[Rollins00861]

I'm new to this forum, but I have a big question here:

I was talking with some people earlier today about diabetes and we were discussing the potential weight gain. One person with diabetes claimed he'd gained 75 pounds over three months because of it. I asked if this person had actually eaten 75 pounds worth of food and water (liquids) over a three-month period. He said no, but that didn't matter; his "metabolism" was to blame for the weight gain.

I'm not saying people don't gain weight...but how can someone take in...say...50 pounds worth of food and have it come out to 75 pounds?? Doesn't a pound weigh a pound, regardless if it's fat, muscle, bone or feathers? If not, can someone explain how metabolism can add more weight than you take in?

[DeusXM]

The majority of newly diagnosed T1s commonly are suffering from massive dehyration without realising. Consequently, when most of us go onto insulin treatment, we get rehydrated and put on as fair bit of weight as water. In fact, one of the reasons why the much feted Atkins diet appears to work so well initialy is because it causes the same kind of dehyration - it's not unusual to 'lose' 10 to 20lbs during 2 weeks of Atkins, so it's quite easy to put on a similar amount during the first few months of insulin therapy.

Insulin also promotes fat gain as well, and this person you were talking to has probably eaten more anyway as a result of going onto treatment.

[rzrbks]

I'm not saying people don't gain weight...but how can someone take in...say...50 pounds worth of food and have it come out to 75 pounds?? Doesn't a pound weigh a pound, regardless if it's fat, muscle, bone or feathers? If not, can someone explain how metabolism can add more weight than you take in?

as Deus rightly points out, most of us have dropped large amounts of weight when we're first diagnosed and bringing our metabolism back to a proper "setting" causes us to regain weght.

Then you add in that it is harder to exercise properly because of hypos and their effect and, generally, we have a harder time burning up the calories that we do take in simply because, rightly so, we focus more on the Carb in-take rather than the caloric in-take. True control, for us, means that we are able to balance Carbs + calories that are optimal for our life-styles.

Throw in that many people gain weight in the winter months even if they are "normal" and "Welcome to the fun and exciting World of Diabetes." LOL

[HeatherP]

The more insulin you take, the more weight you gain, the heavier you get. The more you weigh, the more insulin you have to take, the more weight you gain, the heavier you get. The more you weight, the more insulin you have to take, the more weight you gain.............................................. ..



and round and round it goes. Nasty little detail isn't it?

[Rollins00861]

Well, of course, I understand that weight gain should be pretty much expected...but can one gain more weight than they take in? Example: say someone eats and drinks five pounds of food and water in a day...can that person gain MORE than the five pounds of food and water they ingested?

[am1977]

No, I don't think it has to do with the pounds of food you eat. It is the caloric value you take in a day. If you eat more than your nutritional needs in calories, you will gain weight. It doesn't have to do with the weight of the food itself.

[Rollins00861]

I understand a person will gain weight...my question is can the person gain more weight than they ingest?

[DeusXM]

Theoretically, yes. I could eat a kilo of bread, but because of the way metabolism works, all the excess energy in that I've taken in will be stored as fat. And I believe fat probably weighs more than bread, which means 1kg of bread might become 2kg of fat.

[Rollins00861]

But in order for it to weigh more, it would have to add something to that fat...a pound of bread would turn into a pound of fat...it may be more expansive and less dense, but that doesn't mean it would weigh more....

Thanks for the answers, by the way, you guys...I'm having a difficult time understanding this.

[HeatherP]

I don't really understand the point of the question.