How to lose weight on insulin?

[Jamie's mom]

I'm having such a hard time trying to lose weight.
I just keep gaining since I've been on insulin.
Any tips would be greatly appreciated!

Maura

[Richard157]

Hello Maura. I have the same problem. I gained 57 pounds after starting modern day insulins. I have had Type 1 for 62 years and I used pork insulin for many years, I did not gain weight on that insulin. The weight gain caused me to develop insulin resistance, a symptom of Type 2. I am now a "double diabetic". That is an official term. I started counting carbs more seriously than before. I limited myself tp 150 carbs per day. I bought a treadmill and gradually reached the point where I can walk a mile in 20 minutes with a 7.0 incline. I am 68 so I do not want to push myself further. I had a heart check-up before doing anything streneous. My heart is good. I walked 3 miles per day outdoors this spring, summer and fall. I have lost 26 pounds. I have 31 more pounds to lose. I have found that if I can reduce my insulin intake then I lose weight. By limiting my carbs I am using less insulin. That results in weight loss. I want to lose at least 10 more pounds and then if I cannot lose more I will be satisfied. I have lost 5 inches in my waist. If I was going to try something new then I would count calories as well as carbs. Keeping charts of everything I eat along with all my diabetes information (Testing results, carbs eaten, etc.) helps.

Good luck!

Richard

[Jeff]

Have you considered using Symlin?

[hypercarmona]

I agree with Richard. Smaller portion sizes and fewer starchy carbs and snacks along with exercise helps a great deal. This may be more difficult if you're on an insulin like NPH, which gives you a little less flexibility in eating and exercise than an insulin like Lantus or an insulin pump.

Also, if your dosages aren't fine tuned to what you need, try and get to that point by working with your doctor or CDE. That way you aren't constantly eating to treat lows or correcting to fix highs, which can lead to weight gain.

[Richard157]

Portion control is an important factor. Look at the following site:

http://www.platemethod.com

Richard

[Brensdad]

Have you considered using Symlin?

That's exactly what I was going to suggest. I works by slowing the rate at which your stomach empties after a meal, so it prevents post-meal spikes and keeps you full longer. Beware of post-meal lows.

[Mykia21]

I've been a Type 1 diabetic for 3 years now. Since being diagnosed I've gained 100 pounds. I've tried just about everything out there and nothing has worked for me. Amoung the things I've tried, careful carb counting & exersice, Weight Watchers, Atkins Diet, eating almot nothing for several days, and taking Symlin. Symlin actually made me feel sluggish and horrible the whole time I was taking it. There were times when it would tremendously help my sugar but then most of the time I never knew what my sugar would be after taking it. I would drop extremely low within 20 minutes or skyrocket within 30.
It's stressful and it's extremely hard. When I first started taking insuling the doctors told me there were no side effects. Unfortunately that wasn't true at all.

[Ali]

If your insulin routine and dosages are fairly correct and you eat a daily diet based on the calories you need for the weight you want you should be able to loose weight and keep it off. I have been on insulin for almost forty years and do not find that insulin in and of itself causes weight gain it is usually if you are having to feed the insulin or regularly correct lows that you run into problems. Really get your Dr and dietician to work with you on your insulin and diet routine and you should be able to be at the weight you need. Also have them do a thyroid check to make sure that is not adding to the weight gain. Many type ones have thyroid problems. It is possible that I am wrong about insulin and your particular body but from what I have read and my own experience on insulin if I cut calories I loose weight if I increase calories I gain. After diagnosis I put on the pounds I had lost prior to diagnosis and no more. I was thin before and after. After my first year of college and the "Freshman ten" I lost the weight easily. I also noticed no difference in my eating habits in terms of amount pre and post insulin use or during changes from animal to the new insulins and no weight changes.:)Ali

[LantusFiend]

Type 1 diabetics have a higher rate of both being overweight and underweight, but I don't think it's the insulin. I could be wrong, and I don't really think this has been studied. Has your mood changed your eating habits?

I gained 15 pounds my first month on insulin, and two and a half years later, I'm the same weight (and two inches taller, with a BMI 20.9). Not having insulin certainly made me lose weight, but having insulin doesn't make me overweight.

[Rdixon]

I have been a type 1 diabetic since the age of 4. (I am now 35) I have been using an insulin pump with humalog for the past 9 years. I had always been able to maintain a healthy weight until I hit the age of 30, gaining about 50 lbs in 5 years. I recently joined a gym and started with Nurse Practitioner who specialises in the diabetic weight loss programs, and have started seeing some weight loss. Its slow, but it is coming off. Even when I dropped down to a 1500 calorie diet the weight refused to come off. The nurse I am working with has me on a 1600 cal diet with a good cardio workout daily, plus weight training every other day. Its slow, but at least with the exercise the weight is starting to come off. The hardest thing for me has been learning to regulate the insulin with the increased exercise and limited carb diet. I've lost 12 lbs in the past 6 weeks though, so its worth it.

PS It is the insulin that makes it harder to lose the weight once you've put it on. There are numerous studies you can google for information. My doctor gave me a lot of information on this when I started to get discouraged with the slow weight loss.

[kcard]

I have not had many issues with my weight, other than a plus or minus 5 pounds from where I average. I have used Humalog and now Novolog since they first came out, before that I used beef, pork, whatever. I get my insulin via pump. I find that when I don't workout, I end up with a few extra pounds. Working out requires me to use less insulin throughout the entire day. I always figured I just had a really slow metabolism. I am never humgry, and if I am, it's usually a sign of low blood sugar. I also don't have much experience being a nondiabetic... I've been that way for 40 years. I do know that once you pass the age of 30, unless you exercise, you will have a very difficult time losing weight, but I think that's true for all women, not just diabetics.

[Retired Pancreas]

The amount of your weight when you are losing or gaining weight, is high or low ?
In people with diabetes losing the weight are differently,
It depends on the lost weight , If someone lose his/her weight e.g. twelve kg
does it make problem for his/her health?