Insulin and weight gain: Avoid weight gain

Insulin and weight gain typically go hand in hand, however, weight management is feasible. If you need insulin treatment, here's how to minimize - or avoid - gaining weight.


Weight gain is a common side effect in people who use insulin, a hormone that regulates the absorption of sugar (glucose) from cells. This can be frustrating as a result of maintaining a healthy weight is a very important part of your overall polygenic disease management set up. The good news is that it is possible to maintain your weight while using insulin.

The relationship between insulin and weight gain

When you inject insulin, glucose can enter the cells, so blood glucose levels decrease. This is the objective that is sought with the treatment.

However, if you eat more calories than you need to maintain a healthy weight (depending on your level of activity), the cells will receive more glucose than they need. The glucose that the cells do not use accumulates in the form of fat.

Avoid gaining weight while taking insulin

Eating healthy foods and being physically active most days of the week will assist you to forestall unwanted weight gain. The following tips can help you avoid extra pounds:

=>  Calculate the calories. Eating and drinking fewer calories helps you forestall weight gain. Stock the refrigerator and the pantry with fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. Plan for each meal to have the right combination of starches, fruits, and vegetables, proteins, and fats. In general, experts recommend that the dishes consist of half of the vegetables without starch, a quarter of protein and a quarter of starch, such as rice or vegetables rich in starch, such as corn or peas (peas, pea).

Reduce portion sizes, avoid serving another plate and drink water rather than high-calorie beverages. Talk to the doctor, nurse or dietitian about strategies and resources for meal planning.

=> Do not skip meals. Do not try to reduce calories by skipping meals. When you skip a meal, you are more likely to make bad decisions regarding food at the next meal because you will be very hungry. Sautéing meals can also cause low blood sugar if you do not adjust the insulin dose.

=> Do physical activity burns calories. A reasonable goal for most adults, set by the Department of Health and Human Services, is to do at least 150 minutes of moderately intense aerobic activity per week, such as walking, biking, water aerobics, dancing or gardening, in addition to muscle strengthening exercises, at least twice a week. Talk to your doctor about the activities and exercises that are right for you.

Also, ask the doctor how to best manage the exercise. Physical activity helps the body use insulin more efficiently, so, depending on the amount of exercise you plan to do, you may need to reduce your insulin dose or eat a snack. It is possible that the blood sugar level decreases even hours after exercise.

=> Ask your doctor about other diabetes medications. Some medicines for diabetes that help regulate blood glucose levels -such as metformin (Fortamet, Glucophage, others), exenatide (Byetta), liraglutide (Victoza), albiglutide (Tarzeum), dulaglutide (Trulicity) , sitagliptin (Januvia), saxagliptin (Onglyza), canagliflozin (Invokana), dapagliflozin (Farxiga), empagliflozin (Jardiance) and pramlintide (Symlin) - can promote weight loss and allow you to lower your insulin dose. Ask the doctor if these or other medications would be appropriate as part of your diabetes treatment plan.

=> Administer insulin only as instructed. Do not skip or decrease insulin doses to avoid weight gain. Although you can lose weight if you take less insulin than prescribed, the risks are serious. Without enough insulin, the blood sugar level will increase, as well as the risk of complications related to diabetes