Diabetes

Hi. I'm wondering if anyone else has the same problem as me. When I was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes I had had a dramatic loss of weight. But since starting insulin three years ago I have not been able to control the weight gain. I have put on over 80 pounds in that time (mind you I was dramatically underweight to start with but now I'm very much overweight). I've been on all sorts of diets including hardly eating anything at all and I cannot shift a pound and in fact still put on.

Am I alone here? Or is this a characteristic of diabetes? It's very frustrating, I can tell you.

Thank you.

Yes its very frustrating!!! After I was diagnosed at the age of twelve, I started gaining weight. It has something to do with your blood sugars and metabolism being regulated. Starving diets don't work because its dangerous for hypoglycemia and it slows your metabolism down even more! The excess insulin increases your hunger, which makes weight gain easier. My maximum weight after having type 1 diabetes for 19 years was 250 pounds. Over the past five years, I've lost 85 pounds, but its been very slow. I cut back on my portion sizes, followed an 1800 ADA calorie diet, I limited my intake of fast food(Mcdonald's, Pizza Hut) to ONLY once per month, and most importantly I started a mild-moderate exercise DAILY program. At first it was 5-10 minutes every day on a bike or elliptical machine, but now I can go for an hour. I have twenty five pounds left to go on my weight loss goal before I'm at my normal BMI index number for my weight and height. The best part of my losing all that weight is that I've been doing this for the past five years while on an insulin pump.

I've been a type 1 diabetic for 20 years. I've been on an insulin pump for 5 years. I too have gained weight in the last 5 years. I weigh more than I did when I was 9 months pregnant. I walk on my treadmill at least 1 to 2 miles a day. The only way I can lose any weight at all is to not eat at all. My doctor has suggested that I read about the Symlin and maybe try that. Any comments.