• silverwhisper said on Jan 25, 2008....

  that's very peculiar. i agree it has to be related to your insulin levels. keep us posted about what he (she?) says re: your insulin. did your doctor give you any specific suggestions re: a weight management plan?
  
  ed

• the_infernal_optimist said on Jan 25, 2008....

  I hope your levels even out, nyt - that has to be frustrating. I think I was going to say more, but apparently it left.
  
  ~Infernal
  

• nytquill17 said on Jan 25, 2008....

  No, she didn't really.  She's suggested meeting with the dietician on staff, which isn't a bad idea, but I don't think I'll really get anything out of it that I don't already know.  I don't like how stubborn I sound when I say that, but it's true!  I'm not opposed to the idea on its own, so if it turns out that I really do need some help and advice then I will certainly go get it.
  
  What matters most for diabetes is counting carbs accurately (I read labels, weigh and measure my food, and use an online food tracker to total up the nutritional values of my food, including recipes I make myself), then adjusting my insulin appropriately.  So eating less just means I take less insulin.
  
  It's important that I know about the effects of protein, fat, fiber, simple vs. complex carbs, and exercise so I can better understand and manage my blood sugars, but I would be doing all this regardless :) 
  
  Eventually when I have lost a significant amount of weight, my insulin needs will change, but I'll see this reflected in my blood sugars and be able to adjust my insulin as needed.  I've had a lot of education and practice in self-management (I had good control for the first few years!) so I'm pretty comfortable with all of this - but I won't hesitate to get help if I need it.  I can even check into the hospital for free now if there's an emergency.
  
  Being diabetic sometimes feels like you're keeping an encyclopedia in your head with all the stuff you have to know and remember and calculate and account for.  It's a pretty intense experience.  But then I figure, I know more about nutrition and staying healthy and how my body works than the average person, and that's a good thing really.  The one thing I get truly jealous about, and only once in a while, is how non-diabetic people can just sit down to eat.  All they have to think about is what they feel like eating, and possibly its nutritional value if they're health-conscious.  There are times I really miss that freedom.  I have to weigh, measure, estimate, calculate, test, inject, make sure my meals are far enough apart but not too far, think about any exercise I've done or am going to do, and once I take my insulin I can't change my mind about what I'm going to eat.  There's a corner of my mind that's solely dedicated to thinking about food, blood sugar, and insulin, and it's always on.  Sometimes it really gets to me and I wish I could take a break from all this thinking.  But most of the time it's okay :)

• nytquill17 said on Jan 25, 2008....

  Oops, missed you, Infernal!  It was high at breakfast because of me eating last night.  I tried to control myself and I didn't overdo it by as much as I usually do!  But evidently I still overdid it.  I'm looking forward to finding out today if it's going to get better.  Just the fact that I went low last night is a sign that the new bottle of insulin is working better than the old one, so I have high hopes!
  
  Don't worry about your thoughts leaving you - happens to me all the time.  Thanks for stopping by!  It's encouraging to know that you're following my progress, along with Ed, and I'm not just talking into the void.  Keeps me honest ;)
  

• Zayda said on Jan 25, 2008....

  Nyt: An important thing for you to remember is that body weight can fluctuate as much as 2-3 pounds in a day. Most of it is water/fluid weight. Can I ask when you are weighing yourself when you weigh once a week?
  
  
  Also, remember that as a woman, at least one week before menstruation, breast size can increase slightly and weight can fluctuate a bit as well because of fluid retention that many women experience a week prior to and during their periods.
  
  
  Don't get discourage by the one pound more. Slow and steady progress will help you keep the weight off once you get it off. And, I do think what is most encouraging is that you are beginning to better recognize when you are hungry.
  
  
  The Japanese have an expression, which I can't correctly phrase in Japanese here, but it essentially translates to "Eat until you are 80% full." If you stop when you are satisfied but not full, you are less likely to overeat. Many people mistake the idea of "feeling" full for that stuffed, pant-tightening feeling we often get after Thanksgiving and Christmas meals. That's not full. That's beyond full.

• nytquill17 said on Jan 25, 2008....

  Zayda: Thank you for your encouragement!  I appreciate it.
  
  I weigh myself on Friday mornings, right when I get up (after I pee but before I eat or drink or do anything else).  You're right, one pound of change is not really significant.  It could just be that I drank less water than usual yesterday and I'm retaining a bit today.  One pound could be anything, really.  Thanks for reminding me!  I know the key is to watch the overall trend over a period of many weeks - it's just discouraging to see the numbers going in what's technically the wrong direction!
  
  I don't have the menstruation issue to deal with anymore (I take the pill without any breaks, with the permission of my doctor, just for that reason) which makes it easier on the one hand and harder on the other.  Of course the pill makes you gain weight but I don't think it makes your weight fluctuate too much if you're taking it steadily.  I can't blame anything on PMS anymore!
  
  This is going to sound weird, but I think it's just great to feel hungry!  I have gone for years without really sensing hunger.  I still don't think I feel hunger the way other people do (nerve damage is always a possibility, or it might just be that I'm still learning how to recognize it).  It feels so good to occasionally run empty instead of always being stuffed to the gills and uncomfortable!
  
  I have a few little sayings like that that I keep in my head.  I will add yours to the group!  I remind myself of things like, "Food is supposed to be a pleasure.  If you eat so much that it's unpleasant, you've wasted your meal!" and when I'm tempted to eat food just to clean my plate: "It can either go to waste in the trash, or it can go to waste in my body.  One of those is easier to get rid of than the other!"
  

Comment on "Weigh-In #4"

Currently tagged	weight loss Progress weight management measurements update (Click to add tags below)
Tag this post	(Separate tags using commas, for example: New York, dating, vegetarian)
Your comment