Discouraged

Last summer I was diagnosed with "pre-diabetes", and given Metformin. Been trying to make things better ever since... didn't have a good reaction to the Metformin so haven't taken it for months.

I've finally gotten pretty good at bypassing the "prepared" carbs & sugars. Sticking to clean protein, fruits and vegetables - avoiding the starchy fruits/vegetables. I've increased my exercise from 3 days a week at the gym, doing strength training & light cardio, to add 3 days of pure cardio - walk/run 30-60 minutes.

I feel better and my blood sugar numbers are better.

My frustration? I'm not loosing any weight. I feel trimmer, and some of my slacks fit a little better, but no real size or weight changes. My BMI is 29.1, where obesity officially starts at 30.0.

One friend is convinced I don't eat enough. I suppose I could count calories, but I confess when I've tried that before it drives me crazy and really increases my stress level. I suppose I could try harder with this...

Could adding the metformin help with weight loss?

I know there are no magic bullets, and the 40 lbs I've put on in the last 10 years is mostly the result of prednisone which I no longer have to take (haven't taken in 3-4 years). Plus I'm 56 & some weight magically arrived with menopause, I presume.

Any thoughts anyone has would be helpful. Or even if you just want to cheer me on, that would help as well! lol

lol.

Not sure I *could* eat more protein and salads!!! That's about all I'm eating!!

Thanks.

Yeah, my gym time is spent with a trainer - been doing that on & off for 40 years or so. Used to be a marathon runner before Lupus took that kind of sustained exercise out of the picture. Was knocked back to a very low level of fitness when Lupus was bad, have slowly (but steadily) built things back up over the last 5 years.

I guess I have to count calories. I hate food in the first place - gotta' gather it, prepare it, eat it, clean up after it... ugh. Now count all of it as well seems overwhelming. But I suppose if others have managed it I should be able to put my mind to it and get it done.

Already cut out sugars (goodbye, my dear Dr Pepper), eat fairly low fat. Fish, chicken, turkey mostly. Some beef, not fatty cuts. Cheese has crept back in, need to phase that back out I suppose. Nuts in moderation to supplement protein, mostly almonds. Soy sometimes, not often. Never have used salad dressings & that sort of stuff, so no extra hidden calories there. Wish my PCP had more resources to recommend...

All the dieticians & similar I've ever seen want to sell me vitamin supplements of various kinds. Have y'all encountered this? I'll take supplements if tests show I'm short on something, but not too fond of those who seem to randomly throw out supplement suggestions.

Thanks.

Lynnwood, maybe you can eat more nuts like almonds and wanuts. I think their fats are good fats and the amount you would get is beneficial and probably wouldn't be a factor in weight gain. Try adding a hard-boiled egg, mozzarella string cheese, and raw broccoli and cauliflower, and celery for roughage. Maybe they would help change some metabolism issues. Have you noticed all the maybes? I'm trying to find something different for you to eat if you're not already eating them. Also, try eating a snack of any of those before you go to the gym.

I have read that using interval training is helpful for charging up the body. For example, on the treadmill walking or jogging as fast as you can for a minute or two, then normal walking for a minute or two, and repeat for the time you're normally on the treadmill, extending the times till you're up to about five minutes fast, then five minutes normal. And a final cool-down or several minutes. Another different idea about hand weights is not to have a minute or so of recovery between sets. And with that, using heavier weights first, next set, lighter, next set, still lighter. For example, start with 12 reps with a 12lb hand weight, then immediately 10 reps with a 10lb weight and so on down to a 5 or 2 lb weight one after another. And stretch afterwards. (Run this by your trainer.)

As a woman who won't see 60 again, I feel it's important to have strong muscles.

I'm not sure I would recommend fasting in any regularity.

I've switched from a protein bar & Dr Pepper for breakfast to eggs, a small amount of Gatorade, and a caffeine pill. I generally roll out of bed, eat, and head straight to the gym or for a walk/run. The day starts between 8:30-9:15.

Lunch is about 1-1:30. Leftovers from the night before or protein & raw veggies, trying to stick to higher fiber veggies & am definitely eating the ones you suggest. If no leftovers, protein might be nuts, cheese, or a whey protein powder. (If I get nuts besides almonds I tend to binge on them, so they aren't welcome in this house!)

A piece of fruit in the late afternoon as needed, around 4ish.

Dinner around 6-6:30. Fish, chicken, pork chop, fresh veggies, with veggies more likely cooked in the evening. A piece of fruit for dessert.

Yeah, my walk/runs are basically the fast/slow intervals you mentioned. Strength training is a combination of fast intervals & higher weight intervals. It's different every day, which is what I pay a trainer for. After all these years, I know how to do it myself, but he adds the variety in both intensity and weight that I need.

No way am I going to fast for multiple meals. From everything I've read, that's horrible for diabetes, and will only make my per-diabetes, or "metabolic syndrome" worse. I think the goal is supposed to be to keep blood sugar fairly regular. And even if fasting was a good idea, I couldn't do it because of my chronic illness (Lupus) - it demands food & rest at regular intervals.

40 kilos in a year, Turtle!! Good for you. I only need to loose about a third to a half of that - 30-40 lbs. Just can't seem to get it to budge. When I do count calories it's around 1200-1300.

Anyway, thanks everyone for the support. I'm really working hard at this, and I'm really not eating junk or slacking off on activity ... cross your fingers that my metabolism gets the message SOON!

Remember that as you exercise, whether cardio or resistance, you are building healthy muscle and losing fat. Muscle weighs more than fat, so initially some people actually gain weight when dieting and working out. Every trainer I've ever worked with has said "check how your clothes are fitting and if you've had to go to a smaller size. This is more indicative of progress than weight loss." If your pants are getting looser, you're doing well.

The "ketogenic" diet is a low-carb diet and it's also high fat depending on if you actually follow certain variations of it.

It's been long-proven that low-carb eating will help keep blood sugar lower and this is something every diabetic needs to realize, and something we always discuss here. Although we do need fats in our diet, I don't eat a high-fat diet. All fat is high in calories and that's something to consider.

BZZZ. Thanks for playing! Not a heavy muscle vs light fat issue.

I've been measured on a Tantia scale - uses bioelectrical impedance analysis to analyze body composition. No changes in weight, fat mass, or muscle mass.

Still feeling discouraged. :(

Dr. Dowd talks about how vitamin D effects insulin and why it is important for weight loss.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-CVoPwRSjkM