T1d and weight gain

[rebetic]

After diagnosis i was at 110 , before i was around 100 anyways now two months after i weigh myself and im 120 and thats not the problem the problem that its not stable ! It keeps going up everyday today it was a solid 123, i read that its a side effect of insulin but non diabetics produce insulin too they aren’t gaining weight this fast are they ? I used to be chubby 3 years ago and did everything to maintain a healthy weight i dont want to gain it all back and at the same time i dont wanna have elevated blood sugars what should i do and how can i lose some ?

 

[Richie 2]

Change your diet & exercise! Try a low carb diet. Less carbs, less inulin. I used to be 192lb, now 154lb and still going down. My best advice for weight loss? Cut out the alcohol.

 

[kev-w]

I always think 'calories in/calories out', so with a stable sugar if you eat more than you burn you'll gain weight, eat less and you'll lose some (over time), I'd imagine you'll have lost weight before diagnosis so it's 'normal' to put it back on when your bloods come down after starting insulin.

Are you in 'lockdown' as not moving much will (or does ) put weight on, I've put a couple of kg on the last 6 weeks but have been a steady 80kg for years.

Foods, some foods will put weight on more than others, a gram of protein/carbs is 4 calories and a gram of fat is 7 calories, you'd burn around 30 calories walking a kilometre (these numbers are around and about so a rough guide)

 

[sno0opy]

Is one of the pitfalls of support via insulin, if your body wasn't producing enough before you were not converting all the calories you put into your body so you could loose or maintain weight taking in a much heavier calorie load. Now your getting all the insulin you need, you will be converting much more of the food you put in, perhaps even more then the average .

Can be a very hard nut to crack, loosing or maintaining weight through calorie deficit is a very hard thing to do.

 

[DCUKMod]

After diagnosis i was at 110 , before i was around 100 anyways now two months after i weigh myself and im 120 and thats not the problem the problem that its not stable ! It keeps going up everyday today it was a solid 123, i read that its a side effect of insulin but non diabetics produce insulin too they aren’t gaining weight this fast are they ? I used to be chubby 3 years ago and did everything to maintain a healthy weight i dont want to gain it all back and at the same time i dont wanna have elevated blood sugars what should i do and how can i lose some ?

Rebetic - How often are you weighing yourself?

Of course there are as many views on the frequency of weighing as there are on the delights of Marmite or celery, however, I know my weight varies on a day to day basis, due to a number of factors, including how much I ate the previous evening, my bathroom routine or even hydration levels.

For me, I find the best thing is a step-on/step-off routine each morning, immediately after emptying my bladder, on waking. That way I can see where my current ranges are. That range ordinarily varies +/-1-1.5kg.

If your direction of travel is a consistent upward trend you don't want, then a bit of action may be called for.

I don't know when you were diagnosed, but some find they tend to gain a few pounds, post diagnosis, as their sugarys come under control, having often lost a bit of weight in the run up to the diagnosis.

I'm T2 and non-medicated, and I live a reduced carb lifestyle. It suits me, and keeps both my bloods and weight pretty stable. I have been in the same range for the last 6 years.

I'm not suggesting that is the panacea for all, but it can be beneficial to T1s as well as T2s, provided they are comfortable with adjusting insulin doses to accommodate the lower levels of carbs, and sometimes the impact of protein.

I do hope you find a way forward, if gaining some weight is causing you concerns.

 

[Daibell]

Hi. First, insulin doesn't cause weight gain - it can't. What it does do is enable the body to metabolise carbs. If you gain weight then you are having too many carbs.

 

[UK T1]

Hi, as othershe have said, how long have you been diagnosed for?

I believe it is usual to be put on fixed insulin doses at first, while you're getting used to the wonderful world of diabetes.

A lot will have changed since I was diagnosed but my doctors assumed I'd lost weight pre diagnosis and put me on quite high fixed doses. They didn't explain this, or how many carbs they were assuming I ate so I kept hypoing and so having sugar to treat it (usually orange juice then oat cakes). I went up 2 UK dress sizes in 2 months. I knew I hadn't lost any noticeable weight pre diagnosis, but, as my mum always politely says, had been eating enough for a rugby team. Post diagnosis I returned to more normal eating for me, now my body was processing the carbs so not making me feel hungry, but also massively cut down on exercise while I was getting used to it all. It makes sense that I put weight on.

Discovering carb counting and really carefully looking at my meals vs my daily activity helped me lose the weight again. Similarly, I still try and adjust my diet according to my daily activity to maintain weight. I hate restricting what I eat so try and use that as more of a reason to motivate me to exercise more instead! Sorry if that seems obvious, but there is no reason why, simply as a diabetic, you should gain weight.

 

[oldgreymare]

How long ago were you diagnosed? I think that you are right to be concerned about this relatively rapid weight gain, but main conclusion is that you need to modify your current lifestyle and habits. First point is that depending on how long you went undiagnosed as a T1, some of the initial weight gain upon using insulin may just be water weight - rehydration. But aside from this, key to avoiding weight gain is lowering your insulin needs as much as possible while keeping good glycemic control. Look up Dr. Bernstein - strict but highly effective protocols. Consistent exercise and very low carb diet may help break this recent weight gain.