Type 1 Diabetes

[myatt60]

Any help for an obese type 1 diabetic trying to lose weight - a Newbie.

[lucigret]

Good evening myatt60,

I would suggest that you have a read of the two links that I have given you here

healthunlocked.com/weight-l...

dietdoctor.com/diabetes/type-1

All of there information that you need to navigate the forum is here in Pinned Posts

healthunlocked.com/weight-l...

Please take the time to read the Welcome Newbie post, there is a lot of information there to help you.

You will see that we have events, clubs and challenges for you to take part in and recommend that you at least join a Weigh In day of your choice and the Daily Diary.

If you have not taken it already, here is the link to the tour of the forum.

healthunlocked.com/?tour=true

Participation is key to success, we all benefit from encouragement and support. By joining in you will build friendships with like minded people and find plenty of inspiration along the way

Wishing you all the best on your weight loss journey

[myatt60 in reply to lucigret]

Very helpful- thank you

[Activity2004 Visitor]

Hi myatt60 ,

Welcome to the group.

I'm a person who has Type 1 Diabetes and I personally count carbs. and eat a low carb. high protein and gluten free diet along with using two types of insulin and a Continuous Glucose Monitoring system (CGM) so that I can control the blood sugars from going too high or too low during the day and while I sleep at night. This helps me keep the bloods even through out the day.

Here's a free leaflet dealing with Diabetes and eating a healthy diet from the DRWF group's website and page: drwf.org.uk/understanding-d...

DRWF on HU: healthunlocked.com/drwfdiab...

I hope this helps.

[myatt60 in reply to Activity2004]

Thank you so much

[Activity2004 Visitor in reply to myatt60]

You're welcome! If you have any questions, please feel free to go ahead and ask anytime.

[myatt60 in reply to Activity2004]

i’ve been a diabetic for 50 years. Do you have diabetes?

[myatt60 in reply to Activity2004]

i’ve been a diabetic since i was 9 - fifty years ago. Do you have diabetes?

[Activity2004 Visitor in reply to myatt60]

I have type 1 Diabetes.

[TheAwfulToad Visitor]

First thing to be aware of is that you're going to need to do this in consultation with your doctor, because the key to losing weight is reducing your insulin dose to a sensible minimum.

Everyone with T1D needs to take a certain amount of insulin, for two reasons:

· Insulin has many roles in the body - activating glucose transport is only one of them.

· All people with T1D - those of them who survive beyond birth - are still producing glucagon, which, if not balanced by insulin, would cause a catastrophic cascade of excess energy production from internal storage, ultimately resulting in hyperglycemia, diabetic ketoacidosis, and death.

The problem is that, if you are taking large doses of insulin, and matching that with large amounts of carbohydrate in your diet, becoming obese is inevitable.

Your aim should be to reduce your intake of carbohydrates to a very low level, and reduce your insulin dose in lockstep. The faster you achieve this the better, which is why you need a doctor's support to get it right. It's not as simple as it sounds; you have to match the insulin kinetics with the rate at which you metabolise carbohydrates, not just the amounts. Do not attempt to do it by yourself.

You replace the missing carbs with fat (not protein - humans can't metabolise protein efficiently for energy). The amount of fat required is really quite modest - something in the ballpark of 120-150g a day, which is about 50% higher than the average person is consuming. That basically just boils down to avoiding low-fat products and using things like butter, cheese, eggs, (fatty) meat, Greek yoghurt, olive oil and similar in your meals.

Ultimately the bulk of your meals should be (non-starchy) vegetables. Vegetables cooked using fat (as opposed to boiled) are usually a lot nicer to eat! Think Sunday Roast for an example. Your meals won't look particularly odd - they just won't have any obvious starches in them. On the advice of your doctor, you may need to introduce additional carbohydrates at a certain time after insulin injections (which won't necessarily coincide with mealtimes).

If your doctor tells you this won't work, or if he doesn't have the experience to do what's required, find another doctor. There are plenty of specialists these days who can help you make the transition.

[myatt60 in reply to TheAwfulToad]

good advice - thank you

[Eryl Visitor]

The cause of your obesity is the insulin your taking to control your blood sugar as that's what triggers fat storage, so controlling your blood sugar by diet is key by avoiding the foods that cause blood sugar spikes.

[myatt60 in reply to Eryl]

My HBA1C is 6 - my professor tells me i am one of the most well controlled diabetics he knows. I love my food too much.Thanks for the advice but it was not a silver bullet.

[dmd121 Visitor]

I've been using Ozempic because I had two heart attacks and am considered obese. I have lost 21 lbs and feel fantastic. Am looking to lose 20 more pounds and have incorporated walking, weight lifting & certainly eat much less. The Ozempic just makes you feel full and for me makes me not hungry. The first 10 days were a little tough, as my stomach hurt a lot. But after you body adjusts, I just don't have an appetite.

[TheTabbyCat Administrator 10 kg in reply to dmd121]

Hi dmd121 thank you for your support and welcome to the weight loss forum.

I'm afraid that you have replied to an old post so the original poster myatt60 may not reply.

Would you like to join our forum for support with your own weight loss journey or are you just visiting?

Either way is fine by us.