In a way, weight gain is a sign that the insulin is working — your body is utilizing sugar, fat and protein more effectively and able to store nutrients.
When a person takes insulin as a treatment for diabetes, they may gain weight. This is because their body begins absorbing glucose again and converting any excess into fat. If treatment does not manage diabetes well, and blood glucose levels are too high, this weight gain can occur.
Insulin therapy or intensification of insulin therapy commonly results in weight gain in both type 1 and type 2 diabetes. This weight gain can be excessive, adversely affecting cardiovascular risk profile.
One of the most common concerns expressed by people who use insulin is that it tends to cause weight gain. In fact, research from the United Kingdom Prospective Diabetes Study (UKPDS) showed that the average person with Type-2 diabetes gained about nine pounds in their first three years of insulin use (2).
This condition is known as hyperinsulinemia. If your cells become too resistant to insulin, it can result in elevated blood sugar levels, which can lead to weight gain, prediabetes and type 2 diabetes. Losing weight with insulin resistance is more difficult because the body stores excess blood sugar as fat.
But that doesn't mean abdominal weight gain should be ignored. It can be an early sign of so-called "diabetic belly," a build-up of visceral fat in your abdomen which may be a symptom of type 2 diabetes and can increase your chances of developing other serious medical conditions.
When the bloodstream has excess blood sugar and insulin, the body is signaled to store sugar. Some sugar can be stored in the muscles and liver; however, most sugars are stored as fat when they have nowhere else to go. Thus, people with diabetes are more likely to be overweight or obese than those without the disease.
Over time, cells stop responding to all that insulin—they've become insulin resistant. The pancreas keeps making more insulin to try to make cells respond. Eventually, the pancreas can't keep up, and blood sugar keeps rising.
Weight gain and fluctuations in weight can happen for a variety of reasons. Many people progressively gain weight as they age or make changes to their lifestyle. However, fast weight gain can be a sign of an underlying health condition, such as a problem with the thyroid, kidneys, or heart.
Generally, experts suggest a 1200 – 1500 calorie diet per day to keep blood glucose levels and weight within the normal range but this may vary keeping age, sex, current body weight, metabolism and physical activity in mind. On average, diabetic people are told to get about half of their calories from complex carbs.
These injectable drugs include dulaglutide (Trulicity), liraglutide (Victoza), and semaglutide (Ozempic); the latter is also available as a pill called Rybelsus. Liraglutide and semaglutide are also approved for weight loss, in formulations marketed respectively as Saxenda and Wegovy.
Just one or two units of insulin more than your body needs can easily lead to even the earliest symptoms of an overdose.
Two GLP-1 medications are currently approved for weight loss: Liraglutide (Saxenda) and semaglutide (Wegovy). Both medications are approved for long-term use. Some other GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic are approved for diabetes, but do not have full approval for weight-loss use.
In general, more weight loss and better blood glucose control are seen with higher Ozempic doses. During a 40-week study, people receiving the 1 mg Ozempic dose lost an average of 13 lbs.
While everything from slashing stress to eating fewer processed foods has been shown to help combat belly fat, exercise is one of the best things you can do to reduce weight in this area and live healthier with diabetes, says Pat Salber, MD, an internist and the founder of The Doctor Weighs In, who's based in Larkspur, ...
Excess insulin around your body makes it hang onto the fat. Exercise can signal the liver to burn the nearby visceral fat. Combining moderate aerobic exercise, such as brisk walks, and strength training works the best.
People with diabetes can easily get wounds on their feet. Improper cutting or care of toenails and feet is the leading cause that could lead to toe finger and foot amputation.
People on stronger diabetes medication such as insulin, may also experience fatigue as a symptom of low blood glucose levels. Blood glucose testing can help to determine whether high or low sugar levels may be the cause of fatigue.
Your Slow Metabolism:
When you have a slow metabolism, your body doesn't convert food into energy in sufficient quantities. So most of the food you eat is stored in the form of fats. This is the main reason why some people get fat even though they don't eat much.
While diet plays a huge role in weight loss, inactivity is another key factor. Maybe you've cut back your energy intake, but if you're not moving enough, you can still gain weight. Research shows that a lack of exercise is one of the main drivers of being overweight or obese [8][9].