I am a sixteen year old Type 1 diabetic. I was first diagnosed three years ago. I am beginning to get frustrated with this disease. There is no ‘right’ way to do things. One day it is good, the next you could be high and have done the same thing. I was wondering what type of research has been done, and how close scientists are to a cure. Also, I am 5’4″ and weigh about 178 lbs. I was wondering if there was a way that I could lose some of this weight. I am rather muscular, so it is not all fat, but I would still like to lose at least 20 lbs. Do you have any recommendations?

You are on the 95 percentile for weight for your age for about 50 percentile in height. You need to lose perhaps not 20 pounds but certainly 15. The way to do this is both simple and exasperatingly hard. It involves a pattern of daily strenuous exercise, best perhaps in a health club where you can monitor progress with some degree of accuracy and perhaps get some counselling to keep you at it. The other component is dietary restriction and here you really need the help of the dietitian that works with your diabetes care team. The hormone Leptin does not work and at your age I would not depend on the various drugs that depress appetite.

I also think that you need to review the whole issue of control with the nurse educator, because at 16 you should be in firm control of your blood sugar as a preparation for leaving home and going to the less rigid worlds of college or employment. Finally, you should check your total daily insulin dose with your doctor especially if it is over 0.8 units/kg/day: too much insulin can significantly enhance appetite and a reduction to normal levels can sometimes bring about a striking weight loss.

DOB