Optifast/Optitrim and Byetta
Hi…. I have been on Byetta since Dec.06 and haven’t lost anything.
My Dr told me that I can go on Optifast or Optitrim if I would like.
I have about 100 to lose. I also take insulin, metformin and actos.
Since the byetta I have gone from BS readings of 350+ to 160’s-
180’s.A1C went from 12.2 to 9.1, so there is some improvement. I know
that actos is a weight gainer and I have days were I can gain 20 lbs
over a 3 day period and then lose it. Endo and I are working on
getting off of it by decreasing slowly. VERY FRUSTRATING. I eat 150%
better, exercise some ( I need to do more, but some days I can barely
make it to work ) and To top it all off in Oct 05, I had a
hysterectomy (complete) and a 10 lb fibro tumor removed. So sudden
menopause hit at the same time as the diabetes hit. Just need some
advise if you have it. I just turned 45 and I am at the end of my
rope !
Thanks a bunch
August 1st, 2006 at 11:57 am
Hello Mehighland, You are surely between a rock and a hard place!
You need the insulin to treat the high blood sugars but insulin is the
fat laying hormone of the human body.
Actos does many good things but it is notorious in causing weight gain.
One help might be to eat very low carb and to exercise ,even for a few
minutes about a half hour after your meals.
By going very low carb you could reduce your insulin dose(under doc’s
approval) and also your Actos.This will reduce your appetite and weight.
The optitrim might help you to do this but many people gain the weight
back because they go back to old eating habits.
Maybe use it for 2 meals/day and use real food for the other meal.
HTH, Aloha, Marge
August 2nd, 2006 at 6:11 am
Hi there. I have personal experience with Optifast and would not
recommend it, or any other "fast" weight loss method. I did Optifast
back in my early 20s when I had about 60 pounds to lose. I lost 60 and
80 came back and stayed, and my metabolism was weakened as a result.
Optifast, like other meal replacement programs, works on the short
term because it takes the *thinking* and *emotion* out of food
choices. You drink their shakes, or products, and if you stick to it
you lose. However, because it is such low calorie content (that is why
it is medically supervised, because it is dangerous) your skin tends
to turn gray, your hair tends to fall out, you lose most of your
energy, etc. And if *emotion* was part of why you overate, you become
the crankiest you have ever been in your life! :/ Then as you stop
drinking only shakes and have to deal with the real world of food
choices you find the weight starts creeping back on, usually faster
than it came off.
I know it seems like a quick fix, as does bariatric surgery, but if
you think about it your weight probably didn’t come on fast, so it
might take a while to take off. It sucks, but such is life, right?
Just my 2 cents. I wish you the best in whatever you choose! Keep us
posted.
Stef
August 2nd, 2006 at 7:18 am
Everyone has different experiences with weight loss programs.
I am a 64-year old man. I have lost 75 - 100 pounds three times in my life so
far. With Byetta, I am working on the 4th time…I have 60 to 90 pounds to lose
and am down about 30 pounds since 12-20-2006.
The weight loss programs I have used were (1) Weight Watchers, (2) OptiFast,
and (3) Redux/ Phen-Phen.
I thought they were all great. I had no bad experiences with any of them.
OptiFast and Redux/ Phen-Phen were under doctor supervision.
I regained the weight each time…but usually over a period of 3 to 5 years.
OptiFast and Redux/ Phen-Phen are short term weight loss….once you stop the
progam/ pills, you will start to regain the weight. Weight Watchers is more
long term. I assume once Byetta is stopped, the weight gain will return.
It is nice to be positive and think "This time is it! I will lose that weight
and never put it back on!". But that is not reality…not even for those who
have had obesity surgery. Once you are fat, you will always battle weight
changes.
Getting the weight off is one issue and whatever method or program works for you
is fine, in my opinion. There is just tons of information available on the
internet. Food programs like the Zone and South Beach and Dr. Bernstein’s are
great for diabetics. My endo said just stay under 2000 calories a day. So I
keep a food log and record what I eat and the approximate calories and
carbohrdrates.
Food journals are a real pain-in-the-behind but they work almost every time for
weight loss. You just need to figure out your target daily
calories/carbohydrates for your age and height, then be very good about writing
down everything you eat.
But keeping the weight off is a different battle altogether and we each have to
deal with that in the best way we can for the rest of our lives. I have no
problem using Byetta forever if that is what it will take.
Good luck with your weight loss.
John Regan
Los Angeles
Hi there. I have personal experience with Optifast and would not
recommend it, or any other "fast" weight loss method. I did Optifast
back in my early 20s when I had about 60 pounds to lose. I lost 60 and
80 came back and stayed, and my metabolism was weakened as a result.
Optifast, like other meal replacement programs, works on the short
term because it takes the *thinking* and *emotion* out of food
choices. You drink their shakes, or products, and if you stick to it
you lose. However, because it is such low calorie content (that is why
it is medically supervised, because it is dangerous) your skin tends
to turn gray, your hair tends to fall out, you lose most of your
energy, etc. And if *emotion* was part of why you overate, you become
the crankiest you have ever been in your life! :/ Then as you stop
drinking only shakes and have to deal with the real world of food
choices you find the weight starts creeping back on, usually faster
than it came off.
I know it seems like a quick fix, as does bariatric surgery, but if
you think about it your weight probably didn’t come on fast, so it
might take a while to take off. It sucks, but such is life, right?
Just my 2 cents. I wish you the best in whatever you choose! Keep us
posted.
Stef
August 2nd, 2006 at 3:11 pm
Signe, you asked me to let you know when my meter arrived, and it was
delivered by UPS on Friday afternoon! Very quick!
Its a nice meter and I am enjoying using it!
Someone wrote last week about the free meters being sort of a come-on
for us having to buy all the test strips, but I have to say, I bought my
first one 16 years ago for $30 and I haven’t paid for one since and have
always had an up to date meter, so, so, its OK with me.
Jo
Signe wrote:
>Are you counting carbs? If so, how many per meal and per snack?
>
>
August 3rd, 2006 at 3:26 pm
Currently I eat the following. I don’t actually count all carbs, but have cut
carbs back to almost nothing.
Breakfast: Protein Shake with 17 carbs total that includes the non-fat milk
Snack- 1/2 cup nonfat cottage cheese and 1/2 banana
Lunch- 1 slice whole wheat bread, 3 oz of turkey, Lettuce, tomato
1 /2 cup nonfat yogurt and 1/2 banana
Dinner- 5 oz of chicken or fish, 2 cups of green veggies and a salad with
tomatoes and cucumbers ( no dressing)
sugar free pudding.
Before bed- 1/2 peanut butter sandwich or 1-2 oz of cheese ( low fat)
If you have any suggestions, I would appreciate it. I am not hungry at all
and more "afraid" of having high numbers….. Like I said, I am at the end of my
rope… I write everything down and have given up pretty much anything white,
diet sodas ( they give me a stomach ache since my hysterectomy and with taking
the Byetta) and caffeine.
Some days I just don’t want to eat at all…. so I have to force it.
Thanks
Margaret
Signe
Hi…. I have been on Byetta since Dec.06 and haven’t lost anything.
My Dr told me that I can go on Optifast or Optitrim if I would like.
I have about 100 to lose. I also take insulin, metformin and actos.
Since the byetta I have gone from BS readings of 350+ to 160’s-
180’s.A1C went from 12.2 to 9.1, so there is some improvement. I know
that actos is a weight gainer and I have days were I can gain 20 lbs
over a 3 day period and then lose it. Endo and I are working on
getting off of it by decreasing slowly. VERY FRUSTRATING. I eat 150%
better, exercise some ( I need to do more, but some days I can barely
make it to work ) and To top it all off in Oct 05, I had a
hysterectomy (complete) and a 10 lb fibro tumor removed. So sudden
menopause hit at the same time as the diabetes hit. Just need some
advise if you have it. I just turned 45 and I am at the end of my
rope !
Thanks a bunch
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Smile and have a GREAT day !
August 3rd, 2006 at 7:50 pm
Hello Margaret, Hey, that’s also my name:).
My suggestions would be to lose the banana…highly glycemic and the
wheat bread….same glycemic effect as for white bread in many
diabetics.
Go for low carb yogurt…Dannan makes a carb control one or Pavel’s
brand of plain yogurt has low carbs and you can stir in some splenda
etc.
If you must eat fruit have small portion of stawberries or blueberries.
Try to find a lower carb bread or tortilla in the supermarket.
Try for more frequent,smaller mini meals with no more than 10 carb gms
at a time.
Personally I could never get away with eating 17carb gms in the morning.
Many diabetics have a real hard time with carbs in the AM.
If you do reduce your carbs to this level, keep a close eye on your
insulin dose to avoid lows.
HTH, Aloha, Marge
August 4th, 2006 at 12:08 am
Hello Again Margaret, Forgot to add that using your meter to test before
you eat,then 2 hours later will tell you how the carbs you ate are
affecting the BG.
I’m suggesting low carb to you because of your numbers, in spite of all
the meds you take.
There really is no one size fits all for carb intake. Many listers can
and do eat more carbs and keep good Bg numbers.
Length of time with diabetes, exercise level, degree of insulin
resistance etc all factors that vary with the individual.
The ONLY expert who can tell you how many carbs to eat is your
meter.Docs, dieticians,fellow listers such as myself can only guess.
Aloha, marge
August 5th, 2006 at 1:43 am
Hello Again Margaret, Forgot to add that using your meter to test before
you eat,then 2 hours later will tell you how the carbs you ate are
affecting the BG.
I’m suggesting low carb to you because of your numbers, in spite of all
the meds you take.
There really is no one size fits all for carb intake. Many listers can
and do eat more carbs and keep good Bg numbers.
Length of time with diabetes, exercise level, degree of insulin
resistance etc all factors that vary with the individual.
The ONLY expert who can tell you how many carbs to eat is your
meter.Docs, dieticians,fellow listers such as myself can only guess.
Aloha, marge