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Posted 10/17/2008 2:15 AM (GMT 0)
Hi Everyone!

I was hoping someone out there could help me. My doctor and nutritionist are after me about losing weight. I know I need to but I work 8 - 10 hours a day, 6 days a week and when I get out of work I just don't feel up to walking. I already get up at 4:00 a.m. to go to work so I don't see me getting up any earlier to walk. My doc is trying to push me for one of those gastro operations. I personally know 2 people that have had the operation and within a year they both put all the weight back on and then some.

I don't know how to get myself motivated to find time to walk. Any suggestions?

Thanks,

Majikk1

 

Posted 10/17/2008 7:33 AM (GMT 0)
Majikk1,
If you can lose just 5% to 10% of your body weight you will change a lot about your diabetes. Most of us here have had excellent results with the "Nothing white but cauliflower and cottage cheese" food plan. This is a wonderful way to eat, substituting vegetables for grains in almost all cases. Tonight I made soft shelled tacos for my hubby and son and I put the meat, cheese, salsa and chopped red onion over a pile of baby spinach. Filling, delicious and very low carb, not to mention lots of vitamin A and C.

Breakfast is scrambled eggs and cheese with tomato juice. Lunch is deli-style ham or chicken and a slice of cheese rolled up in a few romaine lettuce leaves, with a carrot and an apple. Dinner is whatever everyone else is having minus the starch and adding an extra veggie. Following this food plan you will not eat anything made from grains such as wheat, rice, corn, barley, etc. and also avoid potatoes. You will include healthy oils and nuts such as olives and olive oil, peanuts, walnuts, almonds, avocados and nut butters. You may eat healthy whole fresh fruits in a rational manner. Dr. Bernstein, South Beach and others have food plans similar to this.

I used this food plan so I could discontinue my insulin (I'm type2) and Avandia and get some control of my sugars. Without even noticing or trying I lost about 40 lbs over the summer last year and my sugars are better than they have ever been. I like eating this way because I don't measure a lot of stuff, don't do much counting, just eat my correct portions of meat or protein, double veggies and a fruit for dessert. I also drink lots of water, coffee, diet soda or sugar free kool-ade style drinks during the day.

Try it and see what happens with you. And remember, if you have the surgical procedure you will be measuring your portions in tablespoons and shot glasses for the rest of your life. Don't know if that's how I want to live...
Posted 10/17/2008 1:55 PM (GMT 0)

Hi majikk, there are ways to get exercise into your schedule but you'll have to make it happen for the benefit of your health.  How long have you been diabetic?  Are you type 1 or 2 and what meds are you on?  What have your blood sugar readings been?  Be creative during the day:  if you drive to work, park farther away from the building to make you walk, take the stairs instead of the elevator, after you eat lunch, walk around the building for 15 minutes or as long as you can.  At home, if you watch TV, get up during commercials and march in place, do exercises like bending, reaching, twisting during the entire commercial break.  Get online and look for other exercises to help you.  There is tons of information available for free.  As Jeannie said, changing your way of eating will make a big difference if you cut out the obvious carbs: breads and food made with flour (bagels, muffins, cereal, pasta, cakes, chips...), potatoes, corn and of course sugar. Eat more vegetables and salads and nice piece of meat/chicken/fish.  Snack on string cheese, cheddar cheese cubes, nuts (a handful, not a cup!).  Fats such as olive or canola oil and butter will flavor your food and help the blood sugar remain level.  A breakfast of a couple of eggs or an EggBeater omelet with turkey bacon and a slice of cheese will carry you to lunch without feeling hungry.  Tuna salad with real mayo (with celery) some lettuce for a simple salad (a couple of cucumber slices, oil and vinegar) for lunch.  Following this way of eating should help you lose weight as well as help the blood sugar stay lower.  Upping the exercise like this and changing to a lower carb diet will have at least two effects in most people:  weight loss and lower blood sugar.  I agree with Jeannie about the surgery.  It's not something I would do, too risky and the aftermath is very complicated.  Actually, it's surprising to me that a doctor is the one pushing this surgery.  It's very important to start a journal or log of what you're eating everyday and the exercise you get so you can see how the new plan is affecting your blood sugar and energy.  Let us know how you're doing, ok?

Posted 10/17/2008 3:28 PM (GMT 0)

I have a similar lifestyle to yours Majikk - 2 jobs ... up at 5am ... no time left at the end of the day - but I took Jeannie's & Lanie's advice & tried the low carb diet.  Its a little scarey at first (What?!? NO POTATOES!!!!!) but do-able.  I don't have a regular exercise routine or a regimented meal plan but I'm getting good results just by using common sense.

First off, I stopped all the Fast Food Joint nonsense.  Second, I found I can still eat the occasional piece of bread or potato.  My glucose meter doesn't light up like a Christmas tree if I have a sandwich using 1 slice of bread instead of 2 or 1 small potato & a tenderloin steak.  Third, I eat about 1/2 to 2/3 less of everything  compared to what I used to consume.  That last point is not entirely true; I can eat a whole pot of steamed green beans and a 6 oz. steak so again, common sense rules.  One last thing; read the nutrition labels on food packages, especially the health food types.  The amout of carbs and sugar in some of these products will amaze you.

Maybe due to the early wakeup, I find that my sugar readings are on the high side in the mid-morning to mid-afternoon area so I try to eat less or smaller portions around that time.

As of this morning, I'm down 25 pounds since July so the plan works tongue

Oh, a word of warning about the weight loss once it starts:  it can be a bit worrying since the flab doesn't always melt away from where you would expect it to (my spare tire for example).  The other day, when I climbed into the bath tub & sat down, I hit bone!

Me bum is disappearing smhair

Give the diet a try!

Chris

 P.S.  I should add ... this works for me but may not work for anyone else.  As has been wisely pointed out here a number of times "We are all different".

Post Edited (TVEditor) : 10/17/2008 12:16:21 PM (GMT-6)

Posted 10/17/2008 8:36 PM (GMT 0)
SEND OUT AN ALARM! CHRIS HAS LOST HIS BUM!!! shocked

(giggle!)
Posted 10/19/2008 5:08 AM (GMT 0)
I know what TV means! Everyone looks and exclaims "You have no butt!" I now carry a cushion with me to sit on. Very different as I never lost that before while keeping my ummm....same bra size. Kind of top heavy as that stayed the same after losing 100 pounds! Does this happen as a rule? Usually this is the first to go.
Posted 10/20/2008 9:53 PM (GMT 0)
Hi Everybody!!!

Thank you all sooooooo much for the suggestions. I'm going to honestly try them and make a conscious effort to do what I have to do.

I am a Type 2 diabetic and I take Lantus, Humalog, Metformin and Glipizide. I have my sugars under 200 which has been a goal of mine for a few months now. I've been a diabetic for 6 years now and when I first found out I was doing really well, but then I went into a depression and everything went way out of whack. My sugars were over 300. I've gained 110 pounds and now at 350 pounds I'm finally realizing enough is enough. I want to live and be happy with my family. So, I figured I would try this and I think I made the right choice.

Once again, thanks to all of you.

MAJIKK1   smilewinkgrin

Posted 10/20/2008 10:13 PM (GMT 0)
Majikk, two things will happen if you follow the same kind of eating plan we're doing here:  you will lose weight and your blood sugar will come down.  I'm serious.  As diabetics, our metabolism of carbohydrates is out of whack.  We can't "process" them like other people can.  In fact, it's so bad for me that if I look at a potato, my blood sugar goes sky high.  shocked   Well, that's an exaggeration, maybe, but, honestly, if someone had told me this years ago I wouldn't have gained weight.  It's empowering to know now that there's something we can actually control about our health and see results.  You should see immediate results in the blood sugar.  The weight will come off but more slowly of course but if you stick to this plan (no food made with flour, sugar, potatoes, rice, pasta), more veggies, nice protein, some kind of exercise (even during commercials, during lunch), then you'll see results.  Ok, now.  Promise this and report back to us and tell us what's happening, ok?

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