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Type 1 Low Carb And Weight Gain?

G

gallowaygirl

Member
Messages
8
Location
leicester
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Insulin
Hi
First post ever! Here goes: Type 1, 33 years. I have been low carb-ing for the past 2 months and am enjoying very flat readings of between 5 and 7. My insulin dosage is worrying me though as it seems out of line with many others here and I am also experiencing significant weight gain...I am only 5'2" and have shot up to from 54kg to 62kg in the last 6 months. The fat is almost all around my tummy and abdomen and is very depressing indeed. I currently take 28units Tesiba and just 2-4 units novo rapid when readings are above 9. Could this large dose of long acting account for the weight gain, even though it seems to be working well in keeping levels flatter? It cannot be healthy to be so much heavier but if I reduce the Tresiba I get double figure readings even on so few carbs.! Any suggestions?
Gallowaygirl.
 
Are you saying you don't bolus for your meals and only bolus when your bg levels go above 9?

If so it could be your basal insulin is compensating for your no insulin meals (hence the higher dose if your if your basal dose was lower before going on the diet), most type 1's find that even for meals that are low in carbs they still need to bolus.

I'll tag @robert72 into your thread as he has type 1 and is an experienced low-carber.
 
Hi
Yes, I don't necessarily bolus for a meal (typical would be some chicken breast and salad or beetroot and fish) but I test before and after and only bolus a couple of units once level reaches 9. I keep basal steady at 28units. Have I got this all wrong? Feel healthier but much fatter!
GG
 

Not wrong, but usually a type 1's TDD (total daily dose) would be split somewhere near 50/50 between their basal and bolus doses, it's not precise by any means and this may work differently for those who follow a very low-carb diet like yourself.

I'm on a pump, follow a diet that has moderate amounts of carbs and my TDD split is currently around 48 basal 52 bolus.
 
Hi @gallowaygirl, the picture below shows my insulin doses when I follow a low carb diet (03/07 to 20/07). As you can see, I end up with a TDD that is split somewhere between 80:20 and 65:35 as basal when eating low carb.



It's therefore not quite so unusual, although if I was you, I would be taking Novorapid earlier than at 9 mmol/l as that's a little on the high side for me.

What you need to be careful of, and the only way I lose weight on Low Carb, is monitoring your overall calorie intake. Low Carb is not a license to eat as much as you want. It has to go somewhere.

If I eat 2,000-2,200 calories per day low carb, I lose weight. And I lose it fairly fast. If I eat 2,500-2,700 calories a day, my weight stays flat. If I eat more than 2,700 a day, I gain weight. I also weight train two to three times a week and walk around 10,000 steps per day.

What you need to check is the overall calorie intake of what you're eating. At 5'2 you aren't going to need to eat vast amounts of calories, and if you are eating >2,000 calories a day and not really exercising, it wouldn't be a surprise that you are putting on weight.
 


Thanks so much for this information. Ill check out the calories and see what they add up to. I'm reluctant to loose my daily glass of wine but I know how calorie laden this can be! 9 is a little high I realise but I am paranoid about hypos - I panic when I see a reading of 5 or less as I then feel I need to eat carbs in case I continue to go low. I guess this is a mindset I will have to address. Maybe adjusting at 8 would be a start. Three things to work on then: Count calories, cut the wine and adjust lower than 9. Here goes.
GG
 
@gallowaygirl, a way to determine if your basal insulin is compensating for you not taking insulin at meal-times is to do a basal test, if you find your bg drops too low in the absence of food then your basal dose is too high, if you get the basal dose right you can then look at how much bolus you need for your meals to stop your bg rising.
 
Ah yes. The glass of wine. That's the real issue here. My experience with the wine is that it totally screws up your fat burning. Even just one glass.

If I spend two weeks low carb, no alcohol, I lose. It just works. If I spend two weeks with a glass of wine two or three nights in the week, I don't. Simple as that. When you drink, your liver devotes its entire time to clearing alcohol and toxins from your system. Even a single glass of wine can have it doing this for 24 hours, so if you have three glasses a week, you totally stop the fat burning process working properly.
 

OK, I'll cut the wine completely for now. A small price to pay really and the liver explanation makes good sense.x
 
asparagusp said:
Just a thought - Weight gain could also be attributable to a hypoactive thyroid - http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/Thyroid-under-active/Pages/Symptoms.aspx
Click to expand...

I did look at this as I have quite a few of those symptoms. I have a clinic in November so I'll try the low carb, low calorie till then and ask to be tested for Thyroid levels. Also at my age, 49, I can't rule out mid life hormonal changes either. I know many, many people are much worse off than me but sometimes you cant see the wood for the trees and it all feels a bit much!
GG
 
You could always take a small bolus with meals and I wouldn't think you would hypo but may stop the rise. I bolus 1/2 unit with small meals and I am very low carb. I do need to bolus for protein. Many type 1's when low carbing need to consider and bolus for protein. I know I do.

As far as wine, want Tim said about the liver is true of course but interestingly when summer came and I switched my red wine to vodka water with a lemon I lost 7 pounds in 2 weeks!!! I am one who completely enjoys my pre dinner cocktail. Another side benefit was the vodka lowers my bs and wine either kept somewhat steady or raised me. Not trying to persuade you to drink but rather sharing my experience with different alcohols.
 
Yes I was diagnosed with Diabetes 2 a week before my 50th birthday ..... Up until then my health was excellent. Not even the usual childhood diseases like measles etc.

Rather than wait until November can you not ask your GP to test your thyroid earlier?
 

Hi Kristin
Interesting, thanks for both the protein advice and the vodka tip, I am going to bolus a little bit as my low carb diet is usually quite protein heavy.
GG
 

Hi
Yes, that does make sense I suppose. Thanks.
 
If you typically eat the same type/ size meals everyday, which I do, you can find a good bolus dose. I eat the same BF, 1/2 avocado with celery and bolus 1/2 unit. Lunch is 2 oz protein with some chopped veggies and Evoo or mayo on a lettuce wrap and 1/4 avocado and bolus 1/2. Dinner same as lunch. If I wanted more protein I could eat just a tad over 3 oz and bolus 1 unit. However, if I eat much more than 3 oz I would have to split my bolus or I would hypo 1st and then spike. I also need enough fat in my meal to keep the spike low and slow, hence the avocado at all meals ( though it is very satiating as well) plus Evoo or mayo. I found through the Rosedale diet that excess protein turns to bs so I lowered my protein and things improved immediately. It has been said most adults only need 4-6 oz a day though many eat much more. The macros that keep me most steady are 80% healthy fats, 15% protein and 5% carbs. Just something to think about / play with nut as always test test test.

When you eat anything that can be called a meal, I would think you would need some bolus insulin. Just start slow and low until you find where it keeps you flat. If you are protein rich you may either need to lower it a bit or split your bolus if you hypo 1st and then spike. Timing your bolus is important too. I wait 8 min to eat after I bolus even with v,c, small protein and richer in fats. It takes some testi g to figure it out. That is why I eat the same macros in the same portions at all my meals. Then I found my dose that keeps me flat. Of course I eat different foods but just the same size meals and the same ratios of macros. Lots of people would find this too boring but I love my foods and have quite a good variety as well as NO stress of what to eat, how, how much insulin and when to bolus. Autopilot works for me. Even if it's just the same BF and lunch, that's 2 out of 3.
 

I'm on school holidays at the moment but when term starts I think I will be more regimented with meals or I could easily loose my way. (I dread going hypo when teaching!) I'm thinking avocado would be a good additional choice for me too. (I have never used them in my low-carbing). At the moment I have scrabbled egg or cottage cheese or about 8 almonds for breakfast, Beetroot and some chicken and coleslaw for lunch and some fish and veggies for dinner. (I'll double check the calories are low enough for weight loss on the meals I select). I'll bolus a tiny bit for each over the next couple of weeks and see where that leaves me.
Thanks again
GG
 
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