Its time to LOSE!

Food
1

I need some advice from anyone who has been able to lose a few pounds and still balance their diabetes and blood sugar.

I work out and I eat relatively healthy ( My husband and I have one junk food nite). However, I just want to lose 10 pounds.

I know you should eat less, and work our more. Is there any success stories out there? Have you been able to do it without compromising your blood sugars?

Anyone want to start a "weigh-in?" I need to do something! Any thoughts?

Hope everyone is doing well! I <3 my juvenation friends!

Alayna

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Hi Alayna,only 10 lbs. to lose,your already off to a good start. I want more info. on all this,I am looking for the post where symlin was talked about. I never heard of it till here. Best of luck to you,and you are smart to keep a eye on a few pounds,that way a few more do not sneak up on ya.!

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Alayna, I will do a weigh-in with you.

I guess that means I should buy a scale.. DARN! hehe

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[quote user="Alayna"]Have you been able to do it without compromising your blood sugars?[/quote]

I have found that exercising has done nothing but good things for my sugars.  A few more lows, but the more I do different kinds of exercise the more I figure it out and have had way less lows.  I would suggest testing every half hour you exercise.

As for your one junk food night - definitely keep it!  I find if I treat myself every once in a while I am way less likely to go on a huge crazy binge.

For the exercise, I would suggest trying to do a whole ton of different things rather than just hitting the gym.  It's actually easier to lose weight if you do a variety of activities.  Get your husband to sign up for some stuff with you!  Tennis lessons or lane swimming or dance lessons even!  I love trying new things and there are tons of courses around here offered, I am taking a white water kayaking course this weekend! 

The other thing I could suggest... we did this thing at the pool I lifeguarded at called "February Fitness Challenge".  People who came to lane swimming/aquafit got a sticker for every hour they swam or did aquafit.  Everytime you hit a certain "check point" on the board you got a ballot to enter your name into the prize draw.  You could do something similar?  Like pick something that you really want, and work towards it.  So you get a prize everytime you hit a certain amount of hours of exercise or something.  Then you can have the big reward at the end of not only the likely weight loss associated with exercise, but you could put a prize of something you really want for the end!  Then start all over again:)!

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I think cardio is probably the key for weight loss.  I know that I really need to get back into it as well.  I could stand to shed 10lbs as well, or at least tone up, and I know that cardio always does the trick for me.  I think just knowin how to push yourself, yet not push yourself too hard is the key.  You have to start somewhere.  I'm not sure what your diet consists of but it's probably better than most so I doubt the answer is in the diet.   I'm sure if you look at the overall picture there's things that you could cut out here and there that have a lot of calories.  For me it's just persistance and sticking with it, and like I said it's not all about losing 10lbs, it's more about tone.  I would gladly take an extra 10lbs of tone muscle if that's what happens.  Hope this helps a little :)

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PS... what exactly is a weigh in?  Just posting our weights and then posting the progression?  I could be down for that.  Shedding a few lbs would probably help me tone. 

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This is a chance for me to see if my education is paying off!  I just graduated with a degree in a dietetics.

10 lbs is not a lot to lose, so I would encourage you to lose it very slowly (no more than 1/2 - 1lb per week). In order to lose up to 1lb per week, you would somewhere cut 500 calories per day. This can be done through less calorie intake or increased exercise. Because you have such a small goal and are not overweight, I would suggest cutting about 250 calories per day, through both diet and exercise. A combination of both weight bearing and cardio exercises are best. If you chose to do weights, your body will initially hold a little extra water in the muscles, so don't be surprised if the first couple weeks the scale *says* you gained a pound or two. It is simply part of the muscle healing process! You aren't actually gaining any weight, as it is simply a little extra water. Also keep yourself very hydrated! Powerade Zero is a no calorie/no CHO drink you can use to hydrate yourself--it also contains the necessary electrolytes if you sweat them all out!

Try consuming more nutrient dense foods. Increase fruits and veggies and whole grains. These have lots of protein, fiber, and good fats in them which help keep you healthy and comfortably full. DON'T tell yourself "I cannot eat this food because it is bad for me." There are NO bad foods. Simply monitor how much of it you are consuming in a day.

Before you actually begin losing weight, I would keep a food diary for 3-4 days. Don't change your eating habits for these. You want an accurate count of how many calories you are currently consuming. In the diary, keep track of the specific food (brands may be helpful) as well as amounts. Your fist is approximately one cup. A deck of cards is 3-4 oz. 2 dice are 1 ounce. Those are some simple comparative measures you can use. If you aren't sure how to count calories for some items, you can put your food diary into http://www.mypyramid.gov or http://www.fitday.com and they will give you an approximate number, as well as food groups consumed.

CHECK YOUR BLOOD SUGARS OFTEN WHEN YOU ARE FIRST STARTING A NEW DIET/EXERCISE REGIMEN! Your blood sugars will more than likely be on the low side at first. But after you have seen how they respond, you can accurately adjust your insulin to compensate. Instead of only eating 3 large meals a day, consume 5-6 little meals and include snacks. This will keep you from feeling incredibly hungry throughout the day and then you won't overindulge when you do eat. Also, 15 mins before you exercise eat a small snack--something with a complex CHO and protein to help boost your energy and blood sugars a bit. I would check your blood sugars before and after exercise, and consider eating another snack 30 mins after you exercise if you feel you need it. In case you experience low blood sugars, keep snacks and supplies with you everywhere (even gatorade works!).

Even though you want to lose 10lbs, I encourage you to not use a scale. This of course if up to you. These days, we are turning less to numbers and "should be" weights, and more to how you feel, how your clothes fit. It's about feeling good about yourself, not reaching some ridiculous number on a scale!

Yay for really long posts! Sorry about that. Hope this helps! Once I finish an internship, I will "officially" be a dietitian. Right now I'm qualified as a nutritionist/nutrition eductor & counselor. Let me know if I can help you in any other way!

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[quote user="meme"]

I am looking for the post where symlin was talked about.

[/quote]

I am currently using Symlin, but not for weight loss. I have incredibly stubborn blood sugars so I use both a pump and injections. I don't actually encourage Symlin because it makes you feel really sick and nauseous. While you might lose weight, it's only because you feel sick, and not because you are making any healthy lifestyle changes.

If you truly want to lose weight, a pill or medicine isn't going to help you. As soon as you stop using that medication, you will go back to your old habits and gain the weight again. Weight loss and maintenance is all about making PERMANENT changes. I encourage you to take an evaluative look at your eating habits and exercise habits and see if there are possible changes you can make. While Symlin may seem like a miracle drug, you can't treat it as such. It helps with my blood sugars, but feeling nauseated all the time isn't exactly fun or a good trade-off.

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Maybe we should have a "Weigh In" group on here? 

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HI C, What do you know about a Body fat scale ? I saw one at the dlife store. I got rid of scales years ago but this one caught my eye. Thanks for the info !!!

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Hmm. Good question. I don't have much experience with these and have only used them twice in 7 years of schooling. I have heard reports of inaccuracy amongst most brands. If you are interested in losing fat, the best way is to do weight bearing exercises (lifting weights), while cutting calories (not too many!). This way, when you lose weight, you are losing fat but replacing it with muscle. Muscle also burns more calories (because it takes more energy to keep muscles functioning), therefore the more muscle mass you have, the higher your resting metabolism rate is.

I suppose I didn't really answer your question. Like I said earlier, we are moving away from using scales and numbers because everyone has a different body and each body stores and uses fat differently. I guess I'm going to have to say it's more about how you feel about yourself and your opinion of your body fat, as opposed to what a body fat scale would tell you. The average woman has approx. 25-30% BF, if that helps you at all--the recommendation is around 11-18% for women, but we really aren't using those numbers anymore.

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[quote user="Heather Cole"]

Maybe we should have a "Weigh In" group on here? 

[/quote]

 

I'm down... 

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I can make a group for you guys What do you want to call it?

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[quote user="Gina"]

I can make a group for you guys What do you want to call it?

[/quote]

 

I will let someone else take a stab at that, I am terribly uncreative.

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[quote user="Heather Cole"]

[quote user="Gina"]

I can make a group for you guys What do you want to call it?

[/quote]

 

I will let someone else take a stab at that, I am terribly uncreative.

[/quote]

Diabetic Downsizers Anonymous? Too many syllables, but alliteration is sexy...

I'll be the first to weigh in... I weigh 220lbs (100kg for you metric peoples)

As far as weight loss goes, simply put: Burn more calories than you take in. Diet + Exercise (lots of cardio) and you can lose a good amount. I've lost about 20lbs since I moved out a little over a month ago...most of that is because I'm still not good at the whole "cooking for yourself thing" so my meals consist of rice & broccoli etc., but I also live at the gym do to lack of better things to do...am proud to say my fat @$$ has broken 2 treadmills there :)

Sprinting will burn fat. Jogging reduces muscle mass.

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Gina:

Please don't create a group where we post weight publically. As someone who's struggled with an eating disorder, I would find this very uncomfortable. Diabetic women are 4 times more likely to suffer from an eating disorder. Instead, let's start a group that focuses on body image, the issues faced, and how we find the strength to overcome them.

 

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I'm sure there could be a positive compromise on this situation.  The group wouldn't be the place for the results to be posted.  Obviously a thread would have to be created within the group.  It seems like there could be a way to use this as an example of promoting proper ways to lose weight and stay in shape.  The whole concept seems like it's focusing on promoting a ideal body image from the beginning, not the ideal of society but the ideal of the individual.  The concept seems like such a good idea for all diabetics, and specificially diabetic women as you mentioned, to find healthy methods to reach their goals. The group obviously could have many threads regarding the discussion of a healthy body image, whether that be weight loss or battles against eating disorders.  It seems to me like your idea would coinside with Alayna's idea within the same group. 

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Hi Caroline,

I understand your concerns completely. I have also struggled with Diabulimia myself.

But, I think that the people in this thread would like to do this for fun mostly. To lose weight and give each other ideas, share tips and to post their progress over a course of time. If they want to post their weight that is entirely up to the poster. If you chose to participate and didn't want to post your weight you wouldn't be required to. If you feel this isn't a group for you, you can chose not to join. Not every group is for all.

If you have any other questions or concerns please feel free to PM directly.

Gina

 

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This is so awesome! I'm excited to see people are interested! I'm going to weigh myself first thing in the morning, as I think (not for sure) this is the best time of the day to do so.

Gina, I kinda was influenced by the show "The Biggest Loser." I liked how the coaches and the contestants pushed each other. They were all happy with there outcomes! Everything was pretty much based on positive reinforcement and self motivation as well.

I don't ever want to jeapordize my health again. I did some damage to my body in the past year, and I have vowed that my health comes first! With that said, I am sensitive to Caroline's feelings.

I think what I am gonna do is make a chart. Week by week, adding more activity and focus on building my stamina and monitoring my blood sugars and track the muscle groups I work and how long I am able to do cardio. The chart will consist of: Weekly weigh in, what I ate and what time and how I felt when I ate it and where I ate. THis is to see maybe if I eat emotionally or whatever. I have never paid attention...was I under a huge amount of stress, was I bored, etc, etc. Then from there, maybe I could make little changes here and there to my diet to make it a little better.

I would like a group on juvenation. It might be great for tips and some motivation.

Take care~Alayna

 

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There are lots of misconceptions out there about food and exercise. For example: jogging does NOT reduce muscle mass. Both cardio and weights have their advantages. Cardio burns more calories quicker (only while you're exercising) and weights burn more calories longer (because they increase your metabolism). Neither one is better than the other, as both have numerous health benefits.

Fast weight loss isn't recommended because it's unhealthy. The most weight lost per week should not exceed 2lbs. Otherwise you are typically losing water and muscle mass, not fat mass. Rapid weight loss also leads to rapid weight gain becuase your body has turned itself over to starvation mode, actually slowing down your metabolism and storing all the energy it gets. It is important to make sure you are getting at least your minimum requirements in calories and no one should ever be below 1,000 a day.

Also, both decreased calories and exericse aren't necessarily required for weight loss. For some, simply increasing activity will result in weight loss. For others, monitoring intake will result in weight loss. Actually, BOTH can result in weight loss-- both combined result in quicker loss as well as increased health benefits. But it's always important to make sure you're not just cutting calories, but increasing your nutrient intake.

Please don't hesitate to ask me questions, send me messages, etc. This is my job! This is what I do! I want to help you (everyone) in any way I can, and I prefer it to be safely. Let me know if I can do anything to help anyone.