type 1 trying to lose weight...any thoughts?

[megan]

hi,

I have had type 1 for many years. recently I went on to levemir and am now on 18:18 split. I am on 1.5u/10g novorapid.

I have gained weight over the last few years with little success in weight loss. it only tends to go under extreme sickness.
but this year I have gained 1 1/2 stone. it has been suggested that the under by 25 thyroxine tablets I am on may have made a difference. so now the dose has be increased
it was also suggested that its down to the prozac I have been on for the time the weight has increased. i have decreased that to one tablet every other day.
so now I have cut out the big carbs the last week. lived on salads and fruit...and hey guess what.......NO WEIGHT LOSS!!!!!!

so i am banging my head against a brick wall. pretty down about it because this weight is so uncomfortable. I had hoped to run in my childrens sports race..... I walk and cycle every where and take extra walks. I am very active......I am gutted about the weight..
am going to my GP.....but what do you do?

I remember reading about metformin and olistat years ago but whats done now for type 1's who cannot lose the weight?

my diabetologist did suggest medication but nothing further was said and I'm not sure what I need to be asking for ?

any thoughts pleeeeease???!!!
:?: :cry:

 

[sugarless sue]

Hi Megan,these are what are recommended for type 2 I'm not sure about type 1's.

(Orlistat, Reductil, Xenical)if you decide to go done the road of tablets.

 

[cberty]

Hi Megan,
I'm Type 1 and maintain my weight and my blood sugars through low carb diet. If I eat high carb, then I gradually need to increase my insulin. This makes me fatter and then my blood pressure goes up. So, through trial and error, I reduced my carb intake and now am on tiny doses of insulin.
If you look on this site (look up Fergus's previous posts on low carb) there are many posts about low carb diets. It definitely works for me, although other may not agree.
Good luck and let us know how you get on. If you do decide to try low carb, you might also want to look up Dr Richard Bernstein on the web. I have his book and it's excellent.
Best wishes,
Claudia

 

[LittleSue]

I suspect reducing carbs gradually over time might be better than sudden reduction, in case your body thinks you're starving and adjusts metabolism and/or become more sensitive to carbs, resulting in yoyo effect like other crash diets.

Would be a shame if low-carb caused such sensitivity that control becomes problematic. I have in mind my ex-hubby's intolerance of cow's milk. After years of tolerating milk OR cheese OR icecream each day (but not more than one) he started avoiding it completely. Got so sensitive that now if a contaminated teaspoon or cup touches his drink (eg used by someone else and not thoroughly scrubbed afterwards) he's on the loo for 3 days! As a result cannot eat/drink anything he hasn't shepherded to from shop to plate himself. As well as having to give up his favourite foods, cheese and icecream, big decrease in QoL.

Sue

 

[fergus]

Hi Megan,

Don't give up! Firstly, your body will take a little time to adjust to eating fewer carbohydrates. One week really isn't enough to see the weight loss begin. It's not unusual for weight actually to increase a little to begin with!
The crucial aspect is insulin. I think there's a direct relationship between insulin levels and weight. Have you reduced your dose at all since you avoided the 'big carbs'? As the guys have said, many fruits are very high in carbohydrate so if you eat more of those to compensate for the bread, spuds, pasta and rice you'll only go round in circles.
Salads are good, by anyone's standards, but you might try replacing the fruit with meat, fish, eggs, cheese, nuts etc. Careful, you WILL need less insulin, so make these changes in small stages and test to see the effect on your blood sugar readings.

Good luck, and keep us posted.

All the best,

fergus

 

[totsy]

hya,
prozac doesnt itself normally cause weight gain,if weight gain occurs its usually with overeating as prozac can cause hunger,
thyoid meds dont cause weight gain ,but if you arent on the right dose e.g not enough ..you can put weight on
prozac can cause high blood sugar and thyroxine can cause low ,being both diabetic and having a under active thyroid can cause unstable diabetes
hope this helps and basically weight loss will happen if u follow the above messages on diet and exercise, i have lost 3 stone in a year eating properly and exercising as much as possible so good luck

 

[Geoff]

Hi Megan, you said that you have just started on Levmir, what were you on before, was it lantus? Lantus as a basal insulin tends to increase weight in most people because it stimulates your appetite, where Levemir does the reverse. When I started on Levemir, just over a year ago, keeping to the same diet, I lost over 4kg's in as many months.

The changeover period from Lantus to Levemir can take several weeks, so give it a chance before any other big changes.