HOW CAN I LOSE WEIGHT (without ripping my hair out)-Type 1

Ok, so I am a Type 1 who was diagnosed last year when I was 22 years old. Because I presented in DKA, I was severely dehydrated…so I had gotten really skinny.

Looking back then, I looked “sick.” So I knew that I would gain a little bit of weight when I got out of the hospital, I mean I gained 12 pounds just in the hospital from all of the fluids they gave me. HOWEVER, now, I am up about 22 to 24 pounds total and it’s starting to scare me. I am on Novolog (3x/day) and Lantus (1x/day). I also quit smoking recently and I gained about 6 or 7 pounds from that, but I just feel like now I have a really hard time trying to maintain.

Since I’m new to the game, and have only been diagnosed less than a year, I was wondering if anyone can give me some hints on how to lose weight. Or even some type of workout plan for me to try.

I really appreciate any comments/advice you might give me :slight_smile:
Thanks guy and God Bless

If you can get your BG relatively stable, I think that if you eat less carbohydrates, you will figure out a way to at least stabilize your weight and then can figure out how to cut out enough carbohydrates to lose weight? Unfortunately, it took me about 20 years of diabetes to get the hang of it but it’s probably worth it to figure that stuff out earlier in the game?

yeah and thats the wierdest thing…my a1c is 5.7 and i rock out at keeping my blood sugar good (i of course have the ocassional high) so i don’t really get it. like i said, i know that quitting smoking definitely helped me to gain some, but is it just my body adjusting? this is SO hard…

do you happen to know what the recommended number of carbs you are supposed to eat a day is?

I think that it depends on your weight. I wrote a diabiography on my page that sort of recounts my saga of sacrificing pants for A1C but it’s pretty easy to sort of drift low, eat, drift low, eat. I’m down quite a bit from where I was and am sort of experimenting* with getting through lows with less carbs to cut maybe 10-20 carbs/ day out and also using less carbs to fuel exercise, like 4 doses of 10G instead of 3x15, only a small savings but if I get close to home and skip the last one, my BG will generally be more stable?

The other thing that can happen when you are about a year into it is that your pancreas stops making useful amounts of insulin and the ‘honeymoon’ is over? 5.7 kicks ■■■ though so don’t give up on that, just look at what you are eating and try to shave stuff out. I don’t ‘low carb’ but I cut out a lot of stuff, 1/2 sandwich instead of a whole sandwich, nuts/cheese instead of chips/ crackers/ yogurt/ fruit and stuff like that. I like being quite a bit slimmer than I used to be?

Hi, I recently posted a discussion about this because my daughter was diagnosed Nov 29 & she has put on 15 pounds. I think she may have levelled off now, but we are keeping a close watch on her carbs & insulin doses. Plus, she is very athletic. People gave me a lot of ideas when I asked about this – the discussion is “Weight Gain After Diagnosis” (think that’s the title?) I really get the idea that this is something you have to watch, because the insulin is a tricky thing where weight is concerned. If I figure anything else out, I’ll let you know!

One thing that can cause weight gain is excess lantus so you are having to overcorrect and that will add weight pretty quickly. I don’t know if you are on birth control, but the actions in insulin and different oestrogens combinations can have a pretty dramatic effect on weight gain. Might be worth trying if you are on BC.

I looked like death warmed over before finally crashing with DKA.

Number of carbs daily is a loaded question that leads to hot debate:) One thing to bear in mind is that higher carb meals require taking higher insulin doses. Insulin’s a fat storing hormone. More carbs=more insulin=weight gain=more insulin.

I gained weight at an alarming rate following ADA recommendations of 45-60 carbs per meal with the ridiculous constant snacking. Was the first time in my life I gained weight. I eat low carb to control BG & to avoid large insulin doses.

Exercise, especially anything that builds muscle mass, increases insulin sensitivity. Strenuous, intense exercise tends to send many T1’s BG high–just FYI so you’ll know what to potentially expect.

I was recently diagnosed in Sept and since have gained 15 lbs. I am assuming I lost 6 lbs from my DM but 9 overall is still a lot since I am only 5’1". I have 0 hints but I am looking forward to reading some responses. I was hoping that with my new pump I would stop having to feed the insulin but no changes so far :frowning: But you are not alone!

Bambi, Have you cut some carbs, the sugar ones, and some starch one too, this might help.

And I have to say congrats and hugs for kicking the smoking habit, it is the smartest thing you have every done for your health. And being diabetic it will help you so much.

If you like to exercise, walk, run, skip, what ever along side a lower carb diet you will loose weight:)

Just keep a eye on your BS while doing this, you can adjust your Insulin to lower if needed, but let your Doctor know, so have fun and best wishes:) Debbie

The biggest hurdle is that our insulin takes too long to act and hangs around too long afterwards compared to a normal person’s insulin response. As a result, it’s easy to eat to your insulin rather than insulining to your eating. If you’re open to it, a lower carb diet is the most sensible solution because it inherently minimizes these issues without sacrificing control. How low carb you go is really up to you, but even modest reductions and spreading things out more like acidrock said could be helpful. You won’t find yourself having to take as much insulin to maintain good control, and as a result probably won’t need to eat more later to pick up the back end of the insulin wave.

Otherwise, these are some of the things I did:

  • Worked out immediately after a meal, so I did not need to bolus. Twice a day (breakfast and dinner) when I was actively trying to lose weight.

  • Switched to glucose tablets and used them sparingly to bring me up, instead of eating a snack.

  • Walked back my basal and carb ratios as I lost weight. I became more insulin sensitive, and using my old rates/ratios would have held me back by forcing me to eat more. The basal, in particular, needed careful monitoring because as I lost weight I was experiencing more hypos especially overnight.

That’s a good observation about the insulin taking too long and hanging around too long!

Re hypos, I switched from Cran Rasberry (yum…) for hypos to V8 which is quite a bit less carby and seems to hit more smoothly. Plus, if you get the antioxidant flavor, it is pretty loaded w/ vitamins, some protein, fiber and other stuff? I thiink that it’s a ‘stronger’ serving of vegetables than juice is compared to fruit? I drink it for breakfast too but I think that in the long run, I probably cut out a bunch of carbs by using V8. The downside is probably sodium as it is quite salty and the low sodium doesn’t seem to have the vitamin content. I guess you could make your own?

Totally agree with the Low Carb route to weight loss. I also say it is alot of experimentation and testing. Some good reads are Dr Bernstein’s diabetes solutions, if that’s too extreme, try The Primal Blue Print, or the Paleo Diet. An older book called Protein power written by a Dr Mead is really great and explains alot about insulin directly being linked to wt gain, basically the higher your insulin levels the more fat is stored from lingering carb. Trust me the books are far better at explaining this. Good job kicking the smoking habit!! koodos.

Cheers!

I actually have the Protein Power book, it is by the Drs Eades. I also have their “Low Carb Comfort Food” cookbook, which I believe was my first low carb cookbook. They also have a website. I am also a fan of Dana Carpender who has written a number of low carb cookbooks. Of course our favorite Gerri will also suggest you visit some of her favorite on-line resources such as Lindas Low Carb.

That’s my problem too. The better control I have the fatter I get. I wish I had the discipline to knock off more carbs but I have a really bad sweet tooth and artificial sugars kill my stomach. Good luck to you.

Ask your endo about Symlin. It is the injectable form of amylin, which is another hormone which is destroyed when your pancreas was attacked. Amylin helps with the feeling of satiety, and also helps to lower blood sugars. https://www.symlin.com/

I’ve been on Symlin about a year and have lost a little over 20 lbs. I wish it was more weight, but I’m happy with the 20. One thing symlin will do is make you a bit nauseated, so when you start it, you start with a small dose and slowly increase it over several weeks. I take it with lunch and dinner, and any time I’m going to eat more than 250 g of carbs.

Um. Did I read that right? More than two-hundred and fifty grams of carb?

You mentioned suggestions for a workout plan - are you on any plan at all right now? I think I’ve been able to keep my weight (and blood sugar levels) relatively stable because I try to exercise 5-6 times a week. It’s just a matter of finding something you like to do and keeping at it. For me, it’s mostly running, but I’ve read of others on this forum that keep things under control by just going for a walk, so I don’t think it has to be too strenuous. That’s about all I can think of.

me too lol!

i never thought about that…i am on the nuvaring for BC, im going to check it out with my gyn, thanks!

it is SO frustrating!!!
my bloog sugar is awesome and my a1c is awesome and i feel great…but im getting fat. what is going on?!