My weight loss and T2D journey

[pjgtech]

I think anyone on the Pathway to Remission, or any other very low cal diet, should be wary of getting tired due to the low fuel your body is running on. It really does not take much to tire you out!

For example, I had to do a bit of a drive today, 50 mins there, mooch about for 30 mins, then 50 min drive back, so out for couple of hours.
It was mostly motorway driving, and as I'm in the SE, (Kent) the roads are ALWAYS busy, and you have to be vigilant to watch out for all the many idiots on the road, so concentrating a fair bit.
On the drive home I definitely felt a low energy "dip".

I had a 200 cal meal replacement snack bar and a few grapes, and a few nuts with me as a snack, plus I always have a Hypo pack in the car (sugary tabs, gel and liquid).
So I stopped the car ASAP and had a few grapes. After 5 mins I felt fine again, so carried on the drive home.
When I got home, I was definitely tired though, presumably from mental concentration?

Just be aware that 800 cals a day is very, very low, and you cannot exert yourself too much, and listen to your body and pay attention to how you feel. If you need to stop, take 5 mins, recover, eat a snack, etc, then do it....
Cheers

 

[Drummer]

My discovery that very low calorie should be approached from ketosis has been a bit of an eye opener for me.

I am really really low, I should be at the point of collapse if my previous ventures into low calorie eating were to be trusted as the only results possible - instead I am zooming up stairs and beating the dust off things untouched for some time, dragging out bags and boxes of fabric and searching through patterns intending to do a thorough revamp of my wardrobe rather than bring out the old stuff for winter for yet another year.
Today I have been out shopping, on an intake of zero carbs or calories and in an hour I'll be making up a shake then sorting out the kitchen and making dinner - then off to morris practice.

 

[pjgtech]

My discovery that very low calorie should be approached from ketosis has been a bit of an eye opener for me.

What does this mean? cheers

 

[Drummer]

What does this mean? cheers

I need to eat a low carb diet to control my blood glucose levels, keeping them under 8mmol/l after meals was the point at which my metabolism started to recover, at least that is what it felt like. That meant 50 gm of carbs of less in the early days, and I was often in ketosis - burning fat rather than glucose.
It is what Atkins is all about - you might find copies of Dr Atkins New Diet Revolution on line as it is fairly well explained in that.
I found that my clothes indicated ketosis very well - I put them into a laundry bag at the end of the day, and there is a distinct odour when I tip them out to sort for washing.
In the later part of this year I was eating less and less, getting deeper into ketosis, so when I decided to try the shakes I would have been increasing my carbs to do 3 a day. I thought 2 and a meal, but that made me hungry, so I went down to one and a meal of mostly protein, and I am not hungry on that. Some days I don't have the single shake, as I forget about it. It is times for 5pm, but if it gets to 6 and I've not drunk it, I just eat dinner.

 

[pjgtech]

I need to eat a low carb diet to control my blood glucose levels, keeping them under 8mmol/l after meals was the point at which my metabolism started to recover, at least that is what it felt like. That meant 50 gm of carbs of less in the early days, and I was often in ketosis - burning fat rather than glucose.
It is what Atkins is all about -

Thanx for the explanation, I had heard of the term Ketosis, but could not remember it referred to burning fat. Cheers

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

There are two different states, so we have to be a little careful.

Ketosis is fat burning (on very low carb intake) with available insulin.

Ketoacidosis is potentially fatal and results from absolute insulin deficiency - not enough insulin to process food, so fat (and then muscle/tissue/organs) are burned instead while the blood becomes acidic. 😱

 

[Felinia]

Unfortunately I've had some other minor health issues, which have affected my ability to exercise. For example, when diagnosed with Diabetes they also diagnosed high Cholesterol, so put me on Statins. I suffered severe side effects with the statins which made my joints ache very badly and severely restricted my mobility. After three months, (despite trying three different statins) I stopped taking the statins (with medical advice) but it has taken well over six months to get my mobility back.

I so empathise with your statins experience, as it mirrored mine. I also developed foot, ankle and calf swelling, a spreading rash, plus severe gastric issues. Like you it was months before all the side effects subsided. Must be something in our genetic makeup that affects us so badly, when many others have no side effects. I was advised to take a cholesterol lowering drink daily, which I do. But every time my cholesterol is checked I have to go through the same arguments about why I won't take statins. The latest episode is due to take place next Monday!!!

 

[Sharron1]

I so empathise with your statins experience, as it mirrored mine. I also developed foot, ankle and calf swelling, a spreading rash, plus severe gastric issues. Like you it was months before all the side effects subsided. Must be something in our genetic makeup that affects us so badly, when many others have no side effects. I was advised to take a cholesterol lowering drink daily, which I do. But every time my cholesterol is checked I have to go through the same arguments about why I won't take statins. The latest episode is due to take place next Monday!!!

Good luck

 

[harbottle]

I think anyone on the Pathway to Remission, or any other very low cal diet, should be wary of getting tired due to the low fuel your body is running on. It really does not take much to tire you out!

For example, I had to do a bit of a drive today, 50 mins there, mooch about for 30 mins, then 50 min drive back, so out for couple of hours.
It was mostly motorway driving, and as I'm in the SE, (Kent) the roads are ALWAYS busy, and you have to be vigilant to watch out for all the many idiots on the road, so concentrating a fair bit.
On the drive home I definitely felt a low energy "dip".

I had a 200 cal meal replacement snack bar and a few grapes, and a few nuts with me as a snack, plus I always have a Hypo pack in the car (sugary tabs, gel and liquid).
So I stopped the car ASAP and had a few grapes. After 5 mins I felt fine again, so carried on the drive home.
When I got home, I was definitely tired though, presumably from mental concentration?

Just be aware that 800 cals a day is very, very low, and you cannot exert yourself too much, and listen to your body and pay attention to how you feel. If you need to stop, take 5 mins, recover, eat a snack, etc, then do it....
Cheers

Why do you have a ‘hypo pack’???

 

[pjgtech]

Why do you have a ‘hypo pack’???

Because I read it was a good thing to have for anyone who is diabetic.
Plus, just prior to being diagnosed I did have a couple of occasions when I would feel slightly faint, and get a cold sweat on. This happened once during the day when I was out and once during the night at home.
It has not happened since. But as above, just thought it would be good to have just in case.

 

[harbottle]

Because I read it was a good thing to have for anyone who is diabetic.
Plus, just prior to being diagnosed I did have a couple of occasions when I would feel slightly faint, and get a cold sweat on. This happened once during the day when I was out and once during the night at home.
It has not happened since. But as above, just thought it would be good to have just in case.

Only if on insulin or medication that can cause hypos.
If not, there’s no need for it. The body compensates quite quickly if it drops for some reason. Mine drops down to the low 3s if I exercise vigorously, but it goes back to normal by itself very quickly.

 

[pjgtech]

Day 19 (wk3) of the T2D Pathway to Remission:
Just had my weekly telephone consultation, they are happy with my progress so far, and I too am happy with it so far.
Weight = 96.4 (total weight loss = 7.4kg or 16lbs)
BG = averaging around 4.5 to 5.5
Waist measurement = down 4" (10cm)
BP relatively stable.
Am I hungry? no.
Am i struggling? not so far.
I am still positive, still not missing chocolate, cake, toast, biscuits, etc (much).
Drinking plenty of water to keep hydrated, and I think lots of water may also suppress appetite.
Whenever I do feel very low on energy, I have two grapes, or maybe four nuts (either walnuts, almonds or pecans).
I have invested in some Shake that Weight TDR meals, just so I have some variety, as the shakes from my own provider can get a bit boring. The STW meals are also TDR 200 cal meals, so should not affect the overall diet?
Lets keep on keeping on.... 🙂

 

[Drummer]

Day 19 (wk3) of the T2D Pathway to Remission:
Just had my weekly telephone consultation, they are happy with my progress so far, and I too am happy with it so far.
Weight = 96.4 (total weight loss = 7.4kg or 16lbs)
BG = averaging around 4.5 to 5.5
Waist measurement = down 4" (10cm)
BP relatively stable.
Am I hungry? no.
Am i struggling? not so far.
I am still positive, still not missing chocolate, cake, toast, biscuits, etc (much).
Drinking plenty of water to keep hydrated, and I think lots of water may also suppress appetite.
Whenever I do feel very low on energy, I have two grapes, or maybe four nuts (either walnuts, almonds or pecans).
I have invested in some Shake that Weight TDR meals, just so I have some variety, as the shakes from my own provider can get a bit boring. The STW meals are also TDR 200 cal meals, so should not affect the overall diet?
Lets keep on keeping on.... 🙂

I'm using the Tesco shakes and they are 20gm of carbs each - so for me, with a maximum of 40 gm a day, I could not do the plan of 3 a day.
I thought 2 a day and a small meal - but I was really hungry after the first one, so I now fast until 5pm have one shake and a meal with about 10gm of carbs.
I do still have a square of the 85% cocoa chocolate from time to time - I have lemon tea - I seem to have stopped drinking coffee.
The 'privation' doesn't seem to have affected me, still normal energy levels. My blood glucose levels are not low if the out of date strips and my Tee 2 + meter can be trusted.

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

Day 19 (wk3) of the T2D Pathway to Remission:
Just had my weekly telephone consultation, they are happy with my progress so far, and I too am happy with it so far.
Weight = 96.4 (total weight loss = 7.4kg or 16lbs)
BG = averaging around 4.5 to 5.5
Waist measurement = down 4" (10cm)
BP relatively stable.
Am I hungry? no.
Am i struggling? not so far.
I am still positive, still not missing chocolate, cake, toast, biscuits, etc (much).

Great stuff @pjgtech

Sounds like you are getting on amazingly well!

 

[pjgtech]

Well today is the start of week 4!
Can't believe I've already done 3 weeks, 1/4 of the way through....
Its gone quite quickly. 🙂

 

[Drummer]

Well today is the start of week 4!
Can't believe I've already done 3 weeks, 1/4 of the way through....
Its gone quite quickly. 🙂

I think I have done 6 weeks now - I can't remember what day it was I went to Testo to buy the shakes. I'll probably get another lot and keep going until the winter solstice as long as the blood test shows that it is worth it.
I can take my mobility scooter and travel through the green lanes which are a hidden gem of this area. They can be noisy with traffic thundering past only a couple of meters away, but they are lined with fairly well grown trees, all sorts of smaller plants - but not many animals which is a pity, but the noise must put them off.

 

[pjgtech]

Day 26 (wk4) of the T2D Pathway to Remission:
I have the last of my weekly telephone consultations later today, then they will be fortnightly.

Weight = 96kg (down from 104kg) so 8kg lost so far.
Waist - 39" (down from 43") so 4" lost so far
BG = today 5.5 but pretty much stable in the 4.5 to 7 region. (Down from 12+)
Am I Hungry? still not and still surprised that I'm not!

How do I feel? hmmm, a little bit deflated as per my last post, as I've only lost 0.6kg since last week, but, its still a loss, and I know that there will be plateaus at various points. The bigger picture is the goal, eg: long term weight loss and long term better health and possible T2D remission.

I am into a good routine now, I space the shakes out depending on when I've got up, as it varies a bit. I tend to have one every three hours or so.

Now that I'm retired I tend to get up later (9-10am ish) after being an "early" person for the whole of my previous life, when I used to get up at 6:30-7am every day. Its amazing how quickly you get used to having a lay-in? 😉

As I am about to start my second month (week 5) I have ordered more shakes (I have to order a months supply at a time) and I've gone for some alternative flavours this time, so I will have a larger variety of shakes now. NB: My supplier only allows four flavours to be ordered per month!
So I now have six flavours. Yah!

Anyway just thought a little update might be in order.
Overall I am still happy and still sticking with the program. I am going to complete this diet, I am going to lose more weight, I am going to feel better, I am going to be healthier, I am going to benefit from this pathway.
Cheers

 

[Drummer]

I was going to trundle over to the big Tesco for mare shakes today, on my mobility scooter.
I don't know if anyone actually checks up on these things - I was definitely unable to walk when I got the first one and discovered how much easier it is to get around on one. The traffic is horrendous and often stationary, you take your life in your hands on a bicycle, so trundling along the paths and back ways is so much more restful and I can go much further than I could walk carrying or dragging shopping.
Despite the forecast being good, it rained, so I will go tomorrow.
All my trousers are too long at the moment, and loo loose, as my waist has moved downwards. It might be due to the abdominal undulations I am doing several times a day to tone up the muscles and to try to avoid a folding over of the skin, which was most unpleasant.

 

[Alan44]

Well done @pjgtech you are doing great.

Love your last paragraph

"Anyway just thought a little update might be in order.
Overall I am still happy and still sticking with the program. I am going to complete this diet, I am going to lose more weight, I am going to feel better, I am going to be healthier, I am going to benefit from this pathway.
Cheers"

Alan 😉

 

[pjgtech]

@Alan44 - Can't beat a bit of positive affirmation.... 🙂