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Insulin and weight gain

F

Finwiz

Active Member
Relationship to Diabetes
Type 2
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He/Him
On 2 x fast acting and 1 x slow release insulin per day. Started insulin about a year ago. I have put on almost 10kg since then. Sugars are in control and my diet and exercises have not altered.

Is this insulin effect and any way to control the weight? Should I suggest to my DSN to see if part of insulin can be substituted with tablets?
 
Sorry to hear about your weight gain @Finwiz - that must be pretty upsetting for you :(

How are your BGs doing (what were they like before, and how are they doing now that you are on the insulin?)

What insulin is able to do is make the food energy available to your body. So that glucose that you were previously eating that was remaining ‘stuck’ in the bloodstream (causing havoc and potential damage) can be absorbed. So what may be happening is that you are now seeing the weight that relates to your previous food intake - which you were eating before, but couldn’t access. So with insulin you can eat the same menu, but access more calories/energy.

I’ve been on man-made insulin for over 30 years, and I’m still more or less the weight I was when I was diagnosed. So to my mind there’s nothing that independently causes weight gain. My weight has gone up and down over the past 30 years, but that’s always been because of the amount of food I am eating at the time.

Before diagnosis when I had almost no circulating insulin I lost weight, because I couldn’t access the energy in the food (however much I ate). When I started on insulin I regained that wait, but only because I could access the food energy. It wasn’t the insulin acting independently of food.
 
Last edited:
everydayupsanddowns said:
Sorry to hear about your weight gain @Finwiz - that must be pretty upsetting for you :(

How are your BGs doing (what were they like before, and how are they doing now that you are on the insulin?)

What insulin is able to do is make the food energy available to your body. So that glucose that you were previously eating that was remaining ‘stuck’ in the bloodstream (causing havoc and potential damage). So what may be happening is that you are now seeing the weight that relates to your previous food intake - which you were eating before, but couldn’t access. So with insulin you can eat the same menu, but access more calories/energy.

I’ve been on man-made insulin for over 30 years, and I’m still more or less the weight I was when I was diagnosed. So to my mind there’s nothing that independently causes weight gain. My weight has gone up and down over the past 30 years, but that’s always been because of the amount of food I am eating at the time.

Before diagnosis when I had almost no circulating insulin I lost weight, because I couldn’t access the energy in the food. When I started on insulin I regained that wait, but only because I could access the food energy. It wasn’t the insulin acting independently of food.
Click to expand...

Many thanks for this interesting reply. Makes a lot more sense now
 
Hi. Insulin can't itself cause weight gain but enables the body to metabolise carbs. I suspect you are eating too many carbs? Try reducing them and possibly adjusting your insulin in line wit that.
 
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