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[waynetaylor2468]

Hi I am type 2 diabetic and have been for a number of years. Currently taking metformin and a once a week injection supposedly to make me feel fuller for longer. However. I dont think that works to be honest. As a bus driver I monitor my blood sugars two hours befor my shift which is normally between 7 and 8.5 mmol and then about every 3 hours as recommended by the DVLA. I try to intermittent fast and eat between 10am and 6pm and consume roughly between a 1000 and 1200 calories a day. I try to eat as healthy as possible, porridge for breakfast, usually salad, chicken or fish for lunch and fruit of so sort in the afternoon or nuts. I try to walk at least 2 to 3 miles a day shifts permitting.
1, why do I not seem to loose any weight
2. Why are my blood sugars not coming down.

 

[Drummer]

Hi I am type 2 diabetic and have been for a number of years. Currently taking metformin and a once a week injection supposedly to make me feel fuller for longer. However. I dont think that works to be honest. As a bus driver I monitor my blood sugars two hours befor my shift which is normally between 7 and 8.5 mmol and then about every 3 hours as recommended by the DVLA. I try to intermittent fast and eat between 10am and 6pm and consume roughly between a 1000 and 1200 calories a day. I try to eat as healthy as possible, porridge for breakfast, usually salad, chicken or fish for lunch and fruit of so sort in the afternoon or nuts. I try to walk at least 2 to 3 miles a day shifts permitting.
1, why do I not seem to loose any weight
2. Why are my blood sugars not coming down.

You could be starting off the day with too many carbs at breakfast time. I can't eat porridge, or any grain and restrict fruit to berries as most fruits are too high in carbs for me.
I found that there was no need to restrict calories, just the carbs. These days I only eat twice a day at the most, but that is because my appetite is so low. I am never hungry.
I am still losing weight and size even after 7 years from diagnosis as I just don't want to think about it after decades of harassment and bad advice. I find a certain satisfaction in needing smaller clothes each winter.

 

[waynetaylor2468]

I weigh my porridge out and stick to 70g and no more. I eat an orange as a snack in the afternoon. Don’t touch bread or potatoes/rice and pasta. No chocolate or sweet stuff. What the heck am I doing wrong. Ps I drink tea/coffee, but at least a litre of water as well.

 

[harbottle]

That diet sounds similar to mine, but I avoid porridge and have Greek yoghurt for breakfast with berries or something egg based - a breakfast high in carbs may not be good for people with insulin resistance.

I lost weight very quickly, so I am not sure why you are not.

Calorie restriction can cause weight to reach a plateau, though. This website has some information:

9 Reasons Why You Are Not Losing Weight In a Calorie Deficit | Juniper

Delving into the reasons you aren't achieving weight loss in a calorie deficit and ways to turn it around.

www.myjuniper.com

Weight is linked to insulin resistance, which may be why your levels are not coming down.
What is your hba1c?

 

[waynetaylor2468]

I dont understand it either.

 

[ianf0ster]

Hi @waynetaylor2468 and welcome to the forum.
Unfortunately the answers to your questions are:
1. Your blood glucose is too high - your body produced insulin can't cope other than forcing it into your fat cells.
2.. You eat too many carbohydrates - starches as well as sugars e.g. porridge (grains) and fruit.

Here is a link to the Blog post which set me on the path to remission:

The Nutritional Thingy

There’s a few things you should know. 1. Practically all carbs turn to glucose once ingested , so not just straight sugars, but starches...

josekalsbeek.blogspot.com

 

[waynetaylor2468]

I must be missing the point as so many diabetic sites and forums say porridge is good for you as its whole grains. I dont eat nuts and fruit together. One day I have an orange and the next day I have a small amount of nuts. For example, my calorie intake today was under 1000. My carb intake was 55g and my protein intake was 30g.

 

[Sharron1]

Hi I am type 2 diabetic and have been for a number of years. Currently taking metformin and a once a week injection supposedly to make me feel fuller for longer. However. I dont think that works to be honest. As a bus driver I monitor my blood sugars two hours befor my shift which is normally between 7 and 8.5 mmol and then about every 3 hours as recommended by the DVLA. I try to intermittent fast and eat between 10am and 6pm and consume roughly between a 1000 and 1200 calories a day. I try to eat as healthy as possible, porridge for breakfast, usually salad, chicken or fish for lunch and fruit of so sort in the afternoon or nuts. I try to walk at least 2 to 3 miles a day shifts permitting.
1, why do I not seem to loose any weight
2. Why are my blood sugars not coming down.

Hi,

Porridge is one of those things that works for some. I am one of those, although I have a small amount. I tried weighing it but the oats went everywhere, then I discovered sachets. I have one sachet in the morning about 16 gms carbs and It fits neatly in a cup. I have this around 6am before work and it keeps me full until about 1pm. Lunch is a mug of soup, maybe boiled egg or sardine on toast. Evening meal is poached salmon or mackeral or vegetarian sausages with lots of steamed veg. I try not to snack but allow myself almonds (yum). I have a busy life along with this diet the weight dropped off and blood sugar maintained in 30s. It takes time to work it out. Good luck.

 

[waynetaylor2468]

Hi,

Porridge is one of those things that works for some. I am one of those, although I have a small amount. I tried weighing it but the oats went everywhere, then I discovered sachets. I have one sachet in the morning about 16 gms carbs and It fits neatly in a cup. I have this around 6am before work and it keeps me full until about 1pm. Lunch is a mug of soup, maybe boiled egg or sardine on toast. Evening meal is poached salmon or mackeral or vegetarian sausages with lots of steamed veg. I try not to snack but allow myself almonds (yum). I have a busy life along with this diet the weight dropped off and blood sugar maintained in 30s. It takes time to work it out. Good luck.

My last HbA1c was 58, which I know is on the high side. My porridge is weighed into a cup. An example of my lunch tomorrow which I have just prepared. Tomatoes, cucumbers, onions and peppers, two cauliflower and two broccoli heads and two boiled eggs with a small amount of cottage cheese. Tomorrow I also have greek yogurt with blueberries

 

[Leadinglights]

My last HbA1c was 58, which I know is on the high side. My porridge is weighed into a cup. An example of my lunch tomorrow which I have just prepared. Tomatoes, cucumbers, onions and peppers, two cauliflower and two broccoli heads and two boiled eggs with a small amount of cottage cheese. Tomorrow I also have greek yogurt with blueberries

You are not desperately high with an HbA1C of 58mmol/mol but yes you do need to try to get it down. The examples of meals sound fine but this link may give you some more ideas for meals, it is an approach designed by a GP surgery to help their patients with weight loss and reducing HbA1C so it may help you. https://lowcarbfreshwell.com/

 

[ianf0ster]

@waynetaylor2468
Some things that sometimes get neglected:
1. Pre-diabetes HbA1C is 42 to 47, full diabetes starts as 48 but some aren't diagnosed until they have an HbA1C of over 100 - so 58 isn't relatively high for diabetes!
2. Type 2 diabetics are a very diverse bunch. Because it's a lifestyle disease, our genes, our tastes, or gut biomes, our insulin resistance, our hereditary diet etc. all play a part in determining which 'foods' we should best restrict or avoid. We are all different. Hence the need for testing food - test just before first bite and then 2hrs later (by which time a non-diabetic would be at the same BG level as they were before eating).
3. All carbs raise BG when digested. A Carbohydrate molecule looks like lots of glucose molecules 'holding hands'.
4. Whole grains are just like refined grains but with a little fibre and a very few vitamins added - almost exactly the same effect on blood glucose! Fruit juice is mainly water and sugar with a few vitamins. Fruit is mainly juice and some fibre.
5. If you want to feel fuller for longer, eat more Fat, Protein and Fibre - because Carbs raise BG which raises insulin to reduce the BG which then means you are hungry again. You appear to be eating little fat - this is a common mistake. Carbs are the only non-essential macro nutrient - your body needs Fat and Protein.
6. Low calorie diets cause the Resting Metabolic Rate to drop. This means you have to cut calories even more in order to maintain weight and more still in order to reduce it further. That is why conventional diets fail for 90% of people.
7. A Low Crab way of eating with no (conscious) calorie reduction, adding more fat and more protein to compensate for the calories dropped from the carbs cut out, does cause weight loss (in the majority of people).

I lost over 2 stone (from 12ston3lbs) on a Low Carb way of eating, without even trying!

I always suggest eggs for breakfast (can be boiled in advance and stored in the fridge). Eggs are an extremely good combination of protein and fat. But if you don't like them boiled, they can be cooked in any way you like so long as you don't eat bread with them.

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

I must be missing the point as so many diabetic sites and forums say porridge is good for you as its whole grains. I dont eat nuts and fruit together. One day I have an orange and the next day I have a small amount of nuts. For example, my calorie intake today was under 1000. My carb intake was 55g and my protein intake was 30g.

Sorry to hear you aren’t seeing the results you’d like despite having made significant changes to your menu.

Only 55g of carbs a day, and under 1000 calories would usually be expected by many of our low carb advocates to lead to natural weight loss, and an on-target HbA1c, so it must be very frustrating that this isn’t happening for you

Have you ever had your cPetpide measured to see how much insulin you are producing? It may be that your stubborn glucose levels are because of some glitch in your insulin signalling, or low insulin production? Some can also find that a low carb diet gives rise to insulin resistance.

It doesn’t sound like you have much slack to trim in terms of your carb intake, but it might be interesting to try some before/after BG checks (immediately before eating, and again 2hrs after the first bite) for your porridge, to see how your glucose levels are responding to it?

 

[harbottle]

Yes, I agree with @everydayupsanddowns.
That diet is fairly low in carbs and calories.
I wonder if insulin resistance is the reason as well. Fasting levels being elevated can indicate insulin resistance in the liver which stops the liver from getting the signal to stop producing glucose, or as has been said, not enough insulin produced to deal with the background glucose.

What sort of readings do you get if you don't eat for 4 hours?