# help needed to loose weight please



## Anna Gambone (Jun 24, 2013)

hi guys, well i have now found my way to this forum and so needing all the help i can get. 

today i start on slow release insulin so i think i really need to do something about my weight now. 

i need to loose around 3 stone. so any tips, hints and the odd boot in the right direction would be really appreciated. 

i have porridge for breakfast most days... so i always start with good intentions. 

the rest of the day is chaotic and in my line of work i can sometimes get so busy i forget to eat lunch so tend to eat a fair bit of snacky food on the go.  i know this needs to stop and  need to get more organised. its a hard habit to break though so i need some advice on how i can do this,

i saw the dietitian who told me of for not eating carbs with every meal and told me that i must eat some carbs. how much and what kind? potatos and bread jut send my sugar crazy high. 

i drink water mostly with the off coffee or tea thrown in. i dont drink alcohol so no issues there. 

i excercise a fair bit as i work with young people so never really tend to sit in front of the television in fact i am on my feet so much through the day i think one day i will wear out my feet haha.

anyway joking aside, desperate to loose weight.

can anyone suggest anything. 

thanks


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## LeeLee (Jun 24, 2013)

Hi Anna, glad you've joined us.  

My weight loss journey has taken a while, and isn't ever going to be over.  I've lost 6 stone with Slimming World.  The group support has been amazing, and the Original plan is good for us diabetics, being relatively low-carb.  

Basically you can eat unlimited fruit, most veg, fat-free yogurt, very lean meat, fish and limited amounts of wholemeal bread, pasta, starchy veg, pulses.  Treats and 'naughty' food is also measured and counted against a daily 'syn' allowance.  The cost is a fiver a week, and for me it was worth every penny!  

I will be following the principles I've learned for the rest of my life.  Now that I'm at target, membership is free unless I stray more than 3 lbs either side of my target weight for more than two consecutive weeks.

The really good part is that with the weight loss, my insulin resistance has decreased so my BG levels are all in non-diabetic levels.  I'm still taking the low dose of metformin but may stop that after discussion with my doctor.

Good luck!


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## Anna Gambone (Jun 24, 2013)

i could probably do with going to a diet class, my problem is i work a rolling shift pattern which means i never get the same days off each week. i did start slimming world last year but getting to the classes was almost impossible most weeks. 

frustrating


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## Northerner (Jun 24, 2013)

Hi Anna, I would say two things straight away: 1) Porridge often sends people's levels high in the morning - it may sound healthy, and indeed is better than most cereals when you are not diabetic. However, when you have diabetes many people find they can only tolerate a very small amount of carbs in the morning, if any at all. This is because we are usually at our most insulin-resistant in the mornings and become more sensitive as the day goes on. You should test before eating and then one and/or two hours after eating to see what happens to your levels.

2) The idea that you should eat carbs at every meal is so outdated - your dietician really needs to update her/his knowledge!  We are all individuals and have different tolerances for different types and amounts of carbs. The only way to find out your particular tolerances is to test. I would recommend following a testing schedule as described in Test,Review, Adjust by Alan S . This way you will learn what works well for you. I would also recommend getting a book about the GI/GL diet - The GL Diet for Dummies is an excellent introduction.

Diabetes is all about carbs and well we handle them, with the help ofd our medications if needed. The more carbs you eat, the more insulin will be needed, either produced by your own pancreas or injected. As insulin is also a growth hormone it's important to eat according to your energy needs, otherwise you will need more insulin and the excess 'energy' - the extra glucose in your blood - will be stored as fat, making it difficult to lose weight. So, the best approach is to learn what you tolerate by testing, eat low-GI/GL whenever possible, and exercise regularly (this has the benefit of not only using energy, but also making your body more sensitive to insulin so you need less of it!).

Good luck!


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## LeeLee (Jun 24, 2013)

If you do go to SW, they can fit in with your shift patterns.  The week starts on a Monday, and you can take your membership card to ANY meeting in that week for your weigh-in.  There are several bookable 'holiday' weeks if you really can't get to any meeting in a particular week.  And there's online membership available for people who can't go to groups at all - same cost, but without the benefit of the support you get from comparing notes with others in the same boat.


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## Mark T (Jun 24, 2013)

Anna Gambone said:


> ...i saw the dietitian who told me of for not eating carbs with every meal and told me that i must eat some carbs. how much and what kind? potatos and bread jut send my sugar crazy high...


A really good weight loss approach is to get a 10 lb wet fish and go chase that Dietician threatening to slap them around the head with a wet fish for being silly!

_(only joking, can't can't condone any form of abuse to NHS staff)_


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## gossamersquare (Jun 26, 2013)

Hi Anna  you can always sign up online - the only down side is that you have to pay three months in advance.  There is also a site called minimins where there are lots of people who do slimming world and would no doubt be happy to help


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## Lauren (Jun 26, 2013)

Hi Anna

I'm very similar to you. I need to lose three or four stone, I work shifts and can't get to Slimming World or Weightwatchers, or indeed most exercise classes because of the different times I work. I did try Weightwatchers Online which was good but I don't always have time every day to sit in front of my laptop and record everything I've eaten!

This is how I used to eat:
Breakfast: Nothing / Flapjack or something quick and snacky I could eat on the train
Lunch: Sandwiches made with white bread, crisps and a soy milkshake
Mid-afternoon: Biscuits if there were any lying around in work
Dinner: I used to get in and snack, snack, snack: Three or four packets of crisps, a chocolate bar, breadsticks... whatever was in the cupboard, I would eat. And then my husband would get in and make a lovely healthy meal like a lasagne or a stir fry and I wouldn't be hungry but I'd eat it anyway out of guilt.

Writing it down now I can see I was starving myself for half the day, eating an unfulfilling and not very nutritious lunch and then massively over-compensating and filling up on rubbish when I got in because I would be so tired and hungry and craving bad food. This is a vicious cycle. Despite being told by my doctors etc when I was growing up that I need to ensure that I have lots of slow-releasing carbs with every meal, I'm not so sure this is right (for me anyway). I now tend to stick to healthy and filling foods and try to eat carbs only once or maybe twice a day.

Now I eat:
Breakfast: Very small portion of muesli with soy milk if I have time, or a banana on the go if I'm rushing for my train.
Mid-morning: Fruit or a smoothie
Lunch: A salad (I make the night before) with all different colours of veg and sometimes I chuck some chickpeas in for some carby protein, and a soy milkshake
Mid-afternoon: I eat these snack bars made of pressed fruit and nuts, called Nakd bars - they are filling and count as one of your 5 a day and have no rubbish in them
Dinner: I will have some fruit as soon as I get in to stop myself gorging on rubbish, and then for my meal I will have a small portion of something like pasta or coucous and roasted vegetables etc.

So I am now eating more food but losing weight. Which is awesome. I have been doing this for three weeks and lost 10lbs. The only downside is I find it hard to get the energy in the evening to prepare my salad for the next day, and cook my dinner and do the washing up (I am very lazy). And it costs a bit more to buy proper food than multipacks of crisps lol. But you can't put a price on your health.

Exercise-wise I always considered myself quite active in work but I need to tone up as well as lose weight (plus it's good for joints etc) so I've planned a running route and am going to start running as soon as I feel brave enough. And I've joined a kick-boxing class which is on a weekend so I can actually go to it 

Sorry for the epic post! Thought my experience might be of some benefit x


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## Lauren (Jun 26, 2013)

Mark T said:


> A really good weight loss approach is to get a 10 lb wet fish and go chase that Dietician threatening to slap them around the head with a wet fish for being silly!
> 
> _(only joking, can't can't condone any form of abuse to NHS staff)_



Oh my gosh I am laughing so hard at this! Good plan though!


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## Northerner (Jun 26, 2013)

Mark T said:


> A really good weight loss approach is to get a 10 lb wet fish and go chase that Dietician threatening to slap them around the head with a wet fish for being silly!
> 
> _(only joking, can't can't condone any form of abuse to NHS staff)_



Cracking idea! "The Wet Fish Weight Loss Program" - I can see it being a hit! With a fish! 

Lauren, sounds like you are doing great! Well done!


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## Lauren (Jun 26, 2013)

Thanks Alan! Just want to be fit and healthy really


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