Pumping and weight gain/loss...

[Cinnabon]

I have been very curious about this subject that has come up quite a lot and I am a bit confused. I know you can experience weight gain from insulin use and from achieving more normal and stable blood sugar levels. Do pump users experience more weight gain due to the fact that you are able to eat more and more varieties of food? Then again, being on a pump you don't have to eat at all times, which can help with weight loss.
Can some pump users shed some light here?

[Clint]

I have gained almost 20lbs since being on my pump. I attribute that to more stable but much better sugar control... I am not *having* to work out becuase of this. I dont mind the weight gain because I am now closer to what I should wiegh anyway.

my 2 cents

[Cinnabon]

Did you have bad control before getting on the pump?

[Clint]

I could never stay level.. I was always up or down... the last month before I got my pump I was much better but still on the 'roller coaster' as I called it.

Since getting on the pump, I am around 'normal' alot more and this has helped me gain wieght.

[Belinda]

I've gained weight too. I am going to pose the question to the endo this week....that if there a correlation and what can I do? I hate it and other than going back on MDI temporarily to lose the weight again...I could always tell him I am going to let it get out of control and experience rapid weight loss... :( but I hate the feeling and the damage that would do.....I just want something to work).

[Cinnabon]

For the past 6 motnhs I have had very close to Perfect control (MDI). I have gained weight due to this. Once I get on the pump, I guess then this weight problem will only get worst.

[duck]

It's kinda like smoking cigarettes (diabetes) when you think about it--You're a little bit sick, and a side effect of being sick is weight loss. You stop smoking, your body puts on some weight (albeit being able to taste again probably helps). Same with the pump, your control gets better and you gain a little weight. I think being skinny as a rail is over-rated.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v151/educk/smilies/soapbox.gif

[Cinnabon]

Well with the smoking, I know a lot of people tend to turn to food to substitute for the cigarette leading to More food= weight gain. It comes down to keeping a healthy diet to prevent the weight gain?

Most pump users are happy to "eat what they want, when they want" . The idea of eating healthy is forgotten.Sometimes they don`t think about whether they are eating healthy amounts of all food types, not just carbohydrates. yey / ney?

[UpNorth]

I've lost 10kg since i got my pump. Pumping gives me the freedom to cut down on the carbs and no need to eat all the time :thumbsup:

[twocute64001]

My weight was way too low before the pump. Once I got my BG regulated and around 90 to 100 most of the time I reached a normal weight and began to look a lot healthier. My hair also got thicker and silkier which my doc said was a good indication my overall health was improving.

I maintained my weight for a number of year (until my thyroid went out) but with thyroid meds - once again my weight is stabilizing.

For me at least the pump improved my vision, my weight and my overall health

[am1977]

Pumping usually does mean better control...so the food you consume is being used more efficiently and that does mean that weight gain is a good possibility. I did gain weight with the pump, but I think it was mostly due to having that added flexibility. I knew I could pretty much eat when and whatever I wanted, so I took advantage of that. Nowadays, I have lost some of that weight and am working on taking off another 10-15 lbs. I've cut back on what I eat a bit, trying to be more conscious of what I choose and I try to go for low-fat foods. I've also increased my workouts as well. I think a combination of those two components really does work. Weight gain with pumping isn't inevitable, you can control it if you continue to watch your diet and stay active :)

[duck]

Well with the smoking, I know a lot of people tend to turn to food to substitute for the cigarette leading to More food= weight gain. It comes down to keeping a healthy diet to prevent the weight gain?

Most pump users are happy to "eat what they want, when they want" . The idea of eating healthy is forgotten.Sometimes they don`t think about whether they are eating healthy amounts of all food types, not just carbohydrates. yey / ney?

I agree with the "eat what they want" statement--It does happen.

But I was like UpNorth, I actually lost weight when I went on the pump because I didn't have to eat so much. Anyone here who reads what I post knows I hate NPH (because it almost killed me), but because of NPH's inconsistencies I had to keep upping it and upping it, and then eat to cover it when it actually worked. It was so nice to be able to eat less and even skip a meal when busy and not worry that I would drop dead because of an insulin reaction!

[twocute64001]

I am under the impression that NPH taken over years will cause a type of insulin resistance and cause you to gain weigh. Anyone know if this is fact or not?

[MarkMunday]

twocute64001,

I suspect there is some confused logic here. I used NPH for 20 years. And, if anything, I became increasingly sensitive to it. And my understanding is that excessive weight causes insulin resistance, not the other way around.

Having said that, I do believe that maintaining good control becomes more difficult over the years, as counter-regulatory processes become increasingly dysfunctional. We end up having to "feed the insulin". And this puts on weight.

Cheers,

Mark

[Harold]

Eating too much at one time causes insulin resistance. The extra glucose is stored as fat and it takes extra insulin to get it there.

Skipping meals causes one to eat too much at other meal times and causes insulin resistance. Because the extra glucose calls for extra insulin and the glucose gets stored as fat.

Liver dumps caused by skipping meals causes too much glucose to be released at one time and too much insulin to be released and the extra glucose is stored as fat and the extra insulin causes insulin resistance.

Then after all of the fat cells around the middle get stuffed they release something that decreases insulin receptors on them, but it also affects other cells. Which means the body releases more insulin which increases insulin resistance and on and on.........

So what came first the chicken or the egg?