NurseT

Thanks B-52. What you said about diabetes and insulin with regards to body fat makes sense and gives me encouragement. I am thankful for that. By the way; you look fantastic! I do not see where you could possibly be labeled overweight. And I couldn't believe you are over 60! Incredible! I'm 49 and would honestly say you don't look a day older than my. Keep up the great work. And for the record; I too was never actually about the weight per se. I did the surgery to reduce body fat and inches so I could gain control of my diabetes. When I started this journey my A1C was 10.9 and that was with oral meds and 2 shots a day equaling 120 units. I now take no orals meds and 1 shot of 30 units and my A1C is now 6.8. My body fat % went from 44 to 32. I know the inches have been more of an impact for me than the weight because I went from a "tight" size 20W to a "nice fit" size 12. I know for men that's not a big deal but for us ladies it's all about the "clothes size" as you will notice with other posts from my lady friends. I say its the "inches" and not the pounds lost because when I got married 23 years ago my wedding dress was a size 12 and I weighed 20 less than I do now. It's weird but wonderful. Like you, I don't have any loose skin because I exercised and continue to exercise right from the start. This last 30 lbs is gonna be hell I know but I'm up for the challenge. I have to ask. How long did it take you to reach your goal? I'm assuming you did because...well you look great! Thanks, Tina (NurseT)

Wow. All this sounds great but unrealistic for me Hats off to all you exercise guru's I could never work out on an empty stomach because I am a diabetic. And although I only use a small amount of insulin (Lantus before bed), I tend to wake up with blood sugars that are slightly low (around 70) so I have to eat a Protein rich breakfast with a small amount of carbs. I have been trying to adjust my insulin needs and sometimes get very hypoglycemic first thing in the morning. t's a real struggle and challenge. However, the weight loss has resulted in my going from 120 units of insulin a day to just 30 units at night with no oral meds. I'm thrilled. So exercising on an empty stomach sounds good in theory but would never work for me. However, I have been reading a lot about this 5:2 diet and think I may give that a go. I am sort of "stuck" with not losing any weight since I hit the 10 month post op stage in January. Right now I take in about 1200 calories on average and sometimes a little more if I have an intense workout. I do cardio kickboxing, yoga, swim and walk. I do something every day for at least an hour with a rest day like on Sundays. Any of you ever do the 5:2 diet? If so, does it work and do you recommend it? Any other comments on diet and exercise for diabetic sleevers would be great! I need to get unstuck!

Hi Nessa, I am 14 months post VSG and insulin dependent still til this day. My diabetes has improved significantly. A year ago I was taking 120 units Lantus, 1000mg metformin, 10mg of Glyberide and had an A1C of 10.9! Now I take no orals and only 30 units of Lantus at night with an A1C of 6.8! I'm thrilled. My doctor states that not every one who has had the sleeve will get off of insulin. There are two "types" of Diabetes Type 2. The first "type" is obesity induced only and once a person loses the weight the signs and symptoms of diabetes seems to vanish. These are the lucky ones. As for me, I am the 2nd type; hereditary. Both my parents are Type 2 diabetics. By doctor said that it's in my genes and I will always be diabetic but now I can control it with diet, exercise and a small amount of insulin. As long as I am healthy I decided not to let using insulin dictate my life. My starting weight in March 2013 was 248 with BMI of 44 (I am only 5'4). I am now at 188 with BMI of 32. The other thing that is tough is that the use of any insulin can hinder weight loss. After about the 10th month after surgery, I stopped losing a lot and now I am lucky if I can lose a pound a month. And it's not for the lack of trying. I do kickboxing twice a week, yoga, swim and walk at least 5 days a week. I stick to a 1200 calorie, high Protein, low carb diet and hardly ever see the needle move on the scale. However, I did lose more inches than pounds as I fit nicely in a size 12. So I'm not that disappointed. Maybe the other 30 lbs will come off, maybe not. I'm sorry I couldn't tell you that you will be off insulin. All I can say is, it depends.