Losing weight wz T1D?

[Annie S ~1234]

hi, does anyone know how can you lose weight being diabetic, i eat less but i will hav a hypo, i exercise and i will hav a hypo. What am i suppose to do? Im eating less than when i didnt have diabetes but im still gaining weight. help!!!

 

[TooMuchGlucose]

The best thing to do is talk with your dietician. For exercise though what I do instead of eating less I reduce my insulin by one or two units, sometimes more depending on what I am doing.

 

[Annie S ~1234]

The best thing to do is talk with your dietician. For exercise though what I do instead of eating less I reduce my insulin by one or two units, sometimes more depending on what I am doing.

But reducing your insulin dose, does that mean you are not burning up the fat/sugars in your body but you are only burning the carbs from your meal off?

 

[TooMuchGlucose]

But reducing your insulin dose, does that mean you are not burning up the fat/sugars in your body but you are only burning the carbs from your meal off?

I think it's both, but I'm not entirely sure so it is best to ask a dietician but someone else on this forum might know.

 

[Annie S ~1234]

I think it's both, but I'm not entirely sure so it is best to ask a dietician but someone else on this forum might know.

Thank you~, i will, its just i dont want my parents to know im worried about this and i wont see my dietician untill september.

 

[Daibell]

Hi and welcome. Can you let us know what insulin regime you are on e.g. Basal/Bolus or mixed. If Basal/Bolus do you carb count? It is important even when on insulin to keep the carbs in the diet down otherwise the insulin will make use of the carbs and deposit them as fat. Be wary of dieticians as many don't have a clue about diabetes. If you see the dietician and he/she suggests you have carbs with every meal, or have low-fat everything then politely leave. This forum has a lot of advice on diets and food so do look around.

 

[Annie S ~1234]

Hi and welcome. Can you let us know what insulin regime you are on e.g. Basal/Bolus or mixed. If Basal/Bolus do you carb count? It is important even when on insulin to keep the carbs in the diet down otherwise the insulin will make use of the carbs and deposit them as fat. Be wary of dieticians as many don't have a clue about diabetes. If you see the dietician and he/she suggests you have carbs with every meal, or have low-fat everything then politely leave. This forum has a lot of advice on diets and food so do look around.

Hi, im on levemir for slow release insulin and on novorapid for my meals and snacks. I do carb count, i didnt know its important to keep carbs down because sometimes when i didn't eat enought carbs, i would have hypos thanks for your advice! Im going to see my diabetics dietician

 

[Spiker]

Gaining weight or not being able to lose it is a common problem with T1D but it's purely a lack of education. To lose weight you need to carefully and gradually reduce carbs (mainly) and insulin. Before you start a diet you need to check your basal rate is right and your bolus ratios are right.

Often newly diagnosed diabetics are put on slightly too high a dose and because of this high dose they start to gain weight.

Once you take control of your own carb intake and insulin intake you can make your weight go up or down or stay the same, like non diabetics. The trick is that non diabetics only have to adjust food intake, we also have to adjust insulin intake to match.

 

[-Artemis-]

But reducing your insulin dose, does that mean you are not burning up the fat/sugars in your body but you are only burning the carbs from your meal off?

Oooo... Is that what happens if you reduce your insulin?? I didn't know that! I always reduce my insulin when doing any exercise...

 

[Annie S ~1234]

Oooo... Is that what happens if you reduce your insulin?? I didn't know that! I always reduce my insulin when doing any exercise...

Im not sure but thats the only way i can seem to put it in a logical order

 

[Annie S ~1234]

Gaining weight or not being able to lose it is a common problem with T1D but it's purely a lack of education. To lose weight you need to carefully and gradually reduce carbs (mainly) and insulin. Before you start a diet you need to check your basal rate is right and your bolus ratios are right.

Often newly diagnosed diabetics are put on slightly too high a dose and because of this high dose they start to gain weight.

Once you take control of your own carb intake and insulin intake you can make your weight go up or down or stay the same, like non diabetics. The trick is that non diabetics only have to adjust food intake, we also have to adjust insulin intake to match.

How can we match our insulin? I hav felt depressed for the last 2 days because of this diet thing:'(

 

[Spiker]

How can we match our insulin? I hav felt depressed for the last 2 days because of this diet thing:'(

It's just doing normal basal-bolus properly. Get your basal right with a 24 hr fasting test. Then once your basal is right, check your carb ratios and correction ratios are right. Then as you reduce carbs you know exactly how much less meal time insulin to give.

Even just doing the basal testing on its own can sometimes be enough to stop weight gain. This is because basal is often too high and this leads to cravings and over eating, aka "eating to the insulin".

 

[Spiker]

Oooo... Is that what happens if you reduce your insulin?? I didn't know that! I always reduce my insulin when doing any exercise...

No it isn't; it's the exact opposite. Less insulin is how you burn fat. Insulin does not burn fat. It burns carbs. Insulin prevents the burning of fat and encourages the storage of fat. Reducing insulin - safely and carefully - allows the body fat to be burned. But you can only reduce insulin safely if you reduce carbs (and to a lesser extent protein). And, most importantly, if you have got your basal-bolus numbers correct.

 

[Spiker]

But reducing your insulin dose, does that mean you are not burning up the fat/sugars in your body but you are only burning the carbs from your meal off?

No, it's the opposite, see the post above.

 

[Spiker]

By the way if your dietician, even a dietician attached to a diabetes clinic, knows what T1s need to do to lose weight or maintain weight, it's a certifiable miracle - call the Vatican on the hotline.

 

[ButtterflyLady]

Thank you~, i will, its just i dont want my parents to know im worried about this and i wont see my dietician untill september.

Hi Annie S. As a T2 I stay out of the insulin advice side of things, but I still read some threads as it helps me learn about T1. I have a friend with T1 and I want to understand it better.

I noticed you said you don't want your parents to know you're worried about this, and I was curious about that. I hope they are supportive and not too overbearing about your diabetes. Being a teenager can be hard for anyone and I imagine having T1 can be really challenging at times. If you ever need to talk about it, we're here for you.

 

[Wurst]

One thing that never fails for me to lose weight is pre-breakfast running. The dawn phenomenon ensures I never hypo and the body burns more fat for energy as I haven't eaten anything for over 12 hours. Got a week off next week and will be doing this everyday starting with the first one at 8 km and ending up at 15 km (hopefully). This time next week I will be built like twig.

 

[Annie S ~1234]

Hi Annie S. As a T2 I stay out of the insulin advice side of things, but I still read some threads as it helps me learn about T1. I have a friend with T1 and I want to understand it better.

I noticed you said you don't want your parents to know you're worried about this, and I was curious about that. I hope they are supportive and not too overbearing about your diabetes. Being a teenager can be hard for anyone and I imagine having T1 can be really challenging at times. If you ever need to talk about it, we're here for you.

Thank you, they r quite supportive but they think im coping well :')

 

[Annie S ~1234]

One thing that never fails for me to lose weight is pre-breakfast running. The dawn phenomenon ensures I never hypo and the body burns more fat for energy as I haven't eaten anything for over 12 hours. Got a week off next week and will be doing this everyday starting with the first one at 8 km and ending up at 15 km (hopefully). This time next week I will be built like twig.

Do u have to eat a small snack before running? How come you dont hav a hypo？

 

[Wurst]

Do u have to eat a small snack before running? How come you dont hav a hypo？

Sorry for the late reply. No I never hypo in the morning nor snack before running.I guess the dawn phenomenon takes care of that , I also have to inject 1.5 units of bolus to avoid ending up too high. Managed to complete a whole week of morning running (last week) without incident.