Weight Gain

[mikee]

Hi all,

Ive had some weight gain since being diagnosed a year ago, and my nurse seems to think its to do with the insulin encouraging this. has anybody else had experience of this?
I feel as if im eating as healthy as i ever had done and have a decent exercise regime.
is the nurse right? or should i be doing something else to keep the weight off? I dont wanna cut any more food out as ill starve! lol

Thanks in advance,

Mike

 

[Caroline]

Not on insulin, but from what others have said, this is a fact.

Talk to your nurse or doctor and ask to see a dietician, and read through the threads here. There are many people who carb count and have some sucess with healthy eating and weight loss.

 

[mikee]

Not on insulin, but from what others have said, this is a fact.

Talk to your nurse or doctor and ask to see a dietician, and read through the threads here. There are many people who carb count and have some sucess with healthy eating and weight loss.

Thanks Caroline, i am due to see my nurse again in a month, and also i have applied for the DAFNE course which hopefully is going ahead in September so this might also help me! 🙂

 

[insulinaddict09]

Hi all,

Ive had some weight gain since being diagnosed a year ago, and my nurse seems to think its to do with the insulin encouraging this. has anybody else had experience of this?
I feel as if im eating as healthy as i ever had done and have a decent exercise regime.
is the nurse right? or should i be doing something else to keep the weight off? I dont wanna cut any more food out as ill starve! lol

Thanks in advance,

Mike

Yes , I know all about the dreaded Insulin weight gain Im affraid 😡 I gained over 2 stone when I first went on Insulin , I was feeding my Insulin though . I have since lost all the weight and a little extra (thank god ) If you like your food but still want to lose weight have you considered a Low Carb diet at all ? I am a Low Carber and I am never hungry , you can still have a good meal without filling up on Carbs , and you would also lose weight or maintain a healthy weight without any depriving yourself. Also I have found that since reducing Carbs I have decreased my Insulin requirements which in turn reduces appetite. I would say that a Low Carb diet is not suitable for everyone as we are all different , but it has worked for me and a few others in reducing sugar levels etc. good luck 🙂

 

[Northerner]

Hi Mikee, like you I have been diagnosed for just over a year, and since Christmas I have gained about 35 pounds. When I was diagnosed I was seriously underweight, so really I am back at the level I was a while back, but I have noticed that I am still gaining weight although at a slower pace. Were you prone to weight gain prior to diagnosis? Do you have many hypos? I ask this because what I found I was doing was taking more than strictly necessary for my meal bolus and then eating biscuits and stuff when I subsequently dropped low. Also, taking insulin by injection does tend to make us hungrier because we're not matching the insulin to the rise in BG levels as a normal pancreas would - pumps are better in this respect as they deliver a slower 'trickle', but still not as good as the real thing!

 

[mikee]

i wouldnt say i was prone to gaining weight but like you i lost a lot of weight before finding out it was because i had become diabetic. i have now got back to my original weight and then some! i have had a few incidents where i have had to eat some biccys and stuff when dropping low, so maybe my insulin is more than i should be taking. ill have to have a chat with the nurse again to try and sort it out but ive got the feeling i will be forever chasing the insulin dosages like many others!
on the note of the low carb diet, i will have to look into that and see how to adjust towards it as it does sound a good idea.

 

[insulinaddict09]

i wouldnt say i was prone to gaining weight but like you i lost a lot of weight before finding out it was because i had become diabetic. i have now got back to my original weight and then some! i have had a few incidents where i have had to eat some biccys and stuff when dropping low, so maybe my insulin is more than i should be taking. ill have to have a chat with the nurse again to try and sort it out but ive got the feeling i will be forever chasing the insulin dosages like many others!
on the note of the low carb diet, i will have to look into that and see how to adjust towards it as it does sound a good idea.

With regards to Low Carbing or restricting Carbs in anyway , I would suggest you start by just reducing gradually, rather than all at once . Maybe just reduce portion sizes of carbs ( potatoes etc) and fill up on other veg , meat etc . Go for Low GI bread and other Low Gi foods too as you will feel fuller for longer, also they are slow release so less likelihood of hypos later. 🙂 If you need any advice or pointers on what to eat when reducing Carbs you can always pop in to the Low Carb thread .

 

[aymes]

It's quite common to gain weight when you go on insulin. I think a lot of it can be down to regaining the weight lost pre diagnosis. Then avoiding and treating lows can be a nightmare too!

 

[rossi_mac]

Before I was diagnosed, I didn't loose too much if any, maybe half a stone. When I saw the doc for the first time he said (quite matter of factly), be careful you're more likely to put weigh on being diabetic! Confused me, I put the half stone back on, but no more, I've always been pretty steady with my weight, and if anything I've lost a little now as I'm snacking less. I guess as ever we're all different.