New kid on the block

[needtowilldo]

Hi well here I am just had a reality check from docs and need to seriously loose some weight to regain control of my diabetic blood sugar levels

[moreless Administrator 7 stone]

Hi and welcome needtowilldo

There is a diabetes forum here on HU, which may be useful to you

healthunlocked.com/drwfdiab...

Take a look at the Pinned Posts section, to the right of your screen (bottom, if you're using a mobile) and have a look at the Welcome Newbies thread, it has a link to the NHS 12 week plan, which is a guide to healthy living, rather that a specific diet plan.

Look at the Topics section beneath that, for posts that could answer any questions you may have.

Consider joining any, or all, of our challenges, as they're fun and motivating.

Join us for the monday group weigh-in. If you follow Zest and myself, you'll be notified when we post the threads. However, the latest thread can always be found in the events section, to the right of the home page.

Be active on the forum, as that's where we exchange ideas and get our daily dose of motivation and inspiration

Wishing you all the very best

[Activity2004 Visitor in reply to moreless]

Thank you, moreless!😀

[radioactiveblue]

Welcome Losing weight isn't easy, but you'll feel better for it and be healthier, so it's worth the effort.

[Purple_faced_woman]

Hi Needtowilldo, I too am diabetic (Type 2) and have found that working on diet and exercise have made great steps in controlling my blood sugar and increasing my general levels of health. Last July to March this year I lost about 21kg. I would certainly recommend looking at the work of Dr Michael Mosely - he advocates the Mediterranean diet, the 5:2 diet and has also brought out a diet book called "The 8-Week Blood Sugar Diet". I am generally working on the Low Carb High Fat diet (for info dietdoctor.com) which I find works for me and when doing it right generally am only eating 1 and a half meals a day, as I don't feel hungry - this took my HbA1C from out of control down to 35 last time I was tested. To jump-start myself after a weight increase I tried the Blood Sugar Diet, but found it a bit too demanding (800 calories a day and I found I was spending all my time meal planning, making shopping lists, buying food, prepping food, cooking and then eating it - obsessing over food is not something I find to be positive or helpful), so I added in the odd latte, some treats and snacks making it up to between 900 and 1200 calories a day. I got the same sort of steady weight loss I'd get from LCHF, but with much more mental effort, and am relieved to be returning to my more usual LCHF diet. I am just about to have my next HbA1C blood test, so I will be interested to see what the numbers are this time.

On the exercise front I have worked through the NHS Couch 2 5K programme which I highly recommend. This is a 9-week programme which through podcasts teaches you how to run up to half an hour (for some people this is 5km, but most people have to work towards that afterwards - it still takes me 45 minutes to run 5k, but I can do it). A year on I still run 3 days a week having been surprised to find that I quite enjoy it. I also walk on the days I don't run, swim up to twice a week, do a 2-hour Tai Chi session once a week and have recently added in daily sets of ab crunches, bicep curls, squats, press ups and planks - just a few each day, slowly building up.

And that's the trick - slowly adding in a bit of stuff at a time. Trying to do everything at once is stressful and painful. Adopting a few things to improve your diet - eg, lower your carbohydrate level (smaller portions of pasta, or replacing it with spiralised courgette would help), reading the labels and cutting out all foods with (hidden) sugar in them, being a bit more active (take a 10 minute walk to clear your head in the morning or around lunchtime or as a distraction when you want to snack but know you shouldn't) can make a huge difference over time.

I still have a long way to go, having almost lost that bit of weight I put back on this year. To be merely fat instead of obese I have to lose another 22kg which will put me at 81.6kg. Onwards and downwards!

I'm sure you'll do brilliantly, and this Community are here to help you, ready to listen, advise and motivate. Good luck and let us know how you get on.

[needtowilldo in reply to Purple_faced_woman]

hi thank you very much for your message. I was diagnosed the year my first grandaughter was born, she is now sixteen. All has been well until the last eleven months and the wheels fell off.' Personal problems have turned me into a comfort foody and now I am paying for it, getting a little too comfortable on the settee. I have started positively today and have resumed my walking routine morning and evening for an hour. I just need to think I can do this and I will, because the consequences of not 'putting the wheels back on' are a bit scary

[IndigoBlue61 in reply to needtowilldo]

You sound like I was last year 😕 The option of doing nothing didn't bear thinking about 😕

You have some good advice there from Purple_faced_woman especially about making small changes, 😊 With 16 years experience in sure you will know what works for you 😊

Good luck

[Activity2004 Visitor]

Have you checked out the DRWF's website for their free leaflets? Please feel free to read/download and listen to the "A Healthy Diet and Diabetes" and

" Exercise and Diabetes". Go to: drwf.org.uk/diabetes-leaflets

Hope this helps.