try weight watchers. I am also a type 1 and have lost almost 60lbs using the system. I am a big fan.
Rick Phillips
PS: if you do consult with your doc first.
I don't just have insulin resistance, I have 'severe insulin resistance'. That's what was on my hospital discharge sheet. I was also probably hyperinsulinemic right up to just before collapsing with DKA with NO insulin at all.
I know the insulin resistance is just one of those unlucky consequences of having selected the wrong ancestors. Doesn't make the vicious circle any easier to deal with though. The BG numbers are ok; fasting BGs are very good but postprandial numbers are terrible. I am extremely sensitive to carb and it only takes 15g to get me spiking past 140. I can also spike past 140 on zero carb meals like two eggs.
What worries me more is the underlying hyperinsulinemia, not diabetes per se (which is a bitch to deal with on a daily basis but do-able for someone like me who is obsessive compulsive with meticulous attention to small details). You hear about T1s able to live long and healthy lives but somehow I don't think the same is true of insulin resistant people caught in their vicious cycle. In the first month after diagnosis I read a long tract by Rosedale in which he basically says the whole problem is chronically high levels of insulin and that if you look at people who live long lives, one thing they all have in common is low insulin levels. I tuned out after that when I realized he was trying to get you to buy his book but the point about longevity (or lack thereof) and hyperinsulinemia stayed with me. Yes, one does what one can with low-carb but as you pointed out, there is not much that can be done with the insulin resistance.
The only thing I can think of for the soda is that it causes water retention from the caffeine and the artificial sweetener⌠Aside from that, often, folks have problems on pumps and cgmâs because they tend to give themselves more freedom eating carbs⌠and with more carbs comes more insulin⌠and with more insulin comes more weight. Cut back on the starches a bit⌠limit some things to only once in a while⌠And youâll be okay.
Why don't they make stronger insulin? I've heard of diluting insulin, if you'd need less, but it seems like they could perhaps make it stronger for people w/ resistance?
Part of the problem I had w/ NPH is that I was taking 30-50U/ shot? I had kind of blown off studying diabetes for a long time before I got my pump, but,during that period where I was waiting for the pump, I'd reread Bernstein about the shots > 7U being more irregular so I tried what he suggested about splitting the shots and, while it was a very small sample size, I was kind of pleased with the results?
What exercise does (and not all exercise, mostly weight lifting) is curtail the process of food digestion and immediate storage into fat, by helping that glucose or energy get put into other uses first, right away, and thus accelerating metabolism. Of course, we have to be on top of it, and do it every day. Exercise on its own is worthless for âlosingâ fat or for âburning calories,â or a lot of the myths people attribute to it.
Hi acidrock, the regular insulin works ok for me as in the 4-5 hours post-meal, I am back in range. My problem is that it doesn't do anything in the first two hours after I take the shot. In those hours, BG is in the stratosphere.
There's U500 but despite my severe resistance I don't need quite that much insulin. Yet.
Lila, I don't know if this is a common thing to write on patient charts, but my hospital records stated insulin resistance also & I'm T1. Perhaps it was the ridiculously high carb meals they gave me because I'm not IR. Dividing shots, as acidrock suggests, helps greatly with absorption. Thyroid problems play havoc with insulin, if you have a thyroid condition.
There is more concentrated insulin available, but that doesn't address your concern about high doses.
Not everyone has to go low carb to keep weight under control. I eat about 165 net carbs per day (gross carbs ~200) and I have a BMI of maybe 22. I'm not saying that you shouldn't go lower carb in an attempt to lose weight but frankly I don't think it is either necessary or sufficient. Fat has plenty of calories - I know because I eat a lot of it to keep my weight up.
Maurie
Actually, it is NOT ridiculous, it has been proven. Here is the link to read the full article.
http://www.webmd.com/diet/news/20091102/diet-sodas-hard-on-the-kidneys
Diet Sodas May Be Hard on the Kidneys
Women Who Drink 2 or More Diet Sodas Daily Double Their Risk of Kidney Function Decline, Study Shows
Nov. 2, 2009 -- Diet soda may help keep your calories in check, but drinking two or more diet sodas a day may double your risk of declining kidney function, a new study shows.
Women who drank two or more diet sodas a day had a 30% drop in a measure of kidney function during the lengthy study follow-up, according to research presented Saturday at the annual meeting of the American Society of Nephrology in San Diego.
"Thirty percent is considered significant,'' says researcher Julie Lin, MD, MPH, assistant professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School and a staff physician at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston. That's especially true, she says, because most study participants had well-preserved kidney function at the start of the study.
Another issue with diet sodas is the link with bone loss. Diet & regular soda contain high levels of phosphoric acid. Too much phosphorus throws off the phosphorus:calcium ratio.
The mechanics of losing weight are not as simple as just cutting calories. This can be proven by the people who often go extremely low carb and need no caloric restrictions, eating tons and tons of fat and protein a day, and gain NO weight from their diet, which often can have as many as 5,000+ calories a day.
It is insulin in relation to carbs that controls how much fat is stored in the body. It is NOT dietary fat, nor is it total amount of calories that we consume... Nor is it amount of activity we practice.
People who gain weight when they get on a pump is more often than not because they start eating tons more carbs then they ever were on MDI. It is sold to patients as a "license" to eat anything, like a normal person. Of course people are going to gain weight! Even normal people gain weight when they increase their carb consumption to the max. :/ If she returns to pre-pump carb levels, things will probably improve to a huge degree. She doesn't even have to go "low carb" to achieve it. It's simple. Less carbs, less insulin, less fat.
I agree with you. Moderation is key when it comes to soda... I do think drinking it regularly, every day, has it's drawbacks, though... And they don't have to be from some "complex" study. Simply put, there's only so much liquid we can put inside our bodies every day, and people who tend to drink tons of soda every day avoid drinking the necessary amount of water their bodies need... Soda has a ton of sodium and caffeine, and it can lead to dehydration and pretty awful bloating.
I was sooooo addicted to soda, that when I stopped... It took about 8 months for my body to become fully hydrated again, even way after my blood sugars had stabilized and returned to normal. People often preach moderation for soda, but not very many people actually practice the serious moderation that it should require.
After not drinking that stuff anymore... I feel a HUGE difference in my health. It's just not worth it... Sure, enjoy one here and there at parties... But no one needs to have a soda a day, or more.
I HAVE heard that almost all of the very elderly in nursing homes are thin. While all diabetics have to worry about heart disease, it seems that hyperinsulinemia makes it worse. And it can pick you off at any age.
The only weapons you have against hyperinsulinemia at this point are the oral meds. They work well for some, and not so well for others. You just have to try and see.
There IS research going on about hyperinsulinemia, but from research to reality is a long, rocky road that many fail at. So I guess all you can do is try your best, and enjoy each day of your life, and what happens, happens.
Sarah Lynne, soda causing kidney issues is not my experience â I rarely drink soda and I did not drink it when these studies came out. I merely posted the link because of your âthat is ridiculousâ statement when Baby Tee commented that soda can cause problems. I am obviously not the only person in this discussion that is aware of the issues When this study came out, it was talked about a lot diabetes message boards because diabetes is hard on kidneys.
I know well that weight loss isn't as simple as cutting calories; my wife is borderline Type 2 and until we figured out what was going on we couldn't figure why she was eating as little as she was eating, exercising as much as she was exercising and still not losing weight.
I'm not sure who sells the pump as a "license" to eat anything. I certainly never heard it in my pump classes and don't know anyone who was given that advice. I went on the pump in part to gain weight - 5'10" 141lbs is not a very comfortable place to be. But I gained weigh (7-8 lbs) while reducing my total carb intake slightly by increasing the fat in my diet.
Our mileages vary and certainly the techniques used by a Type 1 with minimal insulin resistance will probably be different than those used by a Type 2 with significant insulin resistance. We do have different metabolic issues.
Maurie
Sarah Lynne, if you look at the history of posts, I was the very first person to reply to the OP in this thread. But if you want to think I am following you, go right ahead. I have better things to do with my time than follow someone like you.
I agree that people vary per person... but this is not a Type 1 vs Type 2 issues. Insulin WILL make a person gain weight when it is more than a person's body needs or can handle... This is why people without Diabetes gain weight, too. I have seen plenty of Type 1's in here with a tire around their midsection, from you guessed it... Too much eating of carbs and too much insulin. It happens.
Also, I am glad no one sold you a pump with that kind of push... but yes, it does happen. I have seen a good number of people complain about this on this forum... Complain about the classes they got, what the sales rep said, what the box that contained the product had: pictures of people eating pizza, etc...You name it. And yeah, it does get generally marketed to people as a tool to give one freedom to eat more things... Unfortunately... and not necessarily as a tool to better manage what you're already eating.
I think that itâs more the food that people eat, or at least that I ate, with/ through/because of the insulin that makes you gain weight?
First, I am a firm believer in genetics, and healthy lifestyles. Look at your relatives and set a realistic goal for your weight, not a hollywood goal. If you deem you truly are overweight, don't focus on the weight, focus on a healthy lifestyle full of exercise and good food choices, not processed empty calories.
You mentioned hypothyroidism - have you spoken with your dr. about the weight gain? Could you possibly need a medication change?
Diet Soda, while not having any calories, can make you used to something sweet all the time. This can lead to cravings for other sweet items, therefore increasing your daily caloric intake, It would be good to switch to water or milk instead.
When looking at what food to cut out, keep in mind that 1 carb = 4 calories, while 1 gram of fat = 9 calories. If you go low carb, you may be substituting for higher caloric foods.
Other tips: Exercising at a low - moderate intensity for over 30 minutes, as you want your body to tap into its fat stores in order to lose the weight. Lowering your basal for the exercise, instead of having a snack. Striving for 9 servings of fruits and vegetables a day. And before grabbing a snack because you are hungry, ask yourself "Am I really hungry? Would I want an apple?" (or is it just impulse for the yummy christmas cookie) If you decide, "Yes, I would want an apple, so I am really hungry" - Eat the apple!
Good Luck!
Agreed about not emulating Hollywood anorexics!!
Milk is a healthy drink, but it has 12g of carbs per cup. For me, it takes 2.5u of insulin, and since I'm shooting for 60-75g of carbs a day, it's not insignificant. I do find that low carb has helped me lose weight -- but low carb doesn't mean just meat and fat -- it means eating more low-carb veggies. Hard for me to do, since I really don't like them very much.
For people who can tolerate them, carbs may be acceptable in their diets, but for those with low carb-tolerance, they're a nightmare. Unfortunately.