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Maintaining weight

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Sugarcoated

Well-Known Member
Relationship to Diabetes
Type 2
I have cystic fibrosis & diabetes. Being cf i struggled hard to put/maintain weight which is esential for cf'ers.
Most cf patients with diabetes stick to a normal diet & still eat chocolate, carbs, haribos etc as we are constantly hungry.
I would prefer to go healthy eating to help my diabetes buy also maintain my weight.
Do anyone have good ideas on howto stay low carb but keep energy high & make me fuller for longer. I'm always so so hungry lol.
 
I don't recall any members saying they have CF as well diabetes. Many who low carb also eat normal or high fat, would that be OK for you?
 
It wil be ok. I would just need to increase my enzymes that help me digest fat.
Diabetes is very high in cf. Its just treated differently to non cf diabetes due to our need for calories.
Ours is due to usage of steroids or blocked pancrease from mucus rather than not functioning at all.
 
Sugarcoated said:
It wil be ok. I would just need to increase my enzymes that help me digest fat.
Diabetes is very high in cf. Its just treated differently to non cf diabetes due to our need for calories.
Ours is due to usage of steroids or blocked pancrease from mucus rather than not functioning at all.
Click to expand...
Yes I was aware of the fact that Diabetes is high in people with CF and made me realise I had not seen anyone mention it before. I also knew that the mucos clogging the pancreas was implicated too! I was suprised you are classed as a Type 2, and thought if there is not a specialist sub group for CF that it might be more akin to Type3(pancreatic damage), as they take enzymes too.
 
I could well be type 3. They just say its cfrd & when i had to tell dvla i had started insulin, my diabetic nurse said write type 2. So that what i say.
Tbh, I've never heard of type 3 but i will bring it up at cf/diabetes clinic in April.
 
Ps, i couldn't find any cf/diabetes group & I'm not on Facebook for personal reasons.
 
Sorry feels like i'm posting questions constantly.
I eat wholemeal bread & had once small slice with tuna. Took adequate insulin & 2 hrs later I came down to 8, but half hour later I've now gone upto 13.9. I've only consumed water since.
Does bread do this to others? Maybe i needto cut all breads out.
 
Hi @Sugarcoated do you take a background/basal (slow acting) insulin as well as the one you take with your food?
If you are seeing your blood sugars rise between meals, it could be that you need to adjust your basal insulin.
Some of us do basal tests where we go for a period (up to 8 hours) where we don't eat and try not to do anything that would affect our blood sugars and check that they remain stable with only the basal insulin. This gives us data to adjust the basal dose if the blood sugars go up or down.

Are you carb counting and adjusting your insulin based on what you eat or are you on a fixed dose?
It may be that you did not take enough insulin with your sandwich.

I eat bread and take my insulin without any problems of a second rise.
However, I need to be aware of what I am eating with the bread as fatty foods can delay the absorption of the carbs.

Don't worry about asking questions - we're here to answer. Although it may feel as if we're her to pose more.
 
Last edited:
Thank you for your reply.
I was on long acting (levemuir) but due to having seriously low blood sugars Dr took me off it.
I do carb count. I'm 16.1 in afternoon & 12.1 in evening. They were doses given to me by Dr.
I did my treadmill & its brought it down to 8.
 
Sugarcoated said:
Sorry feels like i'm posting questions constantly.
I eat wholemeal bread & had once small slice with tuna. Took adequate insulin & 2 hrs later I came down to 8, but half hour later I've now gone upto 13.9. I've only consumed water since.
Does bread do this to others? Maybe i needto cut all breads out.
Click to expand...

If you’re trying to maintain your weight, can you not eat two slices of bread? Then just use the appropriate amount of insulin to cover it. Was the bread and tuna all you ate? Are you able to eat things like avocado with your tuna (to add calories) then something like fruit and Greek yoghurt?

Do you have a certain amount of calories you have to eat per day? Do you see a dietician?
 
I do see a dietician unfortunately she is a cf one & just says eat what i want & not to worry about highs, just lows.
But i hate running high. It makes me feel ill & i really want to control my diabetes, not have it control me.
For some reason i can't handle bread.
 
@Sugarcoated - Do you use any dietary supplements, like Fortisip, to help you maintain weight? If so, how often and what time or times of the day are you taking it?

As a person, I can easily lose weight and find myself getting a bit too light/slight, so I have to watch things too - although, thankfully I don't have the challenges CF throws your way.

In order to maintain my weight, or if I dip a bit, put it on, I firstly up my protein a bit, and if I need to do more, I up the fat content. Upping fats isn't about eating butter by the slice, or glugging double cream (unless you fancy that), it can be as simple as choosing fattier cuts f meat, like belly pork, or lamb, and adding a knob of butter to vegetables.

Clearly you will need to test plenty for any dietary changes, to ensure your insulin is balancing things out for you.

Edited to add; If you have real issues with bread, in the course of your life journey, have you ever been screened for coeliac disease? I'm not suggesting you have it (how could I?), but just wondering, bearing in mind your complex medical condition.
 
Sugarcoated said:
I do see a dietician unfortunately she is a cf one & just says eat what i want & not to worry about highs, just lows.
But i hate running high. It makes me feel ill & i really want to control my diabetes, not have it control me.
For some reason i can't handle bread.
Click to expand...

I completely understand why you don’t want to run high. It’s not a nice feeling. I’m not sure how similar my diabetes (Type 1) is to yours but I maintain my weight by eating a balanced diet and taking the appropriate amount of insulin. If you’re carb counting, then you can do that too.

I eat cereal, bread, pasta, rice, fruit, etc etc and know how much insulin I need. I also eat desserts sometimes eg homemade apple crumble. I put a minimal amount of sugar in, have it with custard (again minimal sugar), count the carbs and inject the right amount of insulin.

I eat plenty and my blood sugar control is very good. I’ve had diabetes many years and experience helps a lot and makes choosing food and calculating insulin a lot easier.

If your diabetes is similar to mine, then you will learn how to control it gradually without having to mess with your diet and lose weight. Food isn’t our enemy, and insulin is our friend. Get the insulin right and you’ll control your diabetes rather than it controlling you.
 
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