Restricting Insulin To Lose Weight

Why Can’t I Lose Weight?

Finding Your Trouble Spots You’re trying hard to lose weight. You’ve changed your eating habits, and you’ve been doing more physical activity than you used to. But a few weeks — or even a few months — have gone by, and the scale isn’t budging. “Why?!” you ask in frustration. “What am I doing wrong?!” Body weight is regulated mainly by the number of calories consumed and the number of calories burned off. But there are a number of other things that influence weight, and some of them can make it difficult to lose weight. This article explores what some of these are and how to overcome them. As you make the effort to lose weight, be sure you are aiming for a realistic body weight for you. A starting point for determining this is body-mass index (BMI), a measure of body fat based on height and weight. You can calculate your BMI easily with an online tool such as the one at www.cdc.gov/healthyweight/assessing/bmi. (Note that there’s a separate BMI calculator for children and teens.) Generally, a BMI between 18.5 and 24.9 is considered normal, between 25 and 29.9 is considered overweight, and 30 and higher is considered obese. However, BMI tends to overestimate body fat in athletes and other muscular people and to underestimate it in older people who have lost muscle mass. There is also some evidence that the negative health effects of overweight start at a lower BMI for Asian people. Keep in mind, too, that people come in different shapes and sizes. You don’t necessarily have to be “thin” to be healthy, but losing some excess fat can improve your health in a number of ways. Talk to your health-care team about your weight-loss goals and about what a healthy weight is for you. Frequent hypoglycemia Frequent episodes of hypoglycemia, or low blood glu Continue reading >>

Diabulimia - Diabetes Self-management

Katie was a happy and gregarious child who grew up in a small farm town with plenty of fresh air and sunshine. She was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes at age 11 but didnt let her daily diabetes management get in the way of having fun. She cherished time with friends, was a star athlete, and had a true love of family and community. Although Katie didnt know anyone else who had Type 1 diabetes, she rarely let it get her down, and she always did what her doctor and parents asked her to do to keep her blood sugars in check. Katie was named high school homecoming queen, and she never shied away from attending birthday parties, sporting events, or class trips because of her diabetes. But this scenario drastically changed when Katie ventured off to college. College life was unlike anything Katie had ever experienced. There was no curfew or constant inquiries about her diabetes management. Nobody commented on what she ate or how many carbs were in the late-night pizza or tacos. She was enjoying off-campus parties, where alcohol flowed freely and pressure mounted to wear tight-fitting clothes. On her 21st birthday, Katie selected a clingy shirt with skinny jeans. Her insulin pump bulged under her shirt, which was quite unsettling. Katie decided to take off her pump, and was pleased with her birthday attire. The following morning, Katie weighed herself at the school gym. Much to her delight, the scale was down several pounds. Although her blood sugar levels were high (due to lack of insulin), she believed she had discovered the secret to weight loss. By withholding her insulin, she could lose weight. Katie wondered if she was the only one who had discovered this method of weight loss. Over time, diabetes management and target blood sugar levels seemed unimportant, and quick weigh Continue reading >>

How To Reduce Insulin For Weight Loss

When you eat carbohydrates, your body converts them into glucose—the sugar that serves as your body’s primary energy source. The hormone insulin helps move glucose into the cells. When you eat certain types of foods, your body must release more insulin, and high levels trigger your body to store excess glucose as fat rather than remove it through your urine. Because of this link, eating in a way that keeps blood sugar steady and reduces the amount of insulin produced can help in the battle to lose weight along with other healthy lifestyle choices such as increasing exercise and reducing calories. If you take insulin for your diabetes, a strong commitment to healthy choices might help you reduce dosages, reducing the unwanted side effect of weight gain. Video of the Day Limit your intake of white-flour foods and foods high in white table sugar such as soda, cookies and candy. These types of carbohydrates break down very quickly in the body, leading to large spikes in glucose, which then trigger large amounts of insulin. Add whole grains to your diet. Whole grains have retained the bran and germ, parts of the grain that account for the bulk of their fiber. Fiber causes these carbs to break down more slowly, contributing to steadier releases of glucose and insulin. Good choices include foods made with whole wheat, oatmeal, brown rice, bulgur, millet, barley and rye. Fiber-rich foods also contribute to a feeling of fullness, leading you to eat fewer calories—a cornerstone of any weight loss strategy. Eat the same amount of food around the same times each day, recommends Mayoclinic.com. This helps contribute to steady blood sugar levels. Eat carbs with fats and proteins rather than eating them on their own. This combination helps temper their breakdown and conversion t Continue reading >>

By Skipping Insulin, Diabetics Find Dangerous Way To Drop Pounds - Abc News

At age 14, Erin Williams was tired of medicine. Williams was diagnosed as a type 1 diabetic at age 11, and after three years of enduring a never-ending regimen of insulin shots and strict diet restrictions, she was frustrated. Embarrassed by her disease, she kept it a secret from everyone but her closest family and friends. At birthday parties, she made up excuses about why she couldn't have soda or cake. When a classmate saw her drinking juice boxes in the nurses office, she endured weeks of being called the "juice box thief" rather than just tell her classmates she had low blood sugar because of diabetes. Eventually, Williams rebelled the only way she could, she decided not take her insulin. She just didn't want to adhere to the strict diet and medical regimen even though it was vital to her health. "It wasn't this dramatic moment," recalled Williams. "It was mostly like I want to be like everybody else." The next morning when Williams woke up, she felt fine. "Well, nothing bad happened to me," Williams remembered thinking. "It creeps up on you. That's how it does it." Emboldened by her experiment, she continued to restrict her insulin. Without a regimented amount of insulin in her body to process glucose, Williams' body started to burn through fat and muscle. She lost weight very quickly even as she ate all the same foods. Classmates started commenting on her weight loss and remarked that she looked great. "You hear all these things and you're like, 'This is the greatest thing in the world,'" said Williams. "It takes a hold of your life like nothing else." After living with type 1 diabetes for three years, Williams was exhibiting the first signs of a disorder often called diabulimia. The term refers to the dual diagnosis of type 1 diabetes and an eating disorder. Ma Continue reading >>

New Health Risk: Folks With Diabulimia Manipulate Insulin Intake To Lose Weight

New health risk: Folks with diabulimia manipulate insulin intake to lose weight Stacey Russell wasn't trying to lose weight. But when she caught the flu one winter and was sick in bed for a few days, she forgot to take her insulin. And she quickly dropped a bunch of weight. Russell, who has Type 1 diabetes, was a freshman in college at the time. She wasn't going to succumb to the "freshman 15." And spring break was just a few months away. She decided to restrict her insulin for a little while, just to lose some pounds for spring break, and then she'd return back to normal, she says. Just this one time. But as soon as she started taking the healthy levels of insulin again, those pounds came back. Russell realized the obvious connection; she had a quick fix to lose weight literally right at her fingertips. And after spring break, there was always another event coming up, another reason to lose 5 or 10 pounds, she says. That party next week. Her friend's wedding in three months. "That's how it escalated," she says. "There was always something triggering me in the future." Eventually, Russell stumbled across the term for what she was doing: diabulimia. An eating disorder. She hadn't thought of it like that before. "Diabulimia" is a relatively new term for the tampering or reducing of insulin intake to lose weight. It blends "diabetes" and "bulimia," but the term itself is misleading; diabulimia does not necessarily reflect the binge eating and purging that characterizes bulimia nervosa. Experts say it can take many forms. Some people wrestling with it might eat completely normally but reduce their insulin, so their body does not absorb the calories they consume. Some, like Russell, might go through the motions of injecting insulin, or freeze or heat it to make it less effe Continue reading >>

Anyone Else Suffering From Habits Of Restricting Insulin For Weight Loss Reasons? It's Become Like An Addiction And I Can't Stop. My A1c Is Out Of Control

Anyone else suffering from habits of restricting insulin for weight loss reasons? It's become like an addiction and I can't stop. My a1c is out of control Anyone else suffering from habits of restricting insulin for weight loss reasons? It's become like an addiction and I can't stop. My a1c is out of control Hey! I'm always here to talk. I know what you're going through.. I have been there and I learned my lesson big time. I'm here for you girl! I know exactly what you're going through. I you ever wanna talk I'm here! ?!?!?? Don't do that. I know it seems like a good idea but trust me it just feels awful in the long run. Saying don't do that isn't that easy.. It's a medical diabetic eating disorder called diabulimia. Yes it is Diabulimia! I did this very thing for multiple years. I've been Diabetic for almost 17 years. As a result of running high to loose weight.... I had my retina detach, lost most of the feeling in both of my feet, caused problems in my relationships because we are much angrier when we run high, the eventually coded December of ####! It is very selfish of us! I still struggle every day about my weight! This is my 13th year. I've only started taking control a few months back now. My problem was not to lose weight. I just thought I was invincible and am learning the hard way I'm not xx Continue reading >>

The Truth About Diabulimia

According to Marilyn Ritholz, PhD, (Senior Pychologist at Joslin Center for Diabetes) and Ann Goebel-Fabbri, PhD, a licensed psychologist who worked at Joslin for 16 years, women with Type 1 have close to two and a half times the chance of developing an eating disorder. Those are striking odds. And when you look at the psychological challenges that come with managing a chronic illness on your own, coupled with a uniquely attentive relationship to food and a life-saving medication that can sometimes cause weight gain, it may not be surprising that having Type 1 diabetes puts so many women at risk. Beyond Type 1 wanted to know how eating disorders are unique in populations with Type 1 diabetes. What are the warning signs of the Type 1 eating disorder “diabulimia”? What are the best forms of treatment? What behaviors or psychological characteristics can put a person with Type 1 at a higher risk for developing it? What is anorexia nervosa? Anorexia is an eating disorder characterized by an abnormally low body weight, intense fear of gaining weight and a distorted perception of body weight. People with anorexia place a high value on controlling their weight and shape, using extreme efforts that tend to significantly interfere with activities in their lives. To prevent weight gain or to continue losing weight, people with anorexia usually severely restrict the amount of food they eat. They may control calorie intake by vomiting after eating or by misusing laxatives, diet aids, diuretics or enemas. They may also try to lose weight by exercising excessively (Mayo Clinic). What is bulimia nervosa? Bulimia nervosa is an eating disorder usually characterized by periods of binging – or excessive overeating – followed by purging. People with bulimia have a fear of gaining we Continue reading >>

The Terrifying Rise Of Diabulimia: Diabetics Who Are Skipping Vital Insulin Jabs To Lose Weight... Risking Hair Loss, Blindness And Even Death

When Stacey Williams was a teenager being taunted about her weight she discovered a quick and easy way to shed pounds - skipping her insulin injections. The 23-year-old, from Little Hampton, West Sussex - who was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes at the age of six - lost up to 4lb a week and slimmed from 12st to 9st and a svelte size 10. For the next six years she became addicted to controlling her weight by reducing her life-saving jabs - an extremely dangerous diet habit which has been dubbed 'diabulimia'. Scroll down for video Stacey at a party in 2010 (left) before she began to dramatically slim through cutting out insulin jabs and after, right, in 2013 after controlling her weight through insulin became a 'compulsion' Bullied for her size, Stacey (pictured, left in 2009) began to dangerously control her weight through restricting her life-saving insulin shots, but became addicted to the slimming effects, which she snapped in 2014, right Today the sales negotiator for Barratt Homes has permanent eye damage, bald patches on her scalp and became so weak she can barely climb the stairs - but she hopes her story will help prevent others from mistaking the same choice she did. Stacey said: ‘I was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes when I was just six, meaning I needed regular insulin injections to keep my blood sugar level. It does affect how much exercise you can do, and what foods you can eat too, so it’s really limiting and affects your life in so many ways. ‘I was bullied terribly at school, being called names like "Shamu The Whale" and much worse, left me depressed and feeling so alone. 'When I was 17 I became so depressed with my weight that I stopped taking my injections, and soon realised I was dropping the pounds. I did some research and read this quite a common Continue reading >>

Daily Horoscope: December 29, 2017

It's hugely under-diagnosed, but the risks of this little-known eating disorder include blindness, limb amputation, and early loss of life. When Rebecca Ryan woke, her eyes were swelling. Giant bruises blossomed from her eye sockets, and she was rushed to the nearest hospital. Tests ensued. What was wrong? Rebecca lay quietly in bed. She was worried about two things: the first, her health. The second, that doctors would find out what she'd been doing. "I was thinking, shit, I've really screwed up here. I was so ashamed of myself. I didn't want anyone to know, because they'd be horrified." Advertisement Rebecca was 19 when she began deliberately withholding insulin to lose weight. Over the next five years, the kilos dropped off. Eventually, so did her hair. By the time she was 24, she had descended into a spiral of guilt, shame, and unhappiness that only ended when she accepted she wasn't just bad at managing her diabetes – she was suffering from an eating disorder. When I was injecting insulin, I felt like I was injecting fat. "It got to the point that when I was injecting insulin, I felt like I was injecting fat," Rebecca says. "It was just the most horrible feeling. So then I just fell into a cycle of restricting insulin, losing weight, and feeling awful and guilty." By the time she was hospitalised, she was giving herself just enough insulin to stay alive. A side-effect of poor diabetes control can be blindness, caused by retinopathy. Rebecca knew that, but losing weight had become all-consuming. At the hospital, doctors did not find any link between her swollen eyes and diabetes. But for Rebecca it was a wake-up call. "I think I was waiting for something major to happen to kick me in the arse and get me to sort myself out," she says. Today, she still has her sight Continue reading >>

Restricting Insulin To Control Weight: The Addiction Of Diabulimia

Restricting Insulin to Control Weight: The Addiction of Diabulimia By Elements Behavioral Healthposted on March 26, 2011 in Eating Disorders Type 1 diabetics use insulin to help their bodies process sugar from foods, allowing the sugar to be absorbed from the bloodstream. When insulin doses are reduced or eliminated, the glucose passes through the blood and is eliminated in urine, significantly limiting the number of calories absorbed by the diabetic. The practice of restricting insulin use in order to limit caloric intake is a dangerous weight control measure used among some diabetics. Often called diabulimia, the reduction of insulin can quickly become addictive. While it can result in immediate weight loss, the practice can also be very risky and have fatal consequences. Bulimia is an eating disorder in which a person binge eats and then purges, usually by self-induced vomiting and by the use of laxatives. In diabulimia, however, the diabetic cuts back on insulin to restrict the number of calories absorbed. Cutting back on insulin increases the risk of developing diabetic ketoacidosis, a condition in which acids build up in the bloodstream and can result in a coma or even death. In addition, reducing insulin use can also increase the risk of developing an infection or complications like nerve damage and kidney disease. In 2008, Ann Goebel-Fabbri, PhD, an investigator of behavioral and mental health at Joslin Diabetes Center and an instructor in psychiatry at Harvard Medical School, led a study that examined the risks associated with limiting insulin in type 1 diabetics. Goebel-Fabbri and colleages recruited 234 women with type 1 diabetes and examined their insulin use over and 11-year period. At baseline, nearly one-third of the participants reported taking less ins Continue reading >>

Diabulimia: A Life-threatening Approach To Thinness

By Kathryn E. Ackerman, MD, MPH and Tarin E. Jackson People living with type 1 diabetes mellitus (DM) are taught to be conscious of the foods they eat. They decide their dose of insulin shots based on how many carbs they eat. This focus on food can become obsessive. People who have type 1 DM and are fixated on their body image are at risk for eating disorders similar to anorexia nervosa and bulimia. “Diabulimia” [dye-a-byoo-LEE-mee-uh], an unofficial, non-medical term that combines “diabetes” and “bulimia,” describes the condition that results from omitting or reducing insulin doses to lose weight. Insulin is a hormone that the body needs to metabolize food, specifically sugar (glucose). People with type 1 DM do not make insulin. As a result, their cells cannot use glucose and will “starve” unless insulin is injected. When the body cannot use glucose for energy, it begins to break down fat. This causes acid byproducts called ketones [KEE-tones]. Glucose is lost in the urine and fat is burned, leading to rapid weight loss. However, if the ketones and blood sugar levels continue to increase, the person’s life will be in danger from extreme dehydration and acidosis, known as diabetic ketoacidosis [KEE-toh-ass-i-DOH-sis] (DKA). Diabulimics often try a dangerous balancing act. They purposely skip some insulin doses to lose weight, while trying to avoid DKA. They may lie about their blood sugar levels, skip A1c checks, and use other means to hide their high blood sugars. Diabulimics often feel weak, cannot concentrate, and become thirsty. But even if diabulimics don’t develop DKA or the symptoms of poor blood sugar control, over time they will be at high risk for diabetic complications. These complications include kidney damage, blindness, and heart diseas Continue reading >>

Questions Regarding Restrictions Of Insulin "diabulimia"

Diabetes Forum The Global Diabetes Community This site uses cookies. By continuing to use this site, you are agreeing to our use of cookies. Learn More. Get the Diabetes Forum App for your phone - available on iOS and Android . Find support, ask questions and share your experiences. Join the community Questions regarding restrictions of insulin "diabulimia" Have been pondering about some questions regarding diabulimia for some time now. Would like to have professionals or very well educated people answering. For the sake of other who is as curious as myself, I'm asking both for both an overall answer and one personalized to myself. In what blood sugar level to the body start to shed away your own body fat? 15mmol? Higher? Have there been any longer studies showing that diabulimia is in fact having negative impact on diabetics? How quickly can one lose weight when restricting insulin? Which insulin is the "ideal" one to restrict? Should one exercise while restricting insulin - what are the effects? Would drinking more water help with losing weight quicker/safer? And to myself then; I was recently diagnosed with type 1 diabetes, more accurately a month ago. My symptoms were quite "severe" - I drank about 7-8 liters of water a day, had a need to pee approximately 25 times a day, was extremely fatigued and had to convince myself to stand up after being seated, had trouble sleeping, had vision blurs, lost my balance a few times a day, every time I ate I got crazy abdominal pains that lasted several hours and made me pretty much unable to function, lost 10 kg of weight, couldn't walk more than a few steps without shortness of breath and so on. This evolved gradually upon me, it wasn't something I even thought about much and when I think back I believe it has been going on fo Continue reading >>

Key To Lasting Weight Loss Is Understanding Insulin

About one-third of U.S. children and more than two-thirds of U.S. adults are either overweight or obese, according to the National Institute of Health. It’s no secret that Americans are suffering an obesity epidemic, but a solution to the problem remains elusive. Since 1980, obesity rates among adults have more than doubled. And for children, they have more than tripled. We’re told that if we just eat less and exercise more, the weight will come off, but for many it’s not so easy. Millions of people restrict their calories for months or years, only to gain it all back and more. We are a culture obsessed with dieting, yet people just keep getting fatter. According to Dr. Charles Nguyen, a psychiatrist and medical director at the Lorphen Medical Weight Loss Clinic in California, the secret to sustainable weight loss is actually more about understanding chemistry than exercising willpower. He says that one chemical in particular, insulin, can make all the difference between burning fat and packing on the pounds. With insulin as the focus, Nguyen has developed a new weight loss-program with his brother, bariatric specialist Tu Song-Anh Nguyen. Their new book is called “The Thinsulin Program.” “Thinsulin” is a hybrid word that combines “thin,” “think,” and “insulin.” The program pairs the physiological science of weight loss with the psychological aspect necessary for lasting change. The idea behind the Thinsulin Program is that once we truly understand the hormonal mechanism that makes us fat, we will be motivated to make better choices. The Epoch Times talked to Dr. Charles Nguyen about his weight-loss program and why most diets are doomed to fail. Epoch Times: Why should people think about insulin if they want to lose weight? Dr. Charles Nguyen: Continue reading >>

Dropping Insulin To Drop Pounds

The practice of withholding insulin as a way to lose weight is a serious eating disorder with devastating consequences. Continue reading >>

Diabulimia: Skipping Insulin To Lose Weight

A dangerous eating disorder is affecting thousands of teenage girls and women with type 1 diabetes. Sometimes called “diabulimia,” the common practice of skipping or reducing insulin to lose weight is putting lives at risk. “We think more than 10 percent of young women with type 1 diabetes are regularly omitting insulin to control their weight,” says William Polonsky, PhD, a diabetes educator and chief executive officer of the Behavioral Diabetes Institute in San Diego. But since it’s a secretive disorder, the percentage is probably much higher, he says. A recent report in the World Journal of Diabetes estimates that between 30 to 40 percent of teens and young adults with type 1 diabetes skip insulin after meals in order to lose weight. What Is Diabulimia? You won’t find diabulimia in medical books because it’s not a recognized condition. It’s a term now used in the media to describe the eating disorder bulimia among type 1 diabetics. Bulimia is a disorder in which a person eats and then purges, usually by vomiting or abusing laxatives. In diabulimia, the tool used to purge calories is simply to cut back on insulin. “It’s extraordinarily successful and quite addictive,” says Polonsky. “But it can harm you terribly in the near-to-long term. It is so scary and hard to treat.” Diabetes: The Insulin and Weight Loss Connection People with type 1 diabetes need daily insulin doses to live. In this type of diabetes, the pancreas doesn’t produce insulin, the hormone the body needs to absorb glucose (sugar) and use it as energy or store it as fat. If insulin is used appropriately, the glucose is absorbed from the blood into the body’s tissues and used (or stored). Without insulin, the glucose builds up in the blood and is excreted in the urine. This Continue reading >>