Hi finding it hard to loose weight

[becky1981essex]

Hi my name is becky im 27 from essex. i have had diabetes for 25 years, and always been on insulient. i take nova rapid. and lantus before bed. i am on 4 injections a day, and trying to loose weight.

i have tried to loose weight many times, but it does not want to happen, i take many weight lose tablets etc, i train once a morning, and also do a dance dvd each night, but my weight is stubon.

Has any other diabetics got the same problem as me ? alot of my weight is also on my belly, which i know is common with diabetics, has anyone had the same problem as me and managed to loose weight, or trying to ?

Please let me know

Regards
Becky

 

[sugarless sue]

Hi Becky and welcome to the forum.The key to losing weight is to watch just how much carbs you are eating.Can you give us some idea of a typical days diet?

 

[hanadr]

It's the insulin that makes weight loss so difficult.
If you follow usual dietary guidelines and eat plenty of carbs, you are not likely to succeed, however long you spend in the gym. It's worse still if you are feeding your insulin.

I would suggest you go to a lower carb eatin plan and adjust your insulin downward to match. Read "Dr. Bernstein's Diabetes Solution" and find his "doctrine of small numbers" It's probably the only way. It's certainly a good one.
On this forum Contact Fergus. He's the expert.

 

[becky1981essex]

hi,thankyou for your repkys, i have droped my insulient dosage by loads, and i now take 12 units of nova rapid for breakfast, and have a small cup of milk, for lunch iu have 12 units of nova rapid and if my sugrs are lowish, i have a glass of milk with teaspoon of sugar, depending how low i am, i may have 2 teaspoons of sugar in my milk, then at teatime i have 12 units of nova rapid, 2 slices of toast ( white ) with scrambled egg, or 1 tin of vegatable soup, then before bed i have 30 unuits of lantus, and always wake up with high blood sugars in the morning which are anything between 10 - 17

during the day, if my sugars drop, i dont eat anything, i drink milk with sugar, as i would of thought it be better to drink that, rather then eat food.


But the weight dont come of.

 

[hanadr]

You need to learn about carbs. sugars are not actually as much of a problem as sstarches, because you know where sugar is, but starches hide adn you need to avoid them too.
Try the Bernstein book, It shows you how to do it and if you can drop the carbs and the insulin right down, the weight will come off. Not fast necessarily, but it will. hte secret is not to give up
As to exercise, One quote I like is" all exercise is proved to do is to make you hungry".
I'm a T2 old enough to be your grandmother, but I too am struggling to lose weight and get fitter by walking miles.

 

[becky1981essex]

but the only carbs i eat and starch is the 2 slices of bread i eat a day, and a little bit in the milk, its skimmed milk which i drink, and if im thirsty all i drink is water.its hard to make people understand, especially my doctors, coss i dont think they understand how i can be so big, compared to the little i eat. my 3 year old daughter eats more then me in one day, and shes skinny.

also another thing, it seems that i take alot of insulient, and also i do the 2 lots of excersize a day, but my sugars dont drop as much as what people think they prob should. its like my body stores all my sugars, i really dont understand it.

i weigh 17 stone 9 lbs, and gained alot of weight after haveing 2 c sections with my children.
alot of my weight is on my belly

 

[catherinecherub]

Hi becky,
I think you need a type 1 diabetic to guide you about insulin and a diet that will ensure you lose weight. I am a type 2 and it is a different ball game. I am sure someone who knows what to advise will reply soon.
Regards, Catherine.

 

[becky1981essex]

Hi catherine, thank you for your message,i need all the help i can get right now

Thanks
regards
Becky

 

[jopar]

How stable are your BG's
Do you suffer with frequent hypo's
Do you know how to carb count?

As you may be enadvertantly increaseing your weight due to feeding your insulin intake rather than using your insulin to combact the carbs that you have eaten to maintain good BG control.

Your lantus dose, should actually allow you to fast without your BG raising too high or causing a hypo... If either of these happens then the dose needs to be adjusted... As Lantus is a background insulin that deals with the glucose that the liver is trickling into your blood..

Your novorapid, should then be able to counter react the carbs that you eat within a meal, which is slightly more difficult depending on the carbs you are comsuming, as some carbs such as pasta, rice can take longer to start to asorb into the system, which can lead to the insulin starting to work on the blood glucose before the main asorbtion of the pasta carb, and when the pasta carb starts to asorb, there not enough insulin to deal with the carbs... so hypo then high effect..

To be able to work out what is going on, and what perhaps needs changing, being able to carb count and understand how carbs work with you as a individual is sort of a most to get the best advantage...


It was always thought that insulin persa increased weight as a sideffect, but with increased understanding, and improved ability to monitor our BG's at home, is now proving that this is more due to us having to feed the insulin in our bodies with carbs... So good control and knowledge helps to avoid this..

 

[totsy]

hya becky ,
i was obese before diagnosis, i was 5ft3 and weighed 15.2 on diagnosis of type 1, my weight didnt really budge when i was on novomix,after 2 yrs i was on lantus and metformin and had to lower my carbs dramatically so i could keep lower levels, that was 3 yrs ago, i also found exercising hard due to other health problems, i started walking up and down stairs and dancing in the house on a daily basis, my weight strted to slowly drop off , i managed to get a basal bolus regime a few mnths ago and the weight is still falling, on the days im well enough to go out i walk to my village and back, before being diabetic i hardly ate to try and lose weight and for the first couple of years of diabetes too, this basically doesnt work,
you have to eat properly, a healthy balanced diet, i still have carbs but not many, im now 10.2 so have lost 5 stone in 3 yrs by healthy eating and walking, i now inject 13 units of lantus on a morning, 3 units of novorapid at breakfast, 1 or 2 units at dinner ,sometimes no novo at tea or the most being 3 units and 2/3 units of novo at suppertime,
hope this helps ,if u want u can pm me with any other questions

 

[jopar]

Becky

Reading your last reply after I posted my reply

I wonder whether you are resistent to the insulin, similar to T2 diabetes.. And problems you are experienceing are based around this rather than your injected insulin? Would be worth dicussing this with your medical team..

As it is possible to be both T1 and T2 diabetic...

BY the way what sort of exercise do you do?

 

[becky1981essex]

Hi jopar, thanks for your reply, yeah i know how to carb count, i do have alot of knowledge about diabetes, its the weight loss which is the problem. i have had diabetes for 25 years, but my weight problem has only ever been a problem in the last 5 years.

in the mornings, i lift weights for half hour, and in the evening i dance to a fat burning dvd for 30 minutes or more.

in a day in total i inject .. 66 units of insulient, and eat about 10 carbs, so 10 exchanges ...

my sugars dont drop major ? the weight also dont drop of ...

i have had a few hypos in the past, first 8 years ago when i was pregnant, and the rest have been in the last 3 years. i have had a total of about 12 hypos from low sugars in all the 25 years of my diabetes, so thats not too bad

 

[becky1981essex]

Hi totsy thnku for your reply, u have alot less insulient then me, i guess that is because ur weight nis alot less, i enjoy excersise, but i fiind, i start to excersise then my sugars drop, and i need to eat. diabetes can get in the way alot.

 

[hanadr]

Becky, what are your BG numbers? and last HbA1c?
Could you have got used to running a little high?
If you can run at non-diabetic numbers( around 5 at all times) it might be the answer.

 

[tasha]

Becky,
Your metabolism must be so low on such a small amount of calories! No one can be getting a balanced diet on milk and bread!
You are right, your carbs are low so that isn't the problem.

Have you asked your doctor for a blood test to check your hormone levels especially thyroxine? Thyroid problem are associated with T1 diabetes as they are both autoimmune diseases. This also makes sense if this has only been a problem since having your children.

I'm also battling the bulge as a T1 diabetic and I know how frustrating it is to exercise and keep sugar levels stable without using more insulin and/or treating a hypo. Remember, the more insulin you take, the more of your food (in your case lack of it) is stored. 12 units of insulin does seem very generous for a glass of milk. What is your BM in the morning before exercising.

Also, did you know that your weight training is an anaerobic exercise and can actually raise your BS? When I lift weights I take 1-2 units of short acting insulin to stop my BS rising. If not, my BS rises so much I need to take an enormous correction dose to bring it down hours later.

Hope you find some answers-but remember to keep badgering the doctors. What you are saying is not healthy and they have a duty to take you seriously.

tasha

 

[fran]

Becky,

I know its a while since you posted this but i thought i would reply anyway.
I have just started my diet regime and currently appears to be working. Dont get me wrong it have been a very slow process but by reducing my carbs, meaning lower insulin doses, it appears to have worked. I have lost 1 stone 5lbs in about 6 weeks.(i still would like another stone off - work in progress) I really have cut my carbs to a minimum and it appears to be working. I have also cut out alcohol (that has been painful).
I would be interested in hearing how youre doing.

Cheers
Fran

 

[Sweet_Sam]

Hi,

I am so glad its not just me! I hate the way I look at the moment but it seems to be so difficult to drop the weight. Anyone got any really good tips???

Sam xx

 

[Dillinger]

i now take 12 units of nova rapid for breakfast, and have a small cup of milk, for lunch iu have 12 units of nova rapid and if my sugrs are lowish, i have a glass of milk with teaspoon of sugar, depending how low i am, i may have 2 teaspoons of sugar in my milk, then at teatime i have 12 units of nova rapid, 2 slices of toast ( white ) with scrambled egg, or 1 tin of vegatable soup, then before bed i have 30 unuits of lantus, and always wake up with high blood sugars in the morning which are anything between 10 - 17

Hello, Becky - I've got to say what you are doing sounds crazy. By only drinking milk and toast your body is probably operating on the basis that you are starving so that your metabolism will slow right down.

Milk has sugar in it; it is lactose and this will raise your blood sugars, white bread is basically sugar too. Your morning highs may well be because you are going hypo in the night; have you every set an alarm to test your bloods 6 hours or so after taking the Lantus? 30 units of Lantus is quite a lot. Possibly look at moving the time you take your Lantus as well.

I would really recommend that you stop eating like this - try a low carb diet, read the recipe advice on here and test your blood glucose levels more. If you follow a low carb diet and eat properly three times a day whilst doing the exercise your weight should come off and you should also be able to reduce your insulin further (why do you always type "insulient" by the way... :!: )

Also, why are you taking sugar in your milk if you are a bit 'low' are you doing that if you are hypoing? If so fine, but it doesn't sound like that's what's happening; what do you consider low?

All the best

Dillinger