Diabetes and weight loss.

Question
I am 17 y/o and have had diabetes for a long time and have struggled to lose weight because of it. My metabolism is very slow and because of that I have almost no energy to work out, without getting light-headed and feeling sick. I also have PCOS (polycystic ovarian syndrome) and because of a medication my Dr. has put me on, it makes loosing weight even harder and causes me to gain weight, which I clearly do not need. My Dr. has also suggested starting a metabolic or anabolic steroid regimin, but I don't know what to do. I need to lose weight because I don't want to be at an unhealthy weight my whole life and the career I want and am training for requires me to be a bit more fit. I guess my question is What would you suggest I do? What can i talk to my Dr. about doing to fix this? And do you have any other health suggestions like execises i can do without feeling sick or faint?

Answer
Hi Sadie,

Usually people with type 1 (juvenile) diabetes are not overweight, so I'm not certain what type you have.
I don't know a reason why you would have a slow metabolism--this isn't often something that has actually been tested when a person states they have it; it's more like "I have trouble losing weight so it must be because I don't burn calories as fast as most people". And, in truth, there usually is not a slow metabolism involved, it's a case of eating more than you need and moving less than you should.

If you can't do what you consider exercise, consider doing something just to get moving, like walking around the block. It can be very discouraging to try working out and finding it's difficult... but it's difficult for everyone when they first start. Start with small goals, like a 15-minute walk on 3 days this week. Every minute helps!

Anabolic steroids help grow tissue, so I don't know why your doctor has suggested one.

My best tips: Keep a food diary so you can see what you're really eating. There are lots of great free websites that help you do this like MyFoodDiary.com and FitDay.com as well as LoseIt.com which also has a phone app.
Set small goals for exercise and keep it up!

Your doctor should be able to refer you to a dietitian in your neighborhood who can sit down with you and go over all the particulars of your personal diet and lifestyle and cater a program just for you!

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