Hello,

I just joined and was happy to see that there was a specific area for us diabetic dieters. I'm just wondering if there are any type 1's out there who could offer me some advice. I just started weight watchers and I have a good deal to lose.

Thanks,
Cazbar

Hey there,

I'm not, but my husband is type one for for 30 years. He is a pump user, which makes eating choices so much easier. Are you on the pump or shots? Shane (Nightengaleshane) is the one of the only type one diabetics I've run across on 3FC. Hopefully she'll see your post and respond. She's had great success with her weight loss, and I believe she has great maintenance on her diabetes. I also believe there are a few 3FC'ers who have children who are type 1.

Weight watchers is a great program - I know lots of people who have had excellent success with it. I did it myself for about 6 months, but then I switched to calorie counting, which I still do. I know the diabetes adds another level of challenge to dieting, but you can do this. You'll get lots of great support here. Best of luck to you!

Hey there!!

I know I am a little late replying to your post, but it's better late than never, right?

Losing weight with type 1 diabetes can be a bit difficult due to all the daily annoyances of keeping our blood sugars within a decent range. I know a bad hypo episode can throw me off plan for the entire day, and the most annoying bit about it is that I feel it's not "fair" because it's not my fault! It's easy to take too much insulin and then "feed" your insulin with extra sugar. Also, I know from my experiences that at my HW, I needed to take a lot more insulin than I need to now (weighing less and exercising more can decrease your insulin needs a little bit, believe it or not).

Here is some advice:
Make sure you test your blood sugar before working out. Eat something high in protein also, because working out will make you really, really hungry, and something high in protein or fiber will help you feel less so. Try to avoid taking more insulin than you need (which is really tough sometimes when you still want to maintain good control, I know) and of course, there is the typical common dieting knowledge of limiting your portions and not eating when you are not hungry.

If you have any questions for me, you can feel free to PM me any time - I will be more than happy to be a mentor of sorts Like walking2lose said ( to you, too), I have lost weight and kept it off successfully, and I do have pretty good control over my diabetes. I'm currently on shots (lantus and humalog) BUT now that I have better insurance, I am considering moving towards the pump. What about you?

Another tip to get blood sugar down if it jumps high, take a unit or two of insulin before you work out. This will heighten the effects that insulin has on the body, I'm trying to monitor this as a way of using up less insulin, personally.

Hi! New here and T1 Diabetic. One thing I know for me is. Dont work out alone when your to high... When I do I pass out!

Heya, I have very bad out of control diabetes so I'm probably not the best person to be giving advice here, but I find that trying to lose weight gives me ALOT more low blood sugars which can be a total pain when i dont want to eat or have used my cals up. So just do what you have to do but remember not to take TOO much insulin and do test regularly. you can do it

Hi there. I'm a type 1 also, pump wearer. I wish I had advice. When I get all the weight off, I'll let you know, lol.

It's nice to see other type 1's here, I have to say. It frustrates me when docs, nurses and others assume that because I'm fat I must be a type 2 and am just too stupid to realize what disease I have. Yes, type 1's can gain weight, too, especially as we get older! We're not all skinny!

I know that once I started Lantus and Humalog/Novolog I started to gain and then once I went on the pump, my weight just skyrocketed. I think that's more to do with me and a knee injury that dropped my activity level than with the pump, though. Going on the pump was this feeling of liberation: "I can eat anything I want, as long as I bolus for it!" And when you've lived with all the feelings of deprivation ("You aren't allowed to eat that", "You can only have half of a serving"), it's like... whoo-hoo, chow time. That's at least part of my weight gain problem, I think. That and my tendency to purposefully err toward the low side, since a hypo is easier and quicker to fix than a high and is better on the a1c. Calories for frequent lows can sure add up!

One thing I've noticed that helps with dieting is to actually underplan my calories for the day in case I do go low. So if I was planning for 1500 calories, I'd actually put my target at 1400... in case 100 calories of Coke, juice or glucose tabs screw it all up. If my bg has been stable, then I can eat an extra yogurt or something for dessert. Working out is tough, though. You never know if it will kick you up to 350 or drop you to 30. Very frustrating.

Anyhow, hi! You're not alone

hiya just joined and have the horrendus type 1 diabolical before i started to loose i always used it as an excuse bad hey. But now i'm learning to control the diabetes and eat healthily and excercise bcos i'm offf to uni at the end of the year and won't have any1 to bail me out scared.com
I'm also hoping to get the pump and was just wondering how much weight did u gain because i am not up 4 tht!!!????

first post so hello guys xxxxxxxxx

I know there are a few type I's around from time to time . . . but, as you can imagine, most of us are Type II . . . since 90% of the people with diabetes in the world are type II. While we type II's don't hve the wide high and low swings, we definitely encounter the same weight loss difficulties especial those of us (like myself) who need insulin to control the disease. Actually most of the oral medications for type II make weight loss more difficult, too.

So come and join us, Kiddo . . . we are all in this together . . . even though the name of the disease, and it's underlying cause, may be a bit different.

hiya i don't want to start any aggrivation or debates e.t.c but type 1 and type 2 are completley different. I'm not sayin that type 2 isn't difficult i no it is both my grandparents ,whom i am extremely close to, have the disease. However type 1 diabetes or juvenille diabetes cause is still undetected and this desease is a lifelong challenge, i have now had type 1 diabetes for 15 years and i still hate it. The injections are painfull and tiresome and hypo's are dramatic and terrifying.
sorry for the rant i'm feeling a bit emotionall today. But yes you're right we are all here to loose weight and we should support each other untill the end xxxxx

Hi I am a type 1 diabetic and have been for the last 13 years. For me I have to watch my sugar levels more closely when starting out a diet to keep from getting too low blood sugars. Dieting always makes me end up taking less insulin but you have to watch it. You definitely don't want it going too high either. I do cardio 5 or 6 times a week and weights once or twice. I am trying to lose more around my belly so I do sit ups about every other day too. The main thing is not to give up and just keep at it. I agree with the post about targeting a lower calorie count just in case you need to eat something to raise your sugar level. And I have discovered recently that milk is a big sugar raising drink. A glass of skim milk is low cal and can help bring up low sugar without blowing your diet.

Chudge, more people are starting to realize that they had some form of infection directly previous to getting their diagnosis. I had both a hefty case of bronchitis and a UTI within the month prior to being diagnosed in April 2004. I was just wondering if this were true for any other type 1's who had similar experiences.

Yup... I had this cold on an off for a couple months that was almost bronchitus and would not go away!

Then, when the diabetes symptoms started appearing, I brushed them off and thought they were just a part of the cold. They'd eventually go away. And uh, I was losing weight (I was not overweight at the time to begin with, but I was a vain teenage girl)... so I was rather happy about it until I started finding simple activities like climbing one flight of stairs to be so tiresome that I did anything I could to avoid 'em.

Chudge - dealing with blood sugar fluctuations and such can be SO TIRESOME at times. Sometimes, when everything else is going well in my life, I still get depressed because if blood sugars are whack. If they're either too low OR too high, I get moody, emotional, and may say things I don't mean/wouldn't say if my blood sugars are in a normal range. I usually do a good job of controlling my emotions and not taking my diabetes-related frustration/rage/anger/sadness on others, so I bottle it all up inside and get depressed.

I'm now seeing a shrink who specializes with those who have chronic illnesses. It has helped me tremendously.

I am type 1- diagnosed at 18- I'm 35 now. Been using a pump for 15 years now. I could gain my weight on my pump- but I just overeat- and the pump makes it easy to do- with your insulin right at your finger tips!! I love my pump though. I currently take glucophage too- being fat has made me resistant to the insulin! I was using up to 150 units/day. Now I take 60-80 if I eat good, and up to 100 if I don't.
I recently lost 20#- and lows was my big issue.
Look forward to losing the other 40 or 50- and getting to know you all.

Hello everyone! I have been a Type 1 for 22 (wow) years and I am only 29. Yes, I was pretty young when diagnosed. I had no previous illnesses. Until the age of 22 I was very very small (size 6 at my biggest), but I was also EXTREMELY out of control. I had A1C's of 12.9!!! I wasn't healthy and now believe that is the only reason I was so small because I didn't exercise at all back then either. I was 22 when I started carb counting and of course started gaining a little weight, but I looked healthy for once. Then I took the brave leap to pump therapy, and MAN did my weight shoot up!! I am now a size 16 and I won't even go out in public much except to attend my grad school classes. All of the weight is in my belly....it almost looks like I'm pregnant (I'm not). Sometimes I wonder if it's because that's where I place the cannula. I jog every single day for at least a mile but I keep gaining. Part of me wants to go back to shots because of the weight, but my doctor says that because I have given myself so many injections over the years my tissue has broken down in places and has trouble absorbing the insulin. Some of the spots I used to inject almost feel spongy under the skin. I love the pump, but hate this weight so I'm really hoping this support system will be the help I need to kick me into an even higher gear exercise and food wise Glad to know there are other Type 1's here! It is such a crappy disease, but I just tell myself "it could be so much worse" right? Good luck everyone