Weight gain ?

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Bobbingbuoy

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Relationship to Diabetes
Type 3c
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Afternoon all,
I’m slowly getting to grips with my type 3c and since being diagnosed in mid February I’ve brought my numbers down from the high 30’s all day every day to now below 11 every day, usually between 5-9 with some peaks and some lower’s each day.
When diagnosed my HBA1c was initially 96 and within 2 weeks went to 138 so I was put on a 6 to 10 ratio of rapid insulin and 6 units of toujeo every evening. The consultant changed my ratio to 4 to 10 within a week as she thought the diabetes team had advised a bit high ratio.
Anyway, I’ve been increasing and increasing to slowly get my bloods down and the last 2 weeks have been good, I’m now having roughly 20-24 units of rapid 3 times a day and 36 units of toujeo every evening.
I lost a stone and a half in January/feb when my bloods were really bad but as they’ve got better I’ve put that weight back on, not only that weight but more and more and more !!!
I’m walking 4-6 miles each night and cycling for a few hours at the weekends. My carbs are roughly 40-50 for breakfast , same for dinner and 40-70grams for tea depending what we have. I don’t feel like I’m overeating ? But the weight is just piling on every single day ?
I’ve read a few posts on here saying Metformin ( which I have 1000mg a day ) Creon ( which I have 75,000 a day ) and insulin’s ( roughly 90-115 units per day ) can have an affect on weight gain ? Do you think it could be the medication or do I just eat too many carbs ? Really getting me down at the moment as it seems tick one box off then another dilemma appears !! Thanks
 
Do you think you are eating more, altogether, than you used to, without realising it?
When I was first diagnosed, I was losing weight because I wasn’t absorbing what I was eating. So much so, that I’d been eating far more than I normally needed, just to try and keep weight on, and that had become my 'new normal'.
When I got insulin, and my body could process what I was eating, I carried on eating the same amount, and put back the excess weight I'd lost…but I then continued. and put even more on.
I had been eating a low carb diet, to try to control my blood glucose, because I was misdiagnosed as Type 2 to start with, because of my age. So it wasn't carb that was causing the weight gain, it was just that I’d got used to nibbling on highly calorific fatty things like nuts and dark chocolate.
Once I took a good look at what I was eating, I realised I was just eating too much for my body size and exercise levels, and set about cutting down on some of the 'snack creep' and my weight stabilised.
 
I don’t think you’re eating a vast amount of carbs @Bobbingbuoy but I’m wondering if you have some insulin resistance? Why were you given the Metformin? What are your actual meal ratios for the insulin - that is, 1 unit of insulin covers what number of grams of carbs for you, eg 1 unit to 10g carbs, 1u to 5g carbs, 1: 3g, 1:15g, etc?

Are you having a lot of hypos requiring extra snacks?
 
Inka said:
I don’t think you’re eating a vast amount of carbs @Bobbingbuoy but I’m wondering if you have some insulin resistance? Why were you given the Metformin? What are your actual meal ratios for the insulin - that is, 1 unit of insulin covers what number of grams of carbs for you, eg 1 unit to 10g carbs, 1u to 5g carbs, 1: 3g, 1:15g, etc?

Are you having a lot of hypos requiring extra snacks?
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Thanks for the reply. I was put on Metformin straight away when diagnosed ( two 500mg tablets per day ) and one toujeo injection of 6 units per night. Within 3 days I was then put on 3 injections of rapid and one of toujeou a day. They put me on a 6:10 ( 6 units rapid per 10 grams of carbs per meal ) and 18 units of toujeo. That’s now increased to 36 units of toujeou and dropped the rapid to 4:10 ( 4 units per 10 carbs per meal ) a day , still with two Metformin 500’s
I’m literally putting on around a pound a day for the last 3 weeks ?
 
So your ratio is 1: 2.5g (1 unit for every 2.5g carbs)? That’s quite a high insulin to carb ratio, if so. I’d keep an eye on that but wouldn’t be too concerned about the weight yet. I’ve had Type 1 30 years but I remember re-gaining weight very quickly after diagnosis. I also remember over-shooting my natural weight. This was because my body thought there was a period of starvation so once it could use the food I ate, it stored extra as fat to protect itself against starvation again. I lost that extra weight gradually and it levelled off to my normal weight.

Just to be sure, have you used something like MyFitnessPal to count calories as well as carbs? That way you’d know for sure you were eating reasonably.
 
A passing thought. If you now have too much insulin all the time, fat burning may never kick in - not even overnight. Have a look at the diagrams on this page for the general idea: https://lowcarbfreshwell.com/going-low-carb/time-restricted-eating/

This article goes into more detail about weigh loss and the role of glucagon in fat burning: https://www.zoeharcombe.com/2021/08/what-should-we-eat/

Your GP/DN should be able help you rebalance your diet and medication, or refer you to a specialist.
 
Last edited:
Bobbingbuoy said:
Afternoon all,
I’m slowly getting to grips with my type 3c and since being diagnosed in mid February I’ve brought my numbers down from the high 30’s all day every day to now below 11 every day, usually between 5-9 with some peaks and some lower’s each day.
When diagnosed my HBA1c was initially 96 and within 2 weeks went to 138 so I was put on a 6 to 10 ratio of rapid insulin and 6 units of toujeo every evening. The consultant changed my ratio to 4 to 10 within a week as she thought the diabetes team had advised a bit high ratio.
Anyway, I’ve been increasing and increasing to slowly get my bloods down and the last 2 weeks have been good, I’m now having roughly 20-24 units of rapid 3 times a day and 36 units of toujeo every evening.
I lost a stone and a half in January/feb when my bloods were really bad but as they’ve got better I’ve put that weight back on, not only that weight but more and more and more !!!
I’m walking 4-6 miles each night and cycling for a few hours at the weekends. My carbs are roughly 40-50 for breakfast , same for dinner and 40-70grams for tea depending what we have. I don’t feel like I’m overeating ? But the weight is just piling on every single day ?
I’ve read a few posts on here saying Metformin ( which I have 1000mg a day ) Creon ( which I have 75,000 a day ) and insulin’s ( roughly 90-115 units per day ) can have an affect on weight gain ? Do you think it could be the medication or do I just eat too many carbs ? Really getting me down at the moment as it seems tick one box off then another dilemma appears !! Thanks
Click to expand...
Type 3 c too. My nurse advised me that if new to insulin you will put weight on as it is a hormone. Secondly the creon is helping your body digest your food so you are getting the more nutrients from your food including fat. So that can add weight. I have gained weight too and I am really intolerant of creon and it’s replacement so struggling with that. I would ask to see a dietician I have and now lost 2 kgs of my weight gain.
 
@Cornetlady, there are at least 4 medications that the NHS has on its list of approved Pancreatic Enzyme Replacement Therapies (PERT). Creon is the one that appears most frequently in this forum, and its name is used as the "standard " generic term for PERT. But there is also Nutrizyme, Pancrex and there was Pancrease 2 yrs ago.

Each is similar in being capsules with broadly the same outcome, but each has a slightly different chemical composition. You ought to be at least offered alternatives by your Surgery and a good Pharmacist may be able to help you with identifying which - particularly knowing that Metformin absolutely doesn't work for you.

Incidentally, insulin is, of course, a hormone. But its a big (and incorrect) intellectual jump to say because its a hormone it automatically causes people to put on weight. If that were true why are there any thin people, diabetic or not? We all need insulin to stay alive.

Hormones are messengers in our complex bodies. Several hormones specifically carry a message to the liver's glucose store to tell the liver to release glucose. Such as Glycagon, Adrenalin and Cortisol. But not insulin. The connection between insulin and weight gain is complex; it does occur in some people. It can happen as rebound from considerable weight loss in the lead in to diabetes symptoms and diagnosis; it can also occur as people wrestle with finding a metabolic equilibrium between food eaten, insulin taken and exercise or activity - hypos necessitate extra carbs in response. I was the other way round, struggling to stop my weight loss as I recovered from major surgery and then chemotherapy - even though my insulin daily total was almost double then, 4 years ago, to what it is today. Steroids can trigger weight gain, but that's another theme.
 
Proud to be erratic said:
@Cornetlady, there are at least 4 medications that the NHS has on its list of approved Pancreatic Enzyme Replacement Therapies (PERT). Creon is the one that appears most frequently in this forum, and its name is used as the "standard " generic term for PERT. But there is also Nutrizyme, Pancrex and there was Pancrease 2 yrs ago.

Each is similar in being capsules with broadly the same outcome, but each has a slightly different chemical composition. You ought to be at least offered alternatives by your Surgery and a good Pharmacist may be able to help you with identifying which - particularly knowing that Metformin absolutely doesn't work for you.

Incidentally, insulin is, of course, a hormone. But its a big (and incorrect) intellectual jump to say because its a hormone it automatically causes people to put on weight. If that were true why are there any thin people, diabetic or not? We all need insulin to stay alive.

Hormones are messengers in our complex bodies. Several hormones specifically carry a message to the liver's glucose store to tell the liver to release glucose. Such as Glycagon, Adrenalin and Cortisol. But not insulin. The connection between insulin and weight gain is complex; it does occur in some people. It can happen as rebound from considerable weight loss in the lead in to diabetes symptoms and diagnosis; it can also occur as people wrestle with finding a metabolic equilibrium between food eaten, insulin taken and exercise or activity - hypos necessitate extra carbs in response. I was the other way round, struggling to stop my weight loss as I recovered from major surgery and then chemotherapy - even though my insulin daily total was almost double then, 4 years ago, to what it is today. Steroids can trigger weight gain, but that's another theme.
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Thank you your reply. I do sometimes wonder if the so called experts even know that we are all different and react to drugs differently?
 
Sorry to hear about the rapidity of your weight gain @Bobbingbuoy

If it’s something that is concerning you, it might be worth making some small tweaks to your menu before too much additional weight has been added above your normal ‘running range’.

I have found my weight to be roughly stable over the course of my diabetes, but in recent years I have needed to adjust my meal sizes a little as they had been gradually creeping up (along with the doses!)
 
Proud to be erratic said:
@Cornetlady, there are at least 4 medications that the NHS has on its list of approved Pancreatic Enzyme Replacement Therapies (PERT). Creon is the one that appears most frequently in this forum, and its name is used as the "standard " generic term for PERT. But there is also Nutrizyme, Pancrex and there was Pancrease 2 yrs ago.

Each is similar in being capsules with broadly the same outcome, but each has a slightly different chemical composition. You ought to be at least offered alternatives by your Surgery and a good Pharmacist may be able to help you with identifying which - particularly knowing that Metformin absolutely doesn't work for you.

Incidentally, insulin is, of course, a hormone. But its a big (and incorrect) intellectual jump to say because its a hormone it automatically causes people to put on weight. If that were true why are there any thin people, diabetic or not? We all need insulin to stay alive.

Hormones are messengers in our complex bodies. Several hormones specifically carry a message to the liver's glucose store to tell the liver to release glucose. Such as Glycagon, Adrenalin and Cortisol. But not insulin. The connection between insulin and weight gain is complex; it does occur in some people. It can happen as rebound from considerable weight loss in the lead in to diabetes symptoms and diagnosis; it can also occur as people wrestle with finding a metabolic equilibrium between food eaten, insulin taken and exercise or activity - hypos necessitate extra carbs in response. I was the other way round, struggling to stop my weight loss as I recovered from major surgery and then chemotherapy - even though my insulin daily total was almost double then, 4 years ago, to what it is today. Steroids can trigger weight gain, but that's another theme.
Click to expand...
Thank you for the very detailed reply
 
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