Type 1, female low carber and putting on weight..

[Juicyj]

Just after any tips please folks

I've been low carbing for about a year now - when I first started I lost over a stone and was really pleased with the results, then was fitted with a Merena coil a year ago and have put on over 10lbs, I found out there is a link to this and putting on weight and had it removed a month ago. I am still putting on weight though and BG runs high alot, so take corrections on quick acting, been increasing my basal to try and bring it down, and still continue to low carb but weight is still increasing. I eat probably about 60g carb a day on average.

A typical day is: omelette with courgette, ham for breakfast, salad for lunch, supper is generally protein with a few carbs, snack on peanuts and almonds during the day and a few sticks of cheese, normally a few red wines at the weekend.

Really stuck for ideas, so if anyone can shine a light that would be appreciated

 

[Lenny3]

Probably not a popular option but whenI'm trying to lose weight I don't touch alcohol.

Bit annoying really as I had just started a renewed effort of weight loss when my Dad brought me a bottle of Banana liquer back from Tenerife, still haven't tried it yet. But in 2 weeks I have lost 4lbs, determined to lose 1 stone by christmas. When I will indulge in a little tipple.

 

[pavlosn]

I wonder whether your body is becoming more insulin resistant like a t2.

More insulin resistance means more insulin and more insulin means more weight which leads to more insulin resistance to complete the vicious circle.

Perhaps your doctor can test my theory.

If I am right you would benefit from a Metformin prescription.

Just a guess!

Pavlos

 

[Juicyj]

Thanks Pavlos - to be honest it feels like I am becoming more insulin resistant as some days it's hard to get below 10 on my monitor regardless of how much insulin I take, and as I am a low carber it feels like I am defeated most days. I am not overweight but with these extra pounds it's certainly steering me in the wrong direction, however this hadn't crossed my mind so will discuss with my doctor.

Hi Lenny - thanks for comments on alcohol, I don't suspect my weekend tipple has much of an effect on my weight gain, and to be honest I couldn't live without my glass or 2 at the weekend !!

 

[Totto]

Just after any tips please folks

I've been low carbing for about a year now - when I first started I lost over a stone and was really pleased with the results, then was fitted with a Merena coil a year ago and have put on over 10lbs, I found out there is a link to this and putting on weight and had it removed a month ago. I am still putting on weight though and BG runs high alot, so take corrections on quick acting, been increasing my basal to try and bring it down, and still continue to low carb but weight is still increasing. I eat probably about 60g carb a day on average.

A typical day is: omelette with courgette, ham for breakfast, salad for lunch, supper is generally protein with a few carbs, snack on peanuts and almonds during the day and a few sticks of cheese, normally a few red wines at the weekend.

Really stuck for ideas, so if anyone can shine a light that would be appreciated

So first you lost weight and then, without any change in diet, just the mirena coil that you have got rid of, you put on weight?

Have you had your thyroid checked? Other hormones?

 

[Juicyj]

Hello Totto - I should of mentioned that I also have an under active thyroid which I take medication for.

Yes without any change in diet it was once I had the mirena fitted that the weight gain started, I thought by having it removed that I would start to see body weight decreasing but a month in i've put on a further couple of pounds, so apart from the previous comment regarding being insulin resistant I can't understand why.

 

[Totto]

What about cortisol? Have you had that checked since the weight gain started?

 

[Juicyj]

Hi Totto - no never been tested for that, I didn't know this could impact weight gain ?

 

[Totto]

Hi Totto - no never been tested for that, I didn't know this could impact weight gain ?

High cortisol has an impact on bg and I think it can affect weight too.

You could ask for a test.

 

[noblehead]

@Juicyj, you might want to ask your gp or consultant if you can go on Metformin, this drug increases insulin sensitivity, plus (I believe) it also reduces the amount of glucose that is released by the liver, which hopefully should reduce your insulin usage and lead to weight loss over time.

 

[Juicyj]

Thanks Noble, going to try this, rang the diabetes team today and the only phone advice they could give me was to increase my night-time Levemir - she's promised my DSN will call me Mon/Tues when she get's back in, but to be honest it's getting me down, feel like I put the effort in but don't see any return. Am also going to try a short run in the morning when i'm most insulin resistant to see if this get's my levels back down, again today I haven't been below 10 even with correction doses. Even if it's just to try it out anything is worth a shot at the moment.

 

[noblehead]

Exercise is good Juicy, it makes us extremely sensitive to the insulin we inject, I walk my dog for an hour every evening and take a very small amount of insulin with my evening meal.

Good luck and keep us updated.

 

[donnellysdogs]

Incidentally how many nuts are you eating?

Just know I saw a "secret eater" programme a few weeks back and the woman on it thought she was doing the tight thing by snacking on healthy seeds n nuts.. But the qty was a lot... But she thought she could eat as many as she like because they were a healthy snack....

 

[Juicyj]

Hi Noble - I took an extra unit of Levemir last night as well as a correction before bed, got up this morning and reading was 12.6, been out for a short run this morning, and came home out of breath !! tested again at 11.2 and have just had a courgette/mushroom omelette and taken 2 units of Novorapid, so will test again at 12 and see how this affects them, will let you know how I get on thanks

Donnelly - yes i'd thought my squirrel habit might have a knock on, but to be honest it's a handful of almonds, not a 100g bag, I buy a couple of bags a week and keep them in the car to snack on. I also drink alot of herbal tea and even thought this could affect them.. insane I know but am questioning everything at the moment !

Will give it a couple of days to see if the extra dose at night time has an impact and will try and keep up the runs in the morning too.

 

[Brunneria]

Please don't feel discouraged - can you imagine how much worse this would be if you were not low carbing!?!

 

[noblehead]

@Juicyj, I don't know if your aware but some type 1 low-carbers have to split-dose as the slow breakdown of protein can raise bg levels many hours after eating, plus you need to be careful with the fat content of your diet, a high-fat diet can cause insulin resistance in type 1's as the following article explains:

http://www.mendosa.com/The-Fat-of-the-Matter-How-Dietary-Fat-Effects-Blood-Glucose.htm


Failing all that I would start with the basics and make sure your basal dose is correct otherwise you'll never get your bg levels under control, good luck.

 

[anna29]

Hypothyroidism will affect your metabolism making it "more
sluggish" , insulin resistance is a catch22 circular battle also .
Making shifting any weight much harder to achieve .
So annoying and frustrating for you I totally understand .
Hormone changes via the coil can affect the body metabolism too .
Slowing this down somewhat even more possibly ?
The bodies hormones and metabolism system are indeed highly complex .

None are which - an easy balance to control or overcome .
Keep focused as best you can , think positive that soon
you will tip things to more positive results for yourself .
Being as active as you possibly can be - helps immensely .
Don't despair or give up as you have clearly worked too hard on
things .

 

[Juicyj]

Hypothyroidism will affect your metabolism making it "more
sluggish" , insulin resistance is a catch22 circular battle also .
Making shifting any weight much harder to achieve .
So annoying and frustrating for you I totally understand .
Hormone changes via the coil can affect the body metabolism too .
Slowing this down somewhat even more possibly ?
The bodies hormones and metabolism system are indeed highly complex .

None are which - an easy balance to control or overcome .
Keep focused as best you can , think positive that soon
you will tip things to more positive results for yourself .
Being as active as you possibly can be - helps immensely .
Don't despair or give up as you have clearly worked too hard on
things .

Thanks so much for this, it does feel like an uphill struggle every day and I think worrying about it just exacerbates the problem. I've always thought about what the impact of hormones does to the body, I feel like I was doing so well early this year and in the last few months it's just gone off the rails !

On a positive note, this evening I got 7.3 before tes, a first since last Sunday, will try a run again in the morning and see if this helps too