I have had Type 1 for 10 years and have gained 60 lbs since starting insulin therapy in 2000! My nutritionist gave me little insight by telling me that insulin makes you gain weight, I need to take less. But how, and still get the nutrition I need?
30
Nov 2009
How Can I Lose Weight While Taking Insulin For Type 1 Diabetes?
By 14 Comments
you should be talking to your Dr. to find out if there are additional issue to address while you are trying to live healthy.
Here are a few links that should help: http://www.westerndiabetic.com/article-h…http://diabetes.webmd.com/default.htm
good luck
Hi,
I have the proper answer for your particular case, read on.
Everybody wants to look their best and what better way than to go on a lose weight. Losing weight can be a boring experience but it is important to avoid boredom at all costs. That way you stay focused. The other important thing is to have the drive to lose weight. Go ahead and find something that will motivate you. Visualize yourself succeeding and then actually take action. It is that easy.
So in order to lose weight and look great you need to diet correctly. Do this by eating healthier foods. You may want to cut back your calorie intake but not to the point where you feel out of energy and hungry all the time. To avoid hunger you should eat frequently so that you stay satisfied all day. This technique also boosts your metabolism so that you burn more fat and feel better. Eat clean foods that are not high in fat and sugar. Consume foods like fruit, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, beans, and lean meats.
Start a work out program so that you burn more calories. Try to get at least twenty minutes of exercising in each day. You can also take a day off each week. I find it is easier to Work out during the week days and then take the weekend off. Just start working out slowly and then progress. Once you get in shape it will be much easier to burn off more calories. Dieting to lose weight does not have to be a boring task.
All the best, and do let us know how it goes!
It’s difficult but not impossible.
I am Type 1 and take insulin. So far I have lost 23lbs on weight watchers. As they advocate healthy eating then you can follow that diet easily and just keep an eye on your sugars. You should reduce the insulin you take by 2 or 4 units at a time but you have to be very aware of how you feel as, at the beginning when I first started the diet, I had quite a few hypos. No serious hypos but you need to keep testing and testing your levels regularly (every couple of hours) until you reduce your insulin by enough to stop them happening. You maybe need to do this for a couple of weeks but you’ll get there and it’s well worth it. I now have no hypos at all and am losing weight at a steady rate.
Good luck
I’m a type II insulin dependent diabetic. I have found that,
if I manage my diabetes well, I can gain, lose or stay the
same weight very easily.
The most common form of “insulin abuse” is to eat what
you want and use the insulin to keep the sugar levels
low. This is the fast track to weight gain for a diabetic.
Good luck.
P.S.
The more you weigh, the more insulin you require to
process the sugar. Body size mediates the number
of blood cells requiring insulin. You may want to visit
a diabetic dietitian for recommended foods and
amounts.
Each body behaves differently in different situations, but common thing is taking insulin increases the body weight slightly.
But consider in other ways; due to diabetes you may be strict in you diet and may increase your daily activities. That means low calories and they are burn to full extent so low body weight.
Still consult your doctor and confirm no other complications.
i think your nutritionist may have been wrong, because insulin doesn’t make you gain weight, if it did, then we would all be overweight because our bodies produce insulin naturally. so thats not true. the reason your gaining weight is that diabetics like us can’t diet or take less food if we want to, we have to take the right amount. i had the same problem in the first couple of years, it does make you gain weight, because your old fitness routine doesnt work anymore, seeing as your excerise needs to compensate for more. just try working out some more, but eat exactly what you were instructed to, and most importantly, take the amount of insulin. DONT TAKE LESS. this will make your blood sugar sky rocket and can cause blindness and…well all that other stuff that comes with high blood sugar, i’m not gunna bore you with the details. really, as soon as i joined a basketball team and fitted into a new and harder regime of fitness, all the extra weight came straight off. eat healthily, try and stay away from fats, and exercise, and i promise you the weight’ll come off quickly.
good luck
the best way, actually, is to ask your doctor for the calorie count and a diet sheet for a target weight. You shouldn’t starve your body to lose weight. Being diabetic you will already have a sense of what you can and can’t eat. So maintain that diet and then find an exercise that you can do easily and then do it for a half hour every day. Lift a kilo bag of dried beans or rice or a heavy food can. Do twenty lifts on a side. Ride a bike, or walk stairs, or go around the block. Take it easy and have your quick pack of sugar or a cheese snack for your weak and dizzy moments. If you have one make sure your glucose pen is with you. But basically it’s keeping in mind that quick weight loss may be dangerous to you. Make sure, and ask the doctor.
Follow your Doctor’s advice on Calorie intake, exercise, drink lots of water, eat fresh fruits and vegetables.
I would go to a gym and ask the instructors, they’re trained to help
you with that as good as possible.
Good luck!
Your nutritionist is wrong – Taking insulin does not have to cause weight gain. My son is thin and takes insulin. My son’s diabetes educator has type 1 and is thin, and many of the kids at diabetes camp are not overweight. Are you seeing an endocrinologist? If not, you should be. Consult him/her about your weight concerns. Endo docs deal with all kinds of metabolic disorders and may be able to help you shed the weight.
In general – People with type 1 lose weight just the same as people without – burn more calories than you consume! The trick is to balance activity and insulin to avoid hypoglycemia. That can be a crazy balancing act, but I can tell you that my son has participated in football, baseball, swimming, rowing and weight lifting. He keeps Gatorade beside him in case he gets low and turns down his insulin pump.
It’s a headache, but you have to be aware of calories and fat in your diet, not just carbohydrates. Don’t consume foods with more than 6 grams of fat per serving. Read labels on everything, read the whole label not just the carb amount.
Consider joining Weight Watchers, they have a low carb option. Their method of calorie counting is super easy.
Hi,
You might want to read this book.
Dr. Barnard’s Program for Reversing Diabetes.
The PH Miracle for Diabetes. By Dr. Young
By eating more foods that are low on the Glycemic index, then it might be possible to use less insulin each day, doing what your nutritionist said.
Try eating some oatmeal for breakfast, and add some cinnamon. This should be a meal that slowly changes to blood sugars, and is good for you.
Another hint – what sugar level are you trying to maintain?
What levels are you staying at when you test the sugar levels?
Lets say that you now are staying between 90 and 110, yet if you took 1 less unit of medication, it might go up to say 120 – 140. This is not dangerous, so you might be better off, and able to lose that weight that you wanted to.
There is also a hormone that is made in the liver to bring up blood sugar levels by burning body fats that had been stored previously. I need to get that hormone working – so I can burn up some of the weight that I have gained too! LOL
I don’t know if you are drinking a lot of soft drinks, but I suggest that you give them up forever. The PH of a soft drink is only about 2.5 to 3.0 PH, this is not very good for the body.
I suggest that you read the books, and start to use the tips.
Good Luck!
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