Diabetic on Atkins and no weight loss... help!

[traughber]

Hi, my name is Kris and I'm a 39 year old male (just in case the name spelling throws you). I'm new to the forum and am in need of some help before I go nuts.

I was diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes several years ago and was put on Metformin and Lantus insulin. However, I haven't been taking my meds for several months. I started Atkins a week ago, but prior to that I had not been watching what I eat. My glucose levels were through the roof, but luckily I didn't suffer any symptoms except for the contstant peeing. Since starting Atkins a week ago, I still haven't lost any weight. In fact, I've gained a pound or two. Here's a run down of a typical day on Atkins for me.

Breakfast: 2 sausage patties and 4 whole eggs cooked with butter.

Lunch: 8 oz of steak or chicken with 2 cups of spinach.

Snack: 10 slices of pepperoni and 2 string cheese OR 2 oz of pork rinds (chicharones)

Dinner: 8 oz of ground chuck (80/20) mixed w/ Frank's Wing Sauce (0 carbs) and 1/4 cup of shredded cheese
and 2 cups of steamed broccoli w/ butter.

Note: I track net carbs as Total Carbs - Fiber. I don't use products with sugar alcohols.

I drink at least 120 oz of water a day. Prior to today, I was using that new Mio product to sweeten my water. It is zero calories, but is made with sucralose. I also was having a couple of Sprite Zeros at dinner. As of today, I'm only drinking straight water or unsweetened tea, no artifical sweeteners.

What is my problem? Is it that my sugar was so high for so long and that my body is still recovering from all that? Could it be the artificial sweeteners? Could it be too much sodium, and thus water weight? Don't get me wrong, I didn't expect my glucose to come down to normal levels in only a week, but I did expect to lose some weight. What's the relationship there?

Will my glucose ever go down on it's own? I've heard that it can take a while. Eating low carb isn't difficult for me. In fact, it's the most satisfying diet I've ever been on. But seeing no weight loss and continued higher-than-normal glucose is very disheartening.

Any words of wisdom from you diabetics out there would be much appreciated.

[red1cutie]

Hi Kris!

Just some suggestions:
Increase your fat (plug numbers into fit day first and see where they come up). I lost best when my fat was 70% and above.

Lose the processed meats like pepperoni (high in sodium) and eat fresh meats/poultry instead

Limit the wing sauce also high in sodium

Limit cheese to 2 ozs. slows down weight loss for some

Drop sucralose/splenda some people report slower loss when using artificial sweeteners

Good luck! I am sending the whoosh fairy to your house!

[Fiona M]

If you are not already taking them, you might also want to look into some dietary supplements such as zinc, chromium, magnesium, biotin, alpha lipoic acid ...

[Kirsteen]

Hi there, best of luck with the diet. I am sure that given time you'll see major improvements. I really like RedCutie's suggestions. You might also find it useful to cut down your portions of protein - maybe I am wrong, but these are pretty hefty amounts and excess protein can be converted into sugar by your body. It's also quite high calories, and depending on your metabolism and lifestyle, you might not be burning that much off. Some people can eat a ton and lose weight, while others have to be more careful.

[JLx]

Have you read "Dr. Bernstein's Diabetes Solution"?

Dr. B advises 6 grams of carbs for breakfast and then 12 at each meal, and If I remember correctly, he only recommends 11 oz of protein a day.

[laffin]

Hi, my name is Kris and I'm a 39 year old male (just in case the name spelling throws you). I'm new to the forum and am in need of some help before I go nuts.

I was diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes several years ago and was put on Metformin and Lantus insulin. However, I haven't been taking my meds for several months.
Any words of wisdom from you diabetics out there would be much appreciated.


Why are you not taking your meds? Did your doctor take you off them or did you stop on your own?

[kidzma]

Hi Kris. In late September my A1C was 11.2. My first ever blood glucose reading was 387. I started following Dr. Bernsteins protical and my readings went down gradually every day. I read somewhere on here that the body needs to heal itself first then weight loss follows. It seems I have been over indulging as far as proteins go also. I haven't experienced much weight loss as of yet, but I was NOT 100% commited last week.

[kristym]

Hello! My name is also Kris -most call me Kristy. I was told I have diabetes 2 weeks ago. The hospital plan of 60% carbs was bogus, so I chose to do Atkins and told my doctor. She put me on Metformin also.
I am 62, 5'9" tall and was 240 lbs. last week, with glucose 193 fasting. It has been one week on induction, and I am now 232.5 with 125 fasting today. Here is what I am eating perhaps you can do the same.
Breakfast is always a two egg omelet with 2 slices swiss cheese and a vegetable like, spinach, asparagus, mushrooms or broccoli. I cook it in 2 teaspoons butter.
Lunch is a cup of mixed salad with olive oil and vinegar and 4-6 ounces tuna, salmon, steak, hamburger, chicken breast or turkey, roast beef...maybe a couple olives.
I snack at 3:30 on slices of deli turkey with celery or in a lettuce wrap with swiss and maybe a bit of salsa.
Dinner is a fresh steamed veg from the induction list, another salad with olive oil and vinegar, another protein portion 4-6 ounces.
I drink Polar selzter lime, or another flavor (0 cal or carb) and tons of ice tea, water, ice coffee (black), and crystal light. I even cheated one night when heard stressful info from a friend and had two vodka on the rocks...bad me.
I walk my dog every day 20-25 minutes. I have been doing heavy housework like moving furniture, washing floors, shampooing carpets, wash windows etc until I break a sweat.
Just eat less and do more and it will work.

[mimiakama]

Hello, I'm Brenda and I'm new as of today. I think, Kris, you are eating way too much food, but .................when I started, I did the same thing. You will learn over time , when you're satisfied and when you're stuffed. :) We tend to overeat to compensate for all those things we aren't allowed to have. You will get settled and you will lose weight and you will bring that sugar down. My husband went on this with me and he's type 2 also. His sugar has gone to 475 at times. Never under control. He has lost 6 lbs and his sugar has dropped to 100-130. He's not satisfied with his weight loss either, but he's very satisfied with his sugar. You really need to stay on the meds until you get this under control. Hope this helped.

[kmcc]

I'm not diabetic (but dangerously close), so, I just finished a book titled "Diabetes Recovery: The New Hippocratic Diet". It advocates low-carb lifestyle and might be helpful along with your doctor's advice.

In addition to low carb it stresses:
Real food (less processed the better)
Avoid MSG (very eye-opening)
Reduce/avoid sugar

I found it helpful for these reasons.
http://www.hippocraticdiet.com/

[traughber]

Thanks to everyone for the tips and encouragement. There are several of your tips that I'm going to try. And I am trying to be patient. I may reply to this thread down the road as I work through this. Thanks again everyone and best of luck!