Weight Gain with Insulin

I'm always curious about what medications I'm taking and the diagnosis I've been given. I've always been told that insulin makes you gain weight knowing that I'm not the first girl to be curious about insulin and weight gain I decided to do some research. Much to my surprise it's not a complicated and it may seem. Every doctor you talk to will tell you that you're going to gain weight however, they don't tell you why or what's behind it all. A little explanation can go along way.

Insulin itself can make you gain weight but used properly you can manage your sugar level and your weight. When your body produces insulin normally you don't have to be as self conscience about your food as when you are diabetic. Insulin is a hormone that regulates the absorption of sugar. Sugar is what your body uses as fuel for energy, what insulin does is take that sugar to your cells. Glucose that your cells don't use builds up inside your body and ends up being stored as fat.

If you're an overweight diabetic it will cause insulin resistance which won't help with losing any of your weight. You might find that you're going to have to use more insulin than less if this is the case. When you're overweight insulin has a hard time taking sugar to your cells which is why the weight isn't coming off or you could be gaining weight.

This is where controlling your weight become in your control! In order for you to lose any weight you need to start exercising and eating healthy. You will become more sensitive to insulin if your weight is in control.
Exercising 30 minutes a day will help you to burn fat, just going for a walk will make a difference. Getting your body moving; moves sugar from the blood to your cells. Think of daily changes that you can make to get your blood flowing, whether it be taking the stairs at work or at a doctors office, going for a walk around the block, parking your car further away in a parking lot make conscience effort to get yourself moving more!

Calories can be the big enemy BUT only if they're being consumed in large amounts. The best eating habits you can get into is not a diet; it's eating smaller portions more often. Your body needs sugar because it's your energy source. At meal times make sure that you are eating vegetables as well as carbohydrates but keep your portion sizes smaller. Try not to go for second because this will not help you to lose any weight. Snaking in between meals will help keep your energy level up but of course as long as they're the right snacks! Nuts, fruit, vegetables and proteins are a good choice for a healthy snack. Of course lots of water!

Skipping out on meals is not a good idea either you might think this will help you lose weight but it won't. When you skip a meal you're body goes into protection mode and stores the calories it receives making you gain weight instead.

When I was doing my research I found something that was rather alarming to me. Over 40% of women decrease the amount of insulin they're using to lose weight. This is a very dangerous and harmful thing to do to your body. When you decrease the amount of insulin but eat the same amount of carbohydrates your sugar level will increase. Not only is this putting you at a higher risk for ketoacidosis but also for long term complications of diabetes. This is more harmful to your body than having extra pounds. Long term complications can include eye damage, kidney and liver failure, loss of feeling in your feet and body and so forth. You can lose weight but do it the healthy way exercise and eat right!

Besides that fact when you decrease and increase the amount of insulin level your body becomes confused. When you drop down the amount of insulin you're using your body can become dehydrated, which can leave you thinking that you've lost weight. Once this happens you go back to the proper amount of insulin that you need and you end up gaining the weight right back. This is because your body starts to over-retain fluids to make up for dehydration. As you can see it's not a very effect method and it's very harmful to your body.

When having sugar lows keeping your food consumption to the proper amount for hypoglycemia which is around 15 to 20 grams of carbohydrates. Over indulging while having a low sugar can cause you to gain weight. This can be a very difficult thing to do because of how you feel during hypoglycemia but if you do over indulge make sure that you take some insulin once your levels come back to normal. Try to be patient though and let to come up with the right amount.