Weight Loss

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1

OK ladies, I am so incredibly frustrated I could just scream. But I won't because the baby is napping. I have battled weight my whole life (more in my head than anything else), but this is a whole new low for me. After I had my son and the swelling weight down, I officially weighed less than I did preconception, but I was still overweight. This was not on purpose, I could eat NOTHING the last trimester :( Then, over the past 10 months, I have GAINED 20 LBS! This is while trying to LOSE weight! I wanted to use my time away from work to work on myself and this is what happened. I go back to work in January and none of my clothes fit. I have been dieting the entire time since my son was born too. Counting calories, I tried Weight Watchers, I started running again, etc. Nothing. Well something, but my weight moved in the wrong direction. I know I had bad days in there, but for the most part I truly feel like this 20 lbs was not earned. I am also still nursing my son, so I couldn't eat less than 1800 calories per day (so they say) because I'd lose my supply. Weight Watchers for breastfeeding mothers was waayyyy too many calories. I gained weight. Now I have been doing the Shaun T 25 workout and shakeology everyday while maintaing a 1,800 calorie a day diet and still…nothing. What do I have to do?!?!

 

I do have an underactive thyroid that I take meds for. Bloodwork within the past month shows it's normal. My numbers have been great (last a1c was 6.5) Everything looks great but my weight. I am at a loss…. I have heard some people say it was impossible for them to lose weight while nursing, but I feel like that would just be another excuse. I want to cut my calories WAY more, but everyone i talk to tells my I can't unless I wean. I can't do ideal protein until I wean, it feels like I can't do anything until I wean. I know anything weight loss related is always harder with T1 too. THIS SUCKS! I have about 50 lbs to lose now. I am so upset :(

 

Advice? words of wisdom? A magic potion? 

2

I lost all of my baby weight and then gained it all back a year later!  It felt like pregnancy made my body REALLY good at using every calorie I ate.  

Exercise is good for your health and makes you feel great, so you should do it.  But I've never lost weight through exercise.  It's always through cutting calories.  

The reallity is that all of our bodies are different.  I know that the average woman is supposed to be able to eat 1200 calories and the average nursing mom is supposed to eat 1800, but I'm way overweight at those levels.  

It's against conventional medical wisdom, but my mom has found she can maintain a normal, healthy weight (she looks muscular and not thin at all) eating about 800 calories a day.  You shouldn't do anything that drastic, but try to make sure you are eating enough protein, carbs and vegetables and eat for hunger, not to hit a certain calorie goal.  See how your body does.  You may also want to see a nutritionist.

3

Rebekah, I am so sorry that you feel this way. My son was born a little over a year and while I have lost a lot of weight, I am still overweight myself. I have been doing crossfit for 6 months I took off the past month because I hurt my neck but, I will be getting back to it soon. After 6 months of doing it, I haven't lost 1 pound. While everyone tells me I look like I lost sooo much weight. I haven't budged on the scale. It is incredibly frustrating and my self esteem is at an all time low. I feel horrible. I think the issue is my insulin is too much for my body type, causing me to store more fat than I am supposed to. I've talked to my doctor and we are trying to get me at the levels I should be at but, it is taking longer than usual.

I hate writing everything down but, I think I may have to do it to get my body back! Ugh! Being a woman stinks sometimes doesn't it????

4

I’m in the process of losing weight to prepare for pregnancy and it’s so tough! I eat 1400 or less calories a day and exercise 3 days a week for an hour and nothing…my sugars have gotten better by the weight isn’t coming off…do I have to eat like a bird to lose weight! ? Ugh!! Plus I’m a 27 year old female with a healthy thyroid. :frowning:

5

Ladies, if I could say one word about weight loss and having type 1, it is BE CAREFUL! I was desperate to lose weight (this was after my kids were adults and I have had type 1 for 42 years, so was lucky to get the 3 of them). I went on a medically approved diet (Medifast) and lost 60 pounds. I became extremely ill and my mental health took a huge nosedive. I had to be hospitalized and undergo electro-convulsive therapy (ECT). I have gained more than half of what I lost back, but I would say to be so careful when it comes to trying to lose weight. Make sure you are getting the nutrients your body needs, which is much easier said than done. Type 1 definitely makes weight loss MUCH harder than for those without diabetes.

6

@clbj,

I am sorry that you became so ill, was it caused from the Medifast? Or something else?

I am eating a much healthier and cleaner diet now. I’m actually feeling fantastic!! I have not weighed myself in a while but Im now wearing pants smaller than pre-pregnancy! SCORE!

7

Gina,

I do think the Medifast contributed greatly to the physical & mental problems. It is a REALLY low-carb diet with lots of protein. My husband and I were both on it and even he got extremely ill.
If I were trying to lose weight again (which I kind of need to), I would eat a balanced diet with fewer calories and exercise more. I have tried to consistently exercise, but find my blood sugars all over the map whenever I do. It can be frustrating! Any good suggestions from those of you who have found a way to balance blood sugars, stress, other illness, exercise, diet and insulin? I would be open to any and all suggestions.

8

@clbj,

I am trying to start up a TypeOneNation Online BootCamp in this thread http://t1n-migration.10uplabs.com/groups/weight_loss_support/forum/topic/t1nation-online-bootcamp/#post-110183 … Not a real one but more like a place where we can all encourage each other and support each other by writing what we eat for each meal and snacks, exercise stuff like that…

9

I am very overweight and have been on countless diets in my life, the first starting at age 12. I think the years of constant dieting have paid their toll in the form that my metabolic rate must be crazy low. For my weight, height, age, sex and activity level, I should be eating 2150-2400 cal per day to maintain weight.

I use myfitnesspal an app for counting calories (as well as carb, fibre, salt, whatever). I stuck to a 1400 cal per day diet for 5 months and lost zero.

I am now having success with a little bit of weight loss (about 0.5 lb per week) but I have to maintain under 1000 cal per day to do this. I have thus calculated that my metabolic rate is approx. 1550 cal per day. If I have even one day of around 1200 cal in a week, I will not lose any weight that week. I means I can never go out for a nice dinner, and feel like I am starving a lot of the time.

Goes to show that metabolic rates and calorie requirements can be vastly different than expected or anticipated by various diet plans.

10

Oh wow @MCH111,

That is so interesting. I am having a hard time losing as well, and I never thought about metabolic rates till you just said it. I always blame it on too much insulin. 1000 cal per day sounds so little I don’t know if I can do that! Have you talked to your doctor about this?

11

Hey @Gina

I only came to this conclusion/calculation in the past couple of weeks. I haven’t seen my doctor(s) in that time. 2 years ago a dietitian advised me to stick to 1000 cal per day. Guess he was right.

This is how I calculated my metabolic rate:

Cals eaten per day: 1000 cal
Weight loss per week in kg: 0.4 kg = 400 grams
Weight loss per day (divide above number by 7): 57g
57g of fat x 9 cal/g = 514 cal
1000 + 514 cals per day to live
= 1514 cals.

The assumption is all weight loss is fat but I know it isn’t, about 1/4 of weight loss is muscle, particularly if you don’t eat enough protein and don’t exercise. However the calculation would be a lot more complex if I had to factor in protein (muscle loss).

The calculation I made up also wouldn’t work the first 1-3 weeks of a new diet as you lose a lot more in those weeks with water coming off. I have been on this current plan for 5-6 weeks and the first week lost 2kg, second week 1 kg and remainder of the weeks 300-400g per week.

I exercise 3 times a week; twice walk/jog with an app called Runhelper+ and once at the gym with a personal trainer. I also have a job that is often active on my feet all day, though some weeks of the year just sedentary.

I am keeping to 1000 cal max per day and always watch how much carb I consume. The less carb the less insulin I need and the better for weight loss. My endocrinologist acknowledges this. I am trying for approx 60-70g carb per day, max. Sometimes only 35-50g. I have yet to find a dietitian who advocates low carb though especially for a T1.

1000 cal is really low and I do feel hungry a lot, more so the first few weeks. I have made some diet jello and sometimes a cup of stock to fill up. However I find that eating high carbs especially of the high GI sort makes me even hungrier. After a few weeks doing lowish carb the cravings for bread, pasta etc disappear and make it easier to stick to the plan.

The other thing is that insulin is the second most water retaining product made by the body. The first is anti diuretic hormone (ADH) secreted especially at night to concentrate the urine so we don’t have to pee all night. So the more insulin the more likely we are to retain water. Which just adds to our weight.

The spin off to my eating less carb is much easier to manage BGLs. My average BGL according to my meter used to be over 200 (hideous I know) and currently is 135 and heading down. My ENDO will faint with my next A1c level I’m sure :wink:

12

@MCH111

Wow, sounds like you have things somewhat figured out! I’m going to see my doc next week and talk to him about a new plan for me bc currently things aren’t working out and I feel crappy.

13

For anyone who has hypothyroidism, ask your doctor what your thyroid level actually is. The range was tightened a few years back but some doctors and labs still don’t follow the stricter guidelines that TSH should be between .3 - 3.0. If you are still symptomatic (sensitive to temperature changes, have hair loss, difficulty losing weight) in the normal range, talk to your doctor about increasing your medication to drop your levels and see if it helps. I had slight hyperthyroidism most of my life and didn’t realize what a difference it made until I lost it and developed hypothyroidism when my son was born.

My endocrinologist told me that in addition to not making insulin that people with type 1 also don’t make a hormone that regulates appetite. She wanted me to try a new appetite suppressant called Qsymia. It’s primarily for obese people, but if you have a serious health condition like diabetes or heart disease then you can try it even if you are only slightly overweight. I was desperate to try it because it seems like I need to starve myself (eat less than 1,000 calories) to maintain a normal weight, but struggle to do that.

It’s worked really well for me. I never knew how hungry I was all of the time until my appetite has been diminished with the drug. I actually feel rational around food and can make intelligent decisions. I eat very little and because of that have to be careful to get enough carbs, protein vegetables, and especially water each day. My weight hasn’t dropped dramatically, but I feel much better and my blood sugars are much improved. My daily insulin had gone up to around 50 units a day and now is around 35u (with a pump). My endocrinologist said her type 1 patients have all done well on it. The drug isn’t covered by all insurance and has some side effects, but it’s been worth it so far.

14

@jennagrant,

I have Grave’s Disease (Hyperthyroid) but, they killed my thyroid function and I am on Synthroid. My levels are usually pretty stable in the thyroid department. I haven’t been to crossfit in a couple of months because I hurt myself but, even on intense exercise and eating right my weight would NOT budge.
My only conclusions are

  1. I take in too many calories even on a good diet
  2. I am on too much insulin
  3. Lows
  4. I have no idea! LOL

It really is annoying when I work so hard in the gym.

15

I am having this same problem!!! I have been steadily GAINING about 20lbs, all while eating 1800 or less calories a day and never missing a day of working out. In the past I have never had this issue trying to lose weight, it is so frustrating! I am trying to do more exercise so that I become even more insulin sensitive and can reduce my basal. I’ve had some luck, currently on 12 units of Lantus (note that I am also honeymooning still…) and woke up today at 76 :slight_smile:

I am hoping doing two a day workouts (cardio and strength) and sticking to an even lower 1200 should help me lose weight. I was diagnosed last year at 25, so its just a big transition when you know you USED to be able to work out once a day, eat about 1800 and lose weight.

I’m also on Synthroid, by my thyroid levels are normal.

16

Hey there,
I have also been struggling to lose the baby weight. But my doctor told me something that has been very helpful so far! He said with T1D we don’t have to worry about calories to the extent that non-diabetics do. Of course we should still eat a healthy amount but he said the main thing we need to worry about is carbs. He recommended eating no more than 30 carbs per meal and no more than 15 for a snack. Exercising is also very important. I also breast fed so it was really important to drink A LOT of water while cutting back on carbs. It’s kinda a tricky way to lose weight but it does work! Good luck :slight_smile:

17

Hi- So glad I found this group! I recently stepped on a scale, and almost started crying. I am 190.5. That means in about 3- 4 years I have gained 20 + pounds, and now the older I get ( I am 41) the weight gain is speeding up! I have been type 1 for 34 years, I have a 16 year old and I have an adrenal gland deficiency. I am on a pump. I was at the local Diabetes Expo this past weekend and they had a rep from Slimgentics there. Has anyone used them? I have a meeting set up tomorrow and I am second guessing myself, primarily because of the cost.

ANY advise would be great! thanks!

18

I think at first you should change your lifestyle about diet.Please trust your diet and do more exercise regularly obviously give up junk food.If possible you should drink a lot of water at least 2liters of per day and you should sleep at least eight hours at a night everyday.

20

That’s so awesome to hear! I am currently struggling with what carbs to eat! What kind of meals do you eat for breakfast, lunch and dinner ? I get 200s here and there but working out and keeping your body active really helps even with blood sugars.

22

Living a healthy and active life definitely helps managing your diabetes, and is beneficial for more reasons than just blood glucose control. But some people struggle finding (or making) the time in their busy schedules to include an exercise routine, and what foods to choose from and the timing of eating to support a physically active lifestyle.

Best,
Dr. Dennis Van Hoof, PhD, CLC

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