Hi,
I have gotten my A1C to just below 6% and my husband and I are currently ttc. I am feeling down on myself because I have gained weight during this process presumably because I have more lows now hence more calorie intake. I am happy I have the go ahead from endo to start a family but worried about my weight. Has anyone else struggled with this or have any tips to make feel a bit better? I appreciate any feedback!
Im going through this now. Congrats on getting the A1C down!
The way I look at it: would I rather be skinny and have complications, or be a little bit curvier and healthier?
Eat properly and exercise and just try to let it go.
Yes! My A1C’s have been in the low 6.0s for the last 2 years and I’ve gained about 15 pounds, and I think it’s due to the lows. However, I use MyFitnessPal to track everything I eat, and exercise. I even include what I consume for lows and I rarely go above my allotted calorie range. I have always wondered if there’s something else going on when low – some chemical released in the body, or something? I think I need to ask my endo at my next appointment.
I want to have a low A1C & wear my skinny jeans!
YES! I am semi-newly diagnosed (2.5yrs) and am having some additional weight gain as well. My A1C’s range in the low 6s and I find my weight gain is happening in my lower abdomen. I work out often (3-5 days a week) and have been skinny my whole life so this is VERY uncomfortable for me. Someone suggested it could be the insulin injections - I am on pens vs a pump but I don’t consistently inject in my stomach. I do a lot in the upper thighs and lower back. I brought up my concerns with my endo and he told me to do more ab workouts - but that obviously is not working.
What is ttc?
I have been dealing with some weight gain as well and I’m trying to tell myself that it’s most likely due to treating lows and also my body is healthier now. Before I was diagnosed as Type 1, I was misdiagnosed as Type 2 so my body was consuming all of my fat for energy instead of my sugars. I was down to 130 pounds but it was because my body was slowly wasting away. Point being, at this point I think I’d rather be curvier and heavier than too skinny and dying because my disease wasn’t being treated effectively. Congrats on the lower A1C though! That’s amazing. <3
Congrats on the A1C- amazing!! We work so hard for good numbers- I find it frustrating sometimes to suffer for it (lows for working out, weight gain for lower A1Cs) but we are healthier for it. When you have a beautiful healthy baby in your arms, suddenly the extra bit around the middle is less annoying and often forgotten. Always something to work on, but less of a priority:). All the best, you’re doing amazing!
@JeM77 and everyone else who has replied thank you so much for the encouragement! It is nice to have others put things in perspective for me. I haven’t been on for a few days but to answer your question @shlinds TTC stands for “trying to conceive” 
Did you conceive or still ttc?
We tried for 2 years to conceive our first. However, when my A1C finally got down to 6 I got pregnant the next month. Do you have a cgm?
As for the weight gain, it’s pretty typical with tighter control. Higher blood sugars cause your body to burn fat to try to flush out the extra glucose. On top of that, you are probably taking more insulin to combat any high blood sugars, and since insulin is a hormone, and us women already have a boat load of those, it makes for a tougher time keeping the weight off. Don’t get down on yourself, you’re doing things that are benefitting your body far more than being skinny. And you’re hoping to be growing a human soon! Don’t stress about the weight, ttc is stressful enough as it is.
Much luck!
Hi ladies,
I’m glad i came across this discussion because I had the same question and to add to your questions… Has anyone had success in avoiding the weight gain and how?
{I have Tslim pump and a Dexcom}
My bf and I are hoping ttc this fall, so I have started to do some research and trying to get myself in tight control. It’s been a little over 1 month now that I’ve been REALLY trying. So far so good. My A1C a week ago was 7.8, n that’s only 1 month of trying it was at 8.1% before then. Anyway, I’ve noticed a lot of lows, I carry 1 or 2 apple juices with me at all times (it works quick and I don’t need a lot, doesn’t make me full either). I haven’t noticed any weight gain YET. I do pilates 2-3x a week. I’ve cut more and more carbs from my diet, including alcohol (not completely, not pregnant yet). Turns out beer is not my friend when it comes to BG.
I recently got a new Endo and really like her. I explained how I work out with Apple Juice and don’t understand how to keep a normal reading throughout the work out. She asked me to lower my basal intake to 95% less than my usual intake 45 minutes before my work out and 45min after my work out. She said working out, trying to be healthy and having to drink a lot of sugar while your doing it defeats the purpose. I could not agree more!
She also asked me to do a “Basal Challenge”. Has anyone done this or had success with it? I haven’t tried it yet.
Thanks!
Angie
I take my pump off when I work out, because that seems to be what works best. I know that some of the other diabetics I’ve come across in fitness classes will do a temp basal like your endo recommended. Honestly, you will probably have to do trial and error for awhile to see what your ratio is. Also, do you try to do protein before a workout? It will help stabilize your blood sugar. If you do go low, while I understand the concept of not wanting to fill the calories you just burned, apple juice really isn’t all that bad. You could be binging on cookies, ya know? And once you conceive you will notice that in the beginning of pregnancy all you have is low blood sugars, or so it seems. I felt like I should just replace my insulin with apple juice for the first 8 weeks.
As for gaining weight and better A1C’s, I always notice a weight gain, but I figure gaining 5-10lbs and having to work it back off, is better than being out of control and having complications. Maybe you will be one of the lucky ones that escapes the curse of weight gain! If not, know that really it’s okay, you will be healthier all around despite a few pounds being added to your weight.