I was at the doctors yesterday, and one of the symptoms I have is a pretty big weight gain (my BMI is still only 21, but I've gained 13lbs ). The doctor asked if I'd been very hungry lately, and said that the main cause of weight gain in type 1 diabetics was excessive hunger because "insulin makes you hungry". Well, I know it makes you hungry if you take too much or go low or have sudden drops, but I didn't think that insulin in and of itself made us hungry. I mean, everyone has insulin in them, whether it's synthetic or produced by their pancreas.. Why would injected insulin make us hungrier, providing control is good? Just wondering if anyone knows if this is true, or why. As it happens I'm eating about half of what I used to and barely have any appetite, so this doesn't really apply to me anyway, but I was curious..
Sounds like under-informed BS to me. Sure, if you'd had a significant amount of lows recently, I could see how "blame the insulin" might come into play, but you're right--everybody's got insulin. He's not advocating ketosis as a weight loss plan, is he??
Not at all, he was just suggesting that the weight gain itself might not be a part of the other symptoms I have - just something associated with the diabetes. I don't need to lose weight, my weight's great right now, I just can't keep putting it on.
"Insulin makes you hungry", in my book, is bogus. However, it "can" lead to weight gain. Using external insulin, the more insulin you use to control your bg levels, the more efficiently glucose is absorbed by the cells and the less glucose that's wasted in your urine. Before, you might have been able to eat more without gaining weight because the body was not utilizing the food as efficiently. As always though... YDMV
Chell's peds endo said the same thing long time ago...Insulin makes you hungry so you eat..you eat, then you take insulin..insulin makes you hungry..oh its viscous cycle... And thats not including eating for the lows.
Yeah, that is what I was thinking.. I'm definitely not hungry that much! But I can see that if this were the case I might think about a low carb diet.
did he check your thyroid? seems like all the women in my family have theirs crap out sooner than later, and gain lots of weight thanx to that.
I'm having a few things tested today, and thyroid is one of them. It's been going downhill for a while now, so that's what my bets are on as well.
I've heard that too, that insulin increases apprtite. I believe it. I also believe that we all need appetite sometimes.
I think Mikker is on to something, but I think there's an interplay with body chemistry that goes beyond just what we're used to considering with diabetes. For example, I've heard that there is a back and forth with insulin and dopamine that encourages people to watch TV and eat carbs and eat carbs and watch TV -- flashing lights signal dopamine production, overproduction of dopamine gets balanced with more insulin production, insulin production creates carb craving. . .I'm sure that's not in itself correct, mostly because of my bad memory, but you get the idea. He may be referring to some process of that kind. Or maybe it's because of the time insulin is in your system as a diabetic, my understanding is that it's only out and about for about 7 seconds in someone without diabetes, could that affect it? Or, maybe he just pulled it out of his ear. . . . Anyway, sorry you're not feeling well. Glad to hear you're on top of it.
