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Weight loss not working - should I give up?

S

Sally_8873

Active Member
Hi Everyone, I was diagnosed diabetic in February HbA1c 51, weight 52.5kg BMI 22ish. Healthy in all other ways - except subclinical hypothyroidism.

My GP advised low- carb, I read about the Newcastle diet and decided to aim for reversal via gradual weight loss.

I lost 4kg quite quickly, modified my diet, did a lot of exercise. Was disappointed when my June HbA1c was still 51.

I bought a freestyle libre and lost a few more kg - now I fluctuate between 46 and 48kg (BMI < 20). But it seems to be my fasting glucose that just won't go down - solidly above 5.5 no matter what and on average around 6.5 mmol/L during the day. It's almost as if it looks like it's going below 5.5 my body won't let it - it starts rising again.

After food my glucose rises and then comes back down quickly if the food is carby and more slowly if not.

I will persist with weight loss if it will have an impact... But not sure it will.

Am I better off doing rapid weight loss via shakes? Or giving up entirely? Or persisting down to BMI of 18.5?

Is there anyone else like me out there? I'm south Asian btw. Don't know if that makes a difference. Maybe weight loss doesn't work for us?

Thanks in advance.
 
What type are you 1 or 2
 
UsmanMo96 said:
What type are you 1 or 2
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Presumably 2 (otherwise weight loss would not be a solution)?

But honestly it sounds to me that @Sally_8873 has lost enough weight. If low carbing on its own does not work it begs the question...

Has the GP tested to make sure that it's T2 and not T1/LADA? There are GAD antibody tests (though some T1s test negative for this) and c-peptide tests (which measures the amount of insulin being produced).
 
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T2, so I'm told. I asked for a GAD test which was negative. My GP seems reluctant to do further tests - wants me to go on metformin. I'll ask again for a c-peptide test - they said no last time. Would it make a difference to treatment though?

Apparently there are slim south Asian T2s which I do appreciate. I'm not just slim though, I'm sporty and quite toned which is why I'm so confused.

But maybe I'm just T2 and need to accept it's highly genetic, can't be lifestyle modified and I need to start on medication. I'm only 36!

There's a lot of diabetes in my family but I thought a healthy weight and exercise would mitigate the risk so bit devastated by the prospect of a lifetime of medication so soon but it seems to be that or to go blind in 20 years...
 
You talk about eating carby foods while, you imply by the reference to Newcastle diet that, you follow a low calorie diet.
I would think that forgetting about calories and counting carbs instead might get an improvement in your blood sugars. Can you tell us exactly what you ate yesterday, we might be able to help you tweak things? If you find you’re still losing weight trying this you’d need to increase healthy fats.
 
Thanks - I'm really not after low-carb advice because I understand that and I've seen the impact of different foods via my libre and don't really have queries about it.

My query is very much about low-calorie, weight-loss and reversal and whether there are people it doesn't work for.

Thank you though - appreciate your concern.
 
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For you I"m not so sure that weight loss is the answer.. you hardly seem obese .
I'd personally go for cutting carbs to get your blood sugars down. Weight loss may or may not come with that but surely that's the most important thing to aim for... T2 into remission?
 
Thanks - as I said, really not asking for low-carb advice.
 
In my own personal experience, and from endless research into the subject, T2 who are not obese and are unable to become obese, find it extremely difficult to overcome the 'disease'. Without ample adipocyte capacity in which to readily take up any slack, the liver has few places in which to safely stash away fat (converted glucose). There's very little buffer, as it were.

Overcoming dawn phenomenon can be particularly troublesome. Perseverance and time were the only things that worked for me. Losing weight had nothing to do with it (heavier now than at diagnosis). Losing intraorganic fat had everything to do with it.
 

Thanks, that's really helpful. What kind of things worked for you? How did you lose intra-organic fat? It's my fasting BG that just won't budge - no matter what. I've tried having breakfast, skipping breakfast, not eating for 18 hours. Exercise makes it go up!

After meals is less of an issue, my BG goes back to the high fasting within a reasonable period of time.

I will literally do whatever it takes if a solution exists: long fasting, exercising, weights, cardio. Just not sure what will work!
 
Sally_8873 said:
Thanks, that's really helpful. What kind of things worked for you?
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Ruthless carbohydrate denial. I mean not eating any, rather than just negotiating with the kitchen scales and food labels. It took me well over a year of extreme keto in order to beat dawn phenomenon, even though the diet in that time was consistent. Full carnivore was the end result, and I have not looked back.

It seems to be a common theme for TOFI T2. It is also thought by some to be a major contributing factor in us becoming diabetic in the first instance. Seemingly without warning (no obesity) and often at a younger age than might be considered typical. Also it's more likely that our pancreas is engorged with fat, so insulin deficiency in the face of insulin resistance is the perfect storm of T2.

Perseverance and time. Don't give up.
 
If you are resistant to lowering your carbs and low calorie isn’t working, then I guess your only option is to start on Metformin. I’m not averse to Metformin I take it myself, but it will only have a tiny effect on your blood sugars. However with an HbA1c of 51, not that high in the big scheme of things, in your shoes I would try low carb over starting on any new meds.
 
I'm not 'resistant' to low-carb. I just don't need advice on it. As I keep saying.

I just want to hear from people like me on what they have found to work. Not an endless stream of people telling me to switch for full fat milk.

Sorry to be cranky but I have found it quite annoying and patronising. Even when I say I don't want low-carb advice, I get low-carb advice.

Even when I post in the low-calorie forum I get low-carb advice.
 

Thanks! I'm veggie though - so is this even possible?
 
Sally_8873 said:
Sorry to be cranky but I have found it quite annoying and patronising. Even when I say I don't want low-carb advice, I get low-carb advice.

Even when I post in the low-calorie forum I get low-carb advice.
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I'm sorry you feel that way... but..... most of us have found that reducing carbs to a minimum has had the most positive impact on our blood sugars. So that's why it tends to be the favoured approach here.

I'll wish you better health and leave it there.
 
My FBGs were generally around mid to upper 5s prior to my last HbA1c with pre prandial between 4.8 and mid 5s. Post prandial going into the 6s for the most part but there was even an 8 in there when the DN tempted me to eat porridge on one day. My last HbA1c was 39 so your prospects might not be as dour as you think. Have you tried looking at what your average score might be?
 
But that weight reduction reversal theory applies to people whp are overweight to start with, and that’s not you, certainly not now.


That’s because you yourself say that low calorie weight loss isn’t working and ask what does and for most of us that’s low carb. It is the answer to the question you asked.. You don’t like the answer I get that but it is what works for almost all of us that try it.

Out of interest why don’t you want to try low carb instead of low calorie?
 

Ok, so you haven’t posted what you eat in a typical day, which was my first suggestion of how we might help you. Low cal isn’t working for your HbA1c so my advice is still to lower your carbs further than now (I acknowledge that you understand low carb) or you could take up the GP’s offer to take the Metformin for what it’s worth.
 
I have tried low carb!!!! I don't need advice on it because I understand food and nutrition and I have seen the impact of different carb amounts on my blood sugars. I started with low-carb. I lost weight via low carb.

After reading around, my ambition was reversal via weight loss. I was told by a dietitian that this was possible, even at my low weight. She told me about personal fat thresholds and fat in the liver and pancreas. At 52.5kg my BMI was reasonable but my waist-hip ratio was too high. Now I've lost weight I'm not sure it has helped, my waist hip ratio has reduced but I'm not sure my bg has reduced.

I want to know if other thin sporty people have found weight loss effective, and if I should persist at weight loss or give up. That is all I want to know.
 
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