• Please Remember: Members are only permitted to share their own experiences. Members are not qualified to give medical advice. Additionally, everyone manages their health differently. Please be respectful of other people's opinions about their own diabetes management.

Handy hints and tips

🙂try putting your normal portion on a smaller plate seems to work pretty well
 
water

🙂a big thanks for the bottled water idea trying it from today:D
 
weight

Still managing to lose a bit more each week starting to take the dogs for longer walks 2 1/2 to 3 hours a day rain or shine & more rabbit food yuk but feeling better for it
 
My tip for the day.........

I hate going to the gym and have never really been one for exercising. However, I love walking. A couple of weeks back in the telegraph there was an feature about getting fit by walking Walk Active. They say that if you walk less than 7000 steps a day you lead a sedentary life stye. 😱
My top tip is, buy a pedometer that not only counts how many steps you take, but how many calories burned, how far in miles or kilometers you have walked and how long it took you to do it.
Having a pedometer, is like having your own cheer leader, it encourages you to walk further, its fun and gives you a goal to work too. Ive gone from doing between a 3 to 8 mile walk a week to 21 miles this week. today, Ive walked 6 miles. Im also keeping a record of my daily walks and each week as suggested by Walk Active, I am now going to increase my target steps by 500 extra steps a day.
 
If you know you're going to be in it for the long haul (ie you have a lot to lose, or losing it takes a long time, as I've found since turning 40!) don't deny yourself any of your favourite foods, just restrict them to occasional treats.

A couple of years ago I managed to lose almost 5 stone over two years. Every Friday I had my usual takeaway, but without the rice or bread, and every Friday, Saturday and Sunday I had my three Hotel Chocolate chocolate treats. The fact that it is posh, expensive chocolate makes it more of a treat and means I don't mind stopping after three, also it's lower in carbs than the equivalent sweet cheap stuff. I find it helped me to resist sweet treats in the week knowing that I had the Hotel Chocolate to look forward to at the weekend.
 
My two tips are

1) There is nothing wrong with being hungry, i always had to eat cause i felt peckish, then i thought, it wont harm me if i go with out, so i did.

2) Dont think about exercise, just do it as routine. If your like me the thought of doing some stuff just puts me of, and i find excuses not to do things. Just dont think about it, get up and do it, afterwards you always feel better.
 
Coping with eating out

Here's what works for me...

The day before the night out, make a small Spanish omelette or frittata and put it in the fridge. Before you go out the door, eat it. You won't feel hungry when you're ordering so will be much more likely to choose wisely.

This also works if going to someone's house. Whilst you won't be able to control what they serve, you will be more able to ask for a small portion.

If the smells from bakeries tempt you while out shopping, stick a sugar free mint or chewing gum in your gob and you won't notice it as much.
 
If you know you have to report your progress to someone, you'll be more likely to stick with your plan.
 
Sounds good Queenbee1. Get a pedometer. Day by day you can improve things. I always feel better being out in fresh air. Come on summer 😱
 
Emphasyma and Type 2 and exercise.

I was diagnosed with Emphasyma in Jan 2011 and had been slowly putting on weight since I moved in 2006 after losing my long term partner in 2003.

I was blaming the weight gain my my menopause... And the sudden ending of a 30 year gardening career. I planned a 6 month break as all I had done was work since 1974 and was fit,slim and had no problem with energy.

A year later I realised I was putting on weight and my life style had become increasingly sedentary. Then my Emphasyma diagnosois came in Jan 2011 and my life just fell apart as I had lost my Dad,Uncle,partner and sister through Emphasyma.All died at 52, My partner Mick was dead at 49.

I gave up smoking straightaway, Something my relatives didn't. But I was left with 5 stone to shift and very little energy.

Now I have been told I have type 2 diabetes and have also had another snippet of news. My liver is beginning to show signs of damage. So I have tried hard to give up drinking but it isn't working that well but am now to 2 units every evening, I used to drink 12. ( I know,I know...)

So I have quite a lot to deal with at the moment. I don't want any help from my family members as I am very ashamed of my alcohol intake but I need to lose this damned weight but get so breathless whenever I walk I can't ever see myself back to my old self....

I don't drive. The gym is miles away down a road where there is no public transport.I live in a small town which is literally one big hill bottom to top.
I live in a first floor flat which is totally unsuitable for me and I really don't know what to do.
And I am missing my 12 units per day....

Help !!
 
I have taken up walking I walk every day for about 30 mins to an hour, really feel the benefit, now I am going to go swimming (slow but sure.)😱
 
I have taken up walking I walk every day for about 30 mins to an hour, really feel the benefit, now I am going to go swimming (slow but sure.)😱

Great stuff Susiecue, regular exercise is really helpful for you blood sugar levels as well as your weight 🙂
 
ZOLABUD Here are some things that might help

The Canadian Airforce Exercises were developed as an alternative to traditional military PT. You can do them anywhere, anytime, and start at an easy level, working up as you are able. Search Google, there are also videos on YouTube

These are things I used to cut down on booze

Tomato juice; search Google for Virgin Mary Drink. make sure you include'drink' or you'll get the religious thing
Blackcurrant & soda instead of beer. I's cheaper, and not as sickly as some non-alcoholic drinks. Scrounge one of those plastic swizzle sticks they put out on bars as sometimes they don't mix it very well
Orange & lemonade is OK, but the same price as beer, and can get sickly
Pubs now are used to people asking for non-alcoholic drinks.

At home I drank China tea, or similar black tea. Browse round a big supermarket, or find a specialist tea & coffee chop. serve weakish

Don't apologise for your alcohol intake. We are people, not machines, and it is not for others to judge you. They should be glad you are trying to do something, and help & encourage you. If they don't, they're not worth having.
 
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My tip: Water

Wherever you are carry a litre bottle of water with you and keep drinking and fill again. You should drink 2 bottles a day - and I notice my weight loss slows if don't have it!
I keep one on my desk at work!
Its good for you water !
 
My hints and tips are:- (I apologise if most of these are common sense)...

Dont just weigh yourself measure as well. Sometimes we can stay the same weight but loose inches as we are exercising and toning up.

I keep my largest pair of trousers I bought (size 32 😱) and when I am having a bad day or moment, I drag them out of the wardrope and put them on!! It is amazing how that sometimes snaps me back to reality LOL.

I keep a picture on my fridge of me at my heaviest to remind me before opening the door...

If you have a bad day/week draw a line under it and start afresh, don't beat yourself up about it. It is gonna be a struggle and we will all fall off the wagon at some point. The main thing is to climb back on!!!
My tips for losing weight are firstly eat less carbohydrates and also eat more fish and meats and salads instead of the carbohydrates.See your weight come down over time.Also go out for regular walks or cycling or swimming at least 3 times per week.Get into a routine of doing this,discipline yourself and see the pounds come off.Make sure to check your blood sugars regularly when doing this.
 
Long before I got diabetes, I remember being taught to buy emergency rations (for hiking etc) that I didn't like. Bit of a problem, as I couldn't think of any food that I didn't like, although Marathon bars (as they were called then) were my least favourite chocolate, so usually took one. Guess, same principle still applies for hypo treatment, so I should carry spearmints, my leats favourite sweets, but usually manage to resist eating sweets except when essential.
I eat a lot of Tunnock's Dark choc.caramel wafer biscuits (30g.)when I get a bit low and near hypo.I love them though and that is the problem.
 
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