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  #1   ^
Old Fri, Feb-28-03, 13:11
scottinnh's Avatar
scottinnh scottinnh is offline
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Posts: 63
 
Plan: Dr. Bernstein
Stats: 273/260/225
BF:
Progress: 27%
Location: New Hampshire
Default Glyburide and weight gain

Someone please explain the physics behind this please,

Say, just as an example If you are a 255 lb man, with light activity and take in less than 2880 calories (see Calorie Calculator )you should lose weight, right? Say you only take in 1500 calories a day...you should still lose, right? Now what the heck does a medication, such as Glyburide, have to do with it? Why do you hear that certain diabetic meds cause you to gain weight...even if you caloric intake is cut by 1/2 of what is needed to maintain your weight ? How does that work...I understand too much insulin converts left over Glucose to fat...but if you are restricting carbs and burning fat...and you decrease your caloric intake as well (which seems to come along naturally)how do you gain more weight, or not lose, with certain meds?

To me thats like saying changing the brand of antifreeze in your car will get you better gas mileage....what does one have to do with another.....

I am confused.. My wife says my thinking is too linear....

Last edited by scottinnh : Fri, Feb-28-03 at 13:13.
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  #2   ^
Old Fri, Feb-28-03, 15:59
Lisa N's Avatar
Lisa N Lisa N is offline
Posts: 12,028
 
Plan: Bernstein Diabetes Soluti
Stats: 260/-/145 Female 5' 3"
BF:
Progress: 63%
Location: Michigan
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It can get a little complicated, Scott.
First, we have to know that insulin is the fat storing hormone. If you have too much of it, your body will want to store fat even if you don't really have enough calories coming in. What it will do is store the fat, but take its energy from your muscle tissue instead if you don't have enough carbs or calories coming in to provide it.
What to do? Get that insulin production down which means avoiding drugs that stimulate more insulin production.
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  #3   ^
Old Sun, Mar-02-03, 02:04
kjturner kjturner is offline
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Posts: 433
 
Plan: Bernstein/Atkins
Stats: 210/180/125
BF:
Progress: 35%
Location: Georgia
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Yes, when you aren't eating enough calories one would think you'd lose weight....after all a calorie is a calorie is a calorie...right? Well, we are dealing with a body here, not just calories. If you don't eat enough for the body to sustain on what's ingested, one of the first things it does is check the circulating insulin level. Basically, under normal circumstances, we only release insulin when we've eaten and have something available to turn into fuel. If the body/brain thinks it needs more energy first it'll release the stored glucose from the liver (which raises your BG level) Once it's released it's liver stores then it'll check to see if the insulin level is low, which would mean releasing fat for energy as there is obviously no available ingested food for use (or any more glucose from the liver). So low insulin=release stored fat for fuel. Now we Type two's have 'way too much insulin to begin with so the body tends to not want to release fat since it thinks there is food out there for use because after all, there is a lot of insulin present. Which is why it is harder for us to lose in the first place. Now here you are with too much insulin in the first place (which your insulin receptors are now ignoring) and your doc gives you a medication which will *increase* the amount of circulating insulin in an effort to lower your blood sugar level by flogging the unresponsive insulin receptors into grudgingly taking in at least *some* of the insulin so you can clear the excess sugar from your bloodstream. Which becomes a viscious cycle since the more insulin there the more your receptors become desensitized and your pancreas works harder and harder to make even more (which wears out the beta cells eventually). So here you are with SO MUCH insulin your body thinks it's *really* FEAST time because the presence of SO MUCH insulin means you're eating really good and must pack away some of that for the lean times. Now you've got a body that's trying to ADD fat for storage but you're not eating enough to sustain everyday needs so you're gonna break down in some way. Either your body will lower it's metabolic requirements even further and/or it will begin to affect your energy levels by making you tired and listless and/or begin to cannabalize your muscles for energy. All the while trying to pack away as fat storage what little you are eating. *Something's* gotta 'GIVE'!
Now being diabetic if you are either a Type 1 who makes NO insulin and you don't inject OR you are a Type 2 who's insulin receptors no longer respond to whatever the pancreas produces regardless of how much or how little insulin you have, then in addition to the dangerously high levels of glucose in the bloodstream, the brain will eventually force the body to burn fat and muscle both for fuel in a deseperate attempt to survive. That's where you are on the brink of ketoacidosis. You'll start losing weight all right, but you'll be on the verge of collapse, coma, kidney failure etc, from the excessively high blood sugar (over 500 mg/dl sustained)
Does that help you understand a little better? (Sorry for being so wordy)
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