I'm not overweight but over the past 8 months I gained weight at college (freshman 15) and... I want it off.
I talked to a CDE yesterday and he said that the only way diabetics can lose weight is to take less insulin, because synthetic insulin automatically causes a gain in weight.
But, I don't want to sacrifice my good a1c by running high.
I'm exercising more and eating less but I feel like I'm never going to be able to lose weight because I'm going to be on insulin for the rest of my life.
It's a balance between eating enough carbs to keep your body running, exercising and taking the correct amount of insulin (if you're taking more than you need, that will cause some weight gain).
You just have to keep at it and it will happen. It's slower for diabetics than a normal person who eats right and exercises, but it is possible while keeping a good A1C.
The other thing too, is 15 pounds isn't a lot (i'm currently about 30pounds above my normal 140-155 weight range ugh) and even if you don't "lose" weight..exercising will help tone your body and turn it into muscle which feel make you feel and look good.
I was 42 pounds pounds overweight in the late 1990s. It was the synthetic insulins that caused that. I was diagnosed with insulin resistance, the defining characteristic of type 2. So I had to take a type 2 med along with my insulin. You have not gained enough to cause you to have this problem, but i like to tell about my situation to teach type 1 diabetics that it is very important to not gain too much.
I cut my daily carb intake to 130 g and increased my exercise a lot. I lost all but 8 of the pounds I had gained. I am currently working out at a gym, and painting my house. There is no more weight gain, but I don't think I will ever lose the remaining 8 pounds.
Thanks Batts. Yeah my mom is a gym rat, works out 5x a week, etc. and she said the same thing about toning what I have instead of trying to lose it all. It's a pretty tricky balance... hopefully I'll get there.
I cut my daily carb intake to 130 g and increased my exercise a lot.
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I think that's what I need to do, Richard. As a teenager it's so hard to keep from eating whatever I want... especially since when I was 11 or 12 years old I really could eat anything and not gain any weight. But when I was dxd at 13, I could no longer do that. And it's really frustrating. But I guess I'll try to cut my carb intake (I'm currently at about 220 g carbs a day) and pair that with exercise. Just hoping I can get back to where I want to be, before I go back to college in the fall because I'll be wearing a bathing suit every day at the beach. I need my confidence back...
You should never use high blood sugars to lose weight. Think what your CDE might have meant is that you have to cut insulin by eating fewer carbs and exercising.
Last week I did a Type 1 University online class, taught by Gary Scheiner. He said it was important to eat at least 30g of carb with each meal, but that cutting extra carbs can help. Also recommended weight training and exercising after meals to increase insulin absorption. The online class is $30 and I'd really recommend it.
I actually met with Gary Scheiner last week, and he mentioned exercising after every meal so that less insulin has to be given. I will have to work on cutting back my carb intake I guess. Will look into the online class- thanks!!
Hey girl:) I am in college too and am kind of going through the same thing.
From experience, I definitely notice that my blood sugars are much lower for extended periods of time when I work out, thus reducing my need for day-to-day corrections, and sometimes even lower basal rates. For example, if I go on a 40 minute jog (about 4.5-5.5 mph), I continue to have almost perfect blood sugars (and yes, sometimes low) for the next 3 days or so. I imagine that working out 4-5 times a week would even further these results.
I recently started back up with a workout dvd (I know they can be kind of lame, but I have done this one before & got great results with it then!) called Beach Body: Slim in Six. If you have a laptop, you can watch them on youtube. Just search "MrBlackdrop Slim in Six." You do one week of the Start it Up video, 1 week of the Burn it Up, and then 4 weeks of Ramp it Up. They are pretty hard workouts, but they are definitely do-able and I hope you try them! I have also found that doing intense elliptical workouts (I push it up to a high-resistance level 8 or 9 and do that for about 15-20 minutes) are really effective, but I tend to go low with that kind of intensity.
I usually don't go low while doing the videos, so I don't have to worry about ingesting extra calories while working out, but sometimes I have to drink a juice box or two to keep my blood sugar up.
Amanda, if you reduce your carb intake, do so gradually, so it will not be suc a shock to your system. I reduced my carbs about 15 g per week and I was able to keep my blood sugar stable. If you do too much, too soon, you will feel very hungry all the time. Give yourself a chance to adjust as you cut down.
I recently started back up with a workout dvd (I know they can be kind of lame, but I have done this one before & got great results with it then!) called Beach Body: Slim in Six. If you have a laptop, you can watch them on youtube. Just search "MrBlackdrop Slim in Six." You do one week of the Start it Up video, 1 week of the Burn it Up, and then 4 weeks of Ramp it Up. They are pretty hard workouts, but they are definitely do-able and I hope you try them! I have also found that doing intense elliptical workouts (I push it up to a high-resistance level 8 or 9 and do that for about 15-20 minutes) are really effective, but I tend to go low with that kind of intensity.
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Hey Hayley,
Hooray for college... I just finished my freshman year. What a whirlwind, huh? But it's a totally amazing time! :)
Thanks so much for the info about the DVDs. Will definitely check them out. Sounds like a possible option for working out while I'm at college this coming fall! As long as I'm not eating back all those calories, I'm sure I would like them.
It's good to know where the college kids are on Juvenation... we can lend each other some great advice. And it's awesome that you understand what I'm going through... other people just don't have a clue sometimes.
Richard,
Of course. Thanks for pointing this out. I have already started cutting back, but by small amounts, like 2/3 cup of rice at dinner to 1/2 cup instead. I'll keep working at it!