Maybe this in unique among my tribe of type 2 people. Normally it is weight gain when starting insulin. Well, I’ve always been the outlier in any cohort.
I started MDI 28 months ago and using a pump 15 months ago. I have been a regular exerciser in the 33 years since diagnosis. My weight has fluctuated up and down a bit over 31 years, never obese and never overly thin. This has changed with MDI/pump. I have lost about 15 pounds since starting MDI. Right now I weigh what I did as a 15-16 year old - 155 pounds at 5’10”. Using a calorie calculator my basal caloric needs for my age, weight and height are 1694 kCal. I have not ever counted calories but carbs until this morning. I am averaging around 2,300 Cal per day. That same calorie calculator has me needing 2,800 to 3,000 kCal per day because of the amount and intensity of my daily exercise.
Evidently I am in calorie deficit.
The problem is I have not been suffering from hunger for the last 28 months, and I have trouble covering with boluses more food than I am currently eating. It is just not simple for me. The foods that I normally eat I can bolus correctly, but when I add more it is a real struggle. Increasing the bolus to cover the additional just doesn’t work well.
I am happy at 155 pounds, I just don’t want to lose any more weight. It is easier to climb those hills without that 15 pounds, but I think more would start affecting performance.
I don’t weigh daily, sometime months go by without weighing. Sunday at church 3 different people commented on the weight loss. That’s when I weighed myself.
Do you think the weight loss is specifically due to pump use, or is it due to insufficient calories? It seems like you need more calories to compensate for your intense exercise. Could you add a high calorie drink after your bike ride, like a Boost drink, something not too difficult to bolus for?
Ive been drinking the Glucose Control chocolate Boost drinks for about 5-6 yrs now. They are great after a workout. They fill me up with protein and just the right amount of carbs and I NEVER spike so long as I pre-bolus for 15 minutes (or even 20 minutes) before I drink them. (I drink 2 of them.) I find that not only are they tasty and satisfying, but they curb my appetite for hours until dinnertime. I like the Chocolate Sensation flavor (although sometimes they change the names; still the chocolate always tastes the same, whatever they call it)
Thanks @daisymae. I read that you liked Boost products but I haven’t tried them post-workout yet. Glad to hear that a 15-20 min prebolus is sufficient for these. I may give one a shot if I run a long time before my next meal is planned.
I didn’t answer this, I don’t think it has to do with the pump, because I was slowly losing weight during the year I was on MDI. It probably is calorie deficiency. Before my doctor and I decided that I should add meal time insulin to my therapy, I was being Uber restricted about what I ate because I was seeing an increase in meter readings - fasting and postprandial.
This is something few understand about type 2 is the Beta cells just wear out over time. They are not destroyed by the immune system but are dead or dying.
I’ve been through all the stages from management with diet and exercise, to orals to Lantus to MDI and finally on a pump. I still am careful about what I eat and exercise in some fashion daily.
My weight loss i can definatly blame on not eating. Ive been so nauseated that i cannot eat. and when i do feel like eating i end up throwing up anyhow. Its really a shame, bc i am so skinny anyhow. I cant afford to lose anymore weight.
I already have so many digestive issues, this is the last thing i need. Does your wife has Gastroparisis? Thats been on my list for years now. I take Domperidone which i get from Canada. I also take Motegrity, Miralax, and Senna at bedtime. Ugh.
Is your wife also a diabetic? Is she on steroids? I also have osteoarthritis, but i take nothing for it other than my pain meds for my spine and back muscles (spinal surgery last year).my meds cause terrible constipation, so on top of the pain meds, i also have to take meds for the constipation. Way too many pills for one person
No she’s not diabetic, I and one of our sons are enough for that. I do know that any of the opioids even codeine will slow the motion of the gut causing constipation among other gastritis. Any of those make her nauseous and constipated.
Thats interesting. I have a probklem with cows milk too. I switched to Goats milk and am able to enjoy yogurt in the mornings now. I also have IBS (PS, i never eat beef)
It’s why we raised Nubian dairy goats for years. We are no longer breeding because we always worked together when there was a birthing problem, me holding the head and her working the business end. With her hip and knee issues she is not strong enough. We get our milk from a friend, now.
Proverbs 25:24-27
24For riches are not forever, neither is a crown for generations.
I used to think i was the only person in the world who ate and drank goats milk. If i mentioned it to any of my friends, they all made that “disgusting” look on their faces.
However, i realized that other people definately enjoyed it, because it was constantly sold out in the grocer where i shop. I had to let the manager know that i would buy it by the case if he could just hold it aside for me.
problem solved.
PS: as a child and teenager i went to a Quaker faming camp in Vermont. I had to get up at 5am every morning to milk the goats. ( I also went to a Quaker School for 10 years, and we did all outdoor things; none of my friends from other schools got to do. AND, the best part was that we didnt get grades. We got complimented upon our merits))
