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diet help

T

type1newbie15

Newbie
Messages
2
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Insulin
First post but i need advice and help. I was diagnosed type 1 6 months ago. For the most part I've had ok control, not perfect but not the worst. In the last couple of weeks I've given up though. I've started binging then taking massive amounts of insulin to crash my levels back to normal. This week I've binged even more than usual. Today all I have done is eat junk food but I've took it one step further and not taken any bolus. I took my basel this morning but that's it. Just checked my glucose levels and I'm 29.8, no key tones though. I'm at a stage I don't even want to fix it. Since diagnosis I've put on 2 stone and feel fat. There is part of me thinking if I run high like this for a few days, get some key tones and lose a few pounds then fix is it really an issue? I know it is and I know I could be doing damage but I also know it's a quick weight loss fix and I part of me thinks if I can lose the pounds ill start this diabetic thing again and won't make all the mistakes I did at the start first time round. Suppose questions wise I'm asking how long with high glucose before I get ketones, how long before I start doing real damage, how long before I lose weight and is with holding bolus but still taking base limiting the damage I do? I know this is a horrible stupid question and most will tell me not to be so silly and low carb instead but I just feel I need this kick start. Being diabetic has completely ruined my life and I feel this is the only way I can get some control back. Thanks
 
Hi.....was told was T1 3 weeks ago ...and yes bing...not eating drops highs ...and all in three weeks ...so total with u....
But on wed I got the app carb an cals......
Since then my numbers have been brill...as I know how much....
Having this guide has helped me see food as pleasure again ....

Look I know I am new to this but if you see my bio u see it's been as u said since out....but it really has turned around for me now ....
I know I have had 181 carbs today and I take 17 units static dose through day with meals so ....kinda helps with sums ...I know I have earn enough to = to the insulin and enough, though small buffer for the night .....

Promise u ...get the app...let it show u how to see food...all of it in a new light ....
 
That's the thing, I have that app, and book and for months I was doing not bad at all but the weight gain is getting to me. I'm assuming because my body is now getting insulin and using the food I eat for energy instead of burning fat I'm putting weight on but I don't want to. I want to be a good diabetic, I want good control but first I want to lose the extra weight and to me the quickest way is to cut the insulin for a week or so, let my blood run high and then sort it once the pounds are off. I hate this life right now :-(
 
Before you were diagnosed and treated, your body was unable to utilise the glucose needed to function, so it burned fat, and you would have lost weight. Once you start dosing with insulin, your body will regain some weight because this is weight you have lost through your body not working properly. Normally, this levels out providing you are not eating more than you actually need to. For you, it's very early days post diagnosis, so you are still in the the settling in period, of getting your doses right, finding out what your body can tolerate food wise.

So yes, of you stop taking your insulin, you will lose weight again. You also have a very real risk of causing permanent damage to yourself, or dying. Not years down the line, but very soon. What happens is that you will very quickly develop DKA, Diabetic Ketoacidosis, which is a medical emergency, and you will feel very ill indeed. Prior to this, you will not be feeling very well at all.

I'm not saying this with the pure intention of scaring you out of the idea of not taking your insulin, but there are very real risks and it really isn't the answer. It IS possible to gain good control, and not gain weight. It's all about finding the balance between what you eat and the doses that you take. It isn't really possible to stop taking insulin, lose weight, THEN become a " good diabetic ", because you will not have learned how to achieve that balance, and the weight will be gained in just the same way as it was post diagnosis.

There are ways to change what you eat and keep well and healthy whilst taking the correct amounts of insulin that you need. Rule number one being take insulin to cover what you eat, not eat to cover your insulin.

So my question is, what are your basal and bolus doses like right now? And what is typically a days eating for you ?

Signy
 
Not taking your insulin and thus running high bg levels is highly dangerous, you need to start taking your insulin asap and get your levels down, better that you ring your DSN on Tuesday morning and explain that your struggling to cope, they should ask to see you and help sort out your problems.
 
I can relate to this. I've always been slim and I like to think relatively fit. I'm not going to lie, losing weight pre diagnosis was pretty good. Suddenly I was a size smaller and the bits I'd have to exercise to keep off were gone with no effort. It wasn't the worst thing in the world! But, the thirst, the lack of energy, the constant just unwellness was pretty rubbish. Since diagnosis i have put on a bit of weight but not excessive. And yeah sure the lost dress size is no more but I'm healthy again. I have energy and I feel good. I figure the weight gain is my body adjusting and getting back to how it should be.

I read an article recently, and apologies i can't remember where I saw it or I would link but the general gist of it was that your body knows itself what you ideal weight should be, it might not be your ideal and what you'd like but it's what I'd right for you. If you eat a healthy balanced diet your body will work to maintain that weight.

It's a bit of a mind change, I'm still learning and I'm still trying to find the right balance and what works for me but I'm trying to lose the whole 'insulin makes you fat' mentality. It's not the insulin, it's the diet. If I eat a bag of chocolate it's not the fact i need to take say 10 units insulin that will make me fat, it's the fact I've just ate a bag of chocolate! I think as diabetics we are probably more aware of the affects of carbs and insulin and diet etc have on our bodies. Prior to diagnosis I thought a plate of pasta or a baked potato was healthy, and sure it's probably not the worst but i didn't have a clue about how carbs work, about how the body uses glucose and fat and how insulin production works. Now I do. I completely understand how you can think drop the insulin for a few days and binge will help you lose a few pounds, it's tempting and as diabetics is something we can actually control more than a non diabetic but it's not worth it. Are those few pounds worth your eye sight? Your kidneys? I'd defo rather have a few love handles and be able to see than be skinny and blind!

Rambling a bit, suppose rambling helps me get all the thoughts straight in my own head as well. Please speak to someone about how your feeling. It's all new and a total jumble of all sorts of thoughts and sometimes just talking it all through helps.
 
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