Any other type 1s out there?

[bookwyrm]

Hi, I'm a type 1 diabetic. I was able to lose weight initially doing low-carb, even being sloppy about it sometimes but lately the weight has really crept back on and my insulin needs have increased. I find that lots of the advice given for 'diabetics" is really for type 2 diabetics, not type 1s. I'd love to see type 1s unite and find out what works for you all. Yes I have Bernstein's book and yes I am trying to do his plan.

Bookwyrm

[Geekabetic]

Bookwyrm,

Sorry I am late to the party!!! I'm a T1D (dx 4/83), pumpin' with Omnipod and using the Navigator CGM. I am at the very start of my high-protein/low-carb way of eating. I have done some web reading and I have the Drs. Eades book headed my way from my friends at Amazon as we speak. I am also doing the P90X workouts and doing a pretty good job of staying on track with those. (Being a newbie - please forgive stupid questions - i'm not trying to be dense - but I have a long way to go before I am fluent on any of this material!

Are you keeping yourself in ketosis? I have 10-15 pounds (muscle condition depending) to lose and from what I have read, the weight comes off faster when you are staying in ketosis. For us (T1’s), those strips ought to always be handy anyhow <g> ...

My biggest fear going into this is that I will get lazy with my assessment of what I am taking in to my body - for right now, I am logging calories, carbs & proteins to make sure that (a) I am eating (what I currently think is) a right amount of protein, and that I am indeed keeping my carbs down AND that I am keeping my calorie count reasonable. Once I have a tracking system in place that works, and I get comfortable with what and how I am eating, I'll probably schedule quarterly reviews to make sure that I'm still measuring, gauging, and otherwise eating what I think I am eating ;)

One way I've found to drop some carbs out of my daily routine is when I am dropping. I used to down juice or tablets as a first resort - now, I am focused on catching them earlier and I am suspending my pump for 30 minutes. I know it sounds crazy but if I am 86 with a down arrow (Navigator's hint that my sugar is in a dive), I can usually end in the 60's and bring myself up with a little protein (yes, I know - it's being converted to sugar so be careful...)

I look forward to seeing more of your posts and I'm off to do a little more reading on Dr. Bernstein's site… Anyhow - I love the idea of exchanging ideas and I am deeply grateful for any insights you can share!

Cheers!

Geekabetic
“i AM my favorite chemistry experiment!”

[mcsblues]

Bookwyrm,

Sorry I am late to the party!!! I'm a T1D (dx 4/83), pumpin' with Omnipod and using the Navigator CGM. I am at the very start of my high-protein/low-carb way of eating. I have done some web reading and I have the Drs. Eades book headed my way from my friends at Amazon as we speak. I am also doing the P90X workouts and doing a pretty good job of staying on track with those. (Being a newbie - please forgive stupid questions - i'm not trying to be dense - but I have a long way to go before I am fluent on any of this material!

Welcome!:) Which book are you getting? I can strongly recommend PPLP even if you don't start there.

Are you keeping yourself in ketosis? I have 10-15 pounds (muscle condition depending) to lose and from what I have read, the weight comes off faster when you are staying in ketosis. For us (T1’s), those strips ought to always be handy anyhow <g> ...

No, well it is not a focus anyway. The Eades don't stress about ketosis, although in the initial weight loss phase it is likely you will be most of the time. As long as you are burning fat (and you will be if you keep carbs low enough) the strips aren't a reliable indicator of where it is coming from. I understand that as a T1 you need to keep a closer check on this - I'd suggest if you don't already that the blood test strips (since you are doing blood tests anyway) are more accurate than the urine analysis.

My biggest fear going into this is that I will get lazy with my assessment of what I am taking in to my body - for right now, I am logging calories, carbs & proteins to make sure that (a) I am eating (what I currently think is) a right amount of protein, and that I am indeed keeping my carbs down AND that I am keeping my calorie count reasonable. Once I have a tracking system in place that works, and I get comfortable with what and how I am eating, I'll probably schedule quarterly reviews to make sure that I'm still measuring, gauging, and otherwise eating what I think I am eating ;)

One way I've found to drop some carbs out of my daily routine is when I am dropping. I used to down juice or tablets as a first resort - now, I am focused on catching them earlier and I am suspending my pump for 30 minutes. I know it sounds crazy but if I am 86 with a down arrow (Navigator's hint that my sugar is in a dive), I can usually end in the 60's and bring myself up with a little protein (yes, I know - it's being converted to sugar so be careful...)

Obviously you need to find a system that works for you, and since you are already keeping good records it may be that you can gradually fine tune that as you lower carb intake gradually, and adjust insulin accordingly. Protein can be converted to sugar, but with the right amount of insulin this should be self regulating (it is in non diabetics and non insulin dependant T2s) But one book you simply must have is Bernstein's (http://www.diabetes-book.com/) (you may already) and he would be the world expert on blood sugar/insulin control on a low carb diet for T1s (having had 60+ years of personal experience, plus countless patients)

I look forward to seeing more of your posts and I'm off to do a little more reading on Dr. Bernstein's site… Anyhow - I love the idea of exchanging ideas and I am deeply grateful for any insights you can share!

Oops!:o:p - oh well very glad you are on the right track, and you will get lots of good advice and support here!:)

[Geekabetic]

Malcolm,

Thank you for your time, encouragement and information!!!

One thing to note, with us T1's: That whole bit about "with the right amount of insulin, it's self regulating..." - well - the right amount of insulin is the trick of the trade. T1’s are driving a manual while the rest of the world got t’ keep the automatic… LOL

I am cramming 15 grams of carbs (4 ounces OJ, 8 Ounces water, 1 stevia packet) during my workouts because even at a 50% basal reduction, right now – I’m seeing a crash about 40 minutes into them… I know the answer is less insulin but fine tuning that timing is a bear… Still, I seem to be staying in ketosis, my total insulin loads are staying down and G-d willing, I’ll get this weight off yet, LOL

At first blush, what appeals to me about Dr. Bernstein is that he found a solution that works. What appeals to me less is it doesn't appear that he's fleshed out the borders to find both extremes. I need to read more and I am basing my preliminary opinion largely on third party responses to his work which is (often) an unreliable measure...

Great thought about the blood based ketone strips- I have the precision xtra meter, so – no problem there… Well – there is the time it’ll take me to get the prescription and then fill it through the worlds slowest mail-order system… GAH!

Keep it comin’! And I’ve been reading a number of your posts, thanks for lighting the way!

Cheers!

Geekabetic

[mcsblues]

I'd suggest you look at also changing the nature of your workout - more resistance type exercise less (and I am guessing) of the cardio you do now. As you say the goal is less insulin, so both your diet and your exercise should be designed to allow this to happen.

I'll be interested to see how you get on with Bernstein - I have a friend (you may have read about) who now refers me to his 'bible':eek::p - admittedly he is a T2 - but his life has been transformed, and he has lost weight as well .... hey, when do I get some credit??:rolleyes::lol:

[Geekabetic]

Malcolm,

I too am interested to see what I can glean from Dr. Bernstein's writings. The P90X workouts are mainly resistance with one quasi-plyometric routine and one aerobic workout mixed in to the week... and all are done in the fashion of interval training so I think they should fit in rather nicely. The other workout routine that company offers that I was vaguely interested in, will probably be a bad fit with this way of eating, as it is designed around the high intensity interval training (HIIT) that tends to be extremely cardio intensive. But as I am still looking at the first grain of sand in the sandbox and saying “I think I have this figured out…” I am sure I’ll need a good bit more time to have a firm handle on the whole picture!

Credit? LOL- good luck – for what it’s worth, your posts have been very helpful to me and I am much grateful for your time and sharing!

Cheers!

Geekabetic