Another newbie, this time a Type 1 Diabetic

paulorton
paulorton Posts: 14
edited September 24 in Introduce Yourself
Hello. Thought I would give myfitnesspal a go as I have seen good things being said about it and, like many many other poeple, I need to lose weight. About 70 lbs actually. I have been trying for years, but the pounds just seem to increase slowly despite my best endeavours. The insulin-controlled diabetes seems to make it harder for me to lose weight, or maybe it is just a lack of will power. Hopefully this will solve all my problems.

Replies

  • girlinahat
    girlinahat Posts: 2,956 Member
    hello and welcome - you've done yourself a favour in many ways by coming here. Might be worth talking to your diabetes specialist about weightloss as well, as no doubt as you start changing your diet you are going to have to rejig your insulin. But it wil all help!!!
  • merrillfoster
    merrillfoster Posts: 855 Member
    Welcome from another type 1!
  • amccrazgrl
    amccrazgrl Posts: 315 Member
    Yes taking insulin hinders our weight loss. I have been type 1 for going on my 15th year and goig to be 28.
    My endocrinologist(diabetes) dr gave me the hint of meals of 30-40 carbs and snacks 10-20 carbs for weight loss.
    I'm down 10lbs in these 4 months I have been on MFP. It's going to be a slow process but I have increased my insulin sensitivity.
    In case you don't that means I have been taking less insulin. Trust me it gets frustrating as hell! The less insulin you put in your body is avoid thing because it's artificial. The one thing I hate most is when I have to treat a low BS. I been trying to make healthier choices with that too, I have del Monte fruit cups in light syrup because they are only 60-70 cals.
    Good luck with your 70 pounds. I have about 40.
  • atomiclauren
    atomiclauren Posts: 689 Member
    Welcome to MFP - I'm pretty sure insulin resistance plays a factor in my weight gain and somewhat difficult loss (Type for about 21 years). The only two things to make it better I've seen are lowering carb intake and being more active.
    Also, like amccrazgrl mentioned, lows, which I have more than the average I suspect, are very counterproductive in the calorie and sugar counting departments!
  • paulorton
    paulorton Posts: 14
    Thanks for the comments. I am used to managing my diabetes through measuring carb intake and taking the appropriate amount of insulin (the Dafne method in the UK), but it takes too much time and effort without a good tool to make it easier. MFP lets me keep on top of my calorie and carb, but unfortunately doesn't help me with insulin and blood sugars.

    Day three and I am heavier than when I started, despite almost keeping to the recommended calorie intake. Yesterday was a bad day, having two hypos. I use jelly (jello) cubes, which are much cheaper and palatable than glucose tablets, and easy to carry around. My thinking is that they are just pure sucrose; glucose would be better but sucrose is pretty good at getting out of a hypo. The important thing for me is not to take too much sugar to get out of the hypo, which is difficult if your thinking is not crystal clear. Sometimes 4 cubes is enough, sometimes 8. But I might take 8 and end up with a really high blood sugar and too many calories.

    Insulin resistance is definitely a factor, but not something I fully understand yet. Increased exercise and keeping an eye on carb/insulin ratios helps though. This is where it would be so good if MFP let you monitor blood sugars, insulin intake, and put a time against food intake.
  • missy1970eb
    missy1970eb Posts: 1,209 Member
    welcome and good luck
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