What can I expect as a type II Diabetic

[Jules in Ga.]

I never see the diabetics posting on the MF message boards....I will start this week on the diabetic 2 wk. starter kit....I am anticipatory, but I still wonder if I will, once again, have my hopes shattered by this nasty disease I just want to know what I can expect from the first days on out....has anybody made it? Thank you, thank you, thank you

[Jan]

Hi Jules,

While not a diabetic I sure do read the posts by the diabetics on the forum. There are several that I know of. They seem to post on the other sections of the forum. Look for Little Miss Texas -- she is quite open about her diabetes and her weight loss .
Most diabetics experience a change in their blood sugars. They go down quite rapidly so make certain and check yours several times each day. You may need to have your Dr. make some adjustments in your meds. I know some diabetics have even been able to control their sugars with just diet and no longer need insulin when using our program. The new study comparing the ADA program with ours was quite impressive. Medifast proved to be very very effective. Did you get the diabetic brochure with your order? It should help you with some of your questions. I know the diabetic program is a little differenct than the regular one. You eat a greater variety of foods and are on a prescribed eating schedule. Probably due to sugar issues. If you have a Health Advisor contact that person and they should be able to help you.

jan

[Jules]

Thanks, Jan.....I appreciate your nice reply. The MF products arrived at my backdoor today and I was excited to see them. Okay, I know the "oldies" on the program are saying, "She's in the honeymoon period", but I am remaining far-sighted.....I am looking forward to going to my daughter's football games....she is a varsity cheerleader and I haven't seen her cheer in three years because I was too embarrassed to go because of my weight! I just wish I'd started earlier......then, I can look forward to going into a dressing room and looking in the mirror.....crossing my legs completely....and, getting the approval of my doctor....he always treated me like I was a little inferior because I was overweight....I just felt it.....I was just a little "stupid" because I was overweight....and, I am looking forward to lowering my triglycerides....my cholesterol...I started out with a BG reading of 111....I thought that was really good right before I slurpped the shake!! In reading other posts, I noticed that this diabetic site could get "rowdy".... ....bring it on!! I want to see more diabetic medifasters posting!! It will really help! Medifasting in Ga......Jules

[Jan]

Hi Jules,

No, we "oldies" are very happy for you and your great attitude. Stick to the plan exactly and you'll succeed. Medifast works great as long as you work it. You have a trememdous goal. You'll be able to go to your daughter's games soon. I can really emphasize with you because my daughter was a varsity tennins player. One of the other mothers was quite large also. During one of the games her chair broke and she rolled down the hill right into the chain link around the tennis court. I felt sooooo bad for her. No one really said anything except to ask her if she were "ok" ( which of course she wasn't emotionally that is). I saw her about a year ago and she looked terrific. I think she had lost well over a hundred pounds. We all sometimes need some extra motivation to get going. I'm very glad that wasn't yours. Keep us posted on how you are doing.
jan

[Debbie]

I am type 2 diabetic and before Medifast I was getting some very scary readings because I wasn't following my doctors orders to be eating properly...the highest reading I ever got was near 500...it scared me to death...

Since being on Medifast I take readings twice a day and I am averaging around 140 which is a much better reading...I feel that Medifast has been keeping my blood sugars in check...

[Jan]

Wow Debbie,
That reading would have scared me to death too!! I would have hauled you right off to the hospital!! My friend gets worried when her sugars are 259. You are doing great at 140 and I'm sure they will come down a little more. This is a terrific program!! Just keep checking
jan

[LilMsTexas]

Sorry I've been tardy with my responses.............but oooooooooooooooooooooh my goodness let me tell you how WONDERFUL this is for our diabetes!!!!!!!!!!!

I was horrrrrrrrrrrrrible at taking care of my diabetes. My hemoglobin A1C was over 9.7 and now it is 6.6 and that is like a "normal person" so WOW WOW WOW!! I've been completely off of alllllllllll medication since week 2 and I was on 3 oral meds at maxed out levels (not really taking them.....just prescribed to me).

I started taking my medications when I started my program in my effort to do EVERYTHING I was supposed to do. It wasn't but a couple of days before I was having lows and had to start cutting things back. Within 2 weeks I was off of everything and haven't gone back yet!!

I know EXACTLY what you mean about the doctor.......oh dear do I know......my husband is active duty Army so I see only military male doctors primarily. My latest doctor left just as I was beginning MF in March.......well he saw me last in March and he left in May. At any rate.....my son's pediatrician knows him and emailed him to tell him about my weight loss and medical status and he was so excited he called her to ask more questions about my MF. I had discussed it with him, but he didn't know anything about it.

Long story short (as short as I'm capable of being)........MF WILL DEFINITELY change your life and your diabetes and you MUST MUST MUST TEST TEST TEST and DOCUMENT DOCUMENT DOCUMENT so you can do your medication adjustments.......they WILL happen so you MUST be prepared with the results.

Please email me anytime or talk here........I will help you in any way that I can.....at least by sharing my own experience.

BEST OF LUCK..........SOOOOOOOO MANY EXCITING TIMES AHEAD!!

[Jules]

Dear LilMsTexas ~ I have gotten so much from your postings since I started!! You obviously have been a successful medifaster with Type II Diabetes!! How long did it take you to drop your weight and did you have any "do-overs" ? I just need some input from someone who's "been here/done this". This is absolutely the last diet I will ever go on. I'm just not doing this scenario again. Hope you see this post before too long. Many thanks. Jules

[LuzInIt]

Hi Jules. I've posted most of my history around here somewhere, but since you asked about other diabetics, I'll try to briefly give you my experience. I started MF 3/22/05 at 328 pounds, type 2 diabetic, insulin dependent plus oral meds. I was also being treated for high blood pressure, high cholesterol, hypothyroid, and some mild heart issues. I had begun to suffer from diabetic neuropathy (nerve damage), especially in my left leg. I was taking between 10 & 15 pain killers (neurontin) a day, and actually had to get my Mom's walker out of my basement to be able to get around enough to keep working. The year before, I developed an infection related to the diabetes that landed me in the hospital for a week. I was told if I had presented half a day later, the infection would have killed me. In addition, 5 years ago, I developed cataracts (apparently related to high blood sugar) and had to have surgery on both eyes. Even taking insulin shots with every meal, a different insulin at bedtime, and glucophage, my sugars were running in the mid 200's to 300. And yes, I too, spiked up close to 500 a few times.
OK, enough of the crappy stuff .

Here's the really great stuff : Within two weeks of starting Medifast, I was completely off insulin. (Mind you, before MF I had spent 3 years totally compliant to low carb diets, first on Atkins, then under the care of my endocrinologist). A few months later, I was off glucophage. I have my annual appointment with my cardiologist next week and I'm sure I'm coming off most of my other drugs. My latest labs show bad cholesterol down to 42 (should be below 100, but 42 is really low), and my Hg1ac is at 5.0+ (very normal, and I'm on no diabetic drugs) after beginning my weight loss journey with a reading over 14. Oh yeah, the greatest side affect is that after 6 months on Medifast, I've lost 100 pounds.

My daughter's getting married in June, and I can't tell you the joy of anticipating a size 10/12 dress for this mother-of-the-bride, instead of the size 26 I was wearing in March.

So darlin', you have definitely found the right program to get you back on the road to thinness and good health. Medifast is so easy to do - you just have to make up your mind to do it. Stay compliant, and like Christi said, be sure to monitor you BS, because before you know it you will see BIG changes.

One other thing just came to mind. Last week, I went to a football game at the high school where my daughters went to school for 6 years. Both were in marching band and I spent every single fall weekend in bleachers somewhere. Can I tell you, I ran up and down those bleachers all afternoon with ease, unlike the days when I would have gone as far as possible and plopped, not to move a muscle until it was time to leave the stadium. I think I would have peed my pants rather than taken an extra walk up or down. Saturday, I think I ran up and down a few times with no purpose at all - just because I could!

Sorry for being so long-winded, but diabetes sucks, girl. Life is definitely better without it! And Medifast will get it under control for you too. Here's to your great success. I'll be waiting to hear good things from you.

Oh, by the way, you might want to register. It's free, and nobody's gonna stalk you. You'll be surprised at all the neat stuff that pops up when you are no longer "a guest".

[dlr2424]

Linda .. ...that was a great post........ ....thanks for sharing that..... ......and a wedding coming up?...... .....how exciting!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Donna....dlr2424

[Jules]

Linda ~ Thank you for the great post!! What a wonderful post to share and I appreciate it!! I do need to know if you had any "do-overs" during this time and if you ever took a break, even for a day, during your journey. I have experienced low blood sugar crashes during the stint which lead to eating, then I got the tremendous willpower to use a glucose tablet instead. This was great. There are times that I get hungry for some strange reason. What happened to you in this area?? Yes, I am going to register!! Thanks a bunch. Jules

[Nancy]

Jules ~

I have a few clients that have a shake and half or 1/4 of a bar just before bedtime so they don't crash at night.

I mentioned elsewhere that I sometimes awaken in the early morning with a low blood sugar - I am not diabetic and Lord willing, will not be but I do experience low blood sugars sometimes. It seems to come on about 3:30 AM. I keep a Ready To Drink shake and a bar on my night table so if I have the need, I can have a snack under the down-filled quilt without sashaying down the hallway and into the kitchen, flipping on a floodlight and opening the refrigerator door! I always have a serving of Chai Latte or Medifast Oatmeal at bedtime but sometimes I do experience hunger or the low blood sugar – just be prepared.

Do you experience the lows after days when you have been more active than others?

Be sure to speak to your doctor or diabetic specialist, as it may be time for a medication adjustment for you. Are you following the Diabetic Guidebook or the regular Quick Start booklet? People with Diabetes get a few more snacks than non-diabetics. You can send me a PM and I will get a booklet for you.

[LuzInIt]

Good Morning Jules .

Absolutely no "do-overs" for this girl. And I can tell you, without doubt, there won't be. The longer you Medifast, the more control you gain over yourself. The program just gets easier all the time and like Nancy, it will probably be part of my life forever. I love the foods and the convenience of them. Since I spent nearly 4 years prior to MF (close to completely) compliant to diets of one kind or the other, with no success in controlling either my weight or my diabetes, my thinking is that the soy nature of this product has changed something in me, in some way, that allows me to be successful.

Take a break? Never for a day or more. I've only had a few episodes of weird eating during the past six months, usually brought on by unusual circumstances in my routine, or by that "hunger thing" that happens to us. I'm thinking that must be related to being women and having hormonal issues, cause that hunger sure isn't normal for me .

Once, I ate a slice of pizza and I don't like pizza - never eat it. And on my 194th day, I was completely compliant until after my 6PM meal. Then I ate my daughter's left-over cold french fries from McDonalds (barf), some old potato salad left over from a banquet we served a week before, a big cup of vanilla wafers, and then polished off the box of sugar-free popscicles that had been in the freezer for 6 months (4 of them). (Mind you, I keep a journal of every bite that goes into my mouth so my recollection of that day is totally accurate!) I hated everything I put in my mouth, but was unable to stop myself for some reason. My theory is that my metabolism kicked in that night after being dormant for several weeks, cause I actually dropped 3 pounds overnight after this weirdness.

But I am so soundly in the Medifast frame of mind that when I do go off plan a bit, I actually mourn the loss of my Medi-meal and can't wait to get back to the program.

You didn't mention how much weight you have to lose except to say you're embarrassed by it. But if it's quite a bit, you have a wonderful experience ahead of you if you choose to do Medifast successfully. I can't even begin to tell you how this will affect your life with diabetes. When I was on insulin, I use to have low sugar crashes, too. So scary . That is no longer a part of my life. Once, while driving on the Interstate at 65mph, I began to go numb from head to toe, I started sweating profusely, and then the lights started to go out in broad daylight. Not having any sugar in the car with me (last time I made that mistake), I prayed to just make it off the exit in time and get to the convenience store located there without killing myself or someone else. Somehow I made it, and stumbled to the counter, stood there and unwrapped a brownie in front of the clerk and shoved it in my mouth. She just stared at me. When my senses returned, I apologized, paid for it, grabbed a bottle of orange juice for good measure, and made it home. I NEVER want to live like that again!

No one can do this program for you, Jules, but it is totally doable if you just make up your mind that you are going to do it. If you can just grasp hold of the fact that by investing a very small amount of your life and time to being successful at Medifast, life is going to be wonderful in a way you can only dream of now. And it will happen for you before you can even imagine. I was out to dinner with my gal-pal eating group (we go to restaurants about 4 - 5 times a year). We've had a bit of a break recently, and we all marveled at the fact that the last time we were out, I weighed a 100 pounds more. It seems to have happened almost in the blink of an eye. (By the way, I had a salmon fillet on a bed of baby spinach - so easy to eat a meal out with the allowable lean/green!)

I'll be praying that you'll find your way as well, Jules. Much success to you.

[Vicky]

Message Deleted

[Nancy]

Excellent post, Linda!

I had no do-overs during my weight loss phase either. My intention was to never have to go on a weight loss program of this magnitude ever again and that has proven to be true. If one considers the positive results of being program-compliant, it is beyond me why others choose to mess around.

I cannot understand why a person would prefer to endure a shot and a few pills, a weird feeling, a slab of cheesecake, $ for medication and the time involved to go and get a prescription filled more than a $2 two minute shaker jar of Medigrub...it's beyond me...

cheats = hunger = cravings

Unlike other DIEts, Take Shape For Life's Program is a very finely-honed program - our bod is in a very mild state of ketosis - a few more carbs or calories ups the level just enough that one can cross over from the fat-burning state with no hunger and cravings to enter the hunger zone and find uncontrollable foody desires returning.

Therefore it is vitally important to follow the program exactly. The research that goes into our products is phenomenal. I've been to the lab; I've seen the manufacturing plant and the raw materials (they are of the finest quality available – no shortcuts with our products – the very finest Supro™ brand commercial-grade soy. DuPont is the pioneer of protein and soy research). I’ve watched the products being made, packaged and shipped. The recipe for success is in each packet taken on time; not in cheating.

Other weight loss programs may be cheatable but in my opinion, getting well is more important to me than cheating. I cheated all my life before I found Medifast and all it got me was depressed, a temporary foody high, humongous thighs, a bountiful bum and bosom, a mountainous midriff, triple chins and a broken-down body and spirit.

I cannot know what it feels like to have diabetes but I do know what it is like to see what diabetic people must endure.

My Auntie and my Uncle were diabetic. I watched my Uncle Jake’s health decline before my eyes – he had his toes, his foot and eventually his lower leg amputated. He had heart disease and died. My Auntie slipped away, too. Now my Daddy’s health is declining following a massive heart attack two years ago, he has neuropathy and his vision is failing.

That scared me enough to go straight, straight to the pantry for a shake.

Jules and others, I will never tell you that this is easy because it is not.

It is NOT easy to deny yourself.

It is not easy to prefer a tasteless diabetic bar over a slice of pie and ice cream.

It is not easy whipping out a RTD at a family barbecue when others are having a beer and a plate of slaw, greens, grits, ribs, brisket, beans and biscuits.

It stinks to sit at the neighborhood restaurant with a cup of Minestrone and a naked green salad before you and say “No, thanks” to fresh-baked Italian bread slathered in creamy butter, to pass the tiramisu to your tablemates and decline a glass of after-dinner wine but my health is more important to me than all that.

Medifast works.

I did it.

LuzInIt Linda is doing it.

Lil'MsTexas is doin' it.

Over a million others have done it for nearly 25 years.

You CAN do it, too.

We’ll help you.