July 5, 2002
Weight and Weight Loss
Question from Hornsby, New South Wales, Australia:
I’m a 16 year old girl with type 1 diabetes, and over the past few months, I have gained a bit of weight, which sure is visible. I can see a lot more fat on my body and around my thighs and stomach area, and I do not have a distorted body image or an eating disorder. I am not going to cut back on insulin doses, or starve myself as I have a rather healthy eating plan, but I would like to lose excess fat on my body with exercise.
I am not exactly sure how people with diabetes can lose fat without cutting down on insulin.. I think that during exercise, the insulin dose converts blood sugars for energy. If it only uses the blood sugars, does this mean it doesn’t really have to burn up any fat for energy? Can I lose excess fat at all without cutting my insulin?
Answer:
If everything else remains the same, then the more one exercises, the less the insulin dose acting at that time — or with the lag effect of exercise, sometimes for some hours later and/or the more food is needed. So it does not sound like you can increase exercise to burn off body fat without a concomitant change in insulin and/or food. You should really discuss this in some detail with your diabetes educator/physician so that you can work out an individualized plan that meets your exact needs.
SB
