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weight loss help

M

markg3174

Member
Messages
11
Location
bradford
Type of diabetes
Treatment type
Diet only
hi ive been newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes and am an exercise and diet controlled method. I was informed i needed to lose weight so am doing a low carb diet and average calorie diet of about 1500-1700 calories per day and half hour exercise per day and was very succesful and have lost just under 2 stone but over last three weeks have plateaued with my weight and i can not seem to reduce if further my bmi is still high and have gone from 17stone 4 to 15 stone 6 but for my height need to get this down to around 12 and a half stone. I need some suggestions how i can kick start the weight loss again as im getting fed up now that it has plateaued can anyone give me some ideas thanks
 
markg3174 said:
hi ive been newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes and am an exercise and diet controlled method. I was informed i needed to lose weight so am doing a low carb diet and average calorie diet of about 1500-1700 calories per day and half hour exercise per day and was very succesful and have lost just under 2 stone but over last three weeks have plateaued with my weight and i can not seem to reduce if further my bmi is still high and have gone from 17stone 4 to 15 stone 6 but for my height need to get this down to around 12 and a half stone. I need some suggestions how i can kick start the weight loss again as im getting fed up now that it has plateaued can anyone give me some ideas thanks
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Firstly markg3174,big welcome to the forum,hey you've hit the ground running well done, if you'd like to post a weeks worth of your foods you eat,and amounts we may be able to help you,what is your bs on waking,and before dinner and 2 hrs post dinner please, looking forwards to getting to know you better
 
markg3174 said:
hi ive been newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes and am an exercise and diet controlled method. I was informed i needed to lose weight so am doing a low carb diet and average calorie diet of about 1500-1700 calories per day and half hour exercise per day and was very succesful and have lost just under 2 stone but over last three weeks have plateaued with my weight and i can not seem to reduce if further my bmi is still high and have gone from 17stone 4 to 15 stone 6 but for my height need to get this down to around 12 and a half stone. I need some suggestions how i can kick start the weight loss again as im getting fed up now that it has plateaued can anyone give me some ideas thanks
Click to expand...
Hi Mark, welcome to the forum, I've tagged @daisy1 to give you the newcomers welcome information.
Everyone plateaus at some point, your body is naturally getting used to a low carb style of eating.
Little things are important to drop your weight more, something simple like splitting your walks into two or three times for shorter periods if you can.
Reduce your carbs a little bit more, supplement with more full fat or protein.
Eat smaller plate sizes, was the one that did it for me. But that was because I have to eat little and often.
Walking reduces blood glucose levels quicker after a meal.

Ask any questions, good luck on your losing more weight and well done so far!
 
nosher8355 said:
Hi Mark, welcome to the forum, I've tagged @daisy1 to give you the newcomers welcome information.
Everyone plateaus at some point, your body is naturally getting used to a low carb style of eating.
Little things are important to drop your weight more, something simple like splitting your walks into two or three times for shorter periods if you can.
Reduce your carbs a little bit more, supplement with more full fat or protein.
Eat smaller plate sizes, was the one that did it for me. But that was because I have to eat little and often.
Walking reduces blood glucose levels quicker after a meal.

Ask any questions, good luck on your losing more weight and well done so far!
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thanks appreciate the help
 
Clivethedrive said:
Firstly markg3174,big welcome to the forum,hey you've hit the ground running well done, if you'd like to post a weeks worth of your foods you eat,and amounts we may be able to help you,what is your bs on waking,and before dinner and 2 hrs post dinner please, looking forwards to getting to know you better
Click to expand...
because i am diet and exercise controlled am not doing blood sugars in the morning i eat small portions yesterday i had bran flakes with semi skimmed milk for breakfast a grilled chicken stirfry (1 chicken breast) and a ham salad sandwich for tea no mayonnaise and some toast 2 slices of wholemeal later on to take my tablets for my other health conditions plus 30 mins of exercise on the wii fit
 
markg3174 said:
because i am diet and exercise controlled am not doing blood sugars in the morning i eat small portions yesterday i had bran flakes with semi skimmed milk for breakfast a grilled chicken stirfry (1 chicken breast) and a ham salad sandwich for tea no mayonnaise and some toast 2 slices of wholemeal later on to take my tablets for my other health conditions plus 30 mins of exercise on the wii fit
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Think you need to reduce your carbs a bit more as the bran flakes, the milk, the bread would raise my blood glucose levels high and maybe that's why you have plateaued.
Find an alternative, have a look at the low carb forum. The information there will make you realise that wholemeal and breakfast cereals are the cause of diabetics high blood glucose levels.
Unless, you have an underlying condition why you need the additional carbs, that's where I would target to lose weight.
 
nosher8355 said:
Think you need to reduce your carbs a bit more as the bran flakes, the milk, the bread would raise my blood glucose levels high and maybe that's why you have plateaued.
Find an alternative, have a look at the low carb forum. The information there will make you realise that wholemeal and breakfast cereals are the cause of diabetics high blood glucose levels.
Unless, you have an underlying condition why you need the additional carbs, that's where I would target to lose weight.
Click to expand...
ok thanks
 
@markg3174

Hello Mark and welcome to the forum :)

Here is the information we give to new members and I hope you will find it useful and helpful with your diet. Ask as many questions as you want and someone will help.


BASIC INFORMATION FOR NEWLY DIAGNOSED DIABETICS

Diabetes is the general term to describe people who have blood that is sweeter than normal. A number of different types of diabetes exist.

A diagnosis of diabetes tends to be a big shock for most of us. It’s far from the end of the world though and on this forum you’ll find over 150,000 people who are demonstrating this.

On the forum we have found that with the number of new people being diagnosed with diabetes each day, sometimes the NHS is not being able to give all the advice it would perhaps like to deliver - particularly with regards to people with type 2 diabetes.

The role of carbohydrate

Carbohydrates are a factor in diabetes because they ultimately break down into sugar (glucose) within our blood. We then need enough insulin to either convert the blood sugar into energy for our body, or to store the blood sugar as body fat.

If the amount of carbohydrate we take in is more than our body’s own (or injected) insulin can cope with, then our blood sugar will rise.

The bad news

Research indicates that raised blood sugar levels over a period of years can lead to organ damage, commonly referred to as diabetic complications.

The good news

People on the forum here have shown that there is plenty of opportunity to keep blood sugar levels from going too high. It’s a daily task but it’s within our reach and it’s well worth the effort.

Controlling your carbs

The info below is primarily aimed at people with type 2 diabetes, however, it may also be of benefit for other types of diabetes as well.
There are two approaches to controlling your carbs:

  • Reduce your carbohydrate intake
  • Choose ‘better’ carbohydrates

Reduce your carbohydrates

A large number of people on this forum have chosen to reduce the amount of carbohydrates they eat as they have found this to be an effective way of improving (lowering) their blood sugar levels.

The carbohydrates which tend to have the most pronounced effect on blood sugar levels tend to be starchy carbohydrates such as rice, pasta, bread, potatoes and similar root vegetables, flour based products (pastry, cakes, biscuits, battered food etc) and certain fruits.

Choosing better carbohydrates

Another option is to replace ‘white carbohydrates’ (such as white bread, white rice, white flour etc) with whole grain varieties. The idea behind having whole grain varieties is that the carbohydrates get broken down slower than the white varieties –and these are said to have a lower glycaemic index.
http://www.diabetes.co.uk/food/diabetes-and-whole-grains.html

The low glycaemic index diet is often favoured by healthcare professionals but some people with diabetes find that low GI does not help their blood sugar enough and may wish to cut out these foods altogether.

Read more on carbohydrates and diabetes

Eating what works for you

Different people respond differently to different types of food. What works for one person may not work so well for another. The best way to see which foods are working for you is to test your blood sugar with a glucose meter.

To be able to see what effect a particular type of food or meal has on your blood sugar is to do a test before the meal and then test after the meal. A test 2 hours after the meal gives a good idea of how your body has reacted to the meal.

The blood sugar ranges recommended by NICE are as follows:

Blood glucose ranges for type 2 diabetes
  • Before meals: 4 to 7 mmol/l
  • 2 hours after meals: under 8.5 mmol/l
Blood glucose ranges for type 1 diabetes (adults)
  • Before meals: 4 to 7 mmol/l
  • 2 hours after meals: under 9 mmol/l
Blood glucose ranges for type 1 diabetes (children)
  • Before meals: 4 to 8 mmol/l
  • 2 hours after meals: under 10 mmol/l
However, those that are able to, may wish to keep blood sugar levels below the NICE after meal targets.

Access to blood glucose test strips

The NICE guidelines suggest that people newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes should be offered:

  • structured education to every person and/or their carer at and around the time of diagnosis, with annual reinforcement and review
  • self-monitoring of plasma glucose to a person newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes only as an integral part of his or her self-management education

Therefore both structured education and self-monitoring of blood glucose should be offered to people with type 2 diabetes. Read more on getting access to bloodglucose testing supplies.

You may also be interested to read questions to ask at a diabetic clinic

Note: This post has been edited from Sue/Ken's post to include up to date information.
 
markg3174 said:
hi ive been newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes and am an exercise and diet controlled method. I was informed i needed to lose weight so am doing a low carb diet and average calorie diet of about 1500-1700 calories per day and half hour exercise per day and was very succesful and have lost just under 2 stone but over last three weeks have plateaued with my weight and i can not seem to reduce if further my bmi is still high and have gone from 17stone 4 to 15 stone 6 but for my height need to get this down to around 12 and a half stone.
Click to expand...

Wow Mark, that is quite a coincidence. I'm also T2 and my starting weight was 110kg (almost exactly 17 stone 4) and my current weight is 98kg (almost exactly 15 stone 6). Uncanny!

Anyway, I'd say don't panic about plateauing. Give your body some time to adjust to your new weight and concentrate for a while on just consolidating where you are and keeping it off. That first two stone would have included a lot of bad visceral fat, and so was probably the most important part of the journey anyway. Also remember that with your increased physical activity you may be adding muscle as well. Muscle is heavier than fat, so it's possible to sometimes be getting a lot more healthy but not actually losing weight. I'm also kind of plateauing at this level at the moment.

BTW. When you say that you need to be 12 stone 7, may I ask what particular BMI you are targeting. I'm in kind of the same situation as you, but I've got a fairly heavy build (and well muscled) so I'm a little uncertain if I want to target a BMI under 25. I'm sitting about 29 at the moment, and to be honest I'm thinking a target of 27 might be low enough for me.
 
Mark - I'm also recently diagnosed with T2D, and it strikes me that actually describing your situation here's an important step. I have binge eating to deal with as well as the need to lose weight, and one of the helpful things for me so far is a diabetic nurse who simply tells me not to beat myself up over it. I'm focusing on real changes in my diet (to a low-carb one) and increasing my exercise, trying to work out what's sustainable, long, long term. Funnily enough, what I realise is that it's easier to talk about what it means to be diabetic than to be a compulsive overeater. I think keeping talking - especially with people who really understand the situation - is going to be what helps us work out solutions we can live with.
 
uart said:
Wow Mark, that is quite a coincidence. I'm also T2 and my starting weight was 110kg (almost exactly 17 stone 4) and my current weight is 98kg (almost exactly 15 stone 6). Uncanny!

Anyway, I'd say don't panic about plateauing. Give your body some time to adjust to your new weight and concentrate for a while on just consolidating where you are and keeping it off. That first two stone would have included a lot of bad visceral fat, and so was probably the most important part of the journey anyway. Also remember that with your increased physical activity you may be adding muscle as well. Muscle is heavier than fat, so it's possible to sometimes be getting a lot more healthy but not actually losing weight. I'm also kind of plateauing at this level at the moment.

BTW. When you say that you need to be 12 stone 7, may I ask what particular BMI you are targeting. I'm in kind of the same situation as you, but I've got a fairly heavy build (and well muscled) so I'm a little uncertain if I want to target a BMI under 25. I'm sitting about 29 at the moment, and to be honest I'm thinking a target of 27 might be low enough for me.
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im targeting a bmi under 30 and when we calculated it was about 12 and a half stone but thanks and good luck
 
JenniferW said:
Mark - I'm also recently diagnosed with T2D, and it strikes me that actually describing your situation here's an important step. I have binge eating to deal with as well as the need to lose weight.
Click to expand...
You know I often wonder if binge eating isn't sometimes triggered by the poor utilization of carbs that most of us T2's have. Almost like it's a need to get the sugar levels high enough to get the energy that's lacking into our cells. And though I've always controlled it fairly well, I have to admit I've often felt the need to binge eat as well.

Interestingly though, since being on an LCHF diet, and increasingly making my body use dietary fats instead of carbs for energy, I've felt very little urge at all to binge eat.
 
uart said:
You know I often wonder if binge eating isn't sometimes triggered by the poor utilization of carbs that most of us T2's have. Almost like it's a need to get the sugar levels high enough to get the energy that's lacking into our cells. And though I've always controlled it fairly well, I have to admit I've often felt the need to binge eat as well.

Interestingly though, since being on an LCHF diet, and increasingly making my body use dietary fats instead of carbs for energy, I've felt very little urge at all to binge eat.
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yes quite i agree i suffered from major depression and found i binge eat alot but since doing this diet my mental health has also improved
 
markg3174 said:
yes quite i agree i suffered from major depression and found i binge eat alot but since doing this diet my mental health has also improved
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Hi markg3174, have a look around here at what have you eaten today thread,some very inspired meals there,keep posting and you will get answers,all the best
 
markg3174 said:
thanks i appreciate all the feed back
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Just a line mark,back in sept 14 i was 16st8lbs bs was 28.6 but having found this forum,and taking account of what i was advised,i am now 13st5lb and bs is down to 3.7 on testing am fasting,but i inow that without the helpand encouragement from the posters here, i would still be struggling.so take heart ,we can and will get a grip on this
 
Thank you for the thoughts about binge eating. I've a fair understanding of how mine developed (one result of several years of largely unsuccessful work on trying to get it under control). I think what's helping me now more than anything is learning more and more about what's going on in my body and I'm working now on changing my level of exercise (as well as diet).

Mark - Have you also been adding in more exercise? All I do is walk, but I'm aiming to do more and more of it (and am managing it pretty well so far). It might help to have a week or so where you focus on exercise - while keeping up all the good work on the diet. And you never know, it might be the kick-start of more BMI improvement.
 
JenniferW said:
Thank you for the thoughts about binge eating. I've a fair understanding of how mine developed (one result of several years of largely unsuccessful work on trying to get it under control). I think what's helping me now more than anything is learning more and more about what's going on in my body and I'm working now on changing my level of exercise (as well as diet).

Mark - Have you also been adding in more exercise? All I do is walk, but I'm aiming to do more and more of it (and am managing it pretty well so far). It might help to have a week or so where you focus on exercise - while keeping up all the good work on the diet. And you never know, it might be the kick-start of more BMI improvement.
Click to expand...
i have been doing a minimum of 30 mins a day but since yesterday am breaking it up rather than doing it in all one go as was suggested yesterday but also varying the exercise where as i was doing it all on the wii fit am now doing different exercises to see if that makes a difference thank you for your comments i appreciate all the feed back i get given
 
Mark - What about going for a walk - even if it's just round the block? Variety's definitely important for those who are basically not into exercise!
 
Hello @markg3174 & @JenniferW welcome to the forum.
There is no doubt that weight loss is important, but the biggest threat to our health is high sugar levels. Loosing weight and any medication we are prescribed will help, but it is the food we eat that has the most impact on blood sugar. Because we are all individuals and different foods affect people in different ways, the only way to be shure that your diet is right for you is to test your blood sugar before you eat and again after. Then you can see the impact of that meal on your sugar levels.
Although there are some T2's who have been lucky to have been given a meter and a prescription for the test strips by their GP's. Most of us have to fund our own meter & strips.
This web page explains how to use a meter to reduce your sugar levels
http://www.phlaunt.com/diabetes/14045524.php
 
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