Thanx a lot for taking time and explaining!
I had my thyroid removed about 10?years before being diagnosed with type1. What’s is maddening is I have kept a level thyroid even since gaining 60 pounds. My endo even told me he guessed that Im one of those rare people who get fat with a hyper thyroid. Wonderful.
It is tough for T1 people to lose weight. I've never had to lose a great deal of weight, but I found that it got tougher to lose a decent amount of weight once I stopped taking Humlin R and NPH and moved over to Humalog and Lantus. That did not change once I moved to a pump using Apidra. Maybe it was also being younger, but I remember being able to shed about 30 pounds in 60 days with a lot of exercise and little to no calorie constriction while I was on Humulin. Nowadays, it's tough just to drop 10 pounds just by exercising. I have an athletic, somewhat muscular build and have always been somewhere between 205 and 240 my entire adult life. I'm at 220 now with cardio exercise 5 mornings a week and keeping my caloric intake reasonable.
I am taking Metformin currently and have done so for about 2 years now. I can say that it has helped a little bit, but probably not significantly. I continue to take it because it does help increase insulin sensitivity a little bit to where I don't have to take as much basal, it's cheap and the side effects are very minimal.
What sort of physical activity are you doing to help with your weight issues? A lot of people are under the illusion that steady-state cardio is a good way to lose weight when it's actually potentially counter-productive. You might want to experiment with your exercise routine as well as checking on your thyroid and all the other advice people have given you.
That's pretty much exactly what I did, although it took longer. I don't eat "low carb" per se but find that when I cut out some carbs, I will drop some weight!
****Danger!******Danger*******One of those "professionals" commenting********
I have helped a whole lot of people loose weight. For PWD it is all about reducing the amount of insulin while still maintaining good control. After this you are now on the same "playing field" as anyone else. The good news? The way you reduce your insulin requirements while maintaining good control is the same things you need to do to loose weight. If this is what is is all about, then it naturally comes next that eating less and exercising more will lead to weight loss. By eating less you reduce insulin requirements. By exercising more you reduce insulin requirements. I should say that Low Carb is a good way to do this as well (CAUTION- use low carb this way ONLY if you plan on continuing to eat that way indefinitely). This can all be somewhat tricky as if you are exercising very intensely you caloric needs are going to need to be left relatively high whereas when you are just walking 4-5 times weekly, you can probably keep your calorie level on the low end (1200-1500). Indeed, exercising heavily and undereating calories is a good way too keep all the weight on that you are trying to loose.
In the end I have found most people that have a very difficult time loosing weight usually have some deeper rooted concern that has attachments with food. Not saying anyone here does, but this may also be something worth examining if weight loss has always been an extremely difficult task for you.
I lost a lot of weight with exercise and reducing carbs. I just started cheating a bit over the past 2 months and already put on 10 lbs, need more insulin and have less energy. So I'm back on track now! I try to eat around 30g carb at each meal, I use the 1/2 plate veggies, 1/4 protein and 1/4 grain/starch model and workout 5 days/week. I choose leaner meats, whole foods/grains etc... This works for me, but I imagine everyone's a bit different. Once I got in the habit of doing it, it became easy and I was so happy with the results. Treats are my weakness so I limit now to birthdays and special occasions.
I feel your pain. two or 3 years ago I shaped up and got tight BG control. I went on a pump & CGM and did wonderfully. In the process, I gained about 20 lbs. Last summer I got pregnant, gaining about 20lbs total. I dropped the pregnancy weight in 2-3 weeks after delivery. It was awesome. Since then, I haven't lost (or gained) any weight. I am breastfeeding so if I try to cut too many calories, my production tanks. I brought this up with my endo, who told me to exercise more. Well, I exercise about 4x a week, doing about 4-5 miles each time. On days I don't work out, I have 12 hour shifts on a busy hospital unit and am on my feet all day. My thyroid is good, and even too high, so my dose got knocked down a bit.
I feel like I am destined to be at this weight for the rest of my life.
Phentermine works really well while you are on it. My husband took it. I was always wary of it since it seems too good to be true. He took it 2x and both times he quickly gained whatever weight he lost back as soon as he stopped taking it. I also think it would make him crazy after he stopped or if he missed a day or two.
Once I am done breastfeeding I am going to try to cut more calories and see if my endo will put me on metformin. I know if I can take less insulin I can lose weight. I asked her about this before, but she went on and on saying how it was a Type 2 drug. Well, research shows it helps with both!
Insightful. I am a reader, as a lad I read about a book a day. Work interferes with that now but I read while I eat. In the past that made it hard to "push away" from the table and easy to keep nibbling and reading.
My job involves looking for non-medical solutions for PWDs and other chronic conditions so I am well aware of behavioral drivers and denial.
Personally, don't think I am "there" right now, but if I were would I know? LOL
That is exactly what I am trying to do. I know this post is super old, so I would love to hear how you are doing now.
I just started cutting my carbs to about 30-35 per meal and 15 at snacks. I eat a little more carbs (closer to 25) when I am going to work out, but I don't cover that since I am going to burn it off.
When I am on top of this, I have been able to cut my TDD by about 10-20 units. I am hoping if I do this consistently I will lose 10 pounds.
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I am trying to do this exact thing. Would love to hear if you are successful with it. 10 pounds seems so far away for me.
This is very well-written. What if you don't have sleep apnea or hypothyroidism? I've steadily gained weight since getting my A1c down to mid-low 6s and cannot seem to shed a pound. I do intense exercise around 3x per week (anaerobic) and do some aerobic exercise about 5 days a week. I'm trying to eat low carb now. With the addition of Metformin, I was able to shave about 10 units off my TDD, but that did NOT result in weight loss. What gives?
I just wanted to point out that we are not the only ones who have a hard time losing weight. This is true for most people, PWD and not. Especially as you age. So let's not feel too sorry for ourselves (and stop eating carbs).
About 3 years ago I wanted to lose weight. I stopped pumping for about 12 months (I started pumping in 1996). I lost exactly the number of pounds I wanted to (about 24 lbs, IIRC). I had too much trouble maintaining my bg's so I went back on the pump. I gained some of the weight back. Today, I STILL can't take it off.
BTW, when I stopped pumping I used two types of pens--Lantus and Novolog. I was surprised how much Lantus burns. :)I am a T1 since I was 4 yrs old. Long story short, I was VERY out of control for many years. Didn't eat right, would do dif fad diets, lose and gain, got pregnant, gained like 60 lbs, never finished losing and just got worse from there. Then, one day, I decided to go in for a consultation on the famous "lap band". Had to see a psychiatrist, nutritionist, dif drs...well, the psychiatrist at that center would not approve me for the surgery. So, I went to see another one, on my own. She started telling me how many people she had seen where the surgery had gone wrong, was I willing to risk that, blah, blah, blah. One thing she asked me was about the "diet" that the nutritionist put me on. In order to do the surgery, you had to change your lifestyle and they were starting me on a "healthier diet" than what I was eating. So, the dr asked me "why can't you do the diet on your own?", and that was my turning point. That was 5 yrs ago.
Today, I am a wannabe fitness freak. I started by joining a bootcamp for almost a yr, then, moved on to doing the Insanity dvds. Then, to the T25 dvds. I kept on going back to that same nutritionist, and would keep EVERYTHING I put in my mouth on a log for her. The times, the amounts, the exercise...
So, I went from a size 20 to a size 8-10, and am still trying to lose more. Go figure, I've ONLY LOST LIKE 60 LBS TO DATE. Now, I am also on my pump, Novolog, Victoza and just started Invokana. The Invokana has helped me lower my insulin needs a lot. But, I still will never understand why it is so difficult for me to lose weight. The nutritionist actually had me eating more because she said if not, my body would go into starvation mode...so, yeah, I keep low on the carbs, I drink almost exclusively, seltzer water and exercise and exercise...I HATE what this damn diabetes can do to you. But, it ain't going nowhere so, I have to deal with it, best I can. Best of luck to you!
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i was always a skinny kid, but right before my D was dx i began to lose so much weight that i looked like i would drop dead if the wind blew. once i was put on insulin, i began to gain weight back, but it was healthy weight. i eat a very very low carb diet, mostly protein and veggies. for whatever reason, i am very insulin resistant and need insulin for everything i look at. i need insulin for protein, coffee, cheese, nuts, splenda, cream, even non-starchy veggies. you would think that with all the insulin i take, i would be heavier, but i am very lean, and have a hard time keeping weight on. i am 5'4" and weigh 98 pounds. i use a Metronic pump and the Dexcom sensor, both of which i have a hard time inserting b/c i dont have much, if any, body fat. i have a wonderful DEd/nutritionist, but no matter what plan we make to put some pounds on me, i have yet to find a solution. her latest idea is to bump up my insulin for carbs so that i dont spike, which would allow me to gain some weight, but so far we havent been sucessful.
i know i am probably the exception to the rule here, but does anyone else have to deal with this same problem? SOS
thanks, daisy mae
PS: i also have a thyroid problem and take synthroid.
these videos may help
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GkQYZ6FbsmI
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2KYYnEAYCGk
have you done overnight and miss a meal basal tests? that should tell you what is going on.
http://www.salforddiabetescare.co.uk/index2.php?nav_id=1007
you could ask about splitting the basal or changing to another type if the one you're on doesn't suit, the new degludec is getting good reports
A lot of people find reducing carbs gives then the edge they need, more stable BG and good weight loss
a long page and a few good video’s
http://www.dietdoctor.com/lchf
http://lowcarbdiets.about.com/od/lowcarb101/a/firstweek.htm
“Dr Eric C. Westman, MD and president elect of the American Society of Bariatric Physicians, has 15 years of experience helping patients lose weight and improve their health using low carb. He has also helped do several high-quality scientific studies on low carb.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NImxgj2I4_M&feature=player_embedded