What does a typical day's meals look like?

Also, have you read much about cardio vs. interval training and strength training for losing weight?

I keep reading everywhere that doing the same workout daily isn't as good as mixing things up, if you cycle a half hour a day you'll get more and more efficient at it and it will become increasingly less effective. I would start taking days off from that and on the noncardio days using the band for training, along with stuff like planks or the birddog that don't require fancy gyms or any equipment.

I'm surprised at your diet because you eat a lot more starches (sugars) than me and a lot less protein. I don't know much about diabetes - they don't have you limit the starches for that? Have you thought about incorporating proteins into breakfast and lunch?

I am not a diabetic and of course you should consult with a doctor. But I never eat carbs without at least a small amount of protein and fat. So for instance, for breakfast I have a fruit smoothie with either some regular plain yogurt or protein powder and raw nuts added. Or oatmeal, half a grapefruit and a poached egg. For lunch, a big green salad with grilled chicken and a bit of avocado. I try to avoid anything processed, including processed flour. You get the picture......

I also agree with adding some strength training. Weights and bands work. Yoga is also great for strength. Good luck!

So protein is important to weight loss, especially when exercising.
Supposedly muscle burns 7x that of fat.

I was a type 2 diabetic until last year, when I cured myself and got off blood pressure meds, lost weight and gained energy! Just realized that sounded bizarrely like the start of an infomercial! Don't worry, I'm not selling anything and the solution is free and easier than you think!

And the best part about how I did it is that you don't have to restrict your calories or exercise every day. Good health is available and all you have to do it quit believing the propaganda put out by our government, the AHA, ADA, and the AMA. The food pyramid was created by politicians. Pharmaceutical companies don't want to cure diabetes or heart disease, they just want to endlessly treat them with drugs that have so many side effects that we then need more drugs to treat those. So....

I had type 2 for several years and refused to take the drugs my doctor wanted me to because I knew that they would just make me sicker, not cure me. I tried to control my blood sugars by eating low carb and was pretty successful. I did manage to lose a small amount of weight doing that too. After awhile my blood sugars started creeping back up..... so I was searching the web for other solutions to type 2 and for ways to control my weight. It seemed really obvious that what we've been told to eat just couldn't be correct, because so many of us were eating the "right" way and still gaining weight and getting type 2 and other auto-immune diseases. I chanced upon Marksdailyapple.com and started reading...... and I'm still reading there.

I started eating primal/paleo and also started what is called the Leptin Re-set in September of 2011. My blood sugars were no longer in the diabetic range within 3 weeks! At that point I still had insulin resistance, but that too subsided in the next months. As an added bonus I lost weight effortlessly without ever restricting calories or adding any exercise. I was soon able to discontinue meds for high blood pressure that I'd taken for 25 years.

I feel better and healthier than I've felt since forever.... and I can't imagine going back to eating the SAD (Standard American Diet). My spouse just tolerated what I was doing for 4-6 weeks before joining me in this way of eating and he's effortlessly lost more than 50 lbs and gotten off one of his blood pressure meds. My riding partner (horses) also started eating primal/paleo about the same time that my spouse did (she had thought I was nuts!) and she's gone from a size 14 to a 4!

There are many, many sites that will give you the info you need, I simply recommend Marksdailyapple.com because it's really easy to use and to figure out what primal is about. You can get all the info you need for free or you can buy books if you prefer. Here are a few of the best ones and a video that I really like by a swedish doctor.

http://vimeo.com/couchmode/ancestralhealthsymposium/videos/sort:newest/29464690

http://www.amazon.com/The-Paleo-Answer-Weight-Great/dp/1118016084/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1340518567&sr=8-1&keywords=cordain

http://www.amazon.com/The-Paleo-Solution-Original-Human/dp/0982565844/ref=la_B003Z4MQVY_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1340518609&sr=1-1

http://www.amazon.com/The-Primal-Blueprint-Reprogram-effortless/dp/0982207786/ref=pd_sim_b_6

After my daughter started eating paleo/primal and lost weight, my husband and I started trying it too. We started just at Christmas time, and he's lost 30lbs and I'm down 20. And it was so easy--never hungry and while I do some yoga and walk on the treadmill maybe once/twice a week, husband gets no exercise at all (I'm working on him...) We cut out as much starch as possible--no potatoes, bread, rice, pasta or other grain. Sounds bleak, but we've discovered spaghetti squash as a sub for pasta, coconut or almond flours to use in baked goods. Had cauliflower 'mashed potatoes' and gravy tonight! We're not fanatic about it and once in awhile will have some sourdough bread, ice cream or other 'forbidden' food if we want it. (I think Mark Sisson, who is one of the fathers of primal eating, says to strive for 80% compliance) We eat moderate protein, 'good' fat and lots of veg. I still eat dairy. I can't believe how easy it's been, and NO calorie counting.

Neither of us are diabetic, so I can't say how it's affected blood values. But because my Mom is type 2 diabetic and struggles to keep her blood values in the proper range, I want to be sure I never get to that point. She is 86 and her doctors have her on about 20 pills/day to 'fix' her glucose levels and all of the other crap that now afflicts her. I swear that most of it has been brought on by the drugs they've given her over the years. (She was taking statins ages ago and then, even tho' she was very active and not overweight, she turned up diabetic. Now I read that statins can cause diabetes--so I wonder if that's what happened to her.) Anyway, she eats the type of diet recommended by all of those medical associations that Sense mentioned and her blood glucose levels are all over the place. She gets really depressed because doing what they tell her to do does not work for her.)

I agree with Sense--Marksdailyapple.com and Mark Sisson's books are good resources if you are interested in this style of eating. There are a million online sites with recipes that are great. (In full disclosure re my daughter, in 18 months she's lost 50lbs eating this way, but she is also a 'cross-fitter' so she works out hard but only 3 times a week.) Oh, another great book to read is Gary Taubes' Why We Get Fat and What To Do About It an easy read paperback. It's the reader friendly version of his super-book Good Calories Bad Calories.

Thanks for chiming in with your success story. I'm so excited to be healthy again and off all of the meds I was on! I quit my statin drugs last year, before I found the primal/paleo way of eating and after I'd seen the same study you did that statins may cause diabetes. I'd been on them for 25 years for my "high" cholesterol. Within 3 days of going off them I felt enormously better and as if a huge fog had been lifted. I felt like I was able to think and comprehend so much better than when I was on them and I was also able to quit the ridiculous anti-depressants I'd been taking for almost as long as the statins! My grandmother had high cholesterol her entire life.... she lived to be 94 and had no heart disease and until she was over-medicated in a nursing home, she was entirely "with it".

I also read the Gary Taubes book, Good Calories, Bad Calories, two years ago and was very impressed with the enormous amount of research he'd pored through and re-examined to discover the truth about diet and obesity. He clarified so many misconceptions and outright deceptions to get to the truth of the matter. It's very sad that we've been so mislead by those in positions of power who could do so much good, if they were interested in health for the many, instead of profit for the few.

Question everything!

Use tricks to prevent overeating. Sometimes sneaky strategies can help pare pounds and prevent going hog wild on diet-damaging foods. Try the following tricks:

Fill up on low-calorie foods first. “Start every meal with the foods on your plate that are lowest in calories,” suggests McLaughlin. By the time you get to the other foods, you won’t be so hungry.
Change your salad dressing system. Instead of sprinkling or pouring dressing over your salad, dip your fork into a side dish of dressing and then your salad before each bite.
Take up a busy-hands hobby. If you’re idle, you’ll be more prone to eating. Keep busy with knitting, scrapbooking, crossword puzzles, or gardening.
Carry a toothbrush and toothpaste. Keep them in your purse or briefcase. When cravings hit, brushing your teeth with peppermint-flavored toothpaste will dampen your desire to eat.
Arrive fashionably late to parties. Without as much time near the buffet table, you’ll eat less.
It’s important to continue healthy eating and regular exercise even after reaching your weight-loss goal. Weight control should last a lifetime.

To Find Time For Fitness, You Have To Beat The Clock

Last edited Sat Sep 1, 2012, 01:56 AM - Edit history (1)

you should consult with a doctor first.I never eat carbs without at least a small amount of protein and fat.It’s important to continue healthy eating and regular exercise even after reaching your weight-loss goal. Weight control should last a lifetime.
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One possible path, is to change what you eat, not just how much you eat. Things from boxes, cans, bags & the like, are processed foods & usually overall, much less healthy for you. I know some that have switched to making their food from fresh veggies, whole grains, & other changes, that have resulted in overall better health, higher energy & natural weight loss. For some, dieting has proven to not be a solution. For some they change their lifestyle & overall choices of what they eat, and find success. Best of luck to you.