Welcome to the forum
@Helen Elizabeth
Sorry to hear about your diagnosis, and the weight you have gained
Insulin allows the body to access energy from food that was previously stuck in the bloodstream causing havoc. Insulin insufficiency (eg in T1) can cause rapid weight loss. And starting insulin therapy can put that weight back on.
Are you still taking insulin to manage your blood glucose levels now?
Insulin, food, and weight form a sort of balancing act. Insulin has a reputation in some circles for
causing weight gain, but in my opinion that’s not strictly true. Insulin can facilitate absorption of food energy (that was previously not being absorbed), but the weight that is gained comes from the food. I am roughly the same weight now than I was when I was diagnosed, and I’ve been taking insulin for 30+ years. My weight has gone up, and gone down during that time, but that’s more to do with the amount of food I have been eating, and how active I was at the time.
Insulin doses and carbohydrates in food need to be in balance. So if you are taking larger doses than you need, you can end up ‘feeding’ the insulin to prevent hypos. If your weight is higher than you’d like, you need to try to find a balance of smaller meals and slightly reduces insulin doses, that will allow your weight to gradually reduce to target.
Have you been taught how to carb count?
Which insulin(s) do you take?
