Weight increase!!!

[SueJB]

Hi everyone,
More help needed please. I was diagnosed with T1 in Aug and since then I've put on 7k that's about 1st. I'm only 5ft so it's made a big blobby difference. I'm now 57.3k about 9st
My diet hasn't changed dramatically in fact I eat fewer carbs and less of nature's sweeties, no more bananas, no grapes, an apple is a treat. So the question is, why the increase and any suggestions to shift it?

 

[EllieM]

Are you getting a lot of hypos? My gut feeling is that you may need to reduce your basal insulin....

 

[SueJB]

Are you getting a lot of hypos? My gut feeling is that you may need to reduce your basal insulin....

Hi I probably get 1 hypo a fortnight but don't know I'm in a hypo state unless I just happen to test. I don't go funny or have any symptoms. My basal insulin, Levemir is I think quite low 5units twice a day

 

[DCUKMod]

Hi everyone,
More help needed please. I was diagnosed with T1 in Aug and since then I've put on 7k that's about 1st. I'm only 5ft so it's made a big blobby difference. I'm now 57.3k about 9st
My diet hasn't changed dramatically in fact I eat fewer carbs and less of nature's sweeties, no more bananas, no grapes, an apple is a treat. So the question is, why the increase and any suggestions to shift it?

Did you lose weight prior to diagnosis? Many newly diagnosed T1s find they regain weight lost leading up to diagnosis, rather than strictly extra weight.

 

[SueJB]

Did you lose weight prior to diagnosis? Many newly diagnosed T1s find they regain weight lost leading up to diagnosis, rather than strictly extra weight.

Hi, I'd been dieting and trying to lose weight for 2 years before diagnosis and over that time lost 17k. I was overweight, 67k for my height was very blobby. Now I've put on 7k and fear the rest is going to creep on regardless!!

 

[DCUKMod]

Hi, I'd been dieting and trying to lose weight for 2 years before diagnosis and over that time lost 17k. I was overweight, 67k for my height was very blobby. Now I've put on 7k and fear the rest is going to creep on regardless!!

How rapid is your weight gain?

(For the record, I'm just asking what I hope will be useful questions for folks more able to address your T1 concerns.)

 

[SueJB]

How rapid is your weight gain?

(For the record, I'm just asking what I hope will be useful questions for folks more able to address your T1 concerns.)

Hi, no prob with the question if it helps others that's great. The 7kilos went on since Aug 2017 so that's about 20 weeks. I still consider myself as a newbie. There's a mass of things I don't know and/or don't understand!!

 

[Kristin251]

Are you on a basal bolus regimine or just basal?

I had lost over 20#’s pre DX and I was WAY too skinny. Once on insulin I gained the 20#’s back within two months but I needed to.
At DX they told me to eat 20 carbs per meal. I used sweet potato but I was always tired and bloated to I went back to my 20 c or less per day, cut insulin way back and the weight gain stopped right where it left off pre DX.

I am not telling you to cut carbs but in my case I am VERY carb sensative and they pack pounds on me. It’s not the insulin that causes weight gain but rather the food we put in our mouths. For me I need to be low carb higher ( not super high) fat but others do well with more carbs.

Excess protein can cause weight gain as well as excess fat. It’s a matter of balancing your macros right.

Do you get hungry?

 

[TheBigNewt]

Weight gain is from calories, not carbs, not fat, not protein. Calories, which requires insulin in Type 1 diabetics in order for the glucose to enter our cells. Most of the nutrients are converted to glucose. So if you have no insulin you lose weight, you sort of "pee out" the glucose and make ketone bodies in the body's attempt to compensate for the lack of insulin. Once you start taking shots of insulin then your weight will depend on caloric intake combined with adequate insulin intake. The big rage/fad is "low carbs" but that's an attempt to normalize blood sugar mostly in Type 2 diabetics who actually have excess insulin levels but their insulin is not effective in lowering blood sugars. For us the carbs eaten may influence how much bolus we take to effect normoglycemia, but total insulin taken per day probably has more to do with weight than anything else (assuming you don't get low a lot).

 

[SueJB]

Are you on a basal bolus regimine or just basal?

I had lost over 20#’s pre DX and I was WAY too skinny. Once on insulin I gained the 20#’s back within two months but I needed to.
At DX they told me to eat 20 carbs per meal. I used sweet potato but I was always tired and bloated to I went back to my 20 c or less per day, cut insulin way back and the weight gain stopped right where it left off pre DX.

I am not telling you to cut carbs but in my case I am VERY carb sensative and they pack pounds on me. It’s not the insulin that causes weight gain but rather the food we put in our mouths. For me I need to be low carb higher ( not super high) fat but others do well with more carbs.

Excess protein can cause weight gain as well as excess fat. It’s a matter of balancing your macros right.

Do you get hungry?

I'm basal/bolus. I was a bit too skinny when diagnosed but I don't want to go back to being overweight. I can't see where I could cut any more carbs

 

[Kristin251]

I'm basal/bolus. I was a bit too skinny when diagnosed but I don't want to go back to being overweight. I can't see where I could cut any more carbs

How many would you say you eat a day? LCHF is also NOT high protein.
I completely understand not wanting to gain more. Fortunately for me my gain stopped right where I left off before being sick. I’ve been this weight for about 25 years. That being said, I have been vlc that long as well. I started the Atkins inducrtion 25 years ago and never looked back. I’ve only been T1 for 3.5 years.
My entire system thrives on vlc, it just my weight.

What does a typical days meal plan look like for you?

 

[SueJB]

Weight gain is from calories, not carbs, not fat, not protein. Calories, which requires insulin in Type 1 diabetics in order for the glucose to enter our cells. Most of the nutrients are converted to glucose. So if you have no insulin you lose weight, you sort of "pee out" the glucose and make ketone bodies in the body's attempt to compensate for the lack of insulin. Once you start taking shots of insulin then your weight will depend on caloric intake combined with adequate insulin intake. The big rage/fad is "low carbs" but that's an attempt to normalize blood sugar mostly in Type 2 diabetics who actually have excess insulin levels but their insulin is not effective in lowering blood sugars. For us the carbs eaten may influence how much bolus we take to effect normoglycemia, but total insulin taken per day probably has more to do with weight than anything else (assuming you don't get low a lot).

Well that was a lot of info to read and take on board and I'm not quite sure what the main thrust of it is. Let me check
You're basically saying that if more calories are ingested than needed, you gain weight and that it's got sod all to do with carbs as all food contains a certain number. Better to have low carb to keep blood glucose levels down right?. and by doing that you require less insulin.
Quote " if you have no insulin you lose weight, you sort of "pee out" the glucose and make ketone bodies in the body's attempt to compensate for the lack of insulin. " and isn't that likely to result in ketoacidosis which is why I was sent to hospital in the first place

 

[SueJB]

How many would you say you eat a day? LCHF is also NOT high protein.
I completely understand not wanting to gain more. Fortunately for me my gain stopped right where I left off before being sick. I’ve been this weight for about 25 years. That being said, I have been vlc that long as well. I started the Atkins inducrtion 25 years ago and never looked back. I’ve only been T1 for 3.5 years.
My entire system thrives on vlc, it just my weight.

What does a typical days meal plan look like for you?

I eat somewhere between 40-70gs a day on average. Sometimes it's a lot less, sometimes a tadge more.
Typicalish day:
Brekkie black coffee, sweetners. Ryvita +cream cheese
lunch, veg soup or ham and cheese or some kind of egg (no bread)
supper meat or fish with veg (no spuds or rice)
evening, might sneak in a piece of fruit or some berries and a glass of wine

 

[SueJB]

Are you on a basal bolus regimine or just basal?

I had lost over 20#’s pre DX and I was WAY too skinny. Once on insulin I gained the 20#’s back within two months but I needed to.
At DX they told me to eat 20 carbs per meal. I used sweet potato but I was always tired and bloated to I went back to my 20 c or less per day, cut insulin way back and the weight gain stopped right where it left off pre DX.

I am not telling you to cut carbs but in my case I am VERY carb sensative and they pack pounds on me. It’s not the insulin that causes weight gain but rather the food we put in our mouths. For me I need to be low carb higher ( not super high) fat but others do well with more carbs.

Excess protein can cause weight gain as well as excess fat. It’s a matter of balancing your macros right.

Do you get hungry?

I'm always hungry mid morning and mid afternoon. Sorry but what are my macros?

 

[Kristin251]

I eat somewhere between 40-70gs a day on average. Sometimes it's a lot less, sometimes a tadge more.
Typicalish day:
Brekkie black coffee, sweetners. Ryvita +cream cheese
lunch, veg soup or ham and cheese or some kind of egg (no bread)
supper meat or fish with veg (no spuds or rice)
evening, might sneak in a piece of fruit or some berries and a glass of wine

Macros are macronutrients. Fat protein and carbs. My diet is 80% fat, 15% protein and 5% carbs. This is where I feel best.
Looking at your meal plan I’m thinking there’s not enough fat.
I would be ravenous with your bf with sweetener and the ryvita. Cream cheese is fine/ good. Can you pit the cream cheese on celery instead of grains? And / or add avocado to meals ? I eat one a day divided into all meals. Are you using any butter or oils in your soup, on your eggs? Do you eat any nuts? Macadamia and pecans are low carb and a good source of fat.
Seriously, I would be starving without enough fat and this is where my avocado comes in. Lots of healthy fat and fiber to keep things low and slow. Avo is actually great chunked into soup after it’s cooked. Great smashed into egg salad and even great just a wedge on the side of any meal. Is there protein or fat in your soup? Or at your dinner? I’m just seein lack of fat. Low carb and low fat equals hunger. I’m not saying gob it, just use it. My main fats are an avo a day, Macs and pecans , a little cheese and EVOO. Olives too
I drink broth in the morning with a little ghee/ butter and sea salt. Staves off late morning hunger. If I’m hungry I’ll have a few nuts. I don’t need insulin for broth or nuts.

I disagree with calories in calories out. If I ate two pieces of bread a day and that’s it I’d gain 20#’s in a week but if I lived off fat and protein I’d never gain.

 

[TheBigNewt]

Well that was a lot of info to read and take on board and I'm not quite sure what the main thrust of it is. Let me check
You're basically saying that if more calories are ingested than needed, you gain weight and that it's got sod all to do with carbs as all food contains a certain number. Better to have low carb to keep blood glucose levels down right?. and by doing that you require less insulin.
Quote " if you have no insulin you lose weight, you sort of "pee out" the glucose and make ketone bodies in the body's attempt to compensate for the lack of insulin. " and isn't that likely to result in ketoacidosis which is why I was sent to hospital in the first place

Yes that's DKA which obviously you don't have. But assuming we all take more of less the right amount of insulin we're no different than non diabetics: more calories=more weight. Doesn't matter what the calories consist of, fat, protein, carbs, whatever. All foods don't contain carbs, but they are eventually mostly converted to glucose (not counting EFA's and some amino acids, but that's chump change in the big picture). Theoretically if your total daily insulin stays the same your weight would stay the same, but that's not etched in stone IMO.

 

[Resurgam]

I lived with the less calories mean weightloss mantra for decades - never worked for me - fewer carbs rapid weightloss - so fast I had to increase them to slow it down. Weight just fell off.
When I reduce calories I also reduce energy, go white as a sheet, can't think straight, reaction time slows down.
When I reduce carbs I am full of energy, my usual rather pink colour, and my brain is active and alert.
It has been the same all my adult life, from when I was 10.5 stone, with a 24 inch waist an hour glass figure and muscles.

 

[SueJB]

Macros are macronutrients. Fat protein and carbs. My diet is 80% fat, 15% protein and 5% carbs. This is where I feel best.
Looking at your meal plan I’m thinking there’s not enough fat.
I would be ravenous with your bf with sweetener and the ryvita. Cream cheese is fine/ good. Can you pit the cream cheese on celery instead of grains? And / or add avocado to meals ? I eat one a day divided into all meals. Are you using any butter or oils in your soup, on your eggs? Do you eat any nuts? Macadamia and pecans are low carb and a good source of fat.
Seriously, I would be starving without enough fat and this is where my avocado comes in. Lots of healthy fat and fiber to keep things low and slow. Avo is actually great chunked into soup after it’s cooked. Great smashed into egg salad and even great just a wedge on the side of any meal. Is there protein or fat in your soup? Or at your dinner? I’m just seein lack of fat. Low carb and low fat equals hunger. I’m not saying gob it, just use it. My main fats are an avo a day, Macs and pecans , a little cheese and EVOO. Olives too
I drink broth in the morning with a little ghee/ butter and sea salt. Staves off late morning hunger. If I’m hungry I’ll have a few nuts. I don’t need insulin for broth or nuts.

I disagree with calories in calories out. If I ate two pieces of bread a day and that’s it I’d gain 20#’s in a week but if I lived off fat and protein I’d never gain.

Wow, very informative but very worriedto eat so much fat. 2 things spring to mind. Cholesterol and high calories. I don't eat nuts, not overly fond of avocados. There's sometimes a bit of meat in the soup but defo no fat except for a little olive oil to start the process. How do you know the ratio of fat to carbs to protein please?

 

[TheBigNewt]

Wow, very informative but very worriedto eat so much fat. 2 things spring to mind. Cholesterol and high calories. I don't eat nuts, not overly fond of avocados. There's sometimes a bit of meat in the soup but defo no fat except for a little olive oil to start the process. How do you know the ratio of fat to carbs to protein please?

It's on the nutritional info label of the food. Or go by calories: 1 gram carbs or protein=4 calories. 1 gram fat=9 calories. That's why fats are semi dangerous: for the same weight they have over twice as many calories. Get out of control with fatty foods and you start looking like Porky Pig. And fat in foods is cheap too. One reason something like 30-40% of Americans are considered obese and we have rocketing rates of Type 2 diabetes. Those people ain't binging on V8 juice either.

 

[SueJB]

It's on the nutritional info label of the food. Or go by calories: 1 gram carbs or protein=4 calories. 1 gram fat=9 calories. That's why fats are semi dangerous: for the same weight they have over twice as many calories. Get out of control with fatty foods and you start looking like Porky Pig. And fat in foods is cheap too. One reason something like 30-40% of Americans are considered obese and we have rocketing rates of Type 2 diabetes. Those people ain't binging on V8 juice either.

Thanks. I read the labels a lot. I feel I'm getting contradictory information really about this. I don't count calories as the main point of my diet but make sure my carbs are low. I tend to keep to eating 1000 cals a day. Again, I'm not sure what your main idea is and what info you're trying to put across