I'm a newbie, starting my weight loss journey. Here's my story:

I am 32 year old, 5ft 3in, new diabetic Mom. My baby was born 7 months ago, after a long and difficult struggle with Infertility. My pregnancy started at 150 pounds and was complicated by 'gestational diabetes' and insulin therapy. When I delivered, I was a whooping 180 pounds, and was told that I had graduated to full blown Type II diabetes.

Immediately after delivery, I lost 14 pounds. I gained the entire 14 pounds back in just 3 months. I experienced severe post partum depression and anemia. Up until last week, I felt nothing could go right anymore, and the thought of losing 35 pounds to fight off the diabetes seemed overwhelming. I say 'seemed' because I decided to take action. I went on a week of low carb, high protein diet, and lost 5 pounds. This week, I began walking 30 mins in the morning, and another 30 minutes in the evening. I haven't lost any more weight, but it's only Tuesday night.

What makes matters worse is that I have a weighing scale in my kitchen that I slip on once every hour!!! I had my husband toss it up into the highest shelf we had, so I would only weigh myself this Saturday.

Tonite - actually 1/2 an hour ago - I went for an hour long walk, and came back to test my blood sugars! It was 206! I just got so depressed. I expected to have my sugars in the mid - 150s range, and 206 is a pretty tall and worrisome number. At this very moment, as I sit here typing, I'm crying, because 35 pounds seems so overwhelming. I don't know how I'm going to do it. My BMI is 31 and I'm at terrible risk. My eyesight has weakened considerably and I don't like the direction my health is headed. I could really do with some motivation at this time.

Losing 35 pounds would bring me down 140 - which would still be borderline BMI. My doctor said that given my height, I shouldn't weigh more than 125 pounds. 125 pounds is 50 pounds less, and seems an awful amount of pounds to lose. I've always had issues with weight, but compounded with diabetes, it just seems impossible. With a new, high maintenance and high strung infant, I feel so tired, and drained. I get so weepy and blue during the day when I'm alone with a fussy, screaming baby that cries non-stop and demands to be held ALL THE TIME! I don't have any family living close by that would babysit her even for about 20 mins a day, so I can get a break. Food is really the only thing that helps me cope, so sticking to just 1400 calories a day seems difficult!

How on Earth am I going to do this? Can I do this?

It really doesn't. One day does not a lifestyle make. Overcoming Diabetes II, is a very serious and challenging task, but, people have done it (especially when it's a fairly new condition).

No one on earth, is going to come up with a good, healthy diet plan, and have any chance of sticking with it, while they're feeling upset. You need to 'get your head on straight' (perhaps working at sleeping better, taking one or two short naps during the day, using puzzle books to distract yourself from disturbing thoughts, going for long walks, perhaps even dabbling in meditation to help you become a 'clear' thinker).

What will count, is what you do on a weekly/monthly basis. The toughest part is that dieting is a 24/7 task (even one hour's slip, can reverse your progress of the past week). So you need an approach that is always manageable, even when you're under stress. You also needs good ways of dealing with stress that definitely do not involve food in any way.

Pick yourself up, and take it one step at a time until you're able to think in terms of the whole week just past, and have some expectation of achieving good control over the whole week to come, towards (a) developing, and, (b) maintaining healthy habits.

rD

ps. Hiding your scale so that you're not 'obsessing' over it, was exactly the correct step. Weight control may be 24/7, but it's so emotionally charged, that the very last thing we need is a 'meter' that we're watching constantly.

pps. On re-reading your post, another thought is to get hearing protection (either ear-plugs from your local drugstore, or proper industrial 'ear muffs', or both) -- while you're holding your baby, there's no need to jeopardize your hearing (or your sanity), if your baby's crying loudly. If you're hesistant, think in terms of helping yourself be better able to look after your child in the present, and (by avoiding hearing loss) in the future.

Hi fat free...maybe you are testing your diabetic scores too often. Expecting to have a good score after you walked for an hour may be unrealistic. I had lost some weight and yet I needed to take more high blood pressure medicine. I hope you do take your diabetic medicine because it is important to keep your disease at bay. It is possible if you lose weight you will not have to take medicine or take less medicine than you are taking now. Remember you have a beautiful baby and probably many who care about you. So care about yourself. Keep moving and keep losing weight, the rest will take care of itself.

As far as depression is concerned, there is some excellent medicine for that too. Depression may be stopping you from doing what you need to do in terms of exercise and healthy eating. I take an anti-depression drug and it has helped me a lot. I am not ashamed of it. To me, it is like walking around with a broken arm and not getting treatment...to go without medical help for depression. Good luck and hope to hear good news as the year progresses. I am Joan Mack

Hi Fat Free,
:hug:
Hey, being a long term diabetic and a nurse I feel qualified to say that many, many things affect our blood sugars including stress and depression. Exercise is a wonderful help for both but it takes regular exercise to help long term. You are on the right track so don't give up. And please seek some medical help for the depression. It is so important, especially for the new mom. Could this be post partum depression?
I will say a prayer for you.


Vickie :whip:

Hi

I'm the same height as you. My doctor would like for me to get around 120 - 125 also but he felt like a good start would be in the 140's. Said it isn't as overwhelming that way. Instead of looking at 35 lbs why don't you look at it as 10 lbs at a time. Using short term goals helps alot. It may also help to talk to the doctor about what you should expect with the readings. I wish you all the luck and will keep you in my prayers.

Renee

I'm a newbie, starting my weight loss journey. Here's my story:

I am 32 year old, 5ft 3in, new diabetic Mom. My baby was born 7 months ago, after a long and difficult struggle with Infertility. My pregnancy started at 150 pounds and was complicated by 'gestational diabetes' and insulin therapy. When I delivered, I was a whooping 180 pounds, and was told that I had graduated to full blown Type II diabetes.

Immediately after delivery, I lost 14 pounds. I gained the entire 14 pounds back in just 3 months. I experienced severe post partum depression and anemia. Up until last week, I felt nothing could go right anymore, and the thought of losing 35 pounds to fight off the diabetes seemed overwhelming. I say 'seemed' because I decided to take action. I went on a week of low carb, high protein diet, and lost 5 pounds. This week, I began walking 30 mins in the morning, and another 30 minutes in the evening. I haven't lost any more weight, but it's only Tuesday night.

What makes matters worse is that I have a weighing scale in my kitchen that I slip on once every hour!!! I had my husband toss it up into the highest shelf we had, so I would only weigh myself this Saturday.

Tonite - actually 1/2 an hour ago - I went for an hour long walk, and came back to test my blood sugars! It was 206! I just got so depressed. I expected to have my sugars in the mid - 150s range, and 206 is a pretty tall and worrisome number. At this very moment, as I sit here typing, I'm crying, because 35 pounds seems so overwhelming. I don't know how I'm going to do it. My BMI is 31 and I'm at terrible risk. My eyesight has weakened considerably and I don't like the direction my health is headed. I could really do with some motivation at this time.

Losing 35 pounds would bring me down 140 - which would still be borderline BMI. My doctor said that given my height, I shouldn't weigh more than 125 pounds. 125 pounds is 50 pounds less, and seems an awful amount of pounds to lose. I've always had issues with weight, but compounded with diabetes, it just seems impossible. With a new, high maintenance and high strung infant, I feel so tired, and drained. I get so weepy and blue during the day when I'm alone with a fussy, screaming baby that cries non-stop and demands to be held ALL THE TIME! I don't have any family living close by that would babysit her even for about 20 mins a day, so I can get a break. Food is really the only thing that helps me cope, so sticking to just 1400 calories a day seems difficult!

How on Earth am I going to do this? Can I do this?

I'm glad you came here to tell us about your problem.
Losing weight is a hard thing to do for everyone here, but anything is impossible. We're in control of our self, life and anything else.

Don't feel bad about losing 50 pounds, i have to loose 72 so we have to have patience about it.
I'm 18 and im overweight like now im 202, 5ft.6in, my BMI is over 30, my doc. says that i have to loose weight like now because im in high risk of diabetes.

About your depression, we should know that our mind is very powerful and when we have bad thoughts and everything you took it serious that can cause depression. Sometimes we get serious about everything that isnt bad but we should be happy of being alive, walking, and doing a lot of things that some people wish they can do.
In september 2005, I was healthy the same weight but wasnt sick, so saturday of labor's day weekend, i went to beach with my family, i was really having a blast until i ate a medium cook beef patty, after eating i went swimming and felt strange my back did hurt a lot, so i sat for a while and began feeling sick, my head was very hot and the rest of my body except my hand and feet.

We came home and i was feeling so horrible that when i got home i throw my self in the bed crying feeling bad and not knowing what was wrong with me, my mom says take a bath maybe the fever would go is you take a cold shower, so i did but when i did i was still feeling bad.
I felt like the patty i ate was doing like a yoyo inside of me, so i thought if i make my self throw out i would felt better so i did, and it was worst then was me throwing up, with diarrhea and feber, that was my saturday night, on sunday i was still with feber and ache, so i stayed home, i didnt want to go to the hospital on monday my mom says we have to take you to the hospital, my back was aching a lot so i can not move a all, when we got to the hospital at 9:30am they took care of me and told me that if i can drink a sprite maybe i could go home in two hours so theres where me at 3:00pm and still there, when at night came two paramedics and told my mom they will have to travel me to other hospital i was crying because i cant move it was very difficult for me to move, so they did travel me.

To make my story short i was 12 days in the hospital 5 of them i need my mom even to go to the bathroom, to get up, to eat i was like paralyze because the two of my kidney's werent working so they stop working, doc's, told my mom that i will die and here am i, healthy and writing to you.

The thing is that we shouldnt get depressed there's always people in worst sittuations and the can handle it. We always have to have happy thoughts and be gracefull about our self and family.

I would have to tell you that if you get obssesive about our weight you wont see any changes at all because you dont let time show them to you it takes time and work. About yor baby i would say thats normal he cries a lot, but he wont die because crying sometimes when you give a child too much of attetion thats they form of call you "crying". If you exercise with a watch exercising will be boring, because you walk 5 steps and look at the watch to tell time, exercising should be fun, so i recommend you that when you exercise leave your watch in your car or in your pocket so you can walk at your own time, and enjoy the outdoors.

Good luck and watch what you eat.

Gosh Chikka...how these medical problems can pop up and nearly kill us or scare us half to death. Last fall during 2004 I came down with a herniated disk in my neck and had to see a surgeon but he did not think an operation was necessary. Finally I got to see a specialist who gave me cortisone shots in my upper spine...right in the bone. He said if I moved during the procedure I might be paralyzed. So, I was pretty darn scared. I had to take a lot of pain pills and the whole thing was a mess. I got my herniated disk because a physical therapist left me on a machine for too long. I had and still have a pinched nerve in my neck which acts up some times but guess I have to live with the darn old thing rather than seek physical therapy which was recommended to me. It is all literally a pain in the neck! I do enjoy walking sometimes and swimming and know better than to expect miracles after a short time with dieting. Stay away from those hamburgers! Good luck to all...hope to hear from you.

Gosh Chikka...how these medical problems can pop up and nearly kill us or scare us half to death. Last fall during 2004 I came down with a herniated disk in my neck and had to see a surgeon but he did not think an operation was necessary. Finally I got to see a specialist who gave me cortisone shots in my upper spine...right in the bone. He said if I moved during the procedure I might be paralyzed. So, I was pretty darn scared. I had to take a lot of pain pills and the whole thing was a mess. I got my herniated disk because a physical therapist left me on a machine for too long. I had and still have a pinched nerve in my neck which acts up some times but guess I have to live with the darn old thing rather than seek physical therapy which was recommended to me. It is all literally a pain in the neck! I do enjoy walking sometimes and swimming and know better than to expect miracles after a short time with dieting. Stay away from those hamburgers! Good luck to all...hope to hear from you.


Thats why i say nothing is impossible on Feb.2005 a friend of mine was mesing with my hair so he said damn your hair is dirty when he sees again it was a bold spot on my head so i got scared it was a bold spot as big as a dime by march it was as big as a snapple bottle cap, so i went to the dermatologist so she says you have alopecia so i have to inyect you with a medicine so it will make the process fastest of growing hair. So there i was a doc with a injection in my head, it was so painfull you would never imagine. But i did survive, so if i was almost dying and loosing my hair and i still fighting i can do anything in my life.

There are more serious things happening so i always says that depression is in our mind and if we change how we think and the way we look life it will go away and we can win this battle, something that i learned every medicine it pass through your kidneys, and medicines can damage you kidneys so be as natural you can get, for your depression aromatherapy a good book and happy thoughts are great that medicine, because that medicine would be for life.

:o