Insulin and weight gain

Hi Jay, what kind of insulin regimen are you on and how much control do you have over it? For example: is it a once or twice a day long acting (basal )insulin like Lantus or Levemir, or do you also take short acting (bolus) insulin with meals? Are these fixed doses (prescribed by your HCPs) or can you vary the amounts as needed?

How has your Blood Glucose control been? You mention a concern about hypos... have you had any? How often are you testing?

Insulin is an anabolic hormone that helps to move glucose and fat (and protein) into the cells. It has a significant role in fat storage. It requires careful balancing to make sure that you have enough for BG control but not so much that you risk going hypo and end up "chasing your tail" by eating more than you may want, in order to counteract the insulin's effect. This can lead to excess fat mass (weight gain).

Storing excess fat mass can add to insulin resistance and make diabetes harder to manage, so losing or at least not gaining additional fat mass is a good idea. I have had great success with a low carb approach (but I also had to cut way back on my injected insulin) and you may find that WW has support for a low carb program.

If you do not have control over your own insulin dosing, I suggest you ask your Doctor about reducing the dosage.

Hi Jayne, no worries If I were you I wouldn't wait that long either. To me it makes more sense to adjust the apidra based on what you plan to eat, rather than adjust what you eat to satisfy the fixed dose of apidra.

Hiya Jayne!

I know what you mean about being scared of hypos - I was exactly the same at first and would eat whenever my BGs were in the 4s or 5s - until I finally realised it wasn't a problem that's where they were meant to be :lol: I still have a bit of a wobble if they're in the 4s! I found that after my first couple of mild hypos (in the high 3s), I realised it wasn't the end of the world and is easily correctable. Make sure you test frequently and try not to panic-eat if your BGs are in the 4s and 5s - just keep a regular eye on them and you'll soon get more confident at judging when you need to correct with food and when to leave well-enough alone - it's just experience.

As for diet, I eat low-carb and have to take very little insulin as a result - usually just 2 to 4 units with my evening meal. Basal is a bit different for me as I still produce quite a lot of my own, but I supplement it with three units a day. I have put on half a stone since being on insulin, but I added fat to my diet deliberately as I was quite underweight - I'm now going to cut back on some of the fat in my diet to try to maintain my weight rather than putting on any more. I think it is a balance between carb and fat - if you increase one, you must decrease the other or you'll gain weight. You'll probably find if you decrease your carb intake (and therefore your insulin) you'll lose weight.

Good luck

Smidge