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I need your help to lose weight

6K views 59 replies 12 participants last post by  NSDad126 
#1 ·
I've been stalled for weight loss for the better part of a year. When I first switched to fasting and keto for my type 2 diabetes, I lost 45lbs, and only regained 10 lbs. I've maintained my 35lbs of weight loss plus or minus 5 lbs ever since then.

I am extremely happy with my non-scale victories, I'm off insulin and yet my A1C has been the best that it has been for many years.

Anyway, to tell you what I've been up to since new years, my goal was to take 126 days of a fasting and keto and kick butt by losing about 50lbs.

My progress was not so good in the first 2 weeks of January, but last week, I was on cloud 9 for reaching my best weigh-in from 2018, ie about -45lbs from my starting weight.

This week has been really frustrating, I'm back up to my stalled weight... no progress... January is shot to hell, so to speak.

It is totally frustrating, I feel like my opportunity to make some solid progress is slipping away from me.
 
#2 ·
Anyway, I would really appreciate a brainstorm session on what I should be doing to claw my way out of this slump. Please don't hold anything back, if you feel that I'm eating too much, well obviously that is true. But the last month, I've been fasting from sunday to wednes noon, having 2 meals on wed, then fasting from wednes midnight until Saturday noon, then having 2 meals. I'm convinced that there is more to it then 'eat less, move more' because I'm already doing a pretty extreme routine.

Your thoughts are desperately needed. Thanks in advance.
 
#3 ·
Looks to me like you're eating just four meals a week?? How is your energy level? Are you as active as you've been or has winter (or a lack of energy) punched a hole in your activity level? You suppose maybe you're in a different kind of starvation mode (maybe too much fasting)?

Has Mrs. NSDad's recent change in eating habits had any lasting impact on what you're eating now?

Did your most recent bloodwork indicate anything worth watching?
 
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#9 ·
Looks to me like you're eating just four meals a week?? How is your energy level? Are you as active as you've been or has winter (or a lack of energy) punched a hole in your activity level? You suppose maybe you're in a different kind of starvation mode (maybe too much fasting)?
My energy level is sort of mixed bag of goods.

I have been drinking an electrolyte drink () that seems to be keeping my electrolyte imbalances away. So my energy level is not as bad as one would think.

I'm not as active as I used to be. I've gotten away from my morning walks that I used to do. In the past few weeks, I've been walking laps for an hour in the gymnasium each day, but that is only translating into 6000 steps instead of the 12000 steps that I was doing last spring and last summer. Keep in mind even at 12000 steps, my weight was still stalled.

Has Mrs. NSDad's recent change in eating habits had any lasting impact on what you're eating now?
Yes, probably. We don't eat the same meals anymore. I used to be able to come home to a pork chop or a chicken breast waiting for me, and all I had to do what make my chunky salad. Now i'd say I'm dipping into my frozen portions of keto chilli more often.


Did your most recent bloodwork indicate anything worth watching?
I don't really know. My doc's secretary called me on the phone and told me my numbers are fine. God, that annoys me, I really want to know the numbers. Oh well, it is my fault for not following up on this and i only have excuses why I don't see them.
 
#4 ·
I am still striving to get below 170 lbs. I found that I stalled on weight loss even with IF and OMAD. I am not counting calories but feel I am eating more now than when I started. I have been gaining a little and losing a little, so basically not really moving.

I do find that my activity level seems to be the biggest influence, more active and I lose, less active and I gain. I ate 2 meals yesterday, I took the dog for a walk in the afternoon and then rode my bike on the trainer last night.

The scales showed a little lighter today, coincidence, maybe, but I think I'm going to put more effort into being more active, rather than consciously cutting calories.
 
#10 ·
I am still striving to get below 170 lbs. I found that I stalled on weight loss even with IF and OMAD. I am not counting calories but feel I am eating more now than when I started. I have been gaining a little and losing a little, so basically not really moving.
I reached a point where I was doing OMAD everyday, it was easy but wasn't creating weightloss. The Dr. Fung/Megan Ramos podcasts were talking about Extended fasting being useful for some people. I suppose the past few weeks helps support that idea, but my only real weight loss came from 1 and 2 week fasts last year.

I do find that my activity level seems to be the biggest influence, more active and I lose, less active and I gain. I ate 2 meals yesterday, I took the dog for a walk in the afternoon and then rode my bike on the trainer last night.
My mind tells me that you are absolutely correct, but I'm not sure if I'm experiencing that. The water retention in my legs always improves when I'm active. But, I've seen days where my legs are complete not swollen yet it isn't reflected on the scale.

The scales showed a little lighter today, coincidence, maybe, but I think I'm going to put more effort into being more active, rather than consciously cutting calories.
I hope to have that same attitude someday but gosh I'm pushing 350lbs and it definitely needs to come off.
 
#5 ·
I know this is counter intuitive but any time I got stuck with weight loss I did one thing and it almost always worked....


I ate MORE... yes thats right, MORE

I found that when I was really trying to lose weight I would eat less than my body needed and in doing so, my body responded by refusing to lose weight because my body thought I was starving myself. I know I wasnt starving myself but my body needed more and wasnt getting it.

so I ate... more fat... more calories

and almost immediately I lost weight.

I am not sure it will work for you because I dont know what you are doing exactly but Im giving you my experience
 
#6 ·
I know this is counter intuitive but any time I got stuck with weight loss I did one thing and it almost always worked....
I have read something similar - looked, but couldn't find it again - think it was from Jenny Ruhl.

Anyway, the idea was, as hftmrock mentioned, that it helps to break the "starvation mode" of hanging on to every calorie to alternate from what you are eating (or not eating) to lose weight to a more normal amount of food. I can't remember but I think it was two or three weeks on and off. I guess it resets the metabolism to a higher level.
 
#13 ·
I owe you all an apology and I owe myself an apology.

I have lost count how many times I've given someone else the advice to consider themselves in a troubleshooting mode, and start tracking everything.... yet, like a total moron I don't practice what I preach.

Thanks. I will start tracking everything that I'm doing, drinking, and eating. I am going to make this my life's mission until ...until... well until I can succeed without tracking. oh man, i don't like tracking LOL

Maybe my deficits aren't as big as I think they are, so when I'm off the rails I'm really off the rails if that makes any sense.
 
#14 ·
Hmmm, strange. I don't find the snake juice guy nearly as annoying as Durianrider.

The snake juice is a more dilute version of my electrolyte drink minus the optionals. LOL. Maybe I need to start taking it again in a little more water.

I did break out of a stall early on when I first started losing weight by increasing my calories from 3300 to 4100 per day. That was just from increasing fats. I went from 235+ LBS to 185 then eased back up to 195. I got back down to 185 by adding more oils to my diet. I know it worked once, haven't tried it again.
 
#15 ·
Thanks everyone, this is either going to work or I'll have the notes to share with you and my doctor.

I'm going to start today with an omelette and some coffee. And since i have the day off Im going to map out a new meal plan and an exercise plan.

My tracking starts ....three... two... one.... now.
 
#17 ·
Hi NSDad, I used to think that exercise was only at the gym or in my garage punching a bag. It took me a while to realize that you can exercise anytime, anywhere.

One thing I like to do (except when it's raining) is park my car a distance away from where I'm trying to get. The good thing about that is that I'm not fighting for parking :smile2:.

I go up 3 flights of stairs everyday several times a day. When I first moved into this office, I almost died when I got to the 3rd floor. I had to take breaks in between. It was awful :sad2:. There is only 1 elevator in my building, and it's a freight elevator, so I was pretty much forced to use the stairs.

I bought this awesome apparatus called the "Chair Gym." I keep it in front of the TV, so whenever I watch TV, instead of sitting on my couch, I sit on the "Chair Gym" and work out. It beats boring treadmills, which I used to have and never used. Before you know it, you've worked out a whole soap opera :biggrin:.

One more thing I would like to recommend is deep breathing exercises. There are many deep breathing exercises out there on YouTube. I'm recommending "Oxycise" cuz that's the one I'm familiar with :smile2:. I have several DVDs. Once you get the hang of the deep breathing, you can do them anywhere.

Good luck to you!
 
#20 ·
This might sound like oversimplification, but when I want to lose a few pounds, I write down the calories of everything I put in my mouth that day. It does a few things. #1 it helps you to get a picture of how much you're eating, and #2, (at least with me) it makes me think twice about eating something because I know I'll have to write it down.

You can eat too many calories, even on a low carb diet. Find out how many calories you need to eat to lose weight and then keep a daily ledger.
 
#21 · (Edited)
I started on LCHF in May of 2015. I am 6'2" and weighted in at 320lbs, morbidly obese by definition. I started focusing on carb intake only to control my diabetes as my A1c was beginning to climb and more meds was not helping. I had thought I would get control of my weight problems, after I got my BS under control. I do not believe in dieting as I had tried many over the years. I always, in time folded on diets because of the cravings eventually breaking me down. My target has always been to never eat over 100 carbs a day...not as aggressive as many, but that is where I started, and that is where I have stayed.


I now weight 250, dropping 70lbs. since mid April of 2015. I have not been in a workout mode or any formal effort to exercise more. But, as I lost the weight, I naturally got more active including doing some harder physical work and play that I would have not done without the weight loss.


The first 50lbs. came off fast within 6 months! I was amazed how easy it was, as was my doctors. My overall health data improved dramatically and I had to get off of much of my medications, stopping some of it all together...


I have found that my weight loss has slowed, but I still am seeing a consistent loss of 1-2 lbs. a month. My last 3 A1c's have been 5.8, 6.2, 5.9...I have cut my blood pressure meds in half, as my BP was going to low, and quit statins and my Cholesterol numbers are great (except my good Cholesterol, because I am not working out). I had to get off my water pills altogether as they were causing me to have a form of Gout, as I did no longer need these pills either. It took over six months for my doctors to figure this one out.

Now that I have finally stopped my Gout attacks, I am swimming 30 minutes at the local YMCA 3 times a week. I am sure that in time I can accelerate my weight loss, although initially, as I rebuilt muscle I did see some minor weight gain...but based on my past experience in 90 days this will all be reversed.

Again, for me, diets don't work, counting caloric intake does not work as the metabolism is so complex that you cannot count on a predictable outcome. I think I am naturally dropping my carb intake, as I mentally and trying to improve my strength by exercise. This in turn will accelerate my weight loss once the basic muscle tone had stabilized. LCHF works for me....!
 
#22 ·
Yesterday, I stepped on the scale, dressed in jogging pants and a tshirt.




This morning, I stepped on the scale in my birthday suit…




When I put on some jeans and a poloshirt, the scale went up 5 lbs.

That seems to be a lot of weight loss for one day, I can’t think of any reason why this would happen. I drank 7 cups of water and don’t remember going pee more than usual.

I’m suspicious that my scale might need replacing. When I first bought the scale, it would always report the same weight if I step on it several times in a row. This is normal for a good scale. If you weight is very similar to your last weight then it displays your last weight instead of your current weight, if that makes any sense.

Anyway, I’m suspicious because I am getting 1 or 2 different weights before it starts to report the same weight. This is not the way it worked when it was new.
 
#23 ·
Give a new scale a shot, NSDad, but you could weigh the jeans and polo shirt to see if they get close to the difference between readings.

FWIW I've never been a member of the weigh-every-day-club for the same reason I don't sweat a small difference in BG from day to day. There could be lots of reasons it could have happened and it would take some time to figure out if I could figure out exactly which reason. Not to say you shouldn't do that; just that my discipline doesn't lean that way.
 
#24 ·
I weigh myself every morning, I do this after going to the bathroom and I have the exact same close on every morning.

I fluctuate 4-5 lbs. any day, but over the long run of a month, I can see a clear trend...thankfully that is downwardly 1-2lbs. a month...


I did get a new digital scale in 2015....
 
#25 ·
I been off insulin for almost a year, but I've been taking Janumet. I havent taken my janumet for about 3 days, and I'm still testing my BG at about 5.8 this afternoon.
I think I'm going to test two or three times per day, if I like what I see I think I'll continue to stay off the janumet. If I start to see numbers above 6, I think I'll imediately start taking a half dose and see where that takes me.

Does anyone know if there is a weight gain associated to metformin?
 
#26 ·
I am sure there is someone who can gain weight regardless of what they are taking. Metformin is often prescribed for weight loss, I think there may be ample evidence that it will be more weight loss than weight gain associated with taking metformin.
 
#27 ·
metformin is often prescribed for those trying to lose weight. That's great that you've done well without the janumet and if your BG continues to be low, you might do well with just the metformin.
 
#28 ·
I hope you do well just on the metformin; as far as weight loss there will be some but do not get your hopes up. For myself, in the first year I lost about 6 pounds. Over a period of four years I lost a total of 20 pounds and that was following the diet from the diabetes educator.

Fast forward to Aug. 2017 and I go keto then the weight started to really drop fast.
Diet alone will help you lose weight faster than metformin. Metformin will help but only a small bit.

Best,

fjk2013
 
#29 ·
It is good to know that metformin in a lose weight or no change drug. I just tested my BG and it is 6.3 which is a bit higher than I'd like to see it for a pre-meal reading.

I often experience dawn affect with my blood sugars, so I went for a walk this morning. I wouldn't mind so much if I saw 6.3 in the morning and then see it drop down for the rest of the day. Unfortunately that is not me.

I'm going to switch back to a half dose immediately and continue to watch my numbers.
 
#30 ·
I've been tracking absolutely everything, I'm coming in around 2000cal with a keto macro profile that my phone app is already set up for. I'm not doing the full maintenance amount of 2900 cal. because I'm worried that my metabolism might be lower than that.

So for now,

1800-2000 cal, between noon and midnight.
Walking for 1 hour.

I've been 2 days at 340 lbs so maybe I overreacted when I was 348lbs. Regardless, I still want to see progress if that makes any sense.
 
#32 ·
A few hours of stress yesterday at work but I was fine today.

As far as physical stress, my daily walks are at a comfortable pace. I might add something more strenuous a few times per week.

My walks contribute to lowering my stress most of the time. I work at a university, so I walk laps in the gym. The odd student shooting hoops doesnt seem to mind and I get to listen to a podcast while not having to worry about vehicles. Today there were two guys in there practising for some sort of frisbee contest. They were pretty entertaining.

My mindset for eating between noon and midnight seems pretty good too. It has only been a few days but my lunch and supper feel like enough. Yesterday, I had to eat a chocolate protein/fat bomb in order to finish my macros on target. I'm planning on doing the same tonight.

I'm short by about 30g protein and 50g fat, so I should be able to close that gap with a scoop of chocolate whey powder and 4 tbsp of coconut oil. maybe season it with cinnamon or cocoa powder.

I found a cocoa powder that has 0g net carbs. It claims the 1g of carbs is fibre. I'll share the brand with you when i can.
 
#33 · (Edited)
so I'm meeting all my macros this week. I am tracking and taking photos of everything. I hope to prove that full macros and the correct amount of calories - I'm not sneaky peanuts or pork rinds - DOES NOT cause me to gain weight.

Then next week, I am thinking of another extended fast. Again, tracking everything and no sneaking anything. I am hoping to see a whoosh. lol

In theory, both fasting and eating lots are ways to avoid starvation mode. I guess I'll have to wait and see.
 
#34 · (Edited)
Here's a weight tracking program program that I'm using called Libre. The blue line is a goal, the red spikes are actual weigh ins, and the red line is some sort of fancy normalized trend.

Currently it shows me reaching my mile stone of 50lbs weight loss in the same month that I set my goal for. It'll be about 2 weeks later than planned but that will be totally ok in my books.

My data set is missing the 348.5 lb spike from a few days ago. Just that 1 data point tirns my trend into a hockey stick that shoots off the top of the chart.

Now that I have yesterday and today plotted on the chart, I'd have a say a hockey stick is not a fair trend to throw at me.
 

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#35 ·
That's one thing I have a really good handle on at the moment - stress. Most of my stress is generated because of my Job. I made up my mind this year that I will be retiring in 3 years at the age of 60. Since making up my mind the work stress just rolls off my back - It's a nice feeling.
On another note - my son is in Law Enforcement and my daughter is currently on a NATO Deployment (Navy). I'm trying to keep any potential stress generated from that at a minimum but I suspect this will be a challenge.
How do I manage it? I keep telling myself worrying about such things is only going to do me harm and it won;t change the things that are causing my stress. It's definitely an ongoing thing and easier said then done,
 
#36 · (Edited)
I think i found a better setting for my app. the dark red line has NO smoothing or normalization, ie it is strictly a connect the dot to the next dot.

And, the thin red line is a 5 day forcast of how I'm doing. I like this, it tells me where I am going if I continue in the same path as last week.
 

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