New member - help needed

[LeeannGibbons]

hi my name is leeann i am a type 1 diabetic i hate having diabetes i think that by taken ma insulin it is making me fat is this true i need help i hate counting ma carbs what do people recomend the total amount of carbs to be 🙂

 

[am64]

hi my name is leeann i am a type 1 diabetic i hate having diabetes i think that by taken ma insulin it is making me fat is this true i need help i hate counting ma carbs what do people recomend the total amount of carbs to be 🙂

hi leeann welcome to the forum i cant really help you as im T2 on meds but some one will im sure ....could admin or mods move this to newbies aswell so leeann doesnt lost xxx good luck xxx

 

[aymes]

Hi Leeann, I've moved this to it's own thread so it doesn't get lost.

Firstly, welcome to the forum, it's a great place to be if you're looking for advice!

A lot of people do find that insulin causes them to gain weight, often the cause can be if you find you have to 'feed' the insulin to avoid hypos.

For me it's not a case of having a reccommended amount of carbs, the amount of carbs I have in a meal can vary between 0g to, very occasionally, over 200g! For me it's more about counting the carbs and injecting the right amount of insulin/getting the time right. Of course others do have different methods and prefer to be more moderated in their carb intake.

What insulins/ regieme are you on?

 

[am64]

Thank you aymes xx🙂

 

[rawtalent]

hi my name is leeann i am a type 1 diabetic i hate having diabetes i think that by taken ma insulin it is making me fat is this true i need help i hate counting ma carbs what do people recomend the total amount of carbs to be 🙂

Hello Leeann,
Welcome to the forum. I have been type 1 a long time. I hope you get to grips with things soon. I don't claim to be an expert but i'm sure you'll get plenty of advice on here. What i'm going to say is only my personal opinion.

Carb counting is not an exact science but i find it very useful to understand the carb amount in foods that i eat regularly ie. bread, fruit, milk, cereals, buscuits, pastries etc.... Don't be afraid to experiment. When you're at home for the day use the time to experiment with things a bit at first; this will give you more confidence.
I was always told to have 60g of carbs with an average lunch or evening meal but what that is made up of is up to you. For example, a 60g lunch could be:

One round of sandwiches and one bag of crisps
One round of sandwiches, one small piece of fruit and one low carb yogurt
A couple of pork pies(36 carbs) plus 2 pieces of fruit

There are many other combinations. The secret is to stick, to start with, to the 60g amount and make sure you check the carbs carefully for what you are eating. Once you have confidence in this, you can experiment a bit more with higher injections for when you wish to eat high carb meals etc...

Do plenty of testing as well, and be aware of the 'curve' of the insulin you are using. So, if you have your short-acting before breakfast at 8am when you have bg of say 6, then, assuming you are having the correct amount of insulin, your levels will start to fall fairly significantly after approx 2 hours. So, test after 1 hr then again after 1.5 hours and you should see your levels dropping. Have a snack before your levels fall to 5-6. say a buscuit or two. Then test again to make sure your levels are stabilizing.

Once you pass the 2 hr time, your levels should remain fairly stable until you inject and eat again at lunchtime. And so it goes on throughout the rest of the day.

Sorry to ramble on.

I wish you luck

 

[Caroline]

Hello and welcome to the forum. Can't offer much advice about insulin as I am T2, but I do find it helpfull to keep comming back and seeing what others have to say. Because we are all different, often someone else will have done something I hadn't thought of. There is a lot of help here, and lot of friendship and understanding.

 

[Steff]

Hi Leeane and welcome to the forum like Caroline i cant offer much advice on insulin in t2 xx

 

[PhilT]

Hi Leeann, welcome to the forum.

 

[am64]

im bumping this, as it isnt in the newbie section....... it is now thank you xxx

 

[Catwoman76]

hi my name is leeann i am a type 1 diabetic i hate having diabetes i think that by taken ma insulin it is making me fat is this true i need help i hate counting ma carbs what do people recomend the total amount of carbs to be 🙂

Hi Leeann I don't know anything about counting carbs, but i have seen it mentioned alot. I have had diabetes for 21 yrs i was told to each sensibly and healthily, which i try to do, and get lots of exercise, i do that and i love to be out and about and walking is great exercise.Is counting carbs a new thing? Sheena

 

[NatB]

Hi Leeann,
I hope you are feeling abit better. It takes time to get the hang of counting carbs but I'm sure you will soon get the hang of it. I've been doing it for a while now and have been on an insulin pump for two years. The beauty of it is that you can adjust it depending on what you eat.
I have days were I don't eat a lot of carbs and then other days were I have quite a lot more. For example if we have a take away.
I am a little heavier than I use to be before I went on insulin but it could be a number of different factors.
Keep at it.
Natb