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meds and weight

12K views 47 replies 11 participants last post by  1970clea 
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#1 ·
i dont know guys,i have been on metformin 850 3 times a day for some time ,now i am on 850 twice a day and janumet 850/50,once a day,ever since i went on the met i have severe bloating problems and i do not get the normal probs associated with frequent trips to the loo,in fact the opposite is the problem,constipated most of the time ,i am gaining weight despite been off all sugars and high carb foods,i dont eat as much as i used to ,im trying minimum carb,high fat high protein for past few weeks ,i see no difference at all , i think the met is causing a lot of problems as i have gained a lot of weight since starting it some time back now,i know if i stop it i loose a few kilos in as much as 2 days ,im tempted to just stop it permanently ,i dont want other drugs as they cause weight gain, i would have thought that given its 2012 there would be a better treatment for diabeties ,one that doesnt invlolve all this discomfort and weight gain...............i will give the doc one last try ,then i will try things without any meds , i really cant understand why im not loosing any weight ,seen as before i was diagnosed i could eat chocolate as much as i liked,hve a few beers and fast foods, i wasnt gaining any weight then,totally unhealthy i know but........i think im worse off now,i dont do any of these things , how do you all cope with this ,its mentally very challenging.i find the medics i see very unhelpfull,they say it must be something im doing wrong.:(.
well this may have turned out to be a bit of a rant rather than looking for advice ,its all very frustrating ,i honestly dont know what im going to do but i wont be able to stay on the met for sure .
 
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#2 ·
Brian? All the chocolate/beer/fast food you ate before without gaining weight? The thing to remember is that you didn't have a metabolic malfunction in those days, okay? You ate whatever you wanted, your pancreas kicked out exactly enough insulin to process those foods, you weren't gaining weight because the glucose was being used up and didn't have to be stored in fat tissue. You went merrily on your way without ever knowing how well your body was taking care of you.

Now you have diabetes. Your body does not metabolize nutrients like it used to, and you need to find the right combination of foods, meds, exercise to get things humming smoothly again. It will take time and it will take patience. Throwing up your hands, dumping all your meds and blaming yourself and your doctors is not going to get you better. And I ASSURE you that going back to your old ways will not make things better.

So buckle down. Strip your meals of all the bread, potatoes, pasta, milk, sweets and anything at all that's made with a cereal grain (corn, wheat, rice, oats, barley, etc.).

If you haven't asked your doctor to prescribe the extended release version of metformin, then ASK him, and then use it for the next four weeks to see if it actually might work. Metformin can cause bloat - yes - but it does not cause weight gain. It is even used for weight LOSS in some patients.

You are too new to this to be giving up already. Medics have a history of blaming the patient when their advice isn't working, so take their admonitions with a large grain of salt.

You can do this. We can help. Buckle down! :cool:
 
#4 ·
silvertiger said:
Some tips: make sure you're eating enough, look for hidden carbs (some veggies, milk, definitely any grains). Also, get tested for hypothyroidism, which can also cause weight gain and often goes hand in hand with diabetes.
As ST said look for hidden carbs. Some shredded cheese packs are made with potato starch to prevent clumping. This can cause BG levels to rise.

Some artificial sweeteners may cause BG levels to rise while others may not. This really frustrates me as mannitol spikes me while the others won't. So I have to really check labels as any amount if mannitol and BOOM!

It's frustrating in the beginning, I know I'm only 6 months out of the hospital, but as the list of foods we can eat gets larger and the modifications get easier, this new WOE gets better and easier.

Hang in there.

And as Res Green says "Remember, I'm pulling for ya, cause were all in this together."

Sent from my iPhone
 
#5 ·
I also take 2550 mg of metformin. What I find is as long as I keep my meals under 15 carbs I do OK. If I eat more than 15 carbs at one time, I get that bloated feeling. Also make sure you add fiber to your diet. I use mostly flaxseed and chia seed to get my daily fiber. As the others said look for hidden carbs in foods. Also when you eat LC/HF it doesn't mean unlimited fat, so you may have to cut back on nuts, cheese, etc to lose weight. It is a lot of trial and error to find what works.
 
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#6 ·
i am carefull about my choices of food, breakfast is only a low fat yougurt or scrambled egg now ,nothing else except a regular coffee and some milk. i dont touch sweer things,lunch is veg equivilant to 2 cup fulls ,some chicken or fish, evening meal is a salad usually , only snack i allow is 2 apples.surely i am below the limits as to what i should be eating, i even had a hypo this evening ,was 3.2 half hour after evening meal which was a banana sandwich .
 
#7 ·
I feel like I'm starving and my sugar is climbing just READING that list of foods. I would need a LOT more fat - and just more FOOD - to be healthy and maintain control.

I would not touch any of the following to that end: low fat yogurt (or low fat ANYTHING), milk or apples. It seems to me like your diet is very skewed toward carbs and protein. That wouldn't work for me, anyway.

IMO, it is not "less" of anything you need, just a healthier balance. (Mind you, "healthier" needs a substantial redefinition after T2!)
 
#10 ·
Brian, one more thing I'd like to mention regarding what you are eating...chicken and fish are fine, but you can eat red meat as a diabetic. Animal fat is okay for you. Also, you may want to cut the high protein to moderate protein. Too much protein can can it to convert to sugar in your blood (through glucose and such...I'm not positive of the actual breakdown...but it does). You need to make the majority of your diet high fat...like others have said...full fat sour cream, cream cheese, avacadoes, heavy cream, nuts, coconut oil, olive oil....You really need to get on board with this. The Metformin does not cause weight gain...it actually should aid you in losing weight (of course I've never seen it happen with me). But put weight on? Not one of the effects of that drug. You really must eat to your meter and test all foods you are eating by taking a bg reading before eating, and then 1 hr after the first bite of food, and then 2 hours. You should not go above 140 for either. I have not had this occur yet for me, but I don't give in and eat the breads and such.

You must revamp your eating lifestyle. I know it sucks, but if you want to live a long healthy uncomplicated life as a diabetic, you must accept this and move on.

Good Luck. Hope you make the right choice.
 
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#11 · (Edited)
Im totally lost now :(, i was told by doc to eat more fruit and veg inc potatoes, and to stay away from fat foods. surely fat will cause problems ? im aftermeal levels are usually below 7.5 lately sometimes around 5.6 to 6 , i find anyrthing below 5 is causing me a problem as in im getting hypo symptoms, 3.2 was horrible ,i felt i was going to pass out,shivers ,ill etc.i feel 100% better when my levels are above 5 at all times,wont full fat foods cause more weight gain or heart problems ?
the morning dose of janumet is not available on extended release the doc says ,also he advises me to continue with the normal doses at other times of the day ,as for eating more food ? i dont understand as i was told to reduce my food intake to aid in weight loss ,i know glucophage isint supposed to cause weight gain ,i was told it doesnt cause hypos either but since i have been taking it i have increased weight and had several hypos ,i had another one this am after breakfast of scrambled egg,i was 6.2 before i ate and 3.5 2 hours after , i duno, i have seen dietician and she tells me eat these things its rather confusing ,i think i will have to see a new doc and dietician somehow ,i need some one to one advice on this really,thank you for your help.
the side effects are so bad i will consider any alternative at this stage ,i hope i can fix it soon
 
#13 ·
Brian,

"i was told by doc to eat more fruit and veg inc potatoes, and to stay away from fat foods"

Your doctor is dutifully following the official guidelines on diet.

And they do not work!

A high fat diet does not cause problems unless it is also a "high carbohydrate" diet. And then, it's the carbs that cause the issues - not the fat.

Political considerations mean that we are stuck with the "party line" from doctors and dieticians.

At the end of the day, it is your call but if you stay with your doctor's advice, I think it unlikely that you'll get your figures under control.

John
 
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#15 ·
Im uttlerly amazed to find that the american diabetic federation and my doc is recomending this when everyone here is saying otherwise ,how can they be so wrong, so everything i was told by doc i may as well forget it all .obviously you guys have your numbers right, its frightening to think that the doc was leading me astray. can someone recommend a good recipe book i can purchase somewhere please that will assist me in following the high fat low carb way.
a simple one with easy recipes would be cool,if it had pictures too it would be better :), thanks guys for help,i m a bit nervous about ignoring doc ,i hope he has my other meds right now ,
 
#16 ·
Im uttlerly amazed to find that the american diabetic federation and my doc is recomending this when everyone here is saying otherwise ,how can they be so wrong, so everything i was told by doc i may as well forget it all .obviously you guys have your numbers right, its frightening to think that the doc was leading me astray. can someone recommend a good recipe book i can purchase somewhere please that will assist me in following the high fat low carb way.
a simple one with easy recipes would be cool,if it had pictures too it would be better :), thanks guys for help,i m a bit nervous about ignoring doc ,i hope he has my other meds right now ,

Brian,

As I said in my last post - 'Political considerations mean that we are stuck with the "party line" from doctors and dieticians.'

The other element is that the ADA gets lots of financial help from certain large food and drug manufacturers. Their income would be at serious risk if they were ever to suggest that certain products didn't help as much as the sales pitch suggests they should!

Now whilst the ADA is a US organisation, you can be quite sure that the UK and France (the two countries where I have some background) will be dutifully following big brother's lead. I can definately speak for France, the leaflets I was given when I left hospital are exactly the same as some US ones I've found on the net. Only the text has been changed to French!

Just my view - ignore me if you will, but I suggest you accept your doctor's guidance on medication and gently ignore his dietary guidance. He won't really mind unless you rub his nose in it after your figures start to look good.

John
 
#17 · (Edited)
Brian, you may doubt us, but why not test it for yourself? Many here have followed the doctors advice and when it did not work for them, finally realized the truth and are eating the way we do. Or, reverse it and give this a try and see for yourself if things don't right themselves for you? In this case you are given bad advice about your diet and it is not because he wishes you harm, but he truly doesn't know any better. Unless one has diabetes, the truth isn't apparent. He is taught one way of thinking and honestly does not know it is bad thinking. Why not read Dr. Richard Bernstein's book or watch some of his videos or even go to his site and most of his book is on his website. He's a medical doctor who has diabetes himself and found the advice didn't work for him and came up with this way of eating. We are not preaching heresy, we are telling you what works for us.

As far as a cookbook, why not go to our recipe section and read some of ours on there? Lots of tasty things are posted on there. Very few cookbooks are printed that really are for low carb/high fat diets.

Good luck,
 
#18 ·
If you need something to get you started how about getting the Atkins Diet Cookbook - but you don't need to start at induction level to get a better balance. Also paleo diets, south beach are all this style of eating...
 
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#21 ·
dont get me wrong guys im not doubting you ,im just shocked to learn that an endo consultant doesnt know the basic stuff , they have me warned that high fat leads to heart problems and cholestrol , and to stick with the low carb high fibre stuff, i will try the things you say ,i will do anything to get off these particular meds,and hopefully loose some weight, i have no choice.i cannot continue taking them .thank you ,
p.s to person that asked did i really want to lower my numbers ?, of course i do ,why else would i be here .
 
#22 ·
irishbrian said:
dont get me wrong guys im not doubting you ,im just shocked to learn that an endo consultant doesnt know the basic stuff , they have me warned that high fat leads to heart problems and cholestrol , and to stick with the low carb high fibre stuff, i will try the things you say ,i will do anything to get off these particular meds,and hopefully loose some weight, i have no choice.i cannot continue taking them .thank you ,
p.s to person that asked did i really want to lower my numbers ?, of course i do ,why else would i be here .
The low carb stuff is fine. Many PWD find that fiber does not effect BG levels, especially if it's from seeds such as flax or chia. By cutting down to low carbs your body needs energy from something, protein turns to glucose in time, so that's no good. Just swapping the devil you know for the one you don't. That leaves fat as the energy source.

Another thing to ponder: if your body naturally creates something, how is it harmful? Since several studies have show that dietary fat does not contribute to inflated cholesterol numbers when part of a low carb moderate protein diet, where does the damage come from? It comes from combining high fat with high carb.

When your body begins to burn fat for fuel, portion control, calorie count, and weight begin to take care of themselves. I lost 20 pounds in less than two months and have now stabilized at what most would say is an overweight 175 or so. But my body says otherwise, my BG control says otherwise. So I listen and do what my body and my meter say. THEY are my medical and dietary guideposts, not some textbook and, in honesty, not even this forum. While it and the people here give good advice, we ALL realize that it means nothing if our meters say otherwise. You have to find out what works for YOU. We, like your doctors, can only advise. You have the tools, from this forum to your meter to other websites and books. The rest is on you to use those tools. Yes, it takes time. Yes there will be episodes where things don't go right. But the successes will outweigh and outlast them IF you do the work.

Now is the time to start working. Make a meal plan. Eat the same thing for a couple days and see how it works. If it doesn't, figure out why then try again.

We've all been there done that and got the tee shirt. But, there comes a point where we had to jump in with both feet and do it on our own.

You can do it. We did.

Sent from my iPhone
 
G
#25 ·
Thanks, i had another hypo today ,qn hour before evening meal :(,wasnt as bad this time i caught it fast ,3.6 , i had scrambled eggs and bacon for breakfast ,homemade veg soup for lunch ,then bang this hypo hits me i feel like im forcing myself to eat to avoid em now ,my other numbers were good today apart from that.
 
#26 ·
Donella said:
Real Butter,full fat cream,full fat cream cheese,avocado,olive oil,coconut oil and full fat cheese That's the fats I can think of off the top of my head you are looking for saturated fats not trans fats also make sure it's not hydrogenated.
Also use full fat yogurt and add in heavy cream. Add some blueberries to heavy cream. Don't buy lean cuts of meat.

If you have a butcher nearby, go there and ask that the fat be left on whatever cut you get.

Try braising meat rather than grilling.

A good homemade guacamole.

Just some iseas

Sent from my iPhone
 
#27 ·
irishbrian said:
Thanks, i had another hypo today ,qn hour before evening meal :(,wasnt as bad this time i caught it fast ,3.6 , i had scrambled eggs and bacon for breakfast ,homemade veg soup for lunch ,then bang this hypo hits me i feel like im forcing myself to eat to avoid em now ,my other numbers were good today apart from that.
Who's got the theory of relativity? For every action there is an opposite and equal reaction- or something like that. I bet you will find by lowering you high BG spikes you will see a raising of your low BG numbers. IMHO it is better theory than to keep from going so low, just raise baseline highs.
 
#28 ·
mbuster said:
Who's got the theory of relativity? For every action there is an opposite and equal reaction- or something like that. I bet you will find by lowering you high BG spikes you will see a raising of your low BG numbers. IMHO it is better theory than to keep from going so low, just raise baseline highs.
Wow the nerd in me is screaming. Lol. I don't wanna go Sheldon lmao

Sent from my iPhone
 
#32 ·
Brian, don't get all caught up in the weight loss right now. It is most important to get those numbers steady. You are doing terrific. You should be very proud of yourself. I understand the want to lose weight, however that is not what this is all about. The weight loss is a bonus. Get your bg's under control and then start with what you can do to help spur some weight loss.

Patience is the name of the game here. I'm a very impatient person, so I feel your pain and urgency, but you just have to not worry about everything at one time. Step by step, and sometimes baby steps at that.

You're doing wonderful....stick with it. You will get very used to eating this way. And, I know what you mean about making yourself eat to avoid a low...crazy isn't it ;) I really do not have the appetite I used to...I really stop and say to myself when I've got the munchies "am I really hungry, or just bored?" Usually the bored wins out and I walk away from the food. Love this part!
 
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#33 ·
Brian, just keep doing what you are doing and it will happen. As long as you keep your bg in line as everyone is saying you'll see results on your scales...honest *****! Have faith and keep doing as well as are! You are making gains...but, you didn't gain this overnight and you won't lose it overnight either. But, in a month or so, you'll see the results. We are all different, so some see different results. You will too!
 
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#36 ·
On average how long does it take to start seeing results with lchf diet ?
i just found out that if i take a my meds before breakfast instead of after ,like i was told to do and then a really hot shower im down to the low 5,s :),
im going to try this for the week instead of doin things the other way around ......
 
#37 ·
Nope - that's another one with no straight answer.

It depends on too many variables, even silly little things like the temperature, what exercise you took, are you nursing an infection, what particular food you ate the night before..... and so it goes on. We are all a bit different.

That said you should start to see improvements almost at once but they're likely to be patchy. Great numbers one day, then you'll have the odd day where something strange happens to the numbers, then back to good ones. But the basic trend will probably start to show within a few days.

One of the things to watch for are "new improved recipes". Suddenly the product you've used for years starts to do silly things to your numbers - check the label - again!

John
 
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#38 ·
ok thanks , i had a steak today with onions fryed in butter and a small leaf salad for my dinner ,i was 4.4 two hours after it ,that also included taking a metformin 850 at dinner time ,im wondering is this a bit too low ? should i reduce that particular dose of medication ?,
i have sausages and bacon lined up for tomorows breakfast :D
 
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