Type 1 diabetic on too much insulin!!!

CorinnaShaw
CorinnaShaw Posts: 136 Member
edited November 15 in Introduce Yourself
So my name is Corinna. I am 23 years old and, starting on this app, I am coming in at 156lbs. That is actually a lot for me since I usually weigh an even 148. I can never EVER get below 146 though and I am only 5'2" so that is depressing. I am also a type 1 diabetic and if I don't eat healthy, I end up taking a ton of insulin everyday which sucks because that leads to more weight gain. I try to eat low-carb paleo, but I come from a family of 12 (parents and 9 younger siblings) who aren't exactly health conscious, and trying to live a COMPLETELY different lifestyle from the rest of them is super hard. I find myself cheating on my diet almost daily but I never knew how bad o was doing it. I am using this app to see exactly what I am eating and where I am failing at. Even just using it last night for the first time, I realized how much worse things are than I originally thought. I ate more than double the calories that this app recommends for me to lose weight and my carb count was through the roof. I literally ate almost 200 carbs in one sitting. The food that I ate had no nutritional label and I didn't realize how bad it was until I scanned the bar codes. THAT'S DEADLY FOR A DIABETIC!!! Anyway, I am the only type 1 diabetic I know (aside from my sister who doesn't care) so finding people who can relate to the weight loss struggle from my point of view is hard. Anyway, if anyone else out there has diabetes and/or has had success losing weight or if you are/or have been on a ketogenic paleo diet, hit me up! If you can that is. Can we talk to each other on here?

Replies

  • Mistizoom
    Mistizoom Posts: 578 Member
    edited March 2015
    I'm not diabetic but I do eat low carb/keto for insulin resistance. Have you read Dr. Bernstein's Diabetes Solution? He's a type 1 diabetic himself and is a real pioneer in using low carb diet for both type 1 and type 2. His website is http://www.diabetes-book.com/ and there is some good info on there. He has a monthly webcast you can attend, looks like that was today for this month.
  • matthevert
    matthevert Posts: 1
    Hello! I am also a type-1 diabetic and my first question is what did you eat that was almost 200 carbs?! Im not going to lecture you at all, i am just curious. Im 25 so we are right around the same age. How old were you when you were diagnosed? I know exactly what it is like being around people who have no idea what it's like to be T1D. I'm the only one that I know, the only one in the history of my family, and have only met a handful of other diabetics who I never became friends with. I've never heard of the diet that you are trying so I don't know if it is anything like what I do but I try and eat lowcarb/high protein.
  • SexyKatherine73
    SexyKatherine73 Posts: 221 Member
    Why are you not following a low G1 diet which was designed for people with diabetes? also as you said "I'm trying to live a COMPLETELY different lifestyle from the rest of them is super hard." Why??

    Low G1 means your not limited you just get to make wiser choices. You can eat what the family is eating in smaller amount all you need do is up your protein slightly and add more vegies.

    I cook a slightly different meal to my partners he hate orange vegies ... I love them. he want junk like chips and wedges. So I cook him, his chips I'd rather eat a pumpkin.

    It's the small changes that work. Being COMPLETELY different in an environment where you can't control things 100% will not end well.



  • allnlacey
    allnlacey Posts: 3 Member
    I'm not a type 1 but am a type 2.
    I let me weight get upto nearly 17st when I was diagnosed with type 2.
    I thought I was coming comfortable with being that fat but obviously my body wasn't.
    After I found out I was type 2 I had to make radical changes to what I eat and exercise it didn't help that I also had an underactive thyroid.
    I put myself on a low GI diet and read many books on it but the best I found was a book called the low GI diet by jack Holford
    I'm down to 13st 4lb at the moment and looking at 12st for my next goal
  • CorinnaShaw
    CorinnaShaw Posts: 136 Member
    Hey Matthew. Well to answer your first question, I had 2 slices of apple pie with some ice cream (birthday party). Each slice was almost 90 carbs (I estimated 50 which is drastically lower). I was 13 when I was diagnosed. So was my sister. She is 3 years younger than me. Oddly enough, we are the only two people in our entire (huge) family who have it. There is no known history. I have only ever met one other diabetic in my life apart from me and my sister and I really don't know her well enough to talk about it. Nor do I want to get to know her. (Long story). Paleo is a pretty cool diet and when combined with low carbing to induce ketosis, it can be a major powerhouse for weight loss and good health. It is hard though as it really is an extreme lifestyle change that requires a lot of vigilance. You have to read the ingredient labels of everything and pretty much are forced to cook everything from scratch. I don't think healthy packaged food exists. Haha! I try to keep my diet high in fat, moderate in protein, and low in carbs. (Fat is the only thing that doesn't turn into sugar in the body and, therefore, does not need insulin to be metabolized.) Glad this app showed me how bad I was failing at it. Hopefully I will be able to stay on track now that I can see all the numbers.
  • akrahmer
    akrahmer Posts: 15
    Hi Corinna, I am a type 1, have had it for 32 years. (I'm 35 now.). There are low glycemic index diets. There are low carb. There all these fancy names, but the reality is, you're a young woman who wants to live her life in a normal way. I am struggling with too much insulin and weight gain (new endocrinologist after moving), but overall, I'm very healthy. No kidney or eye problems. So I can tell you, it is all a balancing act. I've defined my life (eating, rest, activity) by stealing from Peter to pay Paul, having to plan to balance out the rest of the day if I cheat, either by eating too much or too little. The low g index is a good rule of thumb, but I've found it is very hard for me to predict "low" days or "high" days, and low glycemic has no help for when your blood sugar goes low and you have to eat whatever sugar is around. I can say, if you can really try to stick to the rule of 15 carbs for low blood sugar, that will help control your weight and prevent over eating from lows. Also, realistically, count your carbs. (My brain is an auto-calculator, just helping me easily I'd what carbs are in what.). Also, make sure you're pairing your low treatment with a good protein. Beef jerky is an easy travel food, peanut butter. Things that are either not super high in calories, or that are healthy fats. I can tell you honestly, I know exactly how you feel and how frustrating it is to try to lose weight with type I diabetes. All my best to you!
  • CorinnaShaw
    CorinnaShaw Posts: 136 Member
    I have never heard of low G1 but if it is encouraging the consumption of breads and pastas (or any form of wheat or grain) it's not okay in my book. I get super sick eating that stuff. Not only does it make me so lethargic that I literally fall asleep when I eat it, but it also causes me uncomfortable and embarrassing digestive issues and causes major BG spikes even if eaten in small quantities. My body is at war with my taste buds and my emotions though and it tends to lose resulting in me spending the bulk of my time sick.
  • CorinnaShaw
    CorinnaShaw Posts: 136 Member
    I try to eat meat everyday (except fish Friday during lent). Since I don't like fish, I have pretty much bulked up on veggies today. I am okay with that since I have been looking into carb cycling and I should be eating higher in carbs once every few days. As for healthy fats, I avoid jerkins and peanut butter because of certain ingredient (I am mostly Paleo). I prefer almond butter. There is a specific brand I get at Costco where the only ingredient is almonds. I also use a lot of butter and olive oil but I try to cook those at lower temperatures. When I am going to be cooking things at high heats, I use coconut oil or animal fat. I have come to see that if I adhere to my Paleo diet religiously, that I can safely eat things like fruit and starchy veggies without BG styles but it is not always so easy to stick to since you really have to go out of your way to find healthy, organic, natural ingredients. I always carry 2 bottles of welch's grape juice in my purse for emergencies (not as messy as fruit and easy to control portions) and at home, I use fruit to raise my BG such as bananas or oranges. Eat one, give it some time, and if you need more then a ale a little more. Berries are not good options since they are low glycemic. I will eat 2 bananas or a couple of cuties before a workout so that I don't crash and pass out.
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