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Type 1 diabetic and putting on weight! Really need help!

Clarakor

Clarakor

Member
Messages
14
Type of diabetes
Type 1
I really need help. I am type 1 since October and managed to lose a lot of weight. I exercise 8 times a week and have cut my portions right down and lost six stone. I was hospitalised due to ketones last week and have put on 20 pounds in one week!!! I am devastated. I am healthy and active. How can I lose this weight? I have been big all my life and now I'm a size 12 but have noticed my new clothes feeling tight. I don't know how to lose this weight and ensure I don't put any more on. Any advice would be welcome. I am so upset... :'-(


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Hi,

You say that you were diagnised in October but how has your control been since then? Six stone is a lot of wight to lose if you are wlel controlled?

I ask because I am a reovcering diabulimic i.e. I used to skip/ manipulate insulin to try and lose wight/ control my weight. And it worked. But I was doing untold damage to myself. It took me years to admit to this.

Trying to deal with this issue has been hard for me but water retention is a well known side effect of quickly trying to bring your sugars back under control. I could easily gain 20 pouns after a bout of DKA. This water rention really bothered me and my research has indicated that it can take up to 5 months of good control for this water retention to subisde. But it will go. And it is only water, not fat. You cannot put 20 pounds of fat on in a few days. I know that it is uncomfortable but your health is the most important thing.

Anyway, even if you have been well controlled pripr to the DKA episdoe, you are pumped with a lot of fluid to help you reocover from the DKA and it is likely that this is what has caused your dramatic weight gain.

Try not to obsess over it. I know it is hard but your long term health is the most important thing. The water retention will go and if you have a healthy diet and exercise, you will not put the weight back on.

x
 
HI. I'm not knowledgeable about water retention but this could well be part of the problem. My obvious question is what type of diet are you on? Even when on insulin, carb input must be controlled to avoid weight gain. How many units of insulin do you inject a day? Can you let us know a bit more and we can see what we might suggest
 
I eat low carb and am on 36 units of lantus a day and 8 units of humalog...
I am coeliac so don't eat a lot of carbs anyway... I drink plenty of water. I don't know what is going on but I am struggling to cope with the diagnosis.. I am so ashamed of my diabetes. I have no support from my husband as he says that millions of people have it and I should just deal... It's not fair... :'-(


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Clarakor said:
I eat low carb and am on 36 units of lantus a day and 8 units of humalog...
I am coeliac so don't eat a lot of carbs anyway... I drink plenty of water. I don't know what is going on but I am struggling to cope with the diagnosis.. I am so ashamed of my diabetes. I have no support from my husband as he says that millions of people have it and I should just deal... It's not fair... :'-(


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No offense, but sounds like you need a new hubby. That is shockingly unfair of him - apologies for sticking my nose in.
 
Clarakor said:
:)
Thanx for your support. I am struggling. I'm depressed and in denial. I keep praying that my diabetes will go away.... I hate it


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I hate to say it, but unfortunately it won't. There are cures in the works but you can't realistically old out for that just yet. It WILL get easier, I promise! The whole testing 6 times a day, every day is daunting at first, but after a while it simply isn't necessary - you get used to your own condition and how to deal with it. Don't do what I did and get complacent by not testing for days. Once you get into a good pattern, you'll find that you won't need to test before and after every meal. I find that testing first thing before driving, and then after lunch/before dinner is enough for me. I'm not a doctor so please don't take it that I'm saying "cut back testing to twice a day". What I'm trying to say is you get used to how your body feels and reacts, and you can usually tell by how you feel what your sugars are doing, albeit not as precise a meter.

I'm new to this site, but not to Type1. This place is great. I've only been a member for a month or so but everyone has been amazingly helpful and very quick to respond. Good luck, and hope you'll keep us up to date :)
 
I think if you just keep doing what your doing you will be fine........

you eat low carbs, your active, which means you will be putting as little insulin as possible, which in turn will help you to not gain weight.....

the water retention is an interesting theory and could very well be what your experiencing.......

I am confident things will feel normal soon......stay strong.....:)
 
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