I have type 1 diabetes with over 15 years now, I'm 38 now. The past year or two I've gained a lot of weight. I don't eat loads of food but I guess I do eat chocolate. But the past 2 years I've a phobia of getting a hypo and so Id sip on Lucozade throughout the day. Id drink at least a bottle of 380ml of Lucozade a day, either original or orange flavour. Sometimes 2 bottles. So I think my weight gain is from the Lucozade? What do you all think? I've also an underactive thyroid for which I've started taking hormone tablets today which an underactive thyroid does add weight so hopefully it will go down. So the Lucozade...... is it a massive weight gainer? From today I've dumped all my Lucozade and bought glucose sweets from the pharmacy instead.
Lucozade and weight gain
- Thread starter Loloy123
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I don't think that this is a very healthy way to go about controlling hypos. 1 bottle of Lucozade is 280 calories, 2 bottles is 560. Every day, these unnecessary calories that you are adding into your diet, would definitely cause a weight gain. Glucose sweets would have the exact same effect on your weight as Lucozade if you plan to use them the same way. I understand the desire to avoid the discomfort of hypos but you shouldn't need to sacrifice your general health. If you find your blood sugars dipping during the day, there are other other options to correct this.
I think it would be helpful for you to see a diabetes specialist and potentially a dietitian to create a new daily plan that you will still be comfortable with.
I think it would be helpful for you to see a diabetes specialist and potentially a dietitian to create a new daily plan that you will still be comfortable with.
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Hi,
My experience using Lucozade to nip up lows is that it is a tempary fix? Same with any fast acting carb I may find myself going back for more with recuring lows..
I feel you may need to liaise with your consultant & find out why the lows.
It may just be a question of tweaking the basal which in turn could lower the hypo treatment consumption.?
How are you monitoring your BGs? Do you use a sensor?
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Hi @Loloy123 and welcome to the forums.
Some thoughts on your situation.
As a fellow T1 I can totally relate to your fear of hypos. I've had a few horrendous ones, mostly occurring when too many hypos caused me to have reduced hypo awareness. But I went decades when they weren't a problem, so it's very much a personal thing as to whether they are an issue.
So how is your hypo awareness? If it's poor then you could push your clinic for a cgm. My dexcom (which I am fortunate enough to be able to afford to self fund) is literally a life and sanity saver for me. It beeps when I go to 4.4 and now I don't worry about hypos. The fear is gone. (And yes, at one stage I got our adult son to stay with us when my partner had to go overseas just because I was afraid to be home alone.)
Are you drinking lucozade when you are actually hypo? If you are, you definitely need to talk to your clinic about your insulin amounts, as you shouldn't be getting daily hypos. Excess insulin plus high blood sugars tends to cause weight gain, so it may not be the lucozade that is the issue, but the carbs. Personally, I have a T2 father, so a definite tendency towards insulin resistance, and I put on 15kg between the ages of 40 and 50 and only stalled the weight gain when I reduced my carbs. But I should stress that that is just my particular metabolism, plenty of T1s have high carb diets and don't gain weight.
Anyway, in my opinion you need to push your diabetic team to get some help.
Good luck.
ps Would you like me or another mod to move your thread to the T1 forum? It might get more visibility there?
Some thoughts on your situation.
As a fellow T1 I can totally relate to your fear of hypos. I've had a few horrendous ones, mostly occurring when too many hypos caused me to have reduced hypo awareness. But I went decades when they weren't a problem, so it's very much a personal thing as to whether they are an issue.
So how is your hypo awareness? If it's poor then you could push your clinic for a cgm. My dexcom (which I am fortunate enough to be able to afford to self fund) is literally a life and sanity saver for me. It beeps when I go to 4.4 and now I don't worry about hypos. The fear is gone. (And yes, at one stage I got our adult son to stay with us when my partner had to go overseas just because I was afraid to be home alone.)
Are you drinking lucozade when you are actually hypo? If you are, you definitely need to talk to your clinic about your insulin amounts, as you shouldn't be getting daily hypos. Excess insulin plus high blood sugars tends to cause weight gain, so it may not be the lucozade that is the issue, but the carbs. Personally, I have a T2 father, so a definite tendency towards insulin resistance, and I put on 15kg between the ages of 40 and 50 and only stalled the weight gain when I reduced my carbs. But I should stress that that is just my particular metabolism, plenty of T1s have high carb diets and don't gain weight.
Anyway, in my opinion you need to push your diabetic team to get some help.
Good luck.
ps Would you like me or another mod to move your thread to the T1 forum? It might get more visibility there?
sleepster
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Hello @Loloy123, I'd be inclined to say the weight gain is more likely from your underactive thyroid. Do you know if your thyroid function was tested previously?
You may lose weight with taking levothyroxine but only if that weight was caused by the lack of thyroxine, so if the weight gain is from your lucozade consumption then the levothyroxine won't help you lose weight I'm afraid. You'll probably find it harder to lose weight now with an underactive thyroid.
You may lose weight with taking levothyroxine but only if that weight was caused by the lack of thyroxine, so if the weight gain is from your lucozade consumption then the levothyroxine won't help you lose weight I'm afraid. You'll probably find it harder to lose weight now with an underactive thyroid.
