Type 1 diabetic & struggling to lose weight

Welcome @Sodge

Have you been able to work out why your BS keeps dropping? When does it drop, eg after meals, in the night, etc?

The only way I could lose weight was to cut back on carbs and cut down alcohol (to zero for 6 weeks and then maximum of 6 or 7 units per week).

That was ten years ago. I've recently been trying to lose weight I put on, after being diagnosed coeliac and going gluten free, and found the weight more difficult to lose. I think that comes down to age - the older we get, the less calories we require.

If you are going hypo when eating less, you should basal test and also check your ratios.

Sodge said:

I am on an insulin pump and each time I try to lose weight I make sure I drop my insulin to the correct levels so I am not over-dosing.

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Are you carb counting on the pump? Are you putting accurate carb counts in for dosing? Have you basal tested?

Please dont assume its your bolus, it could well be that with less food that you will need to amend your basal too.

I would suggest you go back to basics.
Basal test for a couple mornings, then if the mornings are correct, then add in revised food. If go low it is definitely the carb ratio. (Unless you've had to correct).

Then if you are lowering carbs introduce fat/protein but be careful as this can again alter the bloods
....

You probably run at a 50/50 ratio or 60/40 for your basal/bolus currently.
So, if all of a sudden you are cutting your carbs say by 50%, that ratio will be out the window.. which is why you need to look at what your current basal/bolus ratio is and to also monitor that.

Dont give up, you've managed the pump and you can manage it for weightloss too.
If you have introduced some extra activity, for helping weightloss, then this too will have to be managed on your pump.

It is doable.

The only advice as a type 1 diabetic would be to eat things in moderation,make sure you have protein in your diet as well as a bit of carbohydrates.i have been type 1 diabetic for 14 years and it is tough dieting especially when bs go down

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Hi
I lost almost three stone over ten years ago and have kept the weight off ever since. I left my carbs pretty much as they were but drastically reduced the fat content of my diet. I use lucozade for hypos.

Hey @Sodge.

When I'm wanting to drop weight, I eat low carb and do a little intermittent fasting. I'll skip breakfast and eat around 100g of carbs split between lunch and dinner. Note that I don't eat high fat alongside my low carb, this allows me to keep my calories low for the day. No food after 6pm or before noon.

If you find that you need breakfast to keep your BG from rising, then something small like an apple should be enough to tie you over.

I'm not entirely sure about the mechanics behind intermittent fasting - and whether it actually "speeds up metabolism" as it claims. But, what I do know is that eating in a fixed window does make you eat less.

GrantGam said:

Hey @Sodge.

When I'm wanting to drop weight, I eat low carb and do a little intermittent fasting. I'll skip breakfast and eat around 100g of carbs split between lunch and dinner. Note that I don't eat high fat alongside my low carb, this allows me to keep my calories low for the day. No food after 6pm or before noon.

If you find that you need breakfast to keep your BG from rising, then something small like an apple should be enough to tie you over.

I'm not entirely sure about the mechanics behind intermittent fasting - and whether it actually "speeds up metabolism" as it claims. But, what I do know is that eating in a fixed window does make you eat less.

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I agree that a fixed window helps and I find that low carb with occasional and intermittent fasting helps me to avoid putting weight back on - though usually I prefer to leave out lunch rather than breakfast. I correct hypos with the lowest number of glucose tablets that will bring my blood sugar up to an acceptable level: not fun but better than panic-raiding-of-the-larder/fridge for some calorific snack that would send my blood sugar soaring too high in an unpredictable way.

this may not work for everyone - but - when I lost a few kilos, I set myself my target insulin intake, so in my head It was giving less insulin rather than eating less if that makes sense? And this reduced hypos and allowed me to reduce my intake

Your problem sounds like those hypos only, as it seems you are motivated to change your diet and keep up with it. So it simply boils down to pinning down what causes the hypos.

When I started reducing carbs my basal dropped as well, because it triggers changes in your overall metabolism. Thus I agree you may want to consider your basal levels the next time you start a diet. Also maybe don't go cold turkey as this could be dangerous if you have hypos... I would just reduce carbs just significantly enough and figure things down slowly. Then once your basal is double-checked and corrected if necessary, you may want to consider your bolus ratios again.

When figuring out what causes hypos, you should always check your recent history (past 4-5h): did you move more than usual? Did you eat? If you ate it may well be your bolus, but if you are fasting or it's the middle of the night it may be your basal.

Keep in mind that if you eat lots of complex carbs and/or proteins usually, and you stop it during your diet, this may lead to hypos about 3-4h after your meal because their processing is slower. The cause for that could be that you require less bolus to clean the end of your meal. However if you are used to eat complex carbs and proteins at all meal, it may increase your usual BS and you may have compensated for it with the basal in the past, because their slow processing make it look like you need more basal, and removing them may make you go hypo.

Also when you have hypos, you don't need to eat calorific food. I only take juice. It may help your diet more