I'm insulin dependent T2 on MDI and can gain pounds just by thinking about food. I avoid most snack food just because I cannot convince myself that it's worth bolusing just for a snack. Not wanting to go thru the trouble of taking a injection helps me to keep my will power in charge.
I'm not sure I could refuse those forbidden snacks if a bolus was as easy as reaching for a pump.
I've been thinking about the pros and cons of pumping and this possibility is a negative for me. Am I being irrational? Has anyone gained weight because they are pumping.
I have worked hard to get back to my ideal weight so this issue is important to me.
I was 275 lbs circa 2004, started trying to eat less, work out more, lost some weight. I was down to about 225-30 when I got my pump in 2008. For me, the fact that it kept track of how much I ate was very useful. I've always been a huge snacker but substituted lower carb things every so often and just kept at it and am running around 185 these days. I don't look at anything as "forbidden" but the pump helps me think "do I want 1/2 bag of chips [3-4 servings?] or a serving?" much more clearly.
We're all different, Gary. Though I'm a Type 1 I too struggle to keep my weight stable. I haven't found at all that my pump has made me eat more or gain weight. If anything, it lets me bolus, correct, and especially set my basal rates at such precise doses that I take less insulin which helps to keep weight down. I don't eat more because of the ease of bolusing. I didn't find using an insulin pen all that difficult so I don't think it deterred me if I wanted to eat.
For me, I don't snack at all, but I developed that habit in recovery from my eating disorder. I eat three meals a day and nothing in between and enjoy what I eat. But it sounds like you feel that a pump would remove the barriers to snacking for you, and well, if you believe it, it might be the case. I can say that pen use and pump use aren't that different in difficulty, but it's you that have to remove that idea from your head. You might have to look at other things that you believe that will stop you from snacking or excessive snacking.
Bottom line if you want a pump I would work to remove this obstacle!
FWIW, my mother-in-law, who's quite slim, mentioned to Mrs "we don't eat snacks, you guys eat snacks..." so I've laid off them a bit lately and it seems promising to shave off another couple of lbs that way. After the race! *urp*!
I guess you have a point I never looked at it that way. When it comes to figuring a bolus it would make one think, do I need the bazillion carbs that I'm about to bolus for. I can see how that might help keep ones carb cravings in check.
I also really agree with what AR said about "forbidden" foods. I cringe when I see threads on the board about all the foods people are craving. You can practically see the drool on the screen! I learned a lot when I got into recovery from my ED (and then worked with others). I'm not saying you have an eating disorder, but I think a lot of the lessons learned can apply. If you eat "healthy" and consider it boring and martyred, then you will "cheat" and eat junk. If, instead, you find relatively healthy foods that you also really enjoy you won't be tempted to swing from one extreme to the other. I don't snack, but if there are snack foods I want and can fit them into a reasonable meal plan I do.
I also agree about forbidden food. That was a poor choice of words. There are few foods that I exclude as part of a meal. I will indulge is a few chips or fries with a hamburger and not feel bad about it but sitting down and snacking on half a bag of chips while watching TV is a different story.
I have conquered my food demons for the first time in a long time and I'm very mindful of not going back to my old habits.
i lost weight when i went on the pump. a significant amount of weight. i tried to aim for no more than 35 units of insulin a day.(novolog) and at the time, my I:C ratio was 1:10. so, if i kept each meal accomodating for 35 grams of carbs, thats 3.5 units of insulin per meal.this adds up to 10.5 untis. then i added my basal, which was about 20 units a day. so long as this was my goal, it wasnt very difficult to do. and it left a wee bit of room for afternoon snacking (which i believe is essencial to maintaining level BSs). but i have never snacked on chips. my snacks are mostly a handful of almonds, a piece of cheese,a small container of greek yougurt... basically very low carb but high protein foods. hope this helps. try not to be affraid. it is more important that you are healthy on the pump than if you gain a couple of pounds. as i tell a dear D friend of mine (who is extremely vain) you will look better in yrs to come with a few extra pounds than you will with a missing limb (subsitute any other D-realated problem). the pump is an excellent way and opportunity to find better control of your D.
