Weight loss

[Red_river_]

I know there's nothing new about losing weight when T2 goes on low carb diet. It's been only 1.5 months since I was diagnosed and also since I started going low carbs, and I have lost 5kg ( a 1/10 of my already tiny body weight). All troursers become too loose now around the waist I find myself pulling them up a lot. I fear I might just waste away if I keep losing more weight with this speed. My DN said I must have been too strict with myself and that she does not encourage me to lose weight, that my weak body might kill me before diabetes itself... What should I do to keep BG low and NOT to lose more weight? Any advice will be very much appreciated. Thank you.

 

[Resurgam]

Atkins is divided into four sections, the last one being maintenance - would looking into that perhaps be of some help?
You do need fat and protein in adequate amounts - low fat is not really an option, but things such as Greek yogurt and desiccated coconut should help keep your weight stable.

 

[DCUKMod]

I know there's nothing new about losing weight when T2 goes on low carb diet. It's been only 1.5 months since I was diagnosed and also since I started going low carbs, and I have lost 5kg ( a 1/10 of my already tiny body weight). All troursers become too loose now around the waist I find myself pulling them up a lot. I fear I might just waste away if I keep losing more weight with this speed. My DN said I must have been too strict with myself and that she does not encourage me to lose weight, that my weak body might kill me before diabetes itself... What should I do to keep BG low and NOT to lose more weight? Any advice will be very much appreciated. Thank you.

Red_River - I'm only a small person myself, but to maintain my weight, when I got to skinny, I had to increase a few things.

Firstly, I just had slightly larger portions of everything I ate. When I kept losing, I upped the fats a bit more then added nuts.

I don't eat to a regimented formula, as we prefer to vary our meals a lot, but once I have an idea of the scale of what I had to eat, I have found it easier to maintain. I do still weigh myself regularly to ensure I'm not moving either way, in terms of weight.

It took me quite some weeks to stabilise, so don't wait before doing something. Good luck with it all.

 

[Guzzler]

Red_River - I'm only a small person myself, but to maintain my weight, when I got to skinny, I had to increase a few things.

Firstly, I just had slightly larger portions of everything I ate. When I kept losing, I upped the fats a bit more then added nuts.

I don't eat to a regimented formula, as we prefer to vary our meals a lot, but once I have an idea of the scale of what I had to eat, I have found it easier to maintain. I do still weigh myself regularly to ensure I'm not moving either way, in terms of weight.

It took me quite some weeks to stabilise, so don't wait before doing something. Good luck with it all.

This is exactly what I am doing now, by adding creamed coffee and just a few nuts I am maintaing my weight by +/- 3lbs. At one point I slipped over into the underweight category but now I am at the lower end of healthy.

 

[Red_river_]

Atkins is divided into four sections, the last one being maintenance - would looking into that perhaps be of some help?
You do need fat and protein in adequate amounts - low fat is not really an option, but things such as Greek yogurt and desiccated coconut should help keep your weight stable.

Thank you Resurgam for your advice. I will look at Atkins diet. I am not following any diet at the moment, just cutting down hugely on carbs and keep potions small that's all I do. I can't do high fat as I have got High cholesterol too and DN said she certainly does not advice me to go high fat.

 

[Red_river_]

Red_River - I'm only a small person myself, but to maintain my weight, when I got to skinny, I had to increase a few things.

Firstly, I just had slightly larger portions of everything I ate. When I kept losing, I upped the fats a bit more then added nuts.

I don't eat to a regimented formula, as we prefer to vary our meals a lot, but once I have an idea of the scale of what I had to eat, I have found it easier to maintain. I do still weigh myself regularly to ensure I'm not moving either way, in terms of weight.

It took me quite some weeks to stabilise, so don't wait before doing something. Good luck with it all.

Thank you very much for your advice DCUKMod. In a way I am glad to know I am not the only one that tries to maintain weight here. I have been cutting down quite significantly on potion size as it was adviced by my DN. Like you, I don't eat to a regimented formula, but just anything I believe I am allowed to have. I guess a lot of time I stave myself too when I get stuck with what to eat or don't fancy anything to eat. I thought losing weight is a certain thing anyone one with diabetes goes through.. Will it be okay if I increase potion size or eat more to gain back the weight I lost?

 

[DCUKMod]

Thank you very much for your advice DCUKMod. In a way I am glad to know I am not the only one that tries to maintain weight here. I have been cutting down quite significantly on potion size as it was adviced by my DN. Like you, I don't eat to a regimented formula, but just anything I believe I am allowed to have. I guess a lot of time I stave myself too when I get stuck with what to eat or don't fancy anything to eat. I thought losing weight is a certain thing anyone one with diabetes goes through.. Will it be okay if I increase potion size or eat more to gain back the weight I lost?

It should be OK, but only time will tell, to be honest.

Many people are told to avoid foods containing fat to control their cholesterol, but there is an increasing understanding that cholesterol is mainly impacted by carbs. Cholesterol can also become elevated when weight is lost, so you may have a bit of that going on too.

There have been a couple of times I have needed to put some weight on - in particular post surgery, a couple of years ago - I found it took a longer time than I ever imagined possible, and I had to eat a LOT. I mean a LOT.

Good luck with it all.

 

[Daibell]

Hi. Many of us would say you can have a sensible quantity of fat. There is a big question over the low-fat advice.

 

[Resurgam]

I was on a high carb cholesterol lowering diet for almost two years. My cholesterol did not go down.
When I was first diagnosed I was tested after 80 days of Atkins style low carb, and my cholesterol numbers were lower - the nurse said it was a delayed result......

 

[Red_river_]

It should be OK, but only time will tell, to be honest.

Many people are told to avoid foods containing fat to control their cholesterol, but there is an increasing understanding that cholesterol is mainly impacted by carbs. Cholesterol can also become elevated when weight is lost, so you may have a bit of that going on too.

There have been a couple of times I have needed to put some weight on - in particular post surgery, a couple of years ago - I found it took a longer time than I ever imagined possible, and I had to eat a LOT. I mean a LOT.

Good luck with it all.

Thank you I do need that luck. I can lose weight overnight but take years to put on weight. I don't look too good at the moment and dread of a surgery I might have to have. The thing is I still feel scared every time I eat, I almost became a vegetarian. My diet at the moment is very low carbs, little meat or fish, little dairy products, little fruits, more of green vegs that I don't think provide me much of protein.. How I wish I had a dietitian who can tell me what to eat... Having diabetes is hard enough, cholesterol on top of that makes it double hard for me...If only human being could live on just breathing air...life would be so much better..., don't you think?

 

[Red_river_]

I was on a high carb cholesterol lowering diet for almost two years. My cholesterol did not go down.
When I was first diagnosed I was tested after 80 days of Atkins style low carb, and my cholesterol numbers were lower - the nurse said it was a delayed result......

You mean high carbs diet can lower cholesterol? Sorry I am not sure I understand what you mean?

 

[DCUKMod]

Thank you I do need that luck. I can lose weight overnight but take years to put on weight. I don't look too good at the moment and dread of a surgery I might have to have. The thing is I still feel scared every time I eat, I almost became a vegetarian. My diet at the moment is very low carbs, little meat or fish, little dairy products, little fruits, more of green vegs that I don't think provide me much of protein.. How I wish I had a dietitian who can tell me what to eat... Having diabetes is hard enough, cholesterol on top of that makes it double hard for me...If only human being could live on just breathing air...life would be so much better..., don't you think?

Red_River - If you are potentially to have surgery, I would urge you to start to eat well, with decent portions of protein, vegetables and whichever form of fats you feel most comfortable with. Feeding your body is important for healing.

The reason I lost the weight I did, post-surgery was an unfortunately large haematoma, which then, when being drained, became infected. It was pure misfortune, but during that healing time, my body used lots and lots of energy to heal itself. When I moaned to the specialist nurse I was seeing for it at the time of my weight loss, she warned me it would likely take some months to regain my weight, and it did (wise woman).

Please don't think I am writing any of this to scare you. I'm absolutely not, but what I am trying to say is for you to try to give yourself the best possible chance of not losing any further and to establish good eating patterns in advance of any other disruptions like surgery.

Just one final point, and I don't want to take the words out of @Resurgam 's mouth, but a lower carb diet is more likely to positively impact your cholesterol that a high fat diet.

Good luck with it all.

 

[Resurgam]

You mean high carbs diet can lower cholesterol? Sorry I am not sure I understand what you mean?

The 'cholesterol lowering' high carb low fat foods I was on had no effect on cholesterol levels during the almost two years I was following it - when I went low carb and higher fat and my cholesterol reduced the nurse claimed that it a delayed result from the high carb diet - as if.
The wrong thinking about fats and carbs is probably doing a lot of harm to a lot of people.

 

[ickihun]

I rewatched some Dr fungs videos yesterday and others about insulin resistance.

Basically fat is only dangerous when mixed with carbs. So cake mixture, cookies, bread etc.

However if your hereditary disadvantaged with high cholesterol you would be wise to take GPs advice and stick with it. Minus the carbs.

You can afford a few carb treats if your underweight, but that's just my opinion. As long as no detriment to your overall bgs. But that is a personal preference and one many won't share.
Fat people don't ever get reversal as of thin people
I'd try to get there but if not possible then adapt to what's good for you.
Is there something keeping your weight down? Smoking or an illness?

Don't get upset if no reversal. Its not for everyone. Some people just won't be able to sustain such a strict lifestyle. I only did it when I was 15yrs old and no worries, responsibilities and no medical team wanting their goals.

Many don't lose weight on lchf when 80%fat of their diet. I didn't. But many do.
We are all different so you need to pick and choose what's working for you.
Play around with diet til your happy.

 

[Guzzler]

May I ask what type of fats you are comfortable with eating? There are those who prefer things like olives, olive oil, avocado and nuts, then there are those who have fattier meats, cheese, double cream etc.
And some have a mixture of those two groups which is what I eat. I dropped weight so quickly that it became very concerning at one point. I count carbs now but had to increase fats to maintain my weight. It helped me to gain back a little weight and like I said I am no longer losing or gaining. We have to play around with the amount of carbs to suit our bg but find a good balance of fats to compensate for the fuel we need, to keep us sated and to lose/gain/maintain our body weight. Good luck.

 

[LittleGreyCat]

Thank you I do need that luck. I can lose weight overnight but take years to put on weight. I don't look too good at the moment and dread of a surgery I might have to have. The thing is I still feel scared every time I eat, I almost became a vegetarian. My diet at the moment is very low carbs, little meat or fish, little dairy products, little fruits, more of green vegs that I don't think provide me much of protein.. How I wish I had a dietitian who can tell me what to eat... Having diabetes is hard enough, cholesterol on top of that makes it double hard for me...If only human being could live on just breathing air...life would be so much better..., don't you think?

I think you are falling into a fairly common trap.

You read that LCHF is good for a diabetic.
So you cut right back on your carbohydrates.

However you are still burdened by decades of propaganda that fat is bad and so you are afraid to eat fat. You say that your cholesterol is high, so it would be useful if you could post the numbers, including a breakdown into LDL, HDL and triglycerides. There is a NICE guideline that for a diabetic, total cholesterol should be no higher than 4. This may be out of date. Anyway, being seriously under weight might be far more harmful than elevated cholesterol.

You say "The thing is I still feel scared every time I eat," which is not a good thing.

Eat more protein. Eat a lot more fat. You need to eat a healthy diet with plenty of protein and fat, and build yourself up. Especially if you think you may have to have surgery. Surgeons like patients who are over weight because the survival statistics are better.

You say "My diet at the moment is very low carbs, little meat or fish," when you should be saying "loads of meat and fish". You can't cut out carbohydrates and at the same time cut back on the other major food groups.

Bottom line; at the moment you seem to have an eating disorder because you are afraid to eat. Any dietitian would tell you this. Eat a little more every day and try and significantly increase the high fat dairy, that is full fat cheese and double cream.

Ignore the cholesterol for the moment and concentrate on getting back to a normal weight. You can review your lipid profile once you are a sensible weight, and fine tune your diet then if it still needs it.

Forget what my cholesterol is currently but it is just below 7 IIRC. However the ratios seem fine so the HCPs are all smiles.

 

[Red_river_]

Thank you all of you for taking time to reply to me. I do take your advices seriously and have decided that my priority is to put on back some weight, by allowing myself a bit more carbs. So far I only had a little carbs for dinner ( half a potato or 2 tbsps of rice, pasta..). My fasting cholesterol is 5.2 (5.7 otherwise) and nurse adviced me to take Statin but I said I would think about it first. I am not big on meat or fish, my diet before was based more on carbs and vegetables, now I cut down on carbs I still don't eat more meat I know I need to. I love avocado but they are pricey so hardly buy them. I am not big on cheese either, especially now I can't have cracker or bread so haven't had any for a while. I love anything creamy but often they go with sweet stuff so I haven't had any either. I only eat lean meat, chicken always cooked, even roasted without skin. I don't buy processed meat such as chorizo or cured meat as I know they are not great for cholesterol, even before I found out that I have high cholesterol. Only when I travel to Europe I have lots of that ( have to )
Soon in mid Jan I will see DN and have bg and cholesterol test, I will ask her for cholesterol break down so I know the ratio as LittleGrey Cat says, high doesn't always mean bad. I will add olives to my diet I love the stuff, just forgot about them somehow. I always have them in my pantry. Recently I keep a little pack of Brazil nuts in my handbag for when I need a snack. I don't normally snack, just straight 3 meals a day, but now I skip meal sometimes for not knowing what to have, I keep these little thing to fall back to. Sorry to bother you all about my problem and thanks again for your advices. Hope you all have a good relaxing holiday.

 

[LittleGreyCat]

Why do you only eat lean meat? Because you think it is healthy?

You are also avoiding foods "because they are bad for cholesterol".

I think you are reading different information from those of us in the UK, and still hung up on the high carbohydrates are good, low fat is good message that has been pushed for a long time now. Dietary advice for T2 diabetics is very different from that for non-diabetics.

Again, your response is to eat more carbohydrates to put on weight. This may be good for weight gain, but it is not so good for diabetes. I think you need to think really hard about how to increase your protein and fat intake.

If you like creamy things, perhaps have some double cream with berries such as strawberries and blueberries.

You don't mention eggs. They are a wonder food, boiled, poached, fried, omelettes. You can add grated cheese to them to up your dairy without eating crackers. However, I would suggest that a big lump of cheddar on a small cracker which is well spread with butter may well be a better compromise than avoiding cheese.

Go for the olives!

Edit: forgot to tag @Red_river_

 

[Kristin251]

Carbohydrates raise cholesterol, not fat. I personally choose to eat more plant fats like avocado, nuts, mayo than animal fats as I seem to digest them better. I do use grass fed butter on eggs. I love that. Avocado wedge with every meal. They can be pricy but this is your health. Avocado is one of the healthiest natural fats available. It’s medicinal and my blood work proves it. I do t eat sausages either other than 100% grass fed hot dogs on occasion. Mostly eggs, Fish, boneless skinless chicken tuna, salmon and rare lamb chops. All visible fat cut off. I NEVER eat potato, rice, pasta etc. As @LittleGreyCat said, not good for diabetics OR cholesterol.

As a side, be careful with Brazil nuts. They are very high in selenium and we don’t want to over do it. Macadamias or pecans are a better job option.

 

[derry60]

Carbohydrates raise cholesterol, not fat. I personally choose to eat more plant fats like avocado, nuts, mayo than animal fats as I seem to digest them better. I do use grass fed butter on eggs. I love that. Avocado wedge with every meal. They can be pricy but this is your health. Avocado is one of the healthiest natural fats available. It’s medicinal and my blood work proves it. I do t eat sausages either other than 100% grass fed hot dogs on occasion. Mostly eggs, Fish, boneless skinless chicken tuna, salmon and rare lamb chops. All visible fat cut off. I NEVER eat potato, rice, pasta etc. As @LittleGreyCat said, not good for diabetics OR cholesterol.

As a side, be careful with Brazil nuts. They are very high in selenium and we don’t want to over do it. Macadamias or pecans are a better job option.

I tried the Avocado again Mrs. Avocodo, but for some reason it made me feel really sick, this time it was not over ripe. So guess what I did?? I sliced some up and put it in with my berries and cream... Then the next day I mashed it up and added it to my omelet with some grated cheese on top..and I could not taste it lol..So now I will have one at least 4 times a week. Are you proud of me? lol