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Type 1 Insulin and fat storage

Emile_the_rat

Well-Known Member
Messages
246
Type of diabetes
Type 1.5
Treatment type
Insulin
Hi, not trying to generalize here, since I know everyone is different.

But as a diabetic, and knowing a few others with type 1, I have noticed something. It might be coindencial, but I have noticed that type 1s using their belly as injection site, myself included, seems to always be fatter, or overweight.

While diabetics that inject their insulin on other sites, thigh or arm, seems to always be slimmer or normal weight.

So here is my question. Do injecting insulin in your belly provide weight gain or fat storage. Or is it as simple, that tiny people use other sites than their belly to inject, because they have more fat tissues on their thigh or arm, making it more comfortable to inject there instead?

Honest question. Just started to think of it, since all I’ve met that use their bellies as inject site seems to be overweight.
 
I inject in belly and arms, and occasional bum, and yes, I'm overweight, especially in my mid section.
But it's the same fat belly I had before developing diabetes (LADA), and I haven't gained much weight since starting insulin over 4 years ago.
 
Antje77 said:
I inject in belly and arms, and occasional bum, and yes, I'm overweight, especially in my mid section.
But it's the same fat belly I had before developing diabetes (LADA), and I haven't gained much weight since starting insulin over 4 years ago.
Click to expand...

Ah, well I’ve gained 77 pounds since I started on insulin. Well, I’m kind of loosy with my diet, if I want something I usually eat it.

So went from being normal to overweight here. But started thinking of it recently, how everyone I know, that use their belly as injection site are fat.

Can be coincidence, but great to here from others too, as I just know a few with type 1
 
It is a thing which is why we're asked to rotate jab sites but it is a very localised problem so you get fatty lumps. You could be slim everywhere else but have these lumps (see below pic).
Injecting in the arm is thought to be less effective. I have always done tummy jabs and now have a pump which plugs in there but only delivers tiny hourly amounts and boluses so whilst my belly isn't pretty after 3 c sections, I can't directly blame that on insulin!
If you eat lots of carbs and then inject (or produce if type 2 lots of insulin) to cover that you can also produce extra fat that will get stored around your belly (if male or menopause + or if your other fat storage depots can't take anymore subcutaneiously!) e.g. South Asian peoples or those with genetic tendency to store fat this way.
 
Whilst we are advised to rotate sites, I have always prefer the belly area.
After doing so for more than 15 years, I have gained no weight around my belly ... or anywhere else.
I don't believe the injection site makes any difference.
 
I've always been fairly thin with not a lot of belly fat and I never used to use my belly - every time I thought about it it made me think I was stabbing myself in the important section of my body so I never could (that may seem silly to some, but I just couldn't)

I got a pump just under a year ago and had to start using my belly some of the time, its awkward trying to find places for infusion kits that wont get in the way, now I have gained some belly fat, however and this is a big however, this last year ahs also been the year of working from home and not getting nearly so much exercise as before and having very easy access to all sorts of snacks and well getting older, and I suspect that year of eating more and no exercise has done a lot more for making my belly bigger than anything else - admittedly it does also mean its easier to use the infusion kits as I'm not as likely to hit muscle anymore (at the beginning I was having all sorts of issues because I was very thin there)
 

Thanks, appreciate your courage by posting

Well, I’ve only used insulin for 4 years now, but rotate and switch sites on my belly. No lumps so far.

Do all people get fatty lumps eventually? Kind of wonder, since one of my friends that have been diabetic all their lifes, only uses his belly as injection site, and he has no fatty lumps from injection. So do this have to do with genetics? Since some seem to ve more prominent to get them?

No idea why, but just guess I’ve been kind of curious, after injecting myself for 4 years
 
In Response said:
Whilst we are advised to rotate sites, I have always prefer the belly area.
After doing so for more than 15 years, I have gained no weight around my belly ... or anywhere else.
I don't believe the injection site makes any difference.
Click to expand...

Thanks, good to here that we’re all different, and not all of us that stab our bellies are fat



I feel you. I do have some fat on my thighs, but still, it would be strange to inject myself there, and my arms just make me too concerned to hit a muscle or something.

So after I gained weight, it would just feel strange to use other injection sites. I did get a few bruises when I weighted less. But after I’ve gained weight it has been so easy to just use the belly as injection site. No bruises, no discomfort, so well, I do get your point.

It might be, that fatter people, just prefer to use the belly as injection site, as it is more comfy, at least I feel so.

Well well, intersting to here experience and insight from other diabetics
 
Errr it wasn't me. Just what popped up from google images when you type in type 1 lipodystrophy.
My opinion is that injecting larger quantities must produce a larger effect e.g. if you are on basal bolus rather than bump and you put in a large basal once a day then top it up with large boluses (when I say large this is all relative) your body is likely to make fatty lumps. The longer you do it the larger the effect possibly.... Or perhaps some people are punctilious about site rotation rather than doing what I used to do which was to shove it in where I found it easiest....Perhaps the skin on the stomach also shows up lumps better being less muscled than our thighs...
 

So if I understand correctly basal/bolus will increase the chances for lumps, compared to a pump, that pass out small doses of insulin over a longer timespan. Seem to make sense.

 
40 years injecting in belly and legs no fat here same size waist as when I was 18 just lucky I guess
 
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