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Will Going On Insulin Make Me Put on Weight?

Fazza

Fazza

Active Member
Relationship to Diabetes
Type 2
My HbA1c test on last 2 Diabetic Annual Reviews have been borderline to whether I should be on Insulin or not and I've 'failed' my blood test again (not sure by how much this time yet) and have an appointment to discuss the results in 2 weeks time.

During the last 2 annual reviews, Insulin was mentioned several times, basically I think they were trying to mentally prepare me for having to go on it at some point in my life.

Other than having a fear of needles (I get all feint if I see one being injected) my main concern is the possibility of putting on weight due to injecting insulin as this must increase your likelihood of having a heart attack etc. and I've been slowly loosing weight over the years (I used to be very large) and I hate to put on weight and end up like I used to be all those years ago.
 
I have Type 1 so have had to take insulin for over 20 years and have gained no weight over that time.
However, things may be different with type 2. I am sure someone with more knowledge will be along soon.

I understand your concerns about the needles however they are really small - about 4mm - and very thin. The injection mechanism looks more like a pen than a syringe. So it is much less scary than when you have a vaccination. I can honestly say that I barely feel it when I inject.
 
My understanding is that this is a T1 myth. A lot of T1's lose weight before diagnoses, the treatment to keep us alive is insulin, going onto insulin stops the weight loss and being healthier (not slowly dying due to untreated diabetes) means we put on weight.

This is not putting on weight due to insulin, this is maintaining a normal weight.

Not sure if it is different for T2's but I have never heard of insulin increasing someone's weight in a unhealthy way, and I am sure as T2 that medical staff would not suggest something which would put you more at risk of putting on weight.
 
I am heavier now than when I was diagnosed, that is true. OTOH, over 53 years you'd not expect a person to be the same weight really, would you?

(well, I wouldn't, so that's what I mean)

Same thing as ever makes me gain weight - eating too much! Hence, don't do that!
 
I’m type 2 and have been on insulin for nearly two years. In that time I’ve lost 12k by keeping my carb intake low…50-80 gms per day. I only use a very little insulin now… I’ve had to reduce my dosage since the start. I’ve tried to stop using it several times but even on the low carb diet my glucose creeps up. I suspect I’m not making any/enough and am waiting on a referral to an endocrinologist for tests. Best wishes.
 
It's possible as insulin promotes storage of energy via fat and glucose.
In a non-diabetic the various feedback loops mean that just enough is produced and there maybe no insulin resistance (Assuming diet is good!).
In T2 diabetes insulin resistance - muscles and liver - means more energy might get stored as fat than glucose as the fat storage signalling still works. In T2D there can be a feedback loop where weight is gained, more insulin is used, which causes weight gain... a bit of a vicious circle.
 
Thanks for all the answers!

Just to clarify, with regards to putting on weight, I was told that was a risk because insulin could make me hungrier than I currently am meaning I would eat more and the more I eat the heavier I could become meaning I would need more insulin which in turn would increase my appetite more and so on.

The problem I have is that I'm in my (very) late 40s and it's at this point in time when it's more 'normal' for someone to start to develop Type 2 Diabetes - whereas I developed Type 2 Diabetes 25 years ago.

If I had only just developed T2 today in 25 years time (so I'd be in the same state/position as I am in now) I would be 73 so slowly putting on weight due to being on Insulin would be less of a concern as I'd be 10-20 years away from 'pushing up the daises'! Whereas at the moment I am (hopefully) 30-40 years away from the 'end' so putting on even a small amount of weight consistently over that time would have more an affect on my health.

Hope that makes sense and you see what I'm trying to say!
 
I've been on insulin for about ten months and my weight hasn't changed. I don't feel any hungrier and eating a low carb diet means I can keep insulin doses low.
I think a lot of the myths about weight gain come from when fixed doses of mixed insulin were more commonly used, then people would have to eat to the insulin in order to avoid hypos.
 
Lisa65 said:
I think a lot of the myths about weight gain come from when fixed doses of mixed insulin were more commonly used, then people would have to eat to the insulin in order to avoid hypos.
Click to expand...
That was absolutely the case for me.
I found it very difficult to maintain weight on Novomix30 (twice daily mixed insulin), but weight loss became possible once switched to basal/bolus.
 
Thanks once again everyone. I'll wait and see what happens in a week or so's time when my appointment is and take it from there.
 
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