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Diabetes - Juvenile Community
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(Type 1) how to lose weight and snack beforehand?and HYPO
by Nicole-x-, Jun 06, 2007 12:00AM
Hi there, i'm 19 years old and im a type 1 diabetic so im insulin dependent and i have been for 16 years years. I have known for a while that i need to feed my insulin so i have cut my units down alot as i dont eat as much as i used to, i have spoke about this with my diabetic team.
Now that ive cut my insulin down i see weight loss, ive lost nearly 1 pround ( 12lbs ) without trying in a year. Now i want to lose weight, i want to lose around 20lbs so i have joined the gym, i take a sports drink called lucozade which is full of sugar when im in the gym to keep my sugar level up so i dont go low, i dont think this is a good idea drinking lucozade if im wanting to lose some pounds? Is there anything i could drink or take thats not fatting for the gym so i actual get to my goal weight? And does anyone have advise for a type diabetic to lose weight?
Another thing is during activities, im going low and going into a hypo but i dont know this is happing intill my boyfriend asks am i ok, i get blue or fat lips during activities i dont really have any symtoms im going to take a hypo, i'd rather be safe then have my boyfriend having to worrie about me? Why is this?
Now that ive cut my insulin down i see weight loss, ive lost nearly 1 pround ( 12lbs ) without trying in a year. Now i want to lose weight, i want to lose around 20lbs so i have joined the gym, i take a sports drink called lucozade which is full of sugar when im in the gym to keep my sugar level up so i dont go low, i dont think this is a good idea drinking lucozade if im wanting to lose some pounds? Is there anything i could drink or take thats not fatting for the gym so i actual get to my goal weight? And does anyone have advise for a type diabetic to lose weight?
Another thing is during activities, im going low and going into a hypo but i dont know this is happing intill my boyfriend asks am i ok, i get blue or fat lips during activities i dont really have any symtoms im going to take a hypo, i'd rather be safe then have my boyfriend having to worrie about me? Why is this?
Doctor's Answer
by JDRF-VOL-SG, Jun 06, 2007 12:00AM
You may have to drop your insulin when you know you will be exercising if you want to avoid having to drink the sports drink. And you might also want to watch your glucose for the next few DAYS, for some people find that they run lower for about 2 days after strenuous exercise, not just for several hours. You and your endocrinologist may need to decide how much to lower your insulin on days that you exercise, and it may take some trial and error to figure it out.
You may also find that your body requires less insulin as you lose weight. Fat cells are insulin resistant, so as you lose weight, the insulin you inject is going to be more effective. So that may also be part of the problem right now... and the solution may indeed be to lower your daily insulin amount as you get thinner. Again, I recommend that you work with your doctor on this issue.
As for not realizing when you are dropping low, this can easily happen to any of us when we have too many lows close together. To make a long explanation as short as possible, your brain sends signals to your body when you drop low. These signals are supposed to make you drink some juice or some other quick carb to provide your brain with much-needed glucose. If this doesn't happen soon enough, the brain's emergency action is to tell your liver to release emergency stores of sugar. If a second, or third, or fourth (you get the picture) low happens before all the residues of these emergency sugars have dissipated, the brain won't send out the warning signals because it THINKS that it still has sugar -- which is wrong, because it only is sensing the leftovers from the emergency liver sugars. Eventually you lose all warnings, as you describe.
So is this permanent? NO, it is NOT! Studies in recent years have shown that a person can fully recover all warning symptoms within a few weeks by doing these things:
1. ALWAYS drink a fast carb such as your sports drink when low. Never eat a candy bar or some other fat-laden snack when low, for they digest slowly and the brain will continue to signal that it needs help while you are digesting. The idea is to get the quickest possible carb fix so as to correct the glucose problem BEFORE the brain can ask the liver to release its emergency sugars.
2. Try hard to avoid ALL lows for at least 2 weeks (this is the time that some of the studies said that it takes for the warnings to reappear -- 2 weeks without ANY lows).
3. Test more often than usual while doing step 2 so you can catch glucose drops before they become bona-fide lows.
If you do these things, you should be able to recover your warning symptoms of lows. It works beautifully for me.
You may also find that your body requires less insulin as you lose weight. Fat cells are insulin resistant, so as you lose weight, the insulin you inject is going to be more effective. So that may also be part of the problem right now... and the solution may indeed be to lower your daily insulin amount as you get thinner. Again, I recommend that you work with your doctor on this issue.
As for not realizing when you are dropping low, this can easily happen to any of us when we have too many lows close together. To make a long explanation as short as possible, your brain sends signals to your body when you drop low. These signals are supposed to make you drink some juice or some other quick carb to provide your brain with much-needed glucose. If this doesn't happen soon enough, the brain's emergency action is to tell your liver to release emergency stores of sugar. If a second, or third, or fourth (you get the picture) low happens before all the residues of these emergency sugars have dissipated, the brain won't send out the warning signals because it THINKS that it still has sugar -- which is wrong, because it only is sensing the leftovers from the emergency liver sugars. Eventually you lose all warnings, as you describe.
So is this permanent? NO, it is NOT! Studies in recent years have shown that a person can fully recover all warning symptoms within a few weeks by doing these things:
1. ALWAYS drink a fast carb such as your sports drink when low. Never eat a candy bar or some other fat-laden snack when low, for they digest slowly and the brain will continue to signal that it needs help while you are digesting. The idea is to get the quickest possible carb fix so as to correct the glucose problem BEFORE the brain can ask the liver to release its emergency sugars.
2. Try hard to avoid ALL lows for at least 2 weeks (this is the time that some of the studies said that it takes for the warnings to reappear -- 2 weeks without ANY lows).
3. Test more often than usual while doing step 2 so you can catch glucose drops before they become bona-fide lows.
If you do these things, you should be able to recover your warning symptoms of lows. It works beautifully for me.
Post Comment
I am 48 and have been a type 1 for 34 years.
I check my BS before I exercise and eat a snack so I won't go LOW. Then I check my BS again after exercise to make sure I don't need another snack. The biggest thing about going low is to make sure you do not eat too much and go way overboard and bring your sugar up too high.
I am like you and don't feel myself going low, so.......I check my BS quite a few times during the day and eat small snacks between meals. The key here is "small snacks" as you don't want to eat too much and then your BS goes way up. It seems to work for me.
Have you thought about going low carb to loose weight. I do an average of about 100 grams of carbs a day and it seems to keep me from getting any bigger than I am. I weigh about 170 and could lose about 10 pounds, but I am comfortable as long as I don't gain any more weight.
Check with your Endo and see if he can adjust your insulin for your exercise as it sounds like you might be taking too much insulin, but I can't tell you that as I am not in your shoes.
I wish you well in your pursuit to lose weight.
Bob