Counting Calories??

chichigirl · October 22, 2005

I am also an insulin resistant diabetic and I have heard from docs that you have to take in a lower amount of calories as well. I agree that you don't feel well when you are starving yourself like that, however, for me, exercise has made all of the difference. Even something as simple as an exercise bike, with no resistance and done for only 20 minutes a day, I notice that my blood sugars drop like crazy after about two weeks of the exercise regime. I can eat between 1000-1200 cals a day and lose weight, not quickly, but at the average 1-2 lbs a week. I am so convinced that exercise is the key to battling our insulin resistance. As a nurse I know that you understand how diabetes works and the whole insulin resistance issue. By exercising, you are creating more receptors on the cells accepting the insulin, thereby, lowering the blood sugar. Insulin and the oral meds also cause weight gain, so it stands to reason the more of that stuff we need to take, the harder it would be to lose as well.

The band has helped me enormously with this. I have been able to lower my caloric intake and still take in enough nutrition as to not make myself sick.

Only you will know if the band is the way for you to go, but it can't hurt, it will only help you with all of this.

I hope this information is helpful to you. Keep us posted on your decision and PM me if you have any other questions you like to talk about.

Cindy

October 22, 2005

I have just had my first meeting with my surgeon for LapBand surgery (which will probably take place after the first of the year). I was surprised when my surgeon also mentioned something about 800-calories a day to lose weight. I asked about the body reacting by going into "starvation mode". She responded with something very I found very interesting: That we as a society do NOT MOVE anymore! She said that even throughout the 1950s even doing laundry burned a significant amount of calories (ever try to lift a wet quilt to throw over a clothesline??). She said that, because of the virtually ZERO EXERCISE way of life of your average American -- what with sitting in cars, sitting at the computer, sitting in front of the TV, and sitting at your desk at the office -- a person with such a sedentary lifestyle would have to consume no more than 800 calories a day if he/she wanted to lose weight. Because the equation is "calories taken in vs. calories burned." She said "If you're not burning the fuel, then you need less fuel. End of story."

So then I ventured to ask, a little shakily, whether a more reasonable calorie intake of 1,000 or 1,200 calories a day wouldn't work as well if it were offset by a daily (not three times a week, but DAILY) walk of, say, an hour (working up to an hour over time, of course). My surgeon smiled (rather evilly, I thought), and nodded her head like I was Helen Keller trying to say "Water." An hour??? She said "Trust me, the hardest part will be finding the hour, not the walking itself."

So there it is. I gathered from this first meeting with my surgeon that my options, post-op, will be to (a) stay exactly with the lifestyle I have now and just eat birdseed three times a day, or ( eat reasonably normal foods in reasonably normal amounts, and walk my fanny off every damn day of the rest of my life.

Guess which I'm going to choose?

So, it looks like it's time to buy myself some serious walking shoes and maybe a portable CD player -- don't start the Revolution without me!

-- KJ

vinesqueen · October 22, 2005

Okay, the doc said that 800 calories should have no effect on my metabolism. That is, unless I stopped moving. Only by not moving would my metabolism shut down, not the restricted calories. They only thing they worry about is lack of energy on my part. That the reducted calories should be just fine. She said, given my history, that I might have to work out for 90 minutes a day to lose weight. (good news, I apperently cry gracefully)

I'll start a new thread for the fitness assessment

kimalicious · October 22, 2005

Do let us know Vines, 90 minutes a day would suck but you would be the strongest person on the whole board! Just think of it. You could bench us all!...

rorysmom · October 22, 2005

vinesqueen,

don't be discouraged by the amount of time your doctor wants you to exercise. you can break it up in two workouts/day.

and most importantly, it doesn't have to be strenuous!

90 minutes is now the recommended amount per day because most of us lead very sedentary lives! if we had jobs that required us to walk at least half the time that we spend sitting, we wouldn't need to FORMALLY exercise 90 minutes per day.

i strongly suggest using a pedometer to actually see just how little you may be moving. it has changed my whole perception of exercise and general activity.

and it doesn't have to be balls-out jogging, cycling, tae bo or aerobics--unless you want it to be .

vigorously marching in place while watching tv or listening to music counts. dancing counts. walking uphill on the treadmill counts.

also, throw those weight routines in there for as little as 15 minutes 2/week. 3 sets of 12 repetitions of 4 upper body exercises with hand weights can be done in 15 minutes. it will make so much difference in the shape of your body.

good luck!

helene624 · October 23, 2005

How do I know if I am insulin resistant???

vinesqueen · October 23, 2005

Thanks Rorysmom, but pedomiters just dont work for/with me. Wildly inaccurate. (one insisted that I only took about 13 steps all day (walking between upper campus and lower campus is a mile each way) and since my legs are really short, 13 steps is wildly out of line. Another listed me at over 8K steps, but since I didn't leave the house.. well, I'm pretty sure I didn't walk a mile inside my house that day. I've tried to put them at my waist, at my hip, attached to the band of my jean, to various pockets... I've cracked the cases, I've snapped the clip of 4 different ones, and I've just flat out lost 2 others. Oh, and 3 just stopped working, probably interference from my personal magentic shere. (My mom can't wear battery powered watches.. she drains the batteries in a matter of days.)

Pedomiters just don't work for me. I'm really hard on things, no danty flower here.