Type 1 diabetes

johnbear2 said:

Since I was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes 12 years ago,i have put on flab around my midriff,ii read somewhere this is due to diabetes insulin having steroids in it.is this true!

Click to expand...

No. It's not remotely true. What regime are you on? Twice daily injections or multiple daily injections?

Here's something I found on bodybuilding and insulin , whether anyone follows it remains to be seen.

http://www.basskilleronline.com/insulin.shtml

weight gain can occur easier when on insulin when compared to not on it.....but there is certainly no steroids in insulin....

The reason we all put on belly fat is from eating too much, especially high carb food, and for T1 diabetics, due to taking extra insulin as a result of eating too much.

johnbear2 said:

Since I was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes 12 years ago,i have put on flab around my midriff,ii read somewhere this is due to diabetes insulin having steroids in it.is this true!

Click to expand...

No, Insulin doesn't have steroids, but maybe looking at what you eat, exercising etc could help. Like most things in life, moderation is usually best.
Take care and best wishes
RRB

Hi. Yes make sure you keep the carbs down and match the insulin to that. It may be you feel you can eat anything you like and match the insulin to it? For many including me that means weight gain.

I recommend warmly to find at least 45 minutes to make a powerwalk every day in fresh air. And watch what to eat. In order to get appropriate system I recommend to control your bg before meals and 2 hrs after the meals. It helps you to get an overview how much insulin you have to inject. If you inject too much, you must eat also more. Don't over exercise! Good luck!

Well insulin is an anabolic substance though it's technically not a steroid nor does it contain any. To be more specific insulin is a peptide hormone. However some (non diabetic) athletes do take insulin and it's also on the illegal substances list for said athletes. Because of this i guess people think it's some sort of steroid. I even think insulin is one of the most anabolic substances around. On a side note when bodybuilders take insulin it's usually on the off-season since it does tend to give them a little extra fat. Same with diabetics though in a different context obviously. Eventually it's not that much different from non diabetics meaning you eat more carbs thus you need more insulin (opposed to produce more) and you will store a little more fat. Also worth noting is that generally speaking you lose fat in the opposite way that you gain it so for men that usually means belly fat is the last to go. Really, spot reduction is a myth and yes i know about the study about localized energy sources that's often quoted in this case but the full conclusion was that the amount of energy received from localized sources (exercises muscle) it to be neglected. You generally need to lose weight to lose belly fat and that's best achieved in the kitchen.

@johnbear2 I am having the same problem. I have always been slim. Size 8-10. In the last year and a half my blood sugars are much better. In particular since September. My HBA1C is down to 7.5 and I am thrilled. I was at my doctor yesterday and explained to them that my weight has started to increase since September. My food amount has not changed but I am exercising more. I walk 6km a day and go to the gym 4-5 times a week. At first I thought it was muscle. But then I noticed my trousers won't close. I explained all this to the team and they said that yes they have patients who's weight has fluctuated (either up or down) especially when they moved to the pump (I started the pump in September)! Now I must also mention I've been on steroids daily for the past 5 years - my dose is lowering but this still doesn't help my case. I've two autoimmune illnesses which can complicate things. I'm spending the next 4 weeks writing a journal of what I eat, the weight of the food & insulin given. Im also taking pictures. I'm going back then to review it. I'll keep you posted.

Me too, i've got a ring of flubber round my waist now that wasn't there before, I mentioned it to my consultant and nurse well over a year ago but no constructive advice. I simply ensure I exercise regularly, eat low carb and take the right amount of thyroxine now (I wasn't taking enough for a while so believe this contributed to the weight gain), am not too bothered now as focus was always to get within target range on blood glucose which i'm improving at and taking right level of thyroxine. I don't wear bikinis now so not too concerned with body image!!

As has been mentioned before, the actions of insulin are multiple and it is not a steroid. It has a number of key activities in relation to the body's working.

1. It allows the body to use glucose that is ingested.

2. It allows muscles to use amino acids for restoration.

3. It shuts down the body's use of fat as a fuel source and tells the body to prefer glucose.

Due to these actions, insulin is sometimes described as a fat gaining hormone, when in reality it is simply stopping the body from burning fat as energy, causing more food sources to be converted to body fat.

If you lower the amount of insulin in the body, it is more likely to burn fat and thus you lose weight more effectively.