Weight Loss / Toning

[OLVE75]

Diagnosed Type 1 early part of the year. Since been on insulin have gained a bit of unwanted weight and lost body tone.
Been sort of told that subcutaneous fat is needed for injecting as should not inject into muscular regions.
Whenever I exercise for only 15 mins go towards a hypo, so load up on carbs taking blood glucose to about 16 / 17 and don't inject, can then get a good session in.
People have told me to put my T1D above body image, but seem to be able to keep toned and weight off when I don't inject although my levels are high....

 

[Inka]

Persistently high blood sugar levels can cause damage to your eyes, kidneys and blood vessels @OLVE75 so running high on purpose is never a good idea.

You’ve only been diagnosed a short time. I found I put back on the weight I lost prior to diagnosis plus a bit more initially. However, that extra weight disappeared. It’s just your body overcompensating after a period of starvation. It will settle down.

What insulins are you on? When are you exercising?

 

[helli]

Whilst subcutaneous fat is needed for injecting, that does not mean you cannot have body tone unless you are looking for a Mr (or Ms) Universe type physique.
I have had Type 1 for over 20 years and am slim with some muscle tone but still able to find areas with sufficient fat for injection but not gained weight since my diagnosis.

I find the concept "exercise for x minutes and always hypo" is a simplistic viewpoint. For me, it depends on the type of exercise. My main activities are
- Walking - unless it is a full on hike up and down hills, my BG is not affected much
- Spin class - my BG will plummet if I am not prepared.
- Climbing - my BG will rocket if I am not prepared
- Cardio in the gym - BG down
- Resistance/weight training - BG up

As a result, preparation is key. For me this is a starting point of no active fast acting insulin "on board" - so no bolus in the last 4 hours.
I am now using a pump so I am also able to adjust my basal.
Before the pump, it was about counteracting the affect of the activity
- if the activity causes a low, eat carbs just before starting. I cannot exercise when my BG is higher than 10 - I just feel too lethargic and exercise adds extra strain which pushes my BG up. But if my BG was, say, 7 and I ate about 15g of slow acting carbs about 15 minutes before I started, it would hold my BG steady for a Spin class. For longer activities such as a 4 hour hike, I maintain my BG throughout the walk with very dilute juice in my water bottle.
- if the activity causes a high, taking insulin just as I start. With climbing I would calculate a bolus dose that would cause a hypo without the exercise but my climbing liver dump stops that.
- if possible, I would combine exercise: use weights to raise my BG followed by the treadmill to lower it on a gym workout

It takes trial and error but should be possible.

 

[OLVE75]

Thanks for the replies. It's early days I know, but I'm not a very patient person tbh and want to do everything as prior to diagnosis. Think part of the issues with this, is that there is so much to learn and understand and health care teams don't have the time to offer micro support..so I just end up reverting back to life before diagnosis, as then I can just be normal. Not really accepted the diagnosis and have a bit if a bad attitude towards it as well. It seems like that it's "You have Type 1 Diabetes, here's your insulin, go away and learn".
Is it just me or is there no individual needs or help available from DSNs / Dietitian?

 

[OLVE75]

Even stopped sharing my CGM info with hospital DSNs as no real advise or support tailored to it. So thought what's the point..

 

[Inka]

Thanks for the replies. It's early days I know, but I'm not a very patient person tbh and want to do everything as prior to diagnosis. Think part of the issues with this, is that there is so much to learn and understand and health care teams don't have the time to offer micro support..so I just end up reverting back to life before diagnosis, as then I can just be normal. Not really accepted the diagnosis and have a bit if a bad attitude towards it as well. It seems like that it's "You have Type 1 Diabetes, here's your insulin, go away and learn".
Is it just me or is there no individual needs or help available from DSNs / Dietitian?

It’s overwhelming to start with @OLVE75 but it does gradually get easier. The first 6 months are mad, then once you get to a year, you feel you have your feet more.

Have you got the two books about Type 1 often recommended here? Think Like A Pancreas and the Ragnar one?

 

[HayleyR]

Hi @OLVE75 I lost a load of weight before being diagnosed and I'm a slim build. It took a while to put some weight back on . I took Metformin for a while but then it became evident that I needed insulin. I then actually put on more weight which disappeared after a while once my body got used to the insulin. I regularly exercise and am lucky to have a Nuffield Gym in my workplace where there's a brilliant instructor. Classes vary from Spin (levels definitely drop later on), cardio, bootcamp and weight-based training. You can certainly get more toned depending on what exercises you do. Out of interest, do you wear a sensor? Also, what size pen needles do you use, I use 4mm which I find easy to use as far as pinching a little skin for injecting 🙂

 

[Inka]

Here we are, if not. These are the books often recommended for Type 1s on this forum:

Think Like a Pancreas’ by Gary Scheiner.

And Type 1 Diabetes in Children Adolescents and Young People by Ragnar Hanas (ignore the title - great for adults too)

Think Like A Pancreas is American but I liked the chatty style and it contains some great information, as does the Ragnar Hanas book. They’re books to read over time and to refer to. Type 1 is a huge learning experience. Take things slowly.

 

[HayleyR]

I agree with Inka, it does get easier with time, but some much to take in at the beginning!

 

[OLVE75]

Persistently high blood sugar levels can cause damage to your eyes, kidneys and blood vessels @OLVE75 so running high on purpose is never a good idea.

You’ve only been diagnosed a short time. I found I put back on the weight I lost prior to diagnosis plus a bit more initially. However, that extra weight disappeared. It’s just your body overcompensating after a period of starvation. It will settle down.

What insulins are you on? When are you exercising?

I use Lantus (long acting) and TruRapi.
Used to exercise for at least 3 hours most nights, and that's what I'm still trying to do..
Before diagnosis, I was fine. My Type 1 Diagnosis came as a result of a random HBA1C which was high followed by Autoimmune blood tests due to body composition which were positive. Put on insulin and the trouble starts!

 

[Inka]

So that’s good news - that your Type 1 was spotted early. By the time mine was diagnosed, I was quite ill and was admitted to hospital for 5 days. However, your body, unknown to you, will still have been struggling and on high alert.

You could ask to try a different basal insulin instead of Lantus. That might give you more flexibility.

Insulin is a life-saver - literally! Before insulin was discovered and purified, Type 1 was a terminal illness. I know it’s still a pain, but when I feel down I think about that. The insulin you’re injecting is just replacing that which your body can no longer make. I’ve been on insulin 30+ years and I’m very slim and eat lots. Give it time.

 

[OLVE75]

Hi @OLVE75 I lost a load of weight before being diagnosed and I'm a slim build. It took a while to put some weight back on . I took Metformin for a while but then it became evident that I needed insulin. I then actually put on more weight which disappeared after a while once my body got used to the insulin. I regularly exercise and am lucky to have a Nuffield Gym in my workplace where there's a brilliant instructor. Classes vary from Spin (levels definitely drop later on), cardio, bootcamp and weight-based training. You can certainly get more toned depending on what exercises you do. Out of interest, do you wear a sensor? Also, what size pen needles do you use, I use 4mm which I find easy to use as far as pinching a little skin for injecting 🙂

I use Nuffield Gym myself and have a PT there who has done a study on T1D and exercise who has offered his help (at substantial cost!!) I use a Libre Sensor and also have 4mm needles, although they continually hurt when injecting..
Health care team sort of suggested that I should get on top of T1D then re introduce exercise..but surely then you need to burn off what you have gained to get back to where you want to be.

 

[HayleyR]

I’ve had diabetes for over 30 years so can’t remember everything in detail but I’m pretty certain at the time that I was stressed about putting on weight but didn’t go overboard with exercise, my weight just went back to normal which I was very relieved about , That’s a shame you find the 4mm needles painful, do you pinch your skin?

 

[helli]

have 4mm needles, although they continually hurt when injecting..

What kind of pain do you get?
I ask because it could be the needles or it could be the insulin.
As I am slim, I always need to pinch to avoid pain when injecting. I understand this is due to the need to inject into fat. Where I have less fat, pinching kind of “gathers it up”.
We also find that some needles “glide” smoother than others. Some of the cheaper needles do not go in as smoothly so the “judder” can hurt.
Alternatively, it could be the insulin if the pain is stinging as the insulin goes in. Do you get the pain with both Lantus and Trurapi?

If you are pinching, I recommend requesting different needles to try and, if that does not help, request different insulin - there are multiple to try.