Hi All,
My name is Marlene. I need some advice.
I have been diagnosed as type 1 for just over 2 years now. I am constantly hungry. Is this normal? I have gained more than 10kg in 2 months. What do you do to keep you from eating all the time?
Thanks for the advice in advance 
Hi,
If this is a sudden gain / increase in hunger, I’d want to get checked for thyroid / pregnancy, etc. As there may be a medical reason? Has anything changed prior to this increase in hunger? Job conditions, stress, other??
I guess, from my perspective to prevent weight gain, I try to adopt lower carb eating, and thus use this to minimize the insulin dosing (less carbs = less insulin requirement = less fat storing All theoretical, and you need to work out what works for you).
That is a cellular hunger. Your cells are wanting nurishment. I was massively hungry before my doctor had me use a Long Acting insulin Toujeo because it helps my cells use the food that I consume.
I use a Short Acting insulin Humalog to compensate for the carbs in meals. I use the Long Acting to give my body insulin all day long.
Hope this helps.
I am currently on on Lantus as a long acting and Apidra as fast acting.
Definitely not pregnant, I do however have a underactive thyroid, but it never made me gain weight or feel hungry in the 10 years I’ve been diagnosed.
I do however have a lot more stress than before. Can all of this be just because of stress?
Not sure if it applies in your case, but might be worth considering. Stress can increase insulin resistance, which can lead to your body feeling “hungry” because it isn’t making use of insulin as efficiently as it did before. Many Type 1s become (or start) insulin resistant as well as insulin deficient, so it’s something we all need to be aware of.
As for quelling hunger, my trick is to snack on low-carb, high fat foods. By which I mean nuts. Pecans, almonds, mixed nuts, pretty much anything other than cashews. Macadamia nuts are probably my favorite (and highest fat % by weight), but are too expensive to eat regularly. I eat a half ounce (14 g) once or twice a day, and this tends to take the edge off. Eating protein helps to feel full quickly, and eating healthy fats tends to help one feel full longer.
It’s not often talked about but there is another hormone secreted by the Beta Cells called Amylin. And because Type 1’s Beta cells are destroyed, Type 1’s secrete zero Amylin.
Amylin’s function is to slow down gastric emptying as well as making you feel satisfied after a meal, and it also blocks glucagon secretions. Obviously one can live without it, but I have four children and I feel like my type 1 daughter is way more hungry more often compared to her siblings.
Perhaps it’s another reason why so many type 1’s prefer a low carb diet. Proteins and fat naturally move slower through your digestion and don’t give you huge sugar spikes which would make you feel full longer and kinda mimic Amylin’s function.
You can actually take Symlin, a synthetic substitute, but I know nothing about it, not to mention it’s not approved for people over 18 and it’s another injection to take.
Here’s an article on Amylin. Hope this helps! Maybe just in the fact that you might have a good reason for feeling hungry all the time! 
All of the advice above is great – everyone is different, so one of those ideas may work for you.
I was diagnosed just under 5 years ago, on insulin for the last 4.5 years. Since diagnosis (even before I started insulin), I, too, always feel hungry. I can even feel hungry after a very large meal - so ‘full’ and ‘hungry’ at the same time. I have not yet been able to determine the cause. My thyroid function has been tested multiple times, and it is fine. I have modified my diet to be more low-carb, higher fat, without any noticeable improvement in this area (though my total daily dose (TDD) of insulin has gone down by 45%).
I did speak with my endo about trying Symlin; however, in his experience with other patients, he did not see noticeable improvements. He, therefore, did not encourage me to try it. I have not been tested for Amylin level, though I believe such a test is available, if rarely ordered.
For my part, I have stopped using hunger as an indication as to when and how much to eat. Sure, there are times when I am “extremely” hungry, and that is somewhat meaningful (usually indicative of low or rapidly going low BG…), but the rest of the time, there is a near-constant lingering “hungry” feeling that just won’t quit. I drink a lot of water - sometimes that satisfies temporarily, sometimes not. I snack on nuts, though not frequently, since that, too, hasn’t helped me. I generally select foods and quantities based on what I think I should be eating, rather than what I “need” to eat – that, at least, stopped the weight gain and helped turn it around a bit. I schedule my meals, rather than eat to my hunger. Not always successful, but close, most of the time.
I am changing endos, as my old doctor is retiring. This is definitely going to be on the agenda for the new doctor.
I’ve found Symlin to be very effective in curbing feelings of hunger. But I’ll use it sporadically because of the inconvenience of having to take yet another injection. It’s a shame there aren’t any inslun/Symlin mixes available. It used to be possible to do it yourself, but the current formulation of Symlin makes that impossible due to different PH values, if I remember correctly.
If Aymlin is the problem…and Symlin the solution, I’d suggest you search for Symlin discussions here on TuDiabetes. I had a lot of trouble figuring out how to avoid LOWs on Symlin and found TuDiabetes conversations to be really helpful.
I gained weight on Lantus and switched over to Tresiba three weeks later. I like Tresiba much better than Lantus
Wow! I’m so glad you mentioned this and I am not alone! I haven’t really thought about it much, but I AM hungry so much more before diagnosis. And sometimes, I don’t even feel hungry but I am constantly thinking about food, my next meal or snack etc. I try and stay busy between meals.
@Marlene3. Ask your endo about Symlin. Its amazing and helped me with this issue
I feel really hungry when my glucose levels are high! Rock and a hard place.
i’m just throwing this out there in case anyone else has heard the same- just thinking about food can trigger a physiological response. so maybe now that marlene is type 1, she has to focus more on food and what she can eat, and this is triggering that physiological response more often. maybe once she gets into a routine of knowing what’s ok to eat, how to dose for it, have some go-to meals that are easily prepared, etc., the hunger will die down. thas’ experience having diabetes longer and still experiencing hunger when full would contradict the above, though.
I am on the pump w/Novolog and metformin. Still hungry most of the time - unless I get nausause.