Do you think it's harder to lose weight when you are taking insulin??!
Question: I, myself, take insulin, and I know insulin causes weight gain. I have been able to keep weight off by following a strict diet, but I've heard other diabetics say that it's really hard to lose any weight because of the insulin. Anyone have any experiences with it??
Answers: I, myself, take insulin, and I know insulin causes weight gain. I have been able to keep weight off by following a strict diet, but I've heard other diabetics say that it's really hard to lose any weight because of the insulin. Anyone have any experiences with it??
i really think it is hard to lose weight when you take insulin.
why? Because:
-insulin escorts glucose (sugar) inside the cell to be converted into energy.
-glucose is the food for the cell
-if insulin is absent, nothing will escort glucose inside the cell
-there will be cell starvation
-the cells will order the brain to help them
-the brain will think that there is no supply of glucose
-therefore gluconeogenisis will occur. this is the breakdown of fats in our sucutaneous area. fats will be converted into glucose but it has a waste product (ketones)
-but still, if there is no insulin present, the cells will still starve
-it will again ask help to the brain
-then the cycle just go on and on
this is what happens to diabetics if they don't take their insulin; they become thin because of gluconeogenisis.
that is why if you take insulin, you'll have a sufficient amount of glucose in your cells and gluconeogenisis will not occur.
gluconeogenisis is bad for the body because of its waste product (ketones). this is the reason why diabetics has acetone breath, ketones in the urine (phenylketonuria), and ketoacidosis.
i suggest you should not neglect your insulin maintenance. proper diet would be a great help.
actually, all i have said above is a short cut of a short cut. i have detailed answers to share with you but it will be too long if i type it here.
i hope this answer of mine at least helps a little bit. :)
I don't think it's the insulin causing the problem. I take four shots per day and I've lost 100 pounds already, albeit over several years. It is very tough to find a balance when a new lifestyle is almost forced upon us. Accepting the challenge rather than fighting it has made a major difference to me. :)
P.S. I only have another 40-50 pounds to go.
i was diagnosed at 6, and i started to gain weight back right away. when i got to college i started to gain and it has been hard to lose it. my DE says it's because insulin not only helps you metabolize sugars, but it helps you store them as fat energy.
And to build on jeave's excellent answer (you should give him the best answer award), one thing you should certainly try to do is limit your intake of carbohydrates so that you can reduce your insulin needs by as much as possible. The smaller the amount of ingested carbs, the smaller the dose of insulin, the greater the likelihood of loosing weight.
Try to limit your carbs to 6/12/12. That is grams for breakfast/lunch/supper.
The minute I went on insulin I gained weight, and I mean about 12 lbs in one week (I had lost approx 35-40lbs due to my diabetes) I am heavier than the doctors want, but I am also very healthy, active and have great blood test results. I want to lose weight, I do eat well, I didcut back on some carbs, but.... oh well. I feel good and I'm healthy. That's what matters most.
I think it is hard to lose weight on Insulin. When I was started on a Insulin pump I put on about 15 pounds. My doctor said it was because my body was starting to store the calories when I was eating. When a body doesn't produce Insulin or receive it, it goes into starvation mode, taking energy away from stored cells instead of the ones you eat. This is why a lot of type one diabetics are sometimes underweight. Once they start taking Insulin they start gaining weight correctly, and when they eat food, the fat and calories are stored on the body. I have had a hard time losing weight since I started on the Insulin Pump. My doctor actually just started me on Symilin, which is suppose to help control my sugars better and help with my appetite. I an not overweight, but I have gained some weight, and have had a hard time losing it. Plus I am always hungry, but since I have started the Symilin, I do feel better, although the first week I have suffered some of the side effects, but they are getting better.
Absolutely. I have really been having a hard time losing weight. I use Lantus once a day. I do one hour of strenuous cardiovascular and only eat 1000 calories a day. I am losing weight but it is taking forever. It is hard to lose weight on insulin.