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Unable to reduce insulin needs

H

Helen s

Member
Messages
6
Type of diabetes
LADA
Treatment type
Insulin
I have been low carbing now for 7/8 months & dispite keeping carbs to less than 25gms per day I just cannot get my insulin needs to go down, I know that I am hugely insulin resistant but to keep my A1c at 50 which is where it currently is I am needing 60u of long acting per day, my fast acting needs are minimal as there are so little carbs in my meals so rarely raise my BS, the insulin is causing weight gain which is then leading to more IR & its just getting so frustrating, I am taking max dose of metformin per day but I am also taking sertraline which is for depression & I know that is notorious for weight gain
I am getting so disheartened as my retinopathy is getting worse rather than better, I have had 7 eye injections this year but with no improvement & have been referred for laser on them,
I have thrown in intermittant fasting but thats doesnt seem to have had an impact & I feel like giving up!
Sorry for the pity party just wondered if anyone has any ideas of what else I can try
 
To lose weight on insulin, I have to count my calories. I recommend myfitnesspal.com I also low carb and find a lot of foods I eat are high in calories, so have to work hard at recording what I eat to lose weight.
 
Hi. Can you let us know what your current BMI is. Insulin itself can't cause weight gain as it's just a hormone that doesn't work that way. It's interesting that your daily carb intake is very low and yet you are gaining weight. Somehow this needs explanation
 
What are you eating? Do you know how to carb count. 25 grams of carbsis unbelievable.
 
Hi It’s such a difficult balancing act, I wonder if other hormones that control your metabolism are out? Cortisol and thyroxine. Have you had these checked? It’s easy for medication to effect these. Hashimotos disease is an autoimmune disease as is Type 1 LADA so it may be worth asking for the TPO antibody test as well as bog standard TSH blood test for your thyroid and I would be asking for cortisol blood test too. Don’t give up, ask the doctor, you are working hard so if no luck with the doctor ask to see an endocrinologist. They are doing phone appointments in my area.
 
@Helen s

A question: Do you monitor your blood sugar level daily (do you have a Libre?)

I occasionally use novorapid for the purpose of bringing my blood sugar levels down, but one has to be very very very careful not to overdose. Libre has enabled me to closely monitor what is happening to my blood sugar levels in those instances (like every 20 to 30 minutes).
 
Thank you for the replies, ok in answer to the above questions
Thyroid checked & normal
had cortisol checked a few times & its been high
yes I know how to count carbs
Yes I have the libre 2
bmi I dont know but I am guessing its high, weigh about 100kg & I should be around 70kg (5ft6in)

I just cant get any weight off or reduce my insulin without my bloods going high, as I understood it insulin does cause weight gain in large amounts as it causes your bodies cells to absorb glucose & large amounts of that glucose that is stored gets converted into fat, have I got that wrong then? I am totally confused
Its like my liver is creating an endless supply of gluccose
 

Can you do exercise - Fast walk for example ( 150 Mins per week)

If you want to improve Insulin sensitivity exercise does it. The more intense the more sensitive, a good fast 1 hour walk can make you about 15-20% more sensitive.

As most type 1 will tell you if we exercise we need to reduce our Insulin as it makes us more sensitive.

If you are on Insulin and you start exercising always take a your Hypo treatment with you . As it will take time to work out what you can reduce by.

I always carry 5 Jelly Baby's in a little bag around while I exercise.
 

Just to chip in (cos we’re pretty similar weight and height!) your BMI is probably about 33 or 34
 
Helen s said:
keeping carbs to less than 25gms per day
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@Helen s Would you like to list what you eat and drink in a day, in case anyone can spot some source of carbs that may be tripping you up and could be eliminated? When I began trying to lower my carbs I made lots of mistakes, which led to much higher bgs than I expected. For example, I thought walnuts were carb-free and whenever I felt unsatisfied at the end of a meal, I would fill up on them. I ate so many that eventually I sickened myself of them. To this day I can't face eating walnuts. So frustrating, when I know they are about the lowest carb nuts and full of nutrients! Another mistake was to substitute grapefruit for oranges. I thought the tart flavour meant low carb. Not so!
 
yes, I can exersise but not intensly as I have compressed/worn out discs in my lower back, I am waiting for an op but thats not likely to happen anytime soon,
food wise this is what I have eaten today

No breakfast just coffee with a a little bit of single cream
Lunch
two slices of plain ham, a boiled egg, some salad lettuce, cucumber, 2 small cherry toms, spring onion & a spoon of mayo
Dinner tonight is chicken breast wrapped in bacon, stuffed with stilton, roasted courgette, cavello nero
I drink around 4 cups of coffee with a dribble of cream
Cold drinks are fizzy/plain water with a squeeze of lemon, rarely have a coke zero more than a couple of times a week

I dont eat pasta, rice, bread, root veg, fruit apart from a few raspberries/strawberries maybe once a week if I have some carbs left

just to add something else into the mix I am 50yrs old so I am guessing menopause hormones may be coming into play although I dont have any of the typical symtoms
 
You certainly are trying hard. How long have been diabetic? The longer you are diabetic on insulin the more insulin resistant you become and your dose needs to be increased just to stand still! Exercise is helpful, but usually takes a few hours to kick in and also increases bs initially - or at least does for me.
Also exercising before breakfast is recommended. Libre 2 is great, but it is a few minutes behind. Watch the trends. I tend to inject extra humalog if my bs goes above 13, supposedly fast acting (but can take up to 30 mins to work for me). I then check my bs quite often as I have lost my warning symptoms.
I'm sure you know all this, sorry. Keep trying, diabetes is very personal and what works for one doesn't always work the same way for someone else. Keep testing a don't give up.
Even after 53 years type 1 I am still learning...
Pat
 
possibly stupid question but - why do you want to reduce your insulin needs? I notice you are a LADA, which I am not, so I may be misunderstanding.

How many times a day do you test your blood sugars, and when?
It may be that you need different insulin. What does your diabetes GP or nurse say? Its strange to have progressive retinopathy with such a relatively low Hba1c. How long have you been a LADA?
 
Diagnosed in 2012 but was on meds for quite a while, diabetic care nurse at surgery just treated me as a type 2 because I was 40 & overweight, it was only when I saw a different GP that he couldnt work out why I wasnt on insulin so reffered me to the diabetic clinic who were horrified that I had been left on basically useless meds for so long, been on insulin now for 5yrs, have toujeo as long acting & fiasp as short acting, the fiasp is supposedly instant working but for me it still takes a good 20/30mins to start working,
as I have the libre I scan myself 14-16 times a days
I am trying to reduce the insulin as I feel that is why I am not losing weight, its all a bit of a vicious circle
 
Helen s said:
I have thrown in intermittant fasting but thats doesnt seem to have had an impact & I feel like giving up!
Click to expand...
What fasting protocol have you applied ? water only ? is this time restricted eating (e.g. eat at least once every 24h) or greater than 24 h water only fast ? do you use restricted time window for eating on other days ?
 
Gemma2 said:
What are you eating? Do you know how to carb count. 25 grams of carbsis unbelievable.
Click to expand...
Several T2's on here have carb counts around 25-30g daily. If we are T2 not on insulin and that is what our body requires to keep BGs normal then that is what we do.
 
zand said:
Several T2's on here have carb counts around 25-30g daily. If we are T2 not on insulin and that is what our body requires to keep BGs normal then that is what we do.
Click to expand...
@zand I have the impression it is more than "several" here who are consuming <30g carbs daily. A survey (of course on a separate thread) would be interesting.
 
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