hi everyone. i found this forum after googling for diabetic chat sites, and thought this one looked pretty good.
anyway, straight up and to the point.... I NEED HELP!!!
i have been dieting for almost two years now (well, really, ever since i was first diagnosed 8 years ago, but for the past two years especially), and even though i had some good success when i first set out in spring of '04 to lose the weight i'd gained since i was first diagnosed with type 1 diabetes, it's like i have completely LOST whatever it was that first "clicked" that made me lose over 40lbs a year ago. since early 2005, i have stopped steadily losing like i first was, and have instead been simply "maintaining" my weight by forcing myself to lose 5-10lbs through crash dieting and excessive exercise for a few weeks at a time, to gaining those 5-10lbs right back from bingeing (or even just eating "normally") for a few weeks to follow. and now it's like even THAT yo-yo dieting technique has lost its effectiveness, as i've now finally gained back a good sum of the weight i originally lost (i don't know how much, cause i'm too terrified to weigh myself... but i've already had to graduate my clothes up a size larger).
i'm honestly at my wit's end here! even as i write this, i'm crying out of massive frustration and self-hatred. i don't know what else to do! i have the motivation and the drive to exercise and eat healthy; i can go for days at a time with eating as clean and healthy a diet as even the most trained and knowledgable doctor, nutritionist, and personal trainer could prescribe; i do an 1.5-2 hours of cardio and weight training 4-5 times a week (sometimes 6 or 7 days a week when i'm going through another "manic dieting" episode); i'm fanatical about watching my GI and fat intake; i've religiously followed step-by-step instructions from tons of different real and effective diets; i've done HOURS upon HOURS of reading from health and nutrition texts, educating myself as much as possible (without actually taking an entire health course in a classroom), but no matter WHAT i do... NOTHING IS WORKING!!!!!! the pattern seems to be, i do really well for anywhere from 6-15 days at a time... but then, i ALWAYS lose my momentum and progress when my BG drops for whatever reason, and that always, always, ALWAYS triggers my next binge... and then the horrible cycle starts alllll over again!!!
PLEASE HELP ME!!! if ANYONE can relate to what i'm describing here... if anyone has ANY suggestions or advice (particularly on how to handle and manage low BG episodes so i can finally BREAK this awful pattern)... pleeeeeeeaaasssee post it!!!!
OK, here's something you need to know... Imagine your self in cave people time. If you had to travel far to hunt and gather food you would eat sparingly and your body would exercise in its quest for food. That is normal. When you found food or made a kill you would feast! That's normal. You can't break this pattern because it's the way your body is made to handle food shortages so you don't die every time your food supply is less than perfect. When you have less food your body tries to hang on to it in case that's all there will be for a while. Your metabolism slows to get more bang for the buck from each calorie that comes in.
So what can you do? Simply lighten up on the exercising or break up the sessions, and feed your body the same amount of food per day but break it up into several small snack/meals. When you do this you assure your body that there is adequate food available and it doesn't go into "AARRRRRGggggggg! We're having a famine!!!" mode. It tends to be lulled into feeling satisfied with smaller portions and you don't have the low blood sugars that make you eat everything but the kitchen wallpaper.
Another thing you can do is recognize that we all go bonkers when our blood sugar gets low. Your brain is programmed to give you overwhelming cravings when blood glucose levels drop. If you don't have enough sugar in your blood your brain cells can start to die and your brain is NOT GOING TO LET THAT HAPPEN! Hence, the undeniable hunger surges and the need to eat anything quickly. This is a defense mechanism that would be a survival technique if you lived in a cave... (Jeannie is rustling around in her food pouch... "Quick, find berries! Yum!") Low blood sugars also lead to mental confusion, poor judgment and the inability to concentrate. Well, duh! I'm hungry! I can't think straight! cookieS!!!!!
So, you gotta’ quit being mad at yourself because your body is trying to keep your brain alive. Feed yourself the same healthy foods in the same total amount, just little bits more frequently. Try this for a bit and see if it helps. You might want to add some healthy fats (olive oil, peanuts, peanut butter, macadamia nuts (mmmmm!) to your diet. They have natural appetite suppressant qualities and are good for you, too.
Check your sugars, take your meds, and call your doctor for an appointment. The blood sugar, mood swing thing may be able to be helped by a mood altering med or perhaps a few sessions with a therapist to get you back on track. Do you have a buddy or significant other that you can talk to this about? We can listen and offer suggestions and we certainly wish you the best but we can't always be here when you need somebody. If you were here sitting next to me I could look at you and assure you that I would listen and help all I can but I don't think you can know my sincerity from reading my words.
We will be here for you as much as we can in an online forum but you may do better with a doctor helping, too. Take care and let me know if this helped. If it doesn’t I’ll just have to keep trying.
~ Jeannie
"As one goes through life one learns if you don't paddle your own canoe you don't move."
-Katherine Hepburn
"Madness takes its toll.
Please have exact change."
So what can you do? Simply lighten up on the exercising or break up the sessions, and feed your body the same amount of food per day but break it up into several small snack/meals. When you do this you assure your body that there is adequate food available and it doesn't go into "AARRRRRGggggggg! We're having a famine!!!" mode. It tends to be lulled into feeling satisfied with smaller portions and you don't have the low blood sugars that make you eat everything but the kitchen wallpaper.
Another thing you can do is recognize that we all go bonkers when our blood sugar gets low. Your brain is programmed to give you overwhelming cravings when blood glucose levels drop. If you don't have enough sugar in your blood your brain cells can start to die and your brain is NOT GOING TO LET THAT HAPPEN! Hence, the undeniable hunger surges and the need to eat anything quickly. This is a defense mechanism that would be a survival technique if you lived in a cave... (Jeannie is rustling around in her food pouch... "Quick, find berries! Yum!") Low blood sugars also lead to mental confusion, poor judgment and the inability to concentrate. Well, duh! I'm hungry! I can't think straight! cookieS!!!!!
So, you gotta’ quit being mad at yourself because your body is trying to keep your brain alive. Feed yourself the same healthy foods in the same total amount, just little bits more frequently. Try this for a bit and see if it helps. You might want to add some healthy fats (olive oil, peanuts, peanut butter, macadamia nuts (mmmmm!) to your diet. They have natural appetite suppressant qualities and are good for you, too.
Check your sugars, take your meds, and call your doctor for an appointment. The blood sugar, mood swing thing may be able to be helped by a mood altering med or perhaps a few sessions with a therapist to get you back on track. Do you have a buddy or significant other that you can talk to this about? We can listen and offer suggestions and we certainly wish you the best but we can't always be here when you need somebody. If you were here sitting next to me I could look at you and assure you that I would listen and help all I can but I don't think you can know my sincerity from reading my words.
We will be here for you as much as we can in an online forum but you may do better with a doctor helping, too. Take care and let me know if this helped. If it doesn’t I’ll just have to keep trying.
~ Jeannie
"As one goes through life one learns if you don't paddle your own canoe you don't move."
-Katherine Hepburn
"Madness takes its toll.
Please have exact change."
Post Edited (Jeannie143) : 1/9/2006 12:24:52 AM (GMT-7)
Dear Blazingsirens 06,
Iam the points man around here as when i try to be of any help i tend to number them.Shall we start!
1)Only today morning after Warren,our forum moderator and others got me to start bicycling,my fasting sugar which was in the low 80's(82mgs%) went down to 70 mgs% and the hunger pangs i felt were awful!You feel like bingeing,am i right?The trick is in coming to terms as to how long and how severely you can exercise without slipping into these relative"hypo"attacks.I feel you need to lighten up on your exercise schedule which appears to be very demanding on you!
2)Jeannie's right on the button when she advises you to eat less,more number of times.This spreading out of your total meal for a day is vital to your overall health.,trust me;this will also keep the hypo wolf from biting you.
3)You are a type 1 diabetic and you need multiple injections per day and the above mentioned should neatly fit into your daily planner.Any amount of insulin cannot take care of the problems arising out of food binges.
4)Your next binge seems to be triggered by a previous hypo;i advise you to check your blood glucose before and after your exercises.How low is your glucose will become evident.In the true sense blood glucose below 50 mgs% is considered a real Hypo and definitely needs remedy.All i want you to tell yourself and incidentally us,is how low is it falling to?What are the signs which are telling you that your sugars are real low?
5)All this leads us to this point,that you are getting "depressed"and you have to seek some help from somewhere to counter it and in my opinion it should be professional.Depression is well known in affluent countries(where the sweet satans are plenty and available) to lead to food binges,and this should not become a vicious cycle;let's break it.
6) This is a tricky suggestion.If you are so self-disciplined,a drug called orlistat(Xenical) which inhibits fat absorption from the gut should be of abundant help to lose weight real fast.Once you start losing weight,you gain mountains of confidence in yourself that"i can do it".Weight loss leads to innumerable benefits especially on the food front,as you will need less (calories)food to satiate you!Your insulin dosing will come down which again leads to losing weight.
7)Avoid hypo's and you'll avoid food binges! Ultimately if you want to reward yourself,as we all do after good diabetic behaviour,go ahead-small is beautiful!
sharer
Mind is a myth,thought is your enemy,no way out!
Iam the points man around here as when i try to be of any help i tend to number them.Shall we start!
1)Only today morning after Warren,our forum moderator and others got me to start bicycling,my fasting sugar which was in the low 80's(82mgs%) went down to 70 mgs% and the hunger pangs i felt were awful!You feel like bingeing,am i right?The trick is in coming to terms as to how long and how severely you can exercise without slipping into these relative"hypo"attacks.I feel you need to lighten up on your exercise schedule which appears to be very demanding on you!
2)Jeannie's right on the button when she advises you to eat less,more number of times.This spreading out of your total meal for a day is vital to your overall health.,trust me;this will also keep the hypo wolf from biting you.
3)You are a type 1 diabetic and you need multiple injections per day and the above mentioned should neatly fit into your daily planner.Any amount of insulin cannot take care of the problems arising out of food binges.
4)Your next binge seems to be triggered by a previous hypo;i advise you to check your blood glucose before and after your exercises.How low is your glucose will become evident.In the true sense blood glucose below 50 mgs% is considered a real Hypo and definitely needs remedy.All i want you to tell yourself and incidentally us,is how low is it falling to?What are the signs which are telling you that your sugars are real low?
5)All this leads us to this point,that you are getting "depressed"and you have to seek some help from somewhere to counter it and in my opinion it should be professional.Depression is well known in affluent countries(where the sweet satans are plenty and available) to lead to food binges,and this should not become a vicious cycle;let's break it.
6) This is a tricky suggestion.If you are so self-disciplined,a drug called orlistat(Xenical) which inhibits fat absorption from the gut should be of abundant help to lose weight real fast.Once you start losing weight,you gain mountains of confidence in yourself that"i can do it".Weight loss leads to innumerable benefits especially on the food front,as you will need less (calories)food to satiate you!Your insulin dosing will come down which again leads to losing weight.
7)Avoid hypo's and you'll avoid food binges! Ultimately if you want to reward yourself,as we all do after good diabetic behaviour,go ahead-small is beautiful!
sharer
Mind is a myth,thought is your enemy,no way out!
I know just how you feel. The binges, I believe, are because you are SO strict with yourself that you rebel against it. If you stop being so strict with your diet overall and allow yourself the odd treat here and there you may not have such a strong urge to binge. This is just as much mental as physical and you need to break these bad habits with yourself. If you are having a bad day, tell us and we'll all offer support for you. If you make a mistake, accept it and don't feel bad about it - just try again. Jeannie said once that she's here to help all us stumblers get up again when we fall - we're all here to help if you need help getting up again. It sounds like you have a problem with eating and food. Of course, if you are binging etc then you will get physical symptoms that will make you want to eat but I firmly believe the mental ones are just as strong and you need to look at breaking this cycle of binging and punishing yourself. Look at this without your emotions being tied in for a while. I imagine you use food as a treat when you've been good? (I do!) Maybe treat yourself in other ways when you've had a good day (I mean good as in not starving yourself, not binging and not being super strict!). I've gotten myself through something like this and I know you can too.
One other thing - you need to stop looking at this as a diet and look at it as a healthy eating plan for the rest of your life.
Claire x
Dear Blazingsirens06,
I forgot to extend to you a warm welcome to this really good forum with all of us trying to share our burdens(who dosen't have?)and in the process helping each other smile and learn.
Warren,AM_BD and gallyndur lent their support to me when i couldn't motivate myself to exercise(see my forum query"motivation to exercise-help needed") and vice-versa.
In fact you can write in here how you have come to become so good at daily exercising and become another motivator for me!
sharer
Mind is a myth,thought is your enemy,no way out!
I forgot to extend to you a warm welcome to this really good forum with all of us trying to share our burdens(who dosen't have?)and in the process helping each other smile and learn.
Warren,AM_BD and gallyndur lent their support to me when i couldn't motivate myself to exercise(see my forum query"motivation to exercise-help needed") and vice-versa.
In fact you can write in here how you have come to become so good at daily exercising and become another motivator for me!
sharer
Mind is a myth,thought is your enemy,no way out!
hi again, everyone. and thanks for your responses! i'm still getting used to this forum, so i'll do my best to respond to as many questions/points as possible (and if i forget your names, please forgive me lol).
anyways, in regard to my BG before and after exercising... while i do test myself multiple times a day (like, between 6-12 times a day, depending on how i'm feeling), and i always make sure to test myself before, during, and after exercising, the main problem i'm finding with that in preventing BG lows is factoring my present glycogen storage at the time of each workout. i learned this over the summer when i was attempting variations of diets such as atkins and south beach, and whenever i start cutting carbs and eating foods with a low GI, my glycogen stores always affect my BG differently within the first 2-3 days, and then after. the first 2 days, while i know my liver is releasing the excess glycogen it's built up from my last carb fest, my BG tends to be normal to lowish during the day (though i don't have to eat as much to raise it, since the glycogen usually kicks in not long after to raise it enough back to normal), but it's during the night of those first 2 days that my glycogen stores raise my BG significantly, so i have to give myself extra NPH before i go to bed to keep it normal by morning. so far, i haven't had almost any problems with this routine thus far.
but it's after those first 2 days that i have to start monitoring my BG a lot more closely and often, factoring in that most of my glycogen stores have been used up, so if my BG drops, there will be little my liver can do to raise it on its own. so during this time when i exercise, if i test my BG before my workout and it reads anything less than 10mmol/L, i'll have something like a cereal bar or cheese and crackers before starting. most of the time this works and i'm usually pretty accurate in figuring out how many carbs i'll need to keep my BG stable while exercising. but the longer i go from the first 2 days when i first emptied my glycogen stores (which, as i understand, is what must be done in order to get one's body into "fat burning" mode), the more erratic my BG becomes (very often resulting in lowish readings after working out, which i usually correct with another bar or something), til my readings start becoming too low after my workouts for me to raise with just one bar or whatever i carry on me (which usually leads to me going home and gorging). like i said before, this whole cycle tends to run in 1-2 week increments, and while i'm confident it would actually *work* helping me maintain a steady weight loss, the only thing that keeps setting me back is my BG dropping as more time passes since i last emptied out my glycogen stores. does what i'm describing here make sense to you guys?
also, another thing i wanted to inquire about is problem with "starvation" mode and staying adequately fueled throughout the day so i dont go into "starvation mode" and binge later. but if i'm taking in, say, 1,400-1,500 calories throughout the day, eating healthy, clean food (which very often i do), but then workout for an hour or more, burning 400 calories or more, is that still gonna put my body in starvation mode, if i'm burning past 1,200 net calories for the whole day? i've been told by other people dieting (non-diabetics, i should add) who say that as long as i'm actually eating 1,500 cals to start with, if i burn an extra 500 on top of that, it's still considered "healthy" and won't put my system into starvation mode. is this accurate? cause by now, i really don't know...
I would recommend that you speak to your endocrinologist about this. For myself, even when I was swimming 1/2 to a mile a day I wasn't spending those kinds of calories. Are you training for something or just trying very hard to lose weight? I'm not sure I understand your goal but your exercise seems excessive to me (my opinion only) and I believe that that excess may be linked directly to the excessive eating. Perhaps a resting stage of less exercise and less food consumption would bring your metabolism back into normal range? Then you could start weight loss again.
At any rate, a consult with your doctor seems to be in order. There seem to be some behavior issues you need some assistance with, especially in light of your first posting. Mentioning self hatred makes bells go off for me. I was trying to make light of this in my first post but I'm thinking you may want to discuss this whole thing with your doctor. He/she understands the whole gammut of emotions that accompany diabetes and can certainly give you more guidance than we can.
~ Jeannie
"As one goes through life one learns if you don't paddle your own canoe you don't move."
-Katherine Hepburn
"Madness takes its toll.
Please have exact change."
At any rate, a consult with your doctor seems to be in order. There seem to be some behavior issues you need some assistance with, especially in light of your first posting. Mentioning self hatred makes bells go off for me. I was trying to make light of this in my first post but I'm thinking you may want to discuss this whole thing with your doctor. He/she understands the whole gammut of emotions that accompany diabetes and can certainly give you more guidance than we can.
~ Jeannie
"As one goes through life one learns if you don't paddle your own canoe you don't move."
-Katherine Hepburn
"Madness takes its toll.
Please have exact change."
The approach I take with diabetis is I never have to go on a diet,because I'm always on one. I mean you are always in 1 pathway or the other you are in the process of loosing weight or the process of putting it on. Think about it. I mean you can't gain weight till you eat. Having diabeties is like being on a diet your whole life/ That's what it seems to me. I'm a big weight control person. Actually I feel I have tighter control over my weight than my blood sugar. I monitored my weight alot on a beam scale.I'm very familiar with my metabolism, how my weight drop when not eating. Therefore I know how much to eat. Believe me if people can figure out how 1000 different combinations of food affect blood sugar, if you monitor weight with a beam scale you can get a fix on your metabolism. I think lack of self knowledge is a big part of the problem with this. I weigh my food. It's 2 pounds to the left and 2 pounds to the right.
In fact the more I can move the scale to the left the more I can move it to the
right. It's control all the way, and practical self help. If I eat 8 ounces of food I gain 8 ounces of weight. (I control calories most of time also) I invented the diet. It's called the Even Steven diet. Named after me. Steve Kreloff Not only do I eat to my glucose meter I eat to my scale. They are my friends. They never lie, they allways tell me what to do. You can ignore your weight all you want but the longer you wait the worst it gets, and the harder it gets. Do not be afraid of your scale. Your scale is your friend Utilize all your helpers, treamill or exercixe bike, diet scale, glucose meter,medical team. and especially these message boards. Low cal, low carb no sugar and no sugar added foods also. Use everything I mean if you are trying to do something and there is something avilable to help you than use it. I'm talking practical self help . Things that can actually be put to use. Life rewards action, not thinking, planning, or reading about things. Become an action figure I literally take this 1 day at a time, 1 hour at a time how about 5 minutes at at a time. This does not have the stigma of an addiction but that is the approach I take. I eat how I feel also. I never eat by the clock. If you can't live on so much food per day you can not control diabetis or weight. It's that plain and not so simple You are locked in biochemically by insulin utlization and metabolic rate. That is the reality of this. and reality is going to do what it is going to do on it's terms whether we like it or not. I'm not trying to be cold hearted, just realistic All of here choose to struggle. It's the only sensible option as far as at least I'm concerned. It is my choice. Some risks are just not acceptable Don't get discouraged or give up. You are not alone. Even if you don't reach your goals you will come closer than someone who never made any effort. Forget binges It's history. Just deal with what is in front of you and move on Good luck to all of us here
Post Edited (steven kreloff) : 1/10/2006 10:22:16 PM (GMT-7)
HI STEVE ... Welcome aboard !! I too am diabetic TYPE 2 and was diagnosied over 4 years on Valentine's Day !! WOW ... bummer that was for me and in the beginning I was testing myself 7 x's day ( fasting, 1 & 2 hour after each meal ) my fingers were SORE ... as I almost went to do it on my TOES but ... I did not do that.
It was hard to deal with in the beginning but I learned a lot in that 4 years time & I'll come back when I am a wee bit more awake and share with you more about me ok ... if that is ok ? But do send me your e mail address ok so take care and as the others have said DO NOT GIVE UP ... ok !!
We are all here for you !! So, good night till next time !!
Karen
It was hard to deal with in the beginning but I learned a lot in that 4 years time & I'll come back when I am a wee bit more awake and share with you more about me ok ... if that is ok ? But do send me your e mail address ok so take care and as the others have said DO NOT GIVE UP ... ok !!
We are all here for you !! So, good night till next time !!
Karen
TBEAR SKRELOFF @GMail.com I'll be glad to exchange ideas and any self help techniques There is no doubt this disease can make you frustrated and weary at times. Good luck to you also