Fat loss help!!

zed

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Hi am type 1 diabetic and have been for the last 15 years. I used to be a normal weight up until 16. I then started MDI switching from two a day. I have gained weight like crazy and for the last 5 years I've tried everything I work out, eat right, but nothing seems to help me loose fat. I am also celiac I stick to the gluten free diet.

My thyroid is fine and every time I try to raise the point with my health care professionals they just tell me to exercise more. Is anyone else in the same situation ?
 
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tim2000s

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8,934
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The two points I'd recommend that worked for me are two do a form of German Body Composition training 3x per week and reduce your carb intake and total calories. On 2000 calories and day and less than 50g of carbs I lost two stone and halved my body fat.

The key is reducing the amount of insulin you need to use as this is what locks the fat away.
 
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Rachette

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Messages
51
Type of diabetes
Type 1
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Insulin
I'm struggling in exactly the same way and since diagnosis for T1 in May this year, and being on an MDI regime I have seen a massive weight increase of nearly 2 stone!! I'm at my wits end with it and thank you very much for sharing this topic as all I ever seem to read about T1s is how their diagnosis often started with huge weight loss and some T1 struggle to keep weight on. While I realise that we are not all the same it's really worrying to just keep gaining. I was already too heavy for comfort before diagnosis so can't afford to keep piling it on like this.
 
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zed

Active Member
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The two points I'd recommend that worked for me are two do a form of German Body Composition training 3x per week and reduce your carb intake and total calories. On 2000 calories and day and less than 50g of carbs I lost two stone and halved my body fat.

The key is reducing the amount of insulin you need to use as this is what locks the fat away.


Thank you for your reply I will definitely have a look in to this !
 

zed

Active Member
Messages
40
I'm struggling in exactly the same way and since diagnosis for T1 in May this year, and being on an MDI regime I have seen a massive weight increase of nearly 2 stone!! I'm at my wits end with it and thank you very much for sharing this topic as all I ever seem to read about T1s is how their diagnosis often started with huge weight loss and some T1 struggle to keep weight on. While I realise that we are not all the same it's really worrying to just keep gaining. I was already too heavy for comfort before diagnosis so can't afford to keep piling it on like this.


I was diagnosed when I was 7 I was quite under weight at the time. I felt better once I started insulin but my HBA1c was all over the place in my teens so they started me on MDI. It's really annoying I feel like nothing works for me. I have a varied diet and try to keep the amount of carbs I intake down but I just seem to put fat on like crazy and it's making me depressed .
 
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donnellysdogs

Master
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Pump
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People that can't listen to other people's opinions.
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Hi am type 1 diabetic and have been for the last 15 years. I used to be a normal weight up until 16. I then started MDI switching from two a day. I have gained weight like crazy and for the last 5 years I've tried everything I work out, eat right, but nothing seems to help me loose fat. I am also celiac I stick to the gluten free diet.

My thyroid is fine and every time I try to raise the point with my health care professionals they just tell me to exercise more. Is anyone else in the same situation ?

What do you count as eating right?
 

Rachette

Well-Known Member
Messages
51
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Insulin
It just doesn't make sense, does it. I keep to a varied diet too, I cook from fresh 6 days a week and keep my carbs low too. I know I need to exercise more but I'm not inactive. Last Hc1 was 53 and is going down slowly (was 97 when admitted in March) I empathise entirely with the feeling depressed about it though
 
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zed

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It just doesn't make sense, does it. I keep to a varied diet too, I cook from fresh 6 days a week and keep my carbs low too. I know I need to exercise more but I'm not inactive. Last Hc1 was 53 and is going down slowly (was 97 when admitted in March) I empathise entirely with the feeling depressed about it though


Your doing better then me I went down to 7 in old figures I think it's around 62 but then up again although I have been ask if I would like a pump which may help. What makes it worse is people who are non - diabetic don't understand and I feel like I get judged for the fat gain even though I'm trying so are do loose it it's a constant battle.
 
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azure

Expert
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Type of diabetes
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Pump
How many carbs a day do you have? I've never been overweight but when I was first diagnosed I did put on weight, which surprised me as I wasn't eating badly or anything. I found systematically cutting the carbs helped. I tended to eat similar things week after week so cut the carbs in as many meals as I could.

The only other thing that comes to mind is are you sure it's to do with the diabetes not another problem eg hormones or meds?
 
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Rachette

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Messages
51
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Insulin
I had a previous thyroid condition (0ver-active)after the birth of my last child 9 years ago. Even though over-active, I have gained weight consistently since then. No thyroid problems now though and treatment was stopped 18months after it started.
Wish folk were less judgemental around me too, I guess they just see 'Diabetic' therefore 'Fat'. Very wrong but it's just the way it is
 

azure

Expert
Messages
9,780
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Type 1
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Pump
Ignore them, Rachette. They don't know how hard diabetes can be and they don't know your medical history. You know you're doing your best.

Have you spoken to a doctor about your weight gain and your previous thyroid problems? My mum had an overactive thyroid when she was young but then it became under active. Hormones are funny things. I was also thinking of female hormones. Any imbalance there, like PCOS for example, can really affect your weight. Even some oral contraceptives can cause weight gain.

I can imagine how frustrating it must be. I only had that brief spell of weight gain, but the fact my body wasn't doing what I expected was very irritating and depressing. I felt I had to work harder at losing weight because of the diabetes.
 
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Rachette

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Messages
51
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Insulin
Zed really sorry, I seem to be high jacking your thread. Not my intention, honestly, but just really relieved to finally see someone else in the same situation.
Azure- I asked for my thyroid to be rechecked at last consultant appointment in Sep, he said it was "normal"
The frustration you mention is never worse than when someone finds out your D for the 1st time and whilst looking you up and down decides the reason you "became" D was because your fat!
 
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zed

Active Member
Messages
40
Don't worry rachette I have an irregular menstrual cycle ever since the age of 17 so I have had a scan and blood test to check for pscos. The doctor said they found nothing abnormal and therefore could not state what the cause was and told me to leave it as it is. I have had tests to check if I have any vitamin deficiencies which I don't. So I am confused and frustrated.
 

Totto

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Messages
2,831
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
Normal when it comes thyroid levels is far too wide. Ask for print outs of test results. Few people are well with a TSH above 2 or FT4 below mid range. And you need to get at least FT4 checked along with TSH, preferably FT3 too as these are the actual thyroid hormones while TSH is a pituitary hormone.
 
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zed

Active Member
Messages
40
Normal when it comes thyroid levels is far too wide. Ask for print outs of test results. Few people are well with a TSH above 2 or FT4 below mid range. And you need to get at least FT4 checked along with TSH, preferably FT3 too as these are the actual thyroid hormones while TSH is a pituitary hormone.

Thank you I will definitely ask.
 

mfactor

Well-Known Member
Messages
389
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
A shot in left field but you never know, I use myfitnesspal and really started logging everything a few months back (I mean everything) and was really surprised how calorie dense some foods are and how some have a lot of cals in when I thought they had hardly any (omega 3 oil capsules :wideyed: ) , my morning coffee has 150 :wideyed: (double cream).........

Just a thought

Also don't eat too little as the old body goes into starvation mode, weird as it seems you can sometimes lose more just cutting cals a little bit..........
 

Rachette

Well-Known Member
Messages
51
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Insulin
Normal when it comes thyroid levels is far too wide. Ask for print outs of test results. Few people are well with a TSH above 2 or FT4 below mid range. And you need to get at least FT4 checked along with TSH, preferably FT3 too as these are the actual thyroid hormones while TSH is a pituitary hormone.

Hi Totto
Just dug out my last clinic report and last TSH was 1.73 (I feel stupid that I don't know what this means i.e good/bad) there is also a reading here for serum folate and serum vit B12 too but not sure if they are relevant to thyroid reading,
I will need to go google for info.