What works? Going crazy with options.
 

I am going crazy. There are so many options when it comes to weight loss. Is there anything that works for everybody that everybody can do no matter their situation/circumstances?

I am a type 1 diabetic, but keeping my blood sugar level is really my only concern. I've read up mostly on atkins and paleo, but gosh, idk what to do. I understand restrictions, but it is true of all diets that once you mess up with a fast food meal or some sugary snack "food", you pretty much have to start all over again? I am not a patient person, and nothing seems to fit me/my lifestyle.

Is it really that everybody has to try everything to see what works best for them? Surely not. I sure the heck am not going to waste 10 years trying to find what works for me. Somebody has to know something.

I like the idea of paleo, except the no dairy stuff. I like atkins, but don't want to have to worry about counting/measuring, etc. (I've already asked on another thread about how can a person lose weight while consuming a lot of calories, be they from protein/fat or whatever. Supposedly, the ground beef/mushroom/cheese dish I had for breakfast was 1050 calories.) See? Too much confusion. Any help/suggestions? Again, not to be rude, but I am not patient and am somewhat selfish - I can read your story on your page. Not here. Thank you...very sincerely.

I like the South Beach Diet. It's a low-carb diet. Basically, it's cutting out/drastically reducing your consumption of sugar and white flour, and reducing your consumption of foods high on the glycemic index. There's no calorie counting, so it makes it easy to integrate into your life.

My mother was a Type II diabetic. I was using the SBD when she had a stroke and came to live with us. I fed her the same foods I was eating. At her first check up with her doctor, her AC1 level was in the normal range for the first time - and she was able to cut back on the amount of insulin needed. At her second check-up, her AC1 level was at the low end of the normal range and her doctor said I should try to get it up a little.

The book is an interesting read. The first part of the book is about the science behind the diet - but it's easy to understand. The diet itself is very simple. The first two weeks is a bit hard. You're supposed to eat only proteins and vegetables to break the carb-craving cycle. After that, fruits and whole-grain carbs are added in.

There are lots of diets out there that people have had good success with. I think it's just a matter of trying one and seeing if it works for you - both in terms of accomplishing any short-term goals and being one that you're happy to live with.

Honestly, I think to lose weight effectively, most of us have to accept that measuring and counting is part of it. The reason that so many people put on weight isn't that their food is terrible, it's because their portions are ridiculous. The meal you had was probably fine by itself, but needed smaller portions.

So regardless of what "diet" you choose ... you'd probably have the best luck if you accepted the necessary lifestyle change of measuring your portions first. Good luck with your journey either way.

Low GI is the way to go.
 

Hello All Praise,

Argh. I feel your frustration. Especially re: diabetes 1. Hey, you probably already know that monitoring your carbs is important for insulin levels, so I'm thinking this *simple* plan might work for you:

LOW GI DIET

It only has a few pointers-

1) Set up a schedule to eat your meals, like this-
Breakfast: 8am
Lunch: 1pm
Dinner: 6pm

Keep meal times about 4-5 hours apart. This will help you keep control of your appetite and monitor blood sugar levels. You can set snack times as: 11am and 4pm, where you allow yourself a slice of toast/ 1 banana/ 1 cup of strawberries/ etc.

2) Eat high fibre starchy carbohydrates.
Good choices are pasta, basmati rice, grainy breads, cornmeal, new potatoes, yams, porridge oats and natural muesli. This will help control your blood sugar levels by giving you a slow release of energy/ sugars. The high fibre will help digestion and assist weight-loss.

3) Lower your fat intake
Best way to do this is to ditch whole milk, butter and watch your cream intake. You can certainly still go for dairy, but take it easy. Switch to a vegetable table spread (instead of butter), use skim milk. Ditch fatty meats. Only buy lean meat, the higher the quality the better. Organic meat would be the best decision. Also be aware of your "added" fat, like frying eggs in lard, the skin on chicken, fast foods, creamy ranch dressing, etc. Switch the lard/ butter with olive oil.

4) Plenty of colour on your plate
Make sure each meal is colourful, with a variety of vegetables and fruit. This will ensure you get all the right minerals and vitamins, as well as adding a vibrancy to your meal plans - no depressing grey food here!

5) Lower salt intake
Salt is a necessary electrolyte, but too much is a bad thing. And too much salt in your diet actually helps keep fat on (water retention - ugh). Most foods contain salt naturally, so try to avoid adding table-salt to meals. Instead, use other herbs and spices/ garlic. Paprika is a great addition to chicken, for example.

6) Hydrate
Yeh, I'm sure you know. But keep drinking water. If water is boring and plain, try teas. Coconut water is high in carbs and awesome for diabetes 1 (it's low gi! Also it improves pancreas function and increases insulin sensitivity).

* Oh and reduce alcohol!

Here are some great recipes you may like to try out:
- Breakfast: http://www.diabetesaustralia.com.au/...namon-peaches/
- Lunch: A sandwich with salad and meat, on multi-grain bread, generally the grainier the bread, the lower the GI.
- Dinner:http://www.diabetesaustralia.com.au/...egetable-pie1/ or a stirfry with veggies and basmati rice

*you can look up lots of recipe sites, if you just type in "low gi" - there are many delicious tasty foods to make*


If money comes easy for you, I'd suggest all of the above, but only eat organic

What all diets have in common (whether they want to admit it or not): eat less and move more. Even if you don't move more, 'eat less' will do it all for you.

People can tell anecdotes (I have a million of 'em, and I've heard at least a million of 'em....) but they are all about how they ate fewer calories. Sometimes they can simply move more but that involved becoming so much MORE active than they are right now, most people don't stick with it long enough to appreciate that fact.

What's already been posted is truth. "Starting over" just means you pick yourself up where you are and keep going. Nobody eats perfectly. In fact, I think it's a challenge to maintain...it's about lifestyle change rather than lose and go back to the old way of eating.

With that said, I've been eating Body For Life plan since 2002 (NOT perfectly) and find it very do-able.

Best of luck!

As a type w diabetic, I understand keeping your blood sugar level with in what's normal for you. That's why I was surprised to see you ask if it's really about everyone trying things to see what works best for them. The truth is yes. It really is finding what works for you and what doesn't. Does your community have any programs available that you could participate in that focuses on nutrition? I took a class that was offered in my community and it has helped me. The big things I learned is that keeping a food diary plays a big part in keeping me on track of how much I really eat and before I eat something, I have this little voice in my head that screams, what do you think your health coach would say to you about eating this or that.

I think that the first thing you need to do is a self-assessment.........and ask "why am I struggling with my weight?" Everybody's story is different, everything from emotional eating to poor scheduling to too busy or lazy to work out. Until you know what your issue is you cannot find a plan to address it. Sometimes the issue is attitude, such as for example, a lack of patience. If you don't address the real issue you will fail (give up) over and over again.

More yummy recipes
 

Hello again All-praise,

I hope you've had a good week so far.

Here's another recipe site: GI News

Please let us know how you go in your diet of choice, and with your weight loss goals.

Blessings,

Autumn

type I diabetic here. for over 21 years now, I'm 28
 

for me, a lot of these "fad" diets cause my blood sugars to be crazy even if i'm counting carbs. For the most part I try to eat clean, organic vegetables, organic raw nuts and seeds, organic quinoa for grain, I do eat organic eggs, and organic lactose free milk, or organic coconut milk with my coffee, I eat organic turkey burgers, or organic gluten free quinoa burgers. For the bread part of the sandwich, I do use the Julian Bakery Paleo bread, because it is such high fiber, and gluten free. ALso each slice is only 40 calories. Its not cheap, but it is worth it. I usually buy it at local Hy-Vee grocery stores.
I noticed if I don't eat white sugar and white flours, I'm good and my blood sugars are very stable. I do absolutely love to bake, so I use low glycemic organic sweetners like agave nectar, coconut nectar sugar, or honey.

Hope this helps, but don't hesitate if you have any more questions, i'm always willing to help if I can.