Tuesday 26 July 2016

Losing Weight, Insulin and Type 1 Diabetes Counting those carbs to loose weight while managing #Type1Diabetes


Counting those carbs to loose weight while managing #Type1Diabetes

Loosing weight while managing type 1 Diabetes can be tricky, but once you'v had an education in carb counting ( like a DAFNE course ) it becomes easier to understand how shedding those extra pounds can be achieved.

It becomes about choosing your carbs wisely and deciding what time of day you need them most. Depending on your lifestyle and routine.

We eat carbs to sustain us from meal to meal, we inject insulin to counteract the effect the carbs will have on our blood glucose, we start the downward spiral towards low blood glucose, so we eat, and so the vicious circle continuous.

It all depends on so many things that can literally change in a heartbeat. Stress, rushing around, housework, walking from A to B, hormones, hot weather, cold weather, and the very first sign of us even getting a cold is often unexplained high blood glucose, meaning more insulin, which can then mean more food. And so on, and so on .....

Weight watchers will tell you how many Syns your allowed per day.
Unislim will tell you how many points your allowed per day.
They all claim to know ALL about diabetes, when in fact they haven't a clue, and you can't figure out how to make it work for you.

I joined Unislim and yes I lost of weight but not while following their diet. I only went for the weekly weigh in. Sure by the time id have eaten their recommended allocation of Bread, potatoes, and rice, my insulin would have had to increase and that's something I was trying to avoid for 2 main reasons. 
- insulin being a growth hormone and me not wanting to grow any further ..... Out !
- didn't think eating "just about anything I wanted" and injecting it away was the cleverest of things to do. Not exactly what you'd call healthy living.
Self control, reduced portion, reduced carbs, reduced insulin, = reduced clothes size and that would be my only road forward.

- Forward planning will help on a day by day basis and making sure when you start your day that your foods are prepared and ready for you when needed.  
- portion size is important and will also help you when it comes to planing your activities and insulin through the day.
- A little research will help you swop your usual foods for substitutes with lower carbs and hopefully lower calories.
- A steady daily routine of conscious changes that are carefully thought out and even a 20 minute walk per day is what will help you drop those pounds "steady as she goes"

1 or 2 pound off the hips is real progress and you should be very pleased with yourself if you achieve this after all 1 pound a week is 52 pounds in a year.  
That's 3 and 1/2 stone in a single year.


I'm Not a professional, just a person with Type 1 Diabetes sharing experience.


Davina


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