Type 1 Diabetes and Weight Loss

Syndie8

Hi guys.

I've been reading your post and I am a type 1 diabetic for the last 18 years. I've been struggling with weight too but i was able to shed the kilos off and i am grateful for that.

I was able to attain my goal by a combination of getting (a) the right amount of insulin and tweaking it every few weeks to ajust it with my body, (b) having the right sugar to treat my hypo (rather than eating chocolate or ice cream, i had a few gulp of lucozade instead), (c) forgetting carbs after 4 pm, (c) and making my exercise activity fun, i use to walk with my partner along with some weight training.

I believe that small steps goes a long way. If you can treat your hunger by getting the right doze of insulin in your body, the reat should fall into place.

I have been noticing lately that there are quite a lot of type 1 diabetic people looking to lose weight and finding it hard. Do you believe there is a lack of instructions on this particular topic?

munsterShug

Krista, WOW! What a fantastic first post!!
I am a Type 1 diabetic for 23 years and this is quite simply the most succinct and understandable post on the effects of exercise on blood sugar and insulin dose I have come across. While I understood the principles very well, for the past few years I had been working on the assumption that I "knew" my body and adjusted my insulin dose accordingly.

For those trying to lose fat please consider what kind of sugar you are taking to correct hypos - i.e. glucose vs fructose (fruit juices). Fructose metabolises straight to fat - glucose goes straight to bloodstream. So glucose drinks are better than fruit juices for correcting hypos or adjusting blood sugar quickly.

jfhaddix

I suggest following these steps, if you are a type 1 diabetic trying to lose any weight:

1) Before attempting any weight loss, make sure your BG levels are managed well. Essentially this should give you a baseline for what your "starting" bolus and basal rates are. If you are on an insulin pump, this makes tracking a whole lot easier.

2) Start with changing your diet before attempting to exercise more or at all. Healthy eating is half the equation of weight loss (some people consider it more important than exercising). With healthier eating, your insulin requirements should lower, as you are looking to replace simple carbs with more complex carbs, tons of fiber, and lower calories.

3) Add additional exercise slowly to see how your body reacts with a cleaner diet and more physical activity.

I would suggest as I learned, if you are not on an insulin pump, you might want to make that a top priority. With insulin shots, you had to over-compensate for the delay in absorption and actually give yourself more insulin than you need. When you get on an insulin pump, your CDE will actually cut over 20 to 25 percent of your insulin intake because your insulin is delivered much more efficiently. I found by switching to a pump, and changing my diet, I dropped 10 pounds in the first 2 months, which is unheard of after getting on a pump.

Branstin

If your doctor isn't helpful then find another one and get a referral to a qualified dietitian to help you balance your medication and food for weight loss. There is no way in hell I would keep or pay a doctor who is not helping me.

LouisaJBPovey

Hi everyone,

I am a 21year old living with type one whilst at university. Ever since I was diagnosed (11years ago) I have been putting on weight, maybe a couple of kilos a year. Several times I have tried to stop this from happening, and last year I started running a few times a week. Since then I have done two half marathons, albeit at a very slow pace! However, I am still putting on weight and have gone up about 4kilograms since then. I have been using my fitness pal to track my calorie intake and have made several attempts at really sticking hard to a low calorie diet. I have joined the gym for the last month, and have been going to classes as well as for a generic workout on the machines about 5 times a week. I also cut down my fat intake over the last month, eating mostly fish and white meat. But i still haven't seen any weight loss. I had an appointment with my GP last week for a diabetic review meeting and i expressed my weight concerns to her who just said that having good control of your diabetes ultimately will lead you to put on weight and that she would much rather I have a BMI of 27 and an hba1c of 7.3% than a healthier weight and a worse hba1c! Understandably, i think, this caused me to relapse with my eating and exercising for a few days as I thought what's the point. I guess the reason for me posting this is because I am in need of help to keep my motivation levels up, and any advice on how to keep at it to prove my GP wrong.

Are there type one diabetics out there who are not overweight, who are fit and healthy and have good Hba1cs?!

Thanks

marierenicks

Hi Guys

Just wanted to say hello Im new to this site but have type 1 on Inulin pump for past 18 months which I love , been trying to loose weight for past few years and have lost 1 1/2 stone but this last year and last stone just wont budge so feel this fitness plan where you can put your daily intake of food in will help . how are you all getting on and what kinda things are you rating in a day
Marie

marierenicks

Hi Guys

I had bit of a low just as I was serving dinner Im on 1200 kcal daily am i right in thinking you have to Incorporate the hypo treatments within you daily allowance ??
I really do like this food diary

kezza0409

Wonder if anybody has any advice? My daughter who is 12 (13 in August) was diagnosed just after her 12th birthday whilst on holiday last year. She lost some weight but we caught it pretty fast so started insulin injections end Aug 2013. Recently she seems to have grown a lot - upwards and now more outwards. She wants to lose weight esp round her middle but I am a bit unsure how to do this as she is still growing and hasn't hit puberty yet. Her bloods have been very erratic recently too whilst up to about 3 months ago they seemed fairly well controlled. I am wondering if I reduce her carb intake a bit and her insulin therefore reduces will this help her lose coupled with some more exercise? Any experience out there would be great. Not saying she is way overweight because she isn't but I would rather try and stem her weight gain while she grows upwards than have her pile on loads and then struggle to try and lose it.

RodaRose

Wonder if anybody has any advice? My daughter who is 12 (13 in August) was diagnosed just after her 12th birthday whilst on holiday last year. She lost some weight but we caught it pretty fast so started insulin injections end Aug 2013. Recently she seems to have grown a lot - upwards and now more outwards. She wants to lose weight esp round her middle but I am a bit unsure how to do this as she is still growing and hasn't hit puberty yet. Her bloods have been very erratic recently too whilst up to about 3 months ago they seemed fairly well controlled. I am wondering if I reduce her carb intake a bit and her insulin therefore reduces will this help her lose coupled with some more exercise? Any experience out there would be great. Not saying she is way overweight because she isn't but I would rather try and stem her weight gain while she grows upwards than have her pile on loads and then struggle to try and lose it.

I believe that with 12 or 13 year olds the focus should be not so much about losing weight but about working on not gaining weight.

Here is a link about stomach weight. I do not know if it is helpful.
http://www.diabetesforecast.org/2011/may/does-injected-insulin-hold-fat-in-the-stomach.html
Yes, decrease her carbs (and increase fat/oil) so that she does not need as much insulin.
Exercise will help her tremendously. Is she on a team or working out with a group?

kezza0409

Thanks for reply and yes if she can just keep weight steady whilst she continues to grow which might not stop for another couple of years then that is fine.
She isn't in any teams at moment no but is a member of the gym and is out and about quite a bit. We are definitely going to increase activity with extra sessions at gym and more walking
I will have a read of the article too.

ChannyGetsFit

This was extremely helpful. Thank you!