Newbie Here on Victoza and in need of some advise

[Chazz78]

Hi All

My name is Charlotte , and I am a 45-year-old T2 and I was diagnosed last January with a hbA1c of 76!
I have had PCOS since I was 13 and this has contributed to my T2 diagnosis as I suffer with insulin resistance also.
so, I have fought for years with my weight since having my son in 1995.

I am on 2000mg Metformin per day and was prescribed Victoza in March.
I am currently on 1.8mg but I have found since being on the max dose my weight is going up and not down like when I was on 1.2
I am in a calorie deficit every day and drink 2.5 litres of water per day as well as other SF drinks if I feel the need for a change,

Has anyone else had this same issue? I am 9 weeks in now and total loss to date is 4.4lbs and I am devastated .

I need an operation and my surgeon won’t do it until I get my weight to 80KGS

Thank you for taking the time to read my post

 

[bulkbiker]

What kind of dietary regime are you following?

I found that cutting right down on carbohydrates led to fairly effortless weight loss over an extended period.

Some people find that calorie deficit isn't a great way to lose because they are fighting their body.

How much weight do you have to lose?

 

[Leadinglights]

Hi All

My name is Charlotte , and I am a 45-year-old T2 and I was diagnosed last January with a hbA1c of 76!
I have had PCOS since I was 13 and this has contributed to my T2 diagnosis as I suffer with insulin resistance also.
so, I have fought for years with my weight since having my son in 1995.

I am on 2000mg Metformin per day and was prescribed Victoza in March.
I am currently on 1.8mg but I have found since being on the max dose my weight is going up and not down like when I was on 1.2
I am in a calorie deficit every day and drink 2.5 litres of water per day as well as other SF drinks if I feel the need for a change,

Has anyone else had this same issue? I am 9 weeks in now and total loss to date is 4.4lbs and I am devastated .

I need an operation and my surgeon won’t do it until I get my weight to 80KGS

Thank you for taking the time to read my post

Looking at the information about that medication it says it is not licenced for weight loss but along with diet and exercise used to reduce blood glucose. It mentioned that the weight loss was only about 2.5kg after 1 year so your weight loss so far is not too bad. The weight may be up and down as it will depend on how many loo visits you make, 2.5 litres or liquid weights 2.5kg.
Although you say you are in calorie deficit what about your carb intake. The suggested amount of carbs per day is no more than 130g so how close are you to that.

 

[Chazz78]

What kind of dietary regime are you following?

I found that cutting right down on carbohydrates led to fairly effortless weight loss over an extended period.

Some people find that calorie deficit isn't a great way to lose because they are fighting their body.

How much weight do you have to lose?

Hi, I am just using Nutracheck to monitor my calorie intake. It set for me to lose 1lb per week and most days I am under by about 200 calories.
I have half the recommended portion of fruits, so if 80g is a portion I only have 40 as this is what my nurse said to do. I try and fill half my plate with veg/salad.

How many grams of carbs do you have per day?

In total to get to a healthy weight I need to lose about 6 stone.

 

[Chazz78]

Looking at the information about that medication it says it is not licenced for weight loss but along with diet and exercise used to reduce blood glucose. It mentioned that the weight loss was only about 2.5kg after 1 year so your weight loss so far is not too bad. The weight may be up and down as it will depend on how many loo visits you make, 2.5 litres or liquid weights 2.5kg.
Although you say you are in calorie deficit what about your carb intake. The suggested amount of carbs per day is no more than 130g so how close are you to that.

Hi, I was prescribed Victoza by my Consultant at the Birmingham Diabetes Center after asking for help with my weight after doing things like Slimming World, Weight Watchers, and 1200 cal diets and not getting anywhere.
She originally offered me Saxcenda to help the weight come off then it changed to Victoza as I am a T2 even though they are both Lerlaglatide medications.

Do you mean 130 grams per day? As I think I am eating over this. However, the dietician at the QE Hospital didn't tell me to monitor them just that I should have them with every meal
Is there any data regarding the amount of carbs someone with T2 should consume?

 

[bulkbiker]

How many grams of carbs do you have per day?

In the early days I aimed for ketosis so less than 20g of carbs per day.
These days probably a bit more maybe up to 50g per day.
I'm still registering ketones whenever I test.

 

[Chazz78]

Thanks. I am eating more than this per day. I enjoy carbs but have way less of a portion than I used to have.
I will try and reduce them some more.
Did you change anything else in your diet? If this is too personal then I understand I know everyone's lifestyle is different.

 

[Leadinglights]

Thanks. I am eating more than this per day. I enjoy carbs but have way less of a portion than I used to have.
I will try and reduce them some more.
Did you change anything else in your diet? If this is too personal then I understand I know everyone's lifestyle is different.

Part of the problem in being very specific is that everybody has a different tolerance to carbohydrates in than some people will be fine with 130g per day, some can tolerate more and some much less. It can also depend on the medication you take. The only real way of knowing is to use a blood glucose monitor and test before you eat and after 2 hours when you would be looking for an increase of no more than 2-3mmol/l and as levels come down then no more than a level of 8-8.5mmol/l 2hrs post meal. You are looking at 4-7mmol/l fasting and before meals.
The more consistently you are keeping within those levels will reflect in a normal HbA1C.
I followed the principals in this link https://lowcarbfreshwell.co.uk/ and reduced my HbA1C to 42mmol/mol from 50mmol/mol in 3 months and 2 years on by sticking to a low carb regime of approx 70g per day my result today is 39mmol/mol.
I do not eat low fat, just normal or even a bit high but do take a low dose statin and my cholesterol is 3.7

Do you know what your HbA1C is as that will give an indication about how much you will need to do.

 

[Drummer]

After decades of being pushed to eat high carb low fat low calorie my body simply refuses to function normally and fights back, so I lose hardly any weight.
When I managed to escape from that type of regime I would go back to what seems a normal diet to me, and I would see crazy weightloss - as in a Kg a day.
These days I eat no more than 40 gm of carbs a day and my shape is still changing little by little, so each year when I change my wardrobe over I find that I need to make adjustments, make or buy new clothes.
I can only assume that most advice given to people who put on weight easily/can't deal with carbs, is simply wrong and probably the exact opposite of what they need.
I have as much meat, fish, eggs, cheese, yoghurt as I like, I use butter and cream but as I get older I am eating less. I used to eat twice a day, now I am having coffee and a little snack in the mornings and trying to insist I eat a proper meal in the evening, but it is really late and I have still not cooked anything. Better go and do it now I think.

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

Welcome to the forum @Chazz78

Sorry to read you’ve been having a frustrating time with your weight loss, despite trying really hard and keeping a close eye on your food intake - that must be quite demotivating

Perhaps it would be worth considering reducing your carbohydrate intake for a while, even if your calorie intake is maintained or even slightly increases - just to see if you share the experience of some members here that the balance of macronutrients in their menu is as important for weight loss as the calories involved.

Trying 130g a day for a while, and then perhaps cutting back further for a few weeks might give you an idea as to whether this approach suits your metabolism. Some here have found that increasing intake of protein and good fats can help with satiety (feeling full) which helps prevent snacking, and makes sticking to the menu easier.

There is a meal plan with some ideas here

Low-carb diet and meal plan

Eating a low-carb diet means cutting down on the amount of carbohydrates (carbs) you eat to less than 130g a day. But low-carb eating shouldn’t be no-carb eating. Some carbohydrate foods contain essential vitamins, minerals and fibre, which form an important part of a healthy diet.

www.diabetes.org.uk