need all of them but the main 3 would be whey/creatine/BCAA.
good luck & if you need any help, I'll try & answer it, however I must stress I'm not a qualified instructor, just in & out of gyms for years.
thank you for sharing your comments.Greetings. I've never been overweight but I did have a small spare tyre, which I lost along with muscle mass when I cut down on carbs. However I can still do all the physical jobs I need to do, being retired, and being old as well I can just ask for help if it comes to shifting a bag of cement. Since I have a mild heart condition it's more important to me to keep my blood sugar level and weight down and exercise regularly than to put on muscle. Horses for courses and good luck.
thanks for the tip. I will have a look for them.no worries Wanden.
you don't need to be a bodybuilder to benefit from supplements, simple toning up & improving strength..
forgot to say, AMsport is the range I use, very good quality & reasonable prices, couple of guys at work are sponsored by them for their CrossFit.. definitely recommend looking at them if you do go down the supplement route. good luck
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