I've tried SO hard and have ended up gaining weight!!!! What to do!!
well there are 3 things i've noticed that workk:
1) eat less carbs, im not saying go eat nothing all day, but if you lower your carb intake its less fat that your bodys taking in
2) if you know you are going to be working out eat something and dont take insulin for it so that your blood sugar is at a higher number and then you can go work out without dropping and having to eat something sugary and messing up all the exercise you just did.
3) if you know there is a specific time of day you usually go high try to work out then so that you arent taking in extra food and you still dont drop.
those are what have worked for me. hope it helps you too!(:
Have you gotten your thyroid checked? Weight gain that isn't shed gradually through traditional diet and exercise might be caused by an underactive thyroid. Hypothyroidism is exceptionally common in type 1 diabetics, so it's worth looking into if you haven't lately (my endo always checks mine every 3 months, but I don't know how often your doctor does).
If you know your thyroid is fine, perhaps you just haven't found the right diet and exercise mix yet (goodness knows there are zillions out there). I've been at or around 5'2" and 115 pounds throughout most of my adult life, but I did gain 25 pounds while in graduate school back in 2007-2008 due to overeating; I was able to lose that gradually from summer 2008 to the spring of 2009 by restricting myself to 1000-1500 calories a day and engaging in an exercise program that emphasized treadmill walking at very high inclines (inclines can burn up to 3x the calories of a regular cardio session because you're going up against resistance). Not sure if this same approach would work for you since it seems everyone responds differently to foods, exercise, and other things affecting weight, but it's the best I can recommend based on my own experience.
I have been having struggles with this too! I find that when I work out, I go low and over eat ): Hopefully Jamie and Khendra's advice will help! Thanks!
If your thyroid tests okay, I highly recommend www.sparkpeople.com, recommended to me by fellow Juvenator "C." I log my diet and exercise on there each day, and I've lost 15 lbs so far, "only" 12 to go to get down to pre-pregnancy weight. The site makes me accountable to myself each day if that makes sense...
I've also tried to reduce my number of lows, which is hard if you have tight control. I count each treatment for a low into my daily calories, too.
i try to lose weight by eating less cards & working out more & i try to keep my blood sugar ok so i dont have to take insulin & i try to keep my lows down.
wish i knew...ive gained 10lbs since dx'ed. really starting to consider smoking again..i quit when i was hospitalized with diabetes but now its looking good to me again.
whats bummin me out is that i am eating right now and healthy, yet the pounds just keep on coming
Do you really want to lose weight, or do you want to get your body fit?
I have so many family members and friends that always say "I want to lose weight.", but when I ask them that question they always change it to "I want to get fit.". I don't know why many people think that by losing weight they are going to get the body they want. People need to realize that they need to burn body fat by exercising and eating right., so that they can shape their body to their liking. This is the example I tell people so that they understand what I mean. *This example is 100% true. I used to have a two friends (they are brothers) that had almost the same body weight, around 185lb for both. One of them had a 32 inch waist and the other one had a 38 waist. One of them had a muscular physic and the other one did not. One of them exercised and the other didn't. So, what does that tell you? Weight doesn't matter...that much. =P
If you exercise your body it will it start shaping itself to whatever shape you want, depending on the exercises you do. Doing a few stretching or dancing and using light weights will tighten your body, and will help you burn off some fat.
Umm...it's really late and I'm really tired, so I'm just going to get to the point. Eat whatever you want, but make sure you do the equal amount of exercise needed to burn it off. Eating right will make the process more easier because it requires less exercising, umm just do some yoga, or dance to your favorite song, or jog/speed walk a little and your body will adjust. You will essentially lose some weight because you will burn off some fat, but like I said just get fit.
Goodnight.
Below you can find a blog post from one of the main guys from Cross Fit. He touches on diet and its relation to exercise and diabetes. He also emphasizes cutting carbs out. CrossFit diets and workouts arent' for everyone, but they are definitely diabetic friendly if you're willing to do 'em.
http://robbwolf.com/2009/08/05/type-1-diabetes-and-crossfit/
I had been eating too many carbs, and therefore using too much insulin. Several type 1's agree with me that modern day insulins promote weight gain. I gradually cut my daily carn intake to 130g. I was then using much less insulin. I also increased my exercise, and exercised about 20-30 minutes after a meal. Therefore I had enough carbs to provide the energy I needed, without having to eat extra. I lost almost all the weight I had gained this way. I am now only 8 pounds overweight.
I have read so many times about type 2 diabetics who eat 50 carbs, or less, per day. I don't see how that is healthy. I tried cutting down to 100 carbs, and I did not have enough energy to do all my chores and exercise too. Maybe that is because I am 70 years old.
[quote user="Richard Vaughn"]
I have read so many times about type 2 diabetics who eat 50 carbs, or less, per day. I don't see how that is healthy. I tried cutting down to 100 carbs, and I did not have enough energy to do all my chores and exercise too. Maybe that is because I am 70 years old.
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Guessing you read the article since he mentioned 50g of carbs a day. I'm not sure I could do that either. The way we have (and I try!) trained our bodies to make energy is by converting fat to energy rather than carbs. I like that he (Robb Wolf) points out that the 'you need carbs for energy' thing is a myth when it is stated that you only get your energy from it.
Again, not for everyone depending on health and health history. I've had my cholesterol and everything checked since I started the cutting of carbs back in December 09 and all my numbers were good.
Also, the reason I was pointed to that article is because I'm trying to increase my insulin sensitivity. So by taking in less carbs, one can accomplish that. Hopefully it will decrease my insulin:carb ratio and I will save $ in the long run by using less insulin. :)
I have been trying weight watchers for about three weeks now.....It's a big committment, but you just have to stick to it. You can still eat, but you are limited to how much. It's a point system. I haven't dropped many pounds yet, but I am feeling healthier and my waist size is decreasing. It's a good program if you would like to try it.....good luck!
Yeah i have an underactive thyroid and i can't seem to gain much weight t all
Do you mean overactive? Hyperthyroid makes it hard to gain weight...Hypothyroid causes weight gain...or is usually blamed for it in some cases.
Finding the right time of day to exercise was important for me. I can't do anything in the mornings, I am very sensitive to both insulin and food then, so no running before work for me. Late afternoon/early evening works best for me. My blood sugar stays pretty stable then and I can get a good workout in without crashing like I would in the morning.
I would also say consistency is the biggest thing. I have found most people will build a nice workout schedule, stick to it for about 2-3 weeks, get tired of it or discouraged because they don't see results, then quit. I work out ~40 minutes a couple times a week, combo cardio and strength on alternating days. I can fit this into my life and I can keep it up. This isn't enough to lose weight quickly, but over a couple of months, there is a definite difference, and I can keep doing it, compared to intense weight loss plans wear you burn out in a couple of weeks.
As for the thyroid post.... my mom has hypothyroid and she never gained any weight and I have accused her of being skinny on occasion. It took a long time for her to be diagnosed because she didn't suffer from unusual weight gain, which is usually one of the hallmark symptoms.
[quote user="Megan519"]
As for the thyroid post.... my mom has hypothyroid and she never gained any weight and I have accused her of being skinny on occasion. It took a long time for her to be diagnosed because she didn't suffer from unusual weight gain, which is usually one of the hallmark symptoms.
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That's interesting. I have had an underactive thyroid twice in my life, and I have early stage Hashimoto's right now, but my latest test said my levels had stabilized for the time being. When I had an underactive thyroid both times, I didn't experience any weight gain now that I think back about it.
No i have a hypoactive, but i've pretty much kept my weight the same 4 about a yr
This is by far my biggest challenge with diabetes! I also have PCOS which means I have less estrogen so that is also one of the leading causes of weight gain in women. My doctor says that lowering your basal rate (if you are on a pump) a few hours before working out might let you do it without having to eat a snack, but this hasn't worked out for me. I work out pretty hard almost 3 hours a day so I usually need one or two snacks, like a granola bar. Other than eating for exercise or if I'm low, I almost eat nothing else during the day. I know people say you need to eat a lot of small snacks, or if you don't eat enough calories, you'll gain weight because your body goes into starvation mode, but after x amount of years of this, I notice a direct correlation between the amount of calories and my weight. Everybody's bodies are different and one thing won't always work for everyone. I've given up trying to be super skinny because realistically that is not going to happen, so instead I've decided to get super strong. I am up to 65 pound curls, 90 pound flies, and 110 pound crunches on the ab machine, so at least I'm not flabby, and I'm only a 5 ft tall girl and I am stronger than a lot of teenage guys so that makes me laugh. I think its just really frustrating because you are doing everything right exercise/calorie wise and the results that a normal person gets are much harder to come by, if at all. Good luck with everything, and don't start depriving yourself of insulin...I did that for years and it really can cause damage!
Thanks for the suggestion! I signed up yesterday, it really is a good website. I downloaded it on my phone so I can use it on the go too!