I was told that being on insulin makes it harder for me to lose weight. Im type 1 and am on an insulin pump. I take Novolog and its working well for my bloodsugar but Im getting anywhere from 100-150 units of insulin everyday. If being on insulin makes it harder to lose weight, and losing weight helps my diabetes stay in better control, then how am I supposed to do it?! It feels like I have work work 50 times harder then anyone else just to lose half the weight. Its hard to get movtivated to do anything when I know it will take more work to see less results and knowing ontop of that, I am taking insulin which makes it even harder. Diabetes sucks.

hi tahiti.

thanks for posting. I know losing weight with type 1 is a huge struggle, but keep your glucose as controlled as possible. you may find that as you lose weight, you won't have a need for as much insulin as you're taking now. you have to keep your sugar within a healthy range to avoid long term complications. you will find tons of support and topics here that will help guide you. I wish you the best of luck with your weight loss!

Hi there,

Yes, I know how much diabetes sucks, but not because I have it. My husband however is also a type 1 (30 years) pump user. He doesn't have a weight issue, but I know that can be a challenge. But, you CAN do it! This is a supportive forum, so post around. The diabetes chat thread on here is also very friendly and helpful. Good luck to you!

Thanks. Diane, my educator, told me that losing weight will decrease myneed for insulin as well and that will also help me lose weight faster once I can decrease my intake. Its just so frustrating when its such a battle. Im only 22 and feel like I shouldnt be dealing with such a frustrating ordeal.

I am a type one diabetice and a pump user (Novolog). WHen I finally decidied to get serious about my weight, I weighted in at 317 lbs. Thats right, well over 300 lbs

I ound being diabetic, it is harder to lose weight due to the insulin issues. WHat has helped me is to eat every 2-3 hours starting by eating within 1/2 hour after I wake up unitl just before I go to bed.

A typical day looks something like this

6am Breakfast = 300 calories
1 cup cereal
1/2 c 2% milk
1/2 banana

8am Snack = 100 calories
1 or 2 small pieces of fruit

10am Snack =100 calories
Need something with carbs unitl lunchtime
I wil lusually eat a 100-calories pack of chips, crackers or peanutbutter crackers

Lunch = 400 calories
Soup or salad
Fruit or yogurt or cottage cheese
Crackers

3 pm Snack = 50 - 75 calories
- Usually something sweet to bring up my BS
- a few pieces of hard candy, red licorice or hershey kisses

5pm-6pm Dinner = 500 calories
- What ever healthy recipe we cook, plus a large green salad

8:30 pm - bedtime snack = 100 calories
- Jello fatfree-sugar free pudding cup with lite whipped creme

This is roughly 1500-1700 calories per day depending upon what I eat.
My blood sugar levels have never been better and I have had to reduce my basal rate so that I do nto have lows ing the early morning hours when it used to be the highest!

-and I have lost 13lbs since Dec 3rd

I hope this helps.

--Karen

Wow thats great! I really need to start eating MORE. I actually dont eat enough during the day. I generally eat about 2-4 hours after I wake up, then about 2-4 hrs before bed. I snack occassionally too but not much. Everyone tells me that eating more small meals works but Ive never really applied it. I may need to try eating more often and eating less at a time... maybe that way I wont be SO hungry that I over eat when I do finally eat something.

Oh and Karen... being on that kind of a schedule, do you feel hungry at all? Im worried about not eating much at once and ending up hungry withing a half hour. Im sure eating every 2-3 hours vs every 12 hours will help with feeling hungry but Im not used to eating a small amount at a time.

My husband and I both have health problems and are taking medications that make the weight loss struggle harder. My husband is diabetic, with severe neuropathy, and also a degenerative bone and joint disorder. Exercise for him, is very difficult.

I have fibromyalgia, insulin resistance, autoimmune disease, and a borderline low thyroid condition (just barely above the point that most doctors will consider prescribing medication). I'm often on doses of steroids (luckily, not recently) and am taking other medications that can make weight loss more difficult.

It absolutely does suck, but what can you do - you're only given the body you've got - and when you've got health issues it's even more important (despite being more difficult) to take care of it, so it lasts you as long as possible.

I've got a lot to lose, and so does my husband. He's lost about 50 lbs (about 35 of those in the last year) and I've lost about 60 (about 40 in the last year. I keep gaining and losing the same 5 lbs around that 60 lb mark so on any given day it might be 58 to 62 lbs lost from my highest weight.

I've recommitted to losing this year, because I wasn't putting enough effort in to make progress (but, even maintaining ANY weight loss is an impressive achievement and I'm very proud of those 58 to 62 lbs).

The dieting with obstacles threads are great inspiration. There are a lot of us on this site who are swimming upstream. It is harder, but the rewards are often greater too. My health improvements, as insignificant as they may seem to someone else, have been worth alot more to me than the few pounds I've lost.

At my weight 40 lbs in a year seems rather pitiful to me (especially since I've done it in a few months when I was in my 20's), but there is no time limit on this, you do what you can at the pace you can.

For me, looking at how much I have yet to lose (especially if I start thinking of all the obstacles that are going to make id difficult) I get very frustrated and overwhelmed and then start to feel hopeless. Looking at just the five pounds ahead of me (and on some days, one pound) can be a real help. I don't have to worry about losing 200 lbs, I just have to lose the next one, and every single pound lost is an achievement.

It is DEFINITELY NOT GOOD for you to go so long without eating!

1st - It will affect your blood glucose readings. You ARE testing aren't you?

2nd - your body will often go into "stavation mode" because it does not know when it is going to receive it's next deposit of fuel (food)

3rd - and most important - You can black out from a low blood sugar in mid afternoon with a schedule like that.

Okay, Okay, enough lecturing....

I used to eat on a schedule similar to what your is now. I found that I wuld be starving by dinner time and had a tendency to over eat. It seemed that if I tried to measure portions or heat healthy after not eating since early in the day, I would want more snacks later in the vening.

With the schedule I have now, I am not as hungry. If I get alittle hungry, I can deal with it, because I know another meal is just a short time away.

It took me about a week to adjust to the new schedule, but now I am fine and my body loves it! I am not hungry between meals, because I am eating so often. My hubby even often has to remind me to eat a snack before I go to bed.

My son is diabetic and has lost 200 pounds by diet and exercise. It takes a lot of work and determination but is worth it.

I know its bad Its such a hard habit to break. Since its the weekend I plan to start your suggestion on Monday. I do test, but not as often as I need too (usually only if I feel low or high and then before bed). Luckily I can feel when Im going low when Im at around 70. If I eat more often I will probably test more often. Im glad to hear it hasnt been a big adjustment for you.

Diabetes sucks. Yes, you can say that again. And again, and again, and again. But... I have successfully lost 50 pounds, maintained it for a year now, am a personal trainer, do fitness modeling, and am insanely healthy apart from diabetes (I wasn't always; I was skinny and in poor control once, then fat and in good control but had high blood pressure and high cholesterol) so losing weight with type 1 diabetes is not impossible

It would take more than just one post for me to give you a full, informative answer, but here is what I know from my own experiences:
First, test your blood sugar before doing a cardio workout. It should be around 150-220. The reason it needs to be on the higher end is because intense cardio WILL make your blood sugar drop MASSIVELY and all the carbs your body may require to compensate may ruin your workout progress.

Second, make sure you have something like Gatorade handy during workouts. If you think you're dropping, test, and if you're getting a little low, drink a few sips of Gatorade and continue.

Third (ok, from now on, I'm losing the numbers), start eating a lower carb diet. Obviously, the less carbs you eat, the less insulin you need to take. With less carbs, you don't have to worry about going high as much, and with less insulin, hypos are not as big of an issue. I've gotten some pretty awful hypos and was at the point where I was getting them every day, sometimes even 2-3 times a day. I felt really discouraged when I got these because I felt they undid all my hard work.

It is a good idea to eat something with protein, good fat, and slow burning carbs before working out. I recommend a Zone Perfect Bar.

Eat 5-6 small meals a day. This helps regulate your blood sugar a little bit better and will keep your metabolism going.

Test frequently... at least 4 times a day, sometimes as many as 10. Testing can be annoying sometimes, but it really only takes a few seconds out of your day. The more you test, the more in tune with your body you become, which will really key you in to how you react to certain foods at certain times. It is also a good idea to test one hour or so after eating. And if you feel at all off, test then, too.

As mentioned above, losing weight WILL drastically decrease your insulin needs. So will being extremely active. Mine were almost slashed in half, between the weight loss, the active lifestyle, and the lower carb diet.

I hope some of this helps!!

Thanks. Im a really inactive person right now. Im hoping that adding in daily movement will be one thing t drastically help me.

Hi im debbie new here as of today im a type 1 diabetic of 28 years and just lost 50 pounds on weight watchers i love that diet but doing this i had help with my dietician as well thats a must, but hey if i can do it anyone can lots of ups and downs but i went from a size 16 to a 2!!!!! and kept it off a year so far!!!! if anyone has any questions or needs any help of any kind im willing to ...thanks