
Low Carb and Weight Loss in Type 1 Diabetes
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In type 1 diabetes, the body doesn’t automatically respond to meals by releasing insulin, this has to be done manually through taking injections or through bolus doses via insulin pump.
If you’re looking to lose weight, this can give an advantage, in a way, as it allows you to review exactly how much insulin you’re taking each day.
By contrast, people without type 1 diabetes have no good way of knowing how much insulin they have in their body.
A good rule of thumb is that the more units of insulin you take per day, the more likely you are to put on weight.
See also more general advice in our guide to weight loss on a low-carb diet
Less insulin intake, improved weight management
Say Jill and Michelle are roughly the same height and both have type 1 diabetes. Jill is taking 50 units per day and Michelle is taking 100 units per day. Generally speaking, it’s more likely that Jill will be finding it easier to manage her weight than Michelle.
So, if you’re looking to lose weight, one way to achieve this is to modify your diet, or eating habits, so that you take less insulin whilst maintaining good blood control.
Warning note: We need to make an important safety note that reducing your insulin whilst letting glucose levels go high for long periods of time is not a good idea at all. Doing this will lead to a much greater risk of very serious health problems such as retinopathy, neuropathy and kidney disease.
Reducing insulin intake safely
There are a number of ways insulin intake can be reduced in a safe way:
Lower your carbohydrate intake
Lower your protein intake
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