Always Hungry!

[Samsara1]

Hi, I am the mom of a type 1 diabetic, diagnosed in December, he is 18 and finding being constantly hungry is making him miserable, that and revising for his A levels!
The NHS dietician told him his meals should comprise of 50 % carbs but I notice everyone on the threads are talking about low carb?
As he is still in the honeymoon period he has been told there is no need to start carb counting yet. He lost a stone prior to diagnosis and has only put half a stone on, he is quite slim and still needs to grow!
He has had 1 hb1ac which was 7.9, he levels have been mostly low and has had lots of hypos but for the last few weeks has been high and he is increasing his insulin all the time, which he is not happy about.
Hoping someone will be able to give us some advise, thanks!

 

[noblehead]

Hi Sara and welcome to the forum

Its quite normal to lose weight pre-diagnosis and I'm sure your lad will regain the weight over time. I'm surprised that his DSN has said it isn't necessary to carb count as you still need to know the carb value of your meal so that you can match the insulin to suit, but boys your lads age are always hungry and as a parent I know this myself, but he could try snacking on things like nuts, babybels or some chicken between meals to curb his appetite.

Best wishes and hope you get a few more replies.

 

[Samsara1]

Hi Sara and welcome to the forum

Its quite normal to lose weight pre-diagnosis and I'm sure your lad will regain the weight over time. I'm surprised that his DSN has said it isn't necessary to carb count as you still need to know the carb value of your meal so that you can match the insulin to suit, but boys your lads age are always hungry and as a parent I know this myself, but he could try snacking on things like nuts, babybels or some chicken between meals to curb his appetite.

Best wishes and hope you get a few more replies.

Thanks for your reply, I will tell him your suggestions, does he not need to worry about the fat in nuts and cheese, he is always looking at low sugar and low fat on labels which as you know don't really go hand in hand! We definitely need more help with his diet and hopefully they will ask him to carb count soon. I think it is because he was taking so little insulin but that seems to be creeping up!
Thanks again for your help Noblehead!

 

[noblehead]

Everyone in their honeymoon period see their insulin usage go up and down then back up again, so nothing out of the ordinary there. Once he is out of the honeymoon period he can go on a carb counting course such as DAFNE provided he is on a basal/bolus insulin regime, after that he can then decide for himself what diet he wishes to follow and adjust his insulin accordingly.

 

[Samsara1]

He is on a basal/bonus routine, unfortunately there are no DAFNE courses running before he starts Uni in Sept, hopefully they will offer him some advice though!

 

[Daibell]

Hi and welcome. Advising a diabetc to have 50% carbs is almost criminal and typical of NHS dieticians. Diabetics of either T1 or T2 need to keep the carbs down. I'm not surprised your son is needing to increase his insulin and this always contributes to weight gain. To avoid feeling hungry and to have a variety of nutrients your son needs to look at the proteins, fats and veg to help him feel full for longer. Many of us try to keep the carbs well below 200gm/day and many go well below 100gm. Yes, carb counting is essential for insulin users on Basal/Bolus. I had this explained to me in 10 minutes by my lovely DN; it doesn't really need a training course. I was started on the usual ratio of 1 Bolus shot to 10gm carbs and given a leaflet with pictures of typical foods and carb content. The important thing is to be careful to start with to avoid hypos and then increase the Bolus ratio if needed over time to control the blood sugar 2-3 hours after a meal.

 

[CraigDT]

Quite a lot of folk on here, more type 2s than type 1s I think, are on a low carb high fat diet. There is evidence to suggest that high fat is not as bad as researchers thought in the 70s when low fat became a thing to do for health.

Someone made the point to me that when the honeymoon period ends it may not be a smooth increase in the amount required but the pancreas may become erratic. There may be some benefit in having a low carb diet to smooth those fluctuations out a little and reduce the chances of high blood sugar.

I am also honeymooning and I have started on low carb high fat and as long as you eat lots of vegetables it seems to keep my blood sugars nice and stable and makes me feel full. I have read a number of studies that suggested that high fat low carb increased the good cholesterol and reduced the bad cholesterol which is more important when thinking about how healthy a diet it is.

I think it all depends on the individual and how they react to different things.

Good luck to you and him!

 

[Samsara1]

Hi and welcome. Advising a diabetc to have 50% carbs is almost criminal and typical of NHS dieticians. Diabetics of either T1 or T2 need to keep the carbs down. I'm not surprised your son is needing to increase his insulin and this always contributes to weight gain. To avoid feeling hungry and to have a variety of nutrients your son needs to look at the proteins, fats and veg to help him feel full for longer. Many of us try to keep the carbs well below 200gm/day and many go well below 100gm. Yes, carb counting is essential for insulin users on Basal/Bolus. I had this explained to me in 10 minutes by my lovely DN; it doesn't really need a training course. I was started on the usual ratio of 1 Bolus shot to 10gm carbs and given a leaflet with pictures of typical foods and carb content. The important thing is to be careful to start with to avoid hypos and then increase the Bolus ratio if needed over time to control the blood sugar 2-3 hours after a meal.

Hi Daibell
Thanks for your reply, which all makes sense and reminds me of a low carb diet I tried a while back that let me eat cheese, cream, butter and said these fats are good fats. Whereas Sam has been adviced that the milk on his porridge is all he should have a day! I know myself how hungry I feel after carbs, good job I am going food shopping tomorrow, we will keep trying! Best wishes Sara

 

[Samsara1]

Quite a lot of folk on here, more type 2s than type 1s I think, are on a low carb high fat diet. There is evidence to suggest that high fat is not as bad as researchers thought in the 70s when low fat became a thing to do for health.

Someone made the point to me that when the honeymoon period ends it may not be a smooth increase in the amount required but the pancreas may become erratic. There may be some benefit in having a low carb diet to smooth those fluctuations out a little and reduce the chances of high blood sugar.

I am also honeymooning and I have started on low carb high fat and as long as you eat lots of vegetables it seems to keep my blood sugars nice and stable and makes me feel full. I have read a number of studies that suggested that high fat low carb increased the good cholesterol and reduced the bad cholesterol which is more important when thinking about how healthy a diet it is.

I think it all depends on the individual and how they react to different things.

Good luck to you and him!

Thanks CraigDT for your reply, I have been reading the same about fat recently too, I will try to up his protein and fats and lower his carbs a bit and see if he is not so hungry, how long have you been in the honeymoon period?

 

[CraigDT]

I have been honeymooning for about 2 months so far, but it varies from person to person. I am 36 and I think the rate of eyelet cell destruction tends to get slower the older you are.

It must be a scary thing for you both to deal with, but it is entirely possible for your son to adapt to the condition. The important thing is for him to take chage of managing it and learn what works best for him. Doubly scary for you if he is about to leave the nest.

If he has questions about anything this forum is really helpful.

 

[Samsara1]

I have been honeymooning for about 2 months so far, but it varies from person to person. I am 36 and I think the rate of eyelet cell destruction tends to get slower the older you are.

It must be a scary thing for you both to deal with, but it is entirely possible for your son to adapt to the condition. The important thing is for him to take chage of managing it and learn what works best for him. Doubly scary for you if he is about to leave the nest.

If he has questions about anything this forum is really helpful.

Thanks Craig for your help, the forum looks great and I am hoping Sam will join himself once he is through his exams, to get advice on running, he would like to do a couple of half marathons this year, he has done one before he was diagnosed but obviously it will be different now.
You are right it is scary he is about to leave the nest, I have got festivals and a lads holiday abroad to get through first!!!

 

[CraigDT]

There are plenty of folk that do loads of exercise and are Type 1. Up here in Edinburgh there is a professional footballer and there are loads of amateur runners. I think you just need to find the correct rate to eat jelly babies to maintain blood sugar, but I am no running expert except perhaps to the bus.