I have been a type I diabetic for 6 years and a pumper for 4 years. In that 4 year time frame I have gained 50lbs!!! (120 to 170) A lot for a short time frame. I of course abused my pump priveledges by eating more and increasing my insulin which I’m sure is what caused all the weight gain. Now that I’m ready to get my act in gear I fear it is impossible to lose weight with all this insulin. I am always hungry when I am “dieting” or “healthy eating” and I fear my exercise is not enough (about 30-45 min of cardio 5x a week). I have been doing this about 2 weeks and my glucose readings are much better but my weight hasn’t budged. I really need some helpful tips because I’m really frustrated and debating starting symlin which I hear can help with weight loss. Not to mention, I would like to get pregnant in about a year but can’t with this weight and an A1C of 7.7. HELP…I need encouragement that this can be accomplished.
Have you talked to your d. educator or a registered dietician? Hunger while dieting isn’t a good thing. What happens, if I understand it right, is that the body feels the hunger and actually saves up fat to use later, thinking it is a lean time of the year. This is why carrot/grapefruit/whatever only diets don’t work.
Keep at it. It will start to show on the scale soon! You can do this!
I’m still struggling with the same thing. I’m trying to lose 10 lbs, and I’ve been at it for a few months now - nada! No change. I will say that I’m starting to try a few things that seem to help a little bit - exercising before a meal, and then being able to decrease the amount of insulin I take for the next meal, bike riding for at least 10 miles, makes it so I can decrease my basal over night (so I don’t go low), and I think that decreasing the amount of insulin helps to lose weight.
Regarding being hungry from “healthy eating” my solution is olive oil. It is a healthy fat, and makes the meal satisfying. Low fat meals often leave you hungry and empty feeling. I use olive oil drizzled over sprouted grain bread with an egg for breakfast, or olive oil on my broccoli at dinner. It does not affect my sugars, it’s only 120kcal per tablespoon (which is actually a lot of oil if you are just drizzling) and it’s good for your heart. 
Hang in there - know you are not alone. Keep up your good work. I’m starting with a new endo soon and a new cde. I’m hoping they can help me too. I’ll share what they say!
R
Thank you all for your comments and suggestions so far. I feel as though the hunger may be mostly from cutting my caloric intake a good bit so the small meals I am eating leave me less satisfied. I have talked to my endo and about it and he suggested symlin which is why I mentioned it in my thread. I am doing light weight lifting with my exercise regime so it could be I’m building a little muscle as well. I just hope I’m doing enough cardio…10 mile bike ride…WOW Rachel! Still a little confused about being able to reduce my insulin intake, though. The dr. said symlin would help with that as well.
I’m in the early stages with this so I’m definitely not giving up especially because my main goal is a lower A1C and pregnancy…then weight loss for confidence Just wanted some encouraging words and ideas from other. Thanks for what I have so far.
That’s one of the problems with the freedom of a pump… that people keep eating and eating carbs, thinking it’s okay, and then you need more and more insulin… creating a similar situation as in Type 2 Diabetes, where you have hyperinsulinism, and gain a lot of weight… and some Type 1’s end up becoming Insulin Resistant from all of that… A pump is a good freedom, but it bares much responsibility… it’s not a license to eat a lot of carbs. We still have to be mindful of those carbs.
My best advice is eat mindfully, without distractions, when you’re physically hungry, minding the carbs, and stop when satisfied… Do not burden yourself with a diet… Diets are bad things, and they don’t teach you self awareness. If you are truly having satiety/hunger signal issues… it might be time for some symlin.
Thanks Lizmari…you are completely right. I now realize I took advantage of my pump and I’m now getting my act in gear and eating healthy like I did on the shots. I’m not one for fad diets. I don’t think I reached insulin resistance as I still experience lows from time to time but I’m definately not in that “honeymoon” phase anymore and require a lot more. I would say that I am averaging 65 units a day with my basals and meal boluses. I would like that to come down because I feel that’s the only I can get the weight off. Guess it just takes time to lower insulin levels? Maybe symlin wouldn’t be such a bad move?
It has it’s advantages, and disadvantages… Some people say it gives them a lot of lows. Some people rave it’s the best thing they’ve ever done. ymmv.
I have built in cheats. They aren’t really cheats but I view them that way so I feel as if I am getting a treat vs the “diet” food again.
Understanding portions, eating from a plate or bowl vs from the bag or box, include snacks into my day…they all help me.
I’ve been on this diet since early Feb. and I’ve lost just 20-25lbs. Slow is good!
I have had some people tell me to have a “cheat” day. What is the diet your on? I’m trying to just do a healthy low calory balance so I can stick to eat forever but I’ll read one thing that says to avoid carbs (which def. would lower my insulin intake), one book will say to go vegan, and so on and so. Just frustrating trying to do the right thing.
I’m not on any special diet. I saw a dietician and she and I discussed what I would not give up (ice tea) and what I would not eat (Brussels sprouts). We mainly worked with portion control and integrating snacks. Probably the best thing we did was give me permission to eat lunch for breakfast. I dislike eggs (I will eat them now but cannot cook them) and most breakfast cereals are evil. So I eat a sandwich on wheat with some sort of side (sweet potato chips). Or something like that. Canned chicken works good for me (I am very lazy and NOT good in the kitchen) although the serving size is hard to figure out since I pour off the water and they include that in the weight of the serving.
Low carbs works for me. It also depends on the type of carbs. Whole wheat pastas and breads take longer to be broken down. Potatoes are evil. Can’t eat any of them and I so love mashed potatoes! We may work them back in but with a high protein source.
I’m kinda keeping an eye on the fats but watch the calories and carbs more.
Lizmari is THE expert, though.
I had a similar A1c, too much extra weight, and knew I needed to cut back on carbs, bolusing, and wanted to get pregnant. I did Weight Watchers for six months in 2008 and found it very D-friendly. I had tried a personal trainer for 7 months before that with no success. I realized that portion control mattered a lot more to my success than working out. It also helped my postprandial numbers to have the reduced portions. You might look into it. I reduced my total daily dosage of insulin to approx. 30 units from the 40-50s, lost about 25 pounds, and lowered my A1c to 6.1. I gained all the weight back during my pregnancy, but am back down to just another 10 to lose again.
I tried Symlin a couple years before that but couldn’t deal with the nausea.
You can do it!
Annarebekah,
I am aware tht u hve been diabetic for q8t sme tme, and yes u hve gained 50 lbs. U cn start over again and not cheat by eat’g mre and rais’g insulin 2 match whate’r u 8. U also complained about ur A1c of 7.7 my diabetes instructor/doctor/whate’r her title told me tht the accepted A1c is 6.4. Is tht wht u hve been tld also? U R nt far frm it, and I b/l u can do it. Iere r a list of my infermities in the order they came upon me. I got hit by a car…rehab…bi-lateral hip replacements…104 temp about 2 wks l8r…the lft hip inflammed and so they had to reopen twice 2get inflammation out and debride it whch i think is the sme thing. …Got staph infection…got psuedemonis infection (while at the hospital) Had blood transfusion. Came home had to inject myself w/ anti-biotics 4 @ 4 months ( I had a shunt in my arm) it wreecked so bad I could smell it wherever I went I showered sometimes twice daily but i still felt like I smelled like antibiotics while that was going on I got depressed and anxiety shot through the roof…came home started having pain all over. thought it was rheumatoid arthritis, but it was good ol’ Fibromyalgia. So my excersis’g almost stopped it hurt so much, like it is doing now. It feels like something is crawling underneath my skin and can’t scratch it enough. Since all this and my life Bcame somewhat sedentary Diabetes was waiting around the corner 4 me. Now u seem 2do adequate cardio are you lifting any…3-8 pound weights, just 2 make you stronger and UR muscles can burn off more calories than fat w8 can. I wood sugg. u try it. and as u do this I am sure ur A1c will come down even more. Hey I am not a MD or anything bt B4 My life started go’g downhill I was n excellent health and although I know the things to do 2 make ones life alittle better Bcause of the Fibromyalgia I cant do much, so my progress is very slow. Some days I can only do 10 minutes on a stationary bike and lift alil. then skip a day, so u c very frustr8’g 4 me. I am here 4 u , hang in there it will happen , and keep me aware of what is go’g on N ur life. Oh yeah can we B friends?
Beebae <"><…FfJ
OH AND I 4GOT 2 MENTION…THE PICTURE U HAVE N UR PROFILE IS BEAUTIFUL. COMON U CAN DO IT. KEEP ME N THE LOOP PLS. AND IF U HAVE ANY IDEAS 4 ME SEND THEM MY WAY. K?
Thank you so much MelissaBL!
I have definitely cut my meal portions down and have noticed decreasing my insulin from 80 units a day to 60 units a day, I just wish I could decrease it more. You automatically have to cut your mealtime bolus in half with Symlin but I know I couldn’t handle the nausea. However, I may not even react that way. I guess I just need to try it and see. So you lost most of your weight with your diet instead of exercise? You did a fantastic job…how long did it take you? Congratulations on coming back down after giving birth as well!!!
Thank you Bertha for all of your encouraging words. I cannot believe how much you have been through. You are so strong. I wasn’t lifting any weights in the beginning but I started introducing it back last week. I guess my frustration comes from working so hard at diet and exercise but maintaining my weight instead of losing it. I’m not giving up and I will definitely keep you up to date on the progress and any tips I may have. Thanks again and of course I will be your friend!
I sure hope it can be accomplished, and I am living as it is going to happen. I started out at 250 and am down to under 200.
I am not on insulin, and I do understand that when you begin insulin, it can cause weight gain, (what diabetic med doesn’t?)
Have you been to see the nutritionalist or the dietican? They should be able to give you an eating plan that will help with weight loss, AND keep your blood sugars in check. I was told that I would probably have to center on one thing, weight or diabetes…I chose, both. I figured if I ate the right things, and exercised, both would benefit and they have. I’m not a nutritional expert, but it seems that there must be some place that you are skipping in eating…how many carbs are you giving yourself a meal, and how are those being taken, what kinds of carbs are you eating, and what are you supplementing your meals with? That’s why a trip to the nutritionist is so important, if your doc will refer you, most insurance will pay for it. Well worth the money, considering what your long term goals are. BUT YOU CAN DO IT…it’s not easy, it’s a different mind set than just eating, and keeping track is highly important. I’m amazed at the small things I put in my mouth how they add up…keep ajournal for a week of every thing you put in your mouth and then add it up at the end of the day…you might be surprised that it isn’t the insulin at all. OR if you have been on insulin that long, and it hasn’t steadied off, it might be time for a talk with your doc, too…there are many ways to take your insulin that didn’t exist even four years ago…that can help deal with the weight gain. Good luck, keep in touch.
The things you say make so much sense I find myself often going “oh yea, duh” and slapping myself at how obvious it seems.
I especially like the “mindfullness”. I have done a whole lot of distracted eating, and it has often been my experience that I look down, my plate is empty, and I don’t remember how any of it tasted, and I am still hungry for the flavor.
Hi Melissa!
Just one more question. When you were doing weight watcher’s, were you eating carbs? I keep reading many different things and I’m just getting more and more confused as to what to how to eat. I just can’t think of any other way to get my insulin level down other than doing a low carb diet but I REALLY don’t want to do that because it effects my mood and energy level. It amazes me that you are only on 30 units because I’m on about 65 and that’s after being lowered from about 80 before I started eating better.
It took me about 6 months to lose the weight on WW - about 4-5 lbs a month. And, yes, it may be a controversial viewpoint, but diet is WAY more crucial to healthy weight loss than exercise. We eat too much and can’t keep up. I did the weight loss with NO exercise (because I’m lazy and hate it), but of course regular exercise is important for your heart, muscle tone, and fat burning. My husband lost over 80 lbs before I met him though a healthy diet and a little moderate exercise.
I met a woman the other day as I was loading my carseat into the car at a walking trail. She was eating a cheeseburger and fries in her driver’s seat before walking a couple miles around the track. That, to me, is the American way. We are more willing to punish ourselves than adopt a more conservative approach to our lives and health.
I love carbs and am NOT a low-carber, but in reducing portion sizes, I reduced my intake from 60+ per meal pre-WW to 45g or less at lunch and dinner, 15g or less for snacks or breakfast.