Monday, December 10, 2012

Is it impossible to lose weight with diabetes type 1?

Q. I'm so disappointed in myself. I haven't been in total control of my diabetes and have been eating pretty crappy lately. Well, I just weighed myself and haven't in about a little over a month and just found out a gained close to 10 pounds, when I already had 25 to lose!!! I'm almost in tears at the thought of weighing what I do right now forever. Is it possible to just eat healthy and excersize and lose weight like a normal person even though I have diabetes type 1?

A. I'll be honest with you. I've been type 1 since I was 1 year old. All of my life my motto has been 'it's the quality of life not quantity'. I'm 38, have had very mild complications, a rough pregnancy and have never been a model diabetic. I enjoy food, especially carbs, and a beer. My a1c is typically a 7. It took me a very long time, 10+years, to loose the pregnancy weight but I'm now 114lbs. I do take lots of vitamins and try to work out at least 3 times a week. I'm a true believer in small portions of any crappy foods. It satisfies my craving and makes me happy too. Six small meals a day helped with the weight too.
You may also want to get your thyroid checked. It is common for type 1 diabetics to develop an under active thyroid. The blood test is called a THS.
Good luck in your search for answers.


How does it feel to have diabetes type 1? please diabetics type 1 only if possible?
Q. What is an Insulin Pump for and what does it do?
What is the insulin in the insulin pump made of?
Also how does it feel to have diabetes type 1?

A. I have type 1 diabetes and use an insulin pump.

I dunno what it's made of lol - the same kinda stuff as any kind of computer or electrical device - I guess a bit like a phone it's got a tough plastic case, but obviously it also has insulin in it!

It's connected to me all the time although I can disconnect to take a shower or go swimming etc. for a short time. It goes into my skin using a cannula - a bit like when you have a drip they put a needle in and then take it out and a little plastic tube is left under your skin. I change this myself every few days. The insulin works like a really high tech syringe - it pushes a little bit forwards every few minutes (I set the rate). So it drip feeds me insulin 24 hours a day but I can also tell my pump if I eat or if my blood sugar's high and how much and it can calculate how much insulin I need, or I can just tell it how much I want to take.

The advantages of having a pump are that I don't need to inject and I can adjust my insulin much more closely according to what I need throughout the day. It also means it's a lot more easy to exercise which is great :) But it's a lot of work and the big needle every couple of days is worse than 4 or 5 small injections / day! Also because I have nhs funding (uk) there is a lot of pressure on me to do well on the pump or they'll cut my funding and I don't have as much choice of consultants. Also having a pump attached to you all the time isn't for everyone - I've had mine for 4 years so it's kinda just a part of me now but sometimes you wish you could forget it for a little while - esp if you're gonna wear a dress or something!

I'm not exactly sure what you mean about how it feels to have type 1? I've had it for 14 years so don't really know any different. A lot of the time it sucks - esp when it stops you from doing something. I wanted to join a new gym at the weekend and they said I have to get a letter from my dr first - it's more anoying than anything else. Then there's when people think they know more about your diabetes than you do so they say things like 'you shouldn't be eating that' when you're eating glucose tablets because you're hypo! Or when you have to stop what you're doing for diabetes - at the gym I sometimes have to leave classes or stop and test my blood during a class and that's embarrassing, although most people at my gym know I have diabetes and that makes me feel a lot safer, so it has it's good and bad points. Most people with type 1 diabetes grow up to be more organised than other people and it teaches us that there's more to life than always meets the eye - it has it's good points as well as bad.

Hope that helps xx


Can you join the army or any armed force when you have diabetes type 1?
Q. I have diabetes type 1 and i've considered the army or national reserve as a way to pay for college but im not certain if i can i have diabetes type 2. Can anyone help me, preferably retired or active soldiers but all are welcome to answer.

A. No you can't join any branch.

Current or history of diabetes mellitus (250) is disqualifying.


What is the difference between Diabetes Type 1 and 2.?
Q. I've been interested and researching some fields involving things that are medical, and I was wondering how one can get the two types of Diabetes and which is worse. Are people with Diabetes type 1 generally not overweight compared to type 2?

How do people who aren't fat at all get Diabetes? Is it a completely different cause to getting it other than eating too much?
I'm thinking it might be past genes.

A. I have been healthy and active my entire life, always skinny as well. But, I was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes a couple months ago. Why? Because Type 1 is genetic, meaning, you always have had it, but it was not triggered until something caused it to do so. Type 1 is usually triggered by the flu, or fevers, I've even heard of one guy who got it right after he had a simple cold. Sometimes you don't even get sick first, it just happens. Bottom line is, it has nothing to do with what you do or eat, if you have it, you have it, that is it. Type 1 means your pancreas no longer produces Insulin, Insulin is used to bond with the food you eat and cells and this produces energy.

There is no other option for a Type 1 Diabetic but to need daily shots of Insulin, unless you have the pump which is always connected to you and you manage how much insulin goes into you or not.
There is no cure at this time and it is not something that can go away with time.



Type 2 Diabetes, is also GENETIC. But it has been known to be triggered by excess weight, poor diet, and other factors as well. Living a healthy and active lifestyle can prevent Type 2 in some cases, though not all. Type 2 still produces some insulin though not a lot, and can be treated simply with pills, diet, exercise, and in severe cases insulin injections as well. It is possible for Type 2 to go away over time with proper care, though not always and rarely.

I should also point out that my grandmother got Type 2 later on in life, and she was very very thin. It is a misconception that all Type 2s are overweight.




I would say Type 1 is worse, it has no other option but insulin shots, it starts earlier in life so you really do have it your whole life, and there is not chance of it going away.

But, they are closer to finding a cure for Type one, possibly within 20 years, so I guess it depends on if you have faith in them being able to find a cure or not.

Though, no one should have to have Type 1 or 2, because neither are easy and both require a lot of work.


Hope I helped





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