The MakeMeThinner Support Forum

[LilMsTexas]

Well today I finally went to my Internal Medicine doctor after being on program for two and a half weeks. I am a type II diabetic and was diagnosed in Feb. 2001. Other than during my latest pregnancy (he's 1 last week) I haven't managed my diabetes AT ALL! I mean I have done SQUAT! Sooooooooo to make a long story short I was afraid to go to my doctor with the plan for fear that he would discourage me or say something negative or say the STUPID STUPID thing again "Why don't you just eat healthier and exercise more?" I swear if I ever hear that again in my life I may have to be behind bars!

But...............he said CONGRATULATIONS on my 8 lb loss......looked over the material and said it's clearly a low carb plan and of course I need to be on a low carb plan. He had never heard of it so he didn't have any raging opinions about it one way or the other........but he did say "This type of plan could lead to a decrease in the severity of your diabetes because the fat cells are the ones that resist the insulin so the less fat cells I have the better my diabetes." He asked how much it cost and just nodded his head, but that was that. He wished me good luck, modified my oral meds, ordered some lab work and said come back in two months and let's check me out again! I felt so great after that.

Now I know I'm getting thinner, AND HEALTHIER and I have my doctor's seal of approval!!! I hope some other diabetics might begin using this forum some to communicate together. We have unique struggles and successes and I know it would help us all to become closer and help along the way. I know for sure some of you are having to deal with not so supportive doctors. Just be in touch here or by PM if you'd like.

CHEERS!!

[doglover]

Hi LilMs! I am not diabetic but it sure runs in my family so this is one reason I have decided to really get my weight under control while I am "young" (36)! But I just wanted to chime in a congratulations on making a healthy choice and great news on that Doctor. Sometimes I think they are just so clueless, but it sounds like yours is open minded and supportive to new ideas/plans!

Glad you're here with us!
Donna

[kassilou]

I went to the doctor last week. I'd never been there before, but I thought he'd be happy that I was doing something about the weight. He, too, had never heard of MF (kinda strange, I thought) and wants me to bring some info with me next time I'm in. He wasn't near as happy for me as I thought he should be. All he could say was "you know it's mostly water", etc. I'll be finding another doctor if this attitude continues. Maybe I can educate him a bit.

But he had my bloodwork done, which I was wanting to see. I hadn't fasted before going in, but we did it then anyway. Two years ago my cholesterol was 225, now it is... 153!! Everything except my HGB was in the normal range. Ha!! And the chicky doing the blood draw had no trouble finding a vein, so I guess I couldn't have been too dehydrated (as the doc had suggested).

One thing I did like was the reason written on the paper for the lab work: excessive weight loss. Cool!!

[sister]

Hi LilMs
It's great that your doctor was open minded!
My mom is on the program too and she's diabetic. She's lost almost 35 pounds and has cut her meds in half in a little over 2 months. She told me today that her blood sugar has been stable and perfect lately. I know she feels better and looks fantastic! I think once she's ready to exercise regularly, her meds will drop again.
Keep up the great work!

[RavenKat2]

Yeah, Nancy lost 100+ pounds of water!

K
tired of ignorant people proclaiming junk like that

[raederle]

LilMs-- great news!!! I'm glad your doc is on board and supportive; that must be a source of relief as well as support! ANd great job on ditching 8 pounds!

Kassilou-- your doc sounds like a dope! I honestly think that when patients do their own research and start successfully managing some of their own health issues, some doctors just feel threatened instead of happy for you. Oh well-- you're doing great, you're obviously getting healthier, and maybe your doc will become a MF convert. If not, go to LilMs' doc! It might be worth the plane fare!

[LilMsTexas]

Hey everybody! It's so great to see this section up and runnin'

Donna you're so right about taking care of yourself NOW instead of later. I am 35 (36 in November) and it was tragic to be diagnosed at 31! You can soooooooooo avoid this mess by keeping your weight average and living a healthy lifestyle with at least moderate excersize. I am just NOW coming to terms with this disease. Hopefully by the time I"m 50, which is when I should have been diagnosed, I will be fully living a healthy lifestyle and enjoying my grandchildren!

Sister, I sure wish my Mom would do this with me. She was diagnosed with diabetes 2 months after I was. She is already on insulin. She actually did Medifast with me 16 years ago when it was ONLY SHAKES and we both successfully reached our goals and kept it off for a long time. She just remembers what it was like and doesn't think she has the willpower to do it again. I am hoping my example will inspire her to try at some point. I am hoping my medications will decrease as well and will see my doctor in 2 months to find out. Until then I have to remember to actually CHECK my sugar levels so I'll have something to report I'm horrible at that.

Kassilou I'm sorry you had a bad experience with your doctor. Over the years I have left more doctor's offices in tears than not. One time a gastrointerologist actually said to me "you're fat and need to lose weight"!! Ok I was about 160 at the time and certainly needed to lose some weight but it's not like they had to widen the door to get me in there!! No matter what there is no excuse for the harshness. My husband is in the Army so I've had military doctors for the past 15 years and BELIEVE ME it's been tough finding sensitivity to weight loss concerns.

So anyway....we'll all prove everyone wrong in the end and all our doctors can take their tongue depressors and shove them up their oops...you get my meaning My doctor is of course being transferred in June so who knows who I'll get then. Hopefully by then I'll have so much weight off that it won't even matter!

Take care everyone!
CHEERS!
Christi

[bk]

I got one of those bodyfat scales about a month or so ago. I plug in my #s and my spreadsheet tells me how many lbs of fat I have and how much lean body mass I have. Since I got my scale I have not lost one pound of lean mass. it's ALL fat. I know its working, and that I'm losing fat & not muscle (and not "water weight"!). Poo on your doctor!

[Nancy]

Christi ~

I am very excited for your 8 pound weight loss and also VERY happy that you are seeing your physician. It is not my intention to burst your bubble or to dash your doc…many docs really do not have any extra time to investigate weight loss programs and often are not educated nutritionally but I have a concern here…

I hope your internist spoke to you about how often you should monitor your blood sugar and what caloric level is right for your particular needs. [Gentle Readers, there are caloric varied meal plans for people with diabetes and their doc or diabetic specialist should determine which plan is best for their patient to use.]


Christi, since you mentioned that your internist is not familiar with TSFL and the Medifast products, and that you are taking oral meds for your Type II Diabetes, you may in fact need to see your internist more often than once every two months for a medication review. Your doctor is correct, diabetes – in fact hypertension, cholesterol, arthritis, heart disease, sleep apnea, all respond favorably to a reduction in weight. As little as a 10% reduction in weight has a profound affect on body health and functioning.

Many of our clients with diabetes are off of ALL of their oral meds in as little as two weeks…our Take Shape For Life Program for people with diabetes recommends that blood sugar is monitored several times a day – some people with diabetes check at each meal time, particularly in the beginning stages. Just know that as your weight and blood sugar levels drop, it will be important to check with your physician or diabetic specialist about your medication.

The Medifast Plus for Diabetics shakes contain Chromium and Biotin for improved glucose tolerance and enhanced insulin sensitivity so that is why we recommend physician medication monitoring.

BTW, Medifast is NOT a low carb diet. It is a nutritionally balanced food – a balance of protein and carbs. It is not carb-less. That’s why we do not crave carbs and go into carb-seeking raging carbolic frenzies as we cruise the cupboards.

I have had my fair share of ignorant and rude professionals with impressive shingles hangin' on their sterile walls.

Like others, I had docs tell me I was fat and to quit exercising my fork and to hit the gym...

Kat's right - I lost 135 pounds of pure distilled water and now I am cramming 132 pounds of pure lard into my leather pants or jeans...

there is a place for medical monitoring; however.

[LilMsTexas]

Thanks Nancy! You are absolutely right about the monitoring of my sugar levels. I am able to call and/or email my doc with spreadsheets of my levels anytime I need to. He said as I see improvement and/or problems to just be in contact with him and he will help me as long as I am checking! I don't check I don't have anything to tell him The problem is remembering to do it. I get so busy in the day and it's after i"ve "eaten" that I realize I should have checked BEFORE and then I need to check 2 hours after. I will get in the hang of it though.

I did show him all the paperwork with the added food for the different caloric levels and he said if I felt fine I could just stay with what I'm doing. It's all about communication at this point and I'm thankful he was open minded to a program he wasn't completely familiar with. I am hoping like others to be off of the medication completely after a time.

I started back to Curves this week and it feels good to be doing some exercising and not feel like I need to be killing myself. I leave Curves feeling good about myself and my actions for the day. I will keep you up-to-date on my diabetes if you'd like me to. Believe me......one of the main GOALS for doing Medifast was reduction in my weight in a safe and healthy path for my diabetes. I have everything I need with the program and new cyber friends to boot!!

Thanks for always reading and posting. Your support and education means more than I'm sure you realize.
CHEERS!
Christi

[dlr2424]

Christi,
We have a curves about 1/8 of a mile from me. I joined 3 years ago and absolutly loved it. I have to confess...I hadn't been thru the holidays as I was way to busy PACKING ON THE LBS. When I started MF I had to also refrain for 4 weeks but I'll be back soon...it is a great workout...at whatever intensity you chose. The owner of my curves was a Diabetic for years...she was always heavy...and was on shots at a very early age....once she started working out she dropped 150 lbs and is completly free & clean...no meds...no problems...etc........so I'm sure your headed in the same direction & good for you

Donna...dlr2424

[doglover]

Totally off topic but....Donna do I see you've dropped a couple more lbs this week???? If I am remembering correctly yahoooo!
Donna

[dlr2424]

My dear friend Donna......yes 15 lbs to date....I will get there...my best buddy ..GOD...has blessed me with perseverence on this journey...and HE is leaving the patience up to me.....

Have a great night

Donna...dlr2424

[Nancy]

Christi ~

Whew! Thanks for the add'l info regarding your doc - makes me feel a whole lot better about the whole situation to know he is truly monitoring you.

Some people who were on meds for hypertension before starting Medifast and then lose a significant amount of weight and do not see their doc often enough can feel really lousy - as their weight is reduced, generally their meds need to be reduced or eliminated as well.

Hmm...some people need to set a timer to remind them to eat on time or to drink their water. Do we need to set a timer for you to poke and squeeze (your finger) before you rip off the packet top and slurp your shakes?

[LilMsTexas]

Donna,
Please tell me how you've found the will and perserverance to continue being upbeat at ALL TIMES and positive at ALL times?? I've been working on that through positive talk ect. but I'm feeling a little irritated this morning that I haven't even lost an ounce this week!! I've even gone to full fast and started back my moderate exercise and STILL nothing! I know I know I know it will come off EVENTUALLY but it's only the 3rd week for crying out loud! I don't know.......I will NOT be quitting.....I KNOW this will work and I know it's GOING to work and I KNOW this won't be forever. Why does all this information not make me FEEL better this morning??
poor pitiful whiney Christi this morning