Hi all. So bare with me, this is kind of long...

I'm 22 years old and was diagnosed just a little over a year ago with Type 1 diabetes. I was up at school at the time and was missing so many classes from my hospital stay and the doctors appointments, that I decided to take a medical leave and go back home and live with my parents for the rest of the semester. I came home and started going to my usual doctors, went to the so called best endocronologist in town and they told me that- Wait, I wasn't Type 1. I was Type 2. So they put me on pills and took me of the Humilin that I was taking. I was home for about two and a half months after that, worked out every day, ate right and managed to lose about 12 or so pounds of the inexplicable 40 that I put on after my diagnosis. The new semester comes around and I go back to school. I'm still taking my pills and things are going good. I'm eating pretty well, the occasional night of drinking here or there and sometimes yes, I would have a dessert. I went home for spring break and all of a sudden the old symptoms were creeping back in. I was constantly thirsty, I was peeing alot, I was could barely keep my eyes open, etc. Then one night I couldn't breathe. My breathing was so shallow, it took every ounce of me to get air into my lungs. Well my parents rushed me to the hospital and after some examination and alot of insulin they told me: I indeed am Type 1 and I was just going through my "honeymoon period", that's what made the other doctors think I was Type 2. So I'm back on the insulin, this time Novolog and Lantus and once again I gain like 40 pounds (I was around 130-135 to begin with). This past summer, I just got really depressed about the whole situation. I thought I was okay with having diabetes but really, I never really let myself take it in. I just made myself move on. Well, it all hit me like a ton of bricks and I went to a really bad place. I stopped checking my blood sugars and I would only take my insulin sporadically. That time, I put myself into the hospital. I ended up in ICU and basically I woke myself up. I was being really stupid. I started going to a therapist and I have been trying to work out my problems with this disease. The main thing now is that I am trying to come to grips with the weight gain. I would say now that I am up to about 180 pounds and I am 5'7. I can't fit into my clothes, I feel gross in the sense that I can feel the extra weight just hanging off of my body. I would never stop giving myself the insulin just to lose weight, but I was just wondering what the rest of you Type 1's have done to help with the weight loss process?
Anyway, thanks for reading. It's been a tumultuous year for me and I'm glad I found these boards. No matter how much your family or friends are there for you, it's better to talk to people who REALLY understand.
Thanks.

Sounds like you went through a lot with your diagnosis. I can't imagine how frustrated you must've gotten. My daughter, also a type 1, gained weight after she was diagnosed. She's starting to lose some of it now. The way to lose weight if you're a type 1 is to take less insulin....BUT in order to do that you have to eat less carbs. Do NOT cut out the carbs but limit them to only a certain amount with each meal. Right now she's eating about 40 carbs per meal...no more than that. Also, she watches her fat intake and, of course, calories. A typical dinner for her is chicken breast with rice and a lo-carb vegetable, like green beans. Breakfast is often a nutrition shake that has 40 carbs and about 220 calories. Lunch is a usually a sandwich. With this diet she is currently losing weight. If she exercised more than I'm sure she'd lose it faster but well, that just isn't going to happen.

At 5'7" you're not that overweight at your current weight. Obviously you're not comfortable there but just take it slow and you'll get there. And, the more you exercise, the easier it will be. Good luck. Sounds like you're committed to taking care of yourself and that's the most important thing!

Hi and welcome to the board. I've had T1 for 23 years (since I was 12). It sounds like you finally have the right diagnosis, but went through a lot to get it.

I agree with what Linda told you about keeping the carbs down. I lost about 40 pounds by keeping a log of everything I ate and counting the carbs. I look at it like this...when it comes to losing weight, we're not much different than people without diabetes in that we have to keep our carbs down so that we don't require too much insulin. The only difference is that we have to inject our insulin. This is basically how I was able to lose the weight. I have another disease that prevents me from exercising so I didn't do that and was still able to lose. Exercise is important, but I think diet is even more so.

I hope this helps a bit. I'm glad you found us. It's always nice to know you're not alone.

Sharon :)

Thanks ladies for your replies. The only thing is that I already don't eat many carbs. Usually if there are carbs involved in my diet it is because I have brown rice on occasion. Also, I guess I should have said this, but when I give my insulin before meals, my doctor has me giving me five units of novolog if my BG is under 200 and six units if over 200. Sounded strange to me, but I've been doing it. Before that, I was on a sliding scale based on my blood sugar. My doctors have mentioned that later I should give my shots according to what I'm eating but they haven't given me any further info.

You Shouldnt have much problems Losing weight...You are not taking very much insulin. And while the amount of insulin can make losing weight harder for some people. it does not for others. And Usually you need to be taking quite a bit for it to have an affect.

Just recently I was Almost 270lbs, Type1, 40 Units Lantus at night, and about 20 units humalog before each meal....thats a lot of insulin. But I have been able to lose 37lbs in 3 months.By losing the weight I have also been able to cut my insulin down to 36 Lantus and 10-12 Humalog before each meal.

Just Keep track of your calories and Exercise....it will come off.

It also sounds like you have been under a lot of stress (to say the least). Stress hormones can do nasty things like make it harder to control your weight.

Yes, watch your carbs. Also try to prevent any lows, as this weill increase the chance of intake of more carbs/sugar. Sometimes when people are in tight control and have more lows, then gain some weight because of feeding the lows. Not a planned meal or wanted meal.

You might also want to have your doctor (hopefully and Endo) run further tests next time they run some. Like iron levels (energy), female hormones can cause problems, and even thyroid testing (TSH and TPO-antibody) to start. Because you already have an autoimmune disorder you might be more likely to get another in future. Good luck and take care.

I was diagnosed (correctly) as type 1 when i was 17 (i'm now 24). At first i just did what the doctors told me and assumed everything would be ok - then i started gaining a little weight which put me in a bad place - i started to feel unhappy about a lot of hings and as a result i took less care with my insulin, taking it very occasionally, sometimes once a week or if i was feeling particularly ill. I then realised that not taking the insulin was making me lose weight, the other symptoms - thirst, blurred vision, being tired all the time didn't really bother me. i worked a lot and was at university so expected to be tired - i didn't mind being thirsty and would party a lot so expected to feel ill all the time.
it wasn't until i'd lost 50 pounds and was admitted to hospital with crippling stomache pains that i realised how much damage i was doing.
this behaviour continued on and off for the next 3 years. It's only been in the last 12 months that i've started to regain control, and yes, the weight crept back on too but it's slowly coming off when i take the time to watch what i eat and how much insulin i take.
everyone has their own journey and i'm only beginning to realise that mine will end very soon if i don't take control myself. Doctors can help to some extent but have never been useful to me with diet advice or any practical information to help me get through this. The people that have really done all the hard work are on these message boards. there is a lot of useful information on here and a lot of people with similar experiences to your own.
You really do have to work hard but when you get there you appreciate it that much more