I am not doing this yet, but am certainly considering it. I’ve had T1D since 1978 and have good control and excellent health in general.
I lost 17kg over 18 months by sticking fanatically to 1300cal/day (I’m kind of short, and that’s approx my BMR, all carefully calculated etc etc) and exercising, but have slowly gained back 4kg over the past 7 months, with more relaxed eating and some athletic injuries. Am not frantic to drop weight, as I feel quite good at this weight, but would like to if it’s not all too hard.

My question is – do all the magical biochemical effects disappear if one gorges on glucose to fix a nasty hypo on a fast day? I’m not entirely sure I can accurately count calories while hypo, so may go accidentally well over the fasting calorie limit…. Does one then give up, eat normally, and try again later?

Oh, and I use a pump with Novorapid.

Very interested to hear from other T1s who manage this and get the clever biochemical things to happen.

I have T1D,since 1984. I’ve started yesterday with this program. I’m using an insulinpomp. I thought it would be wise to cute my basal insulin to half and that workes out fine. Today i’m back to normal.
I never heart of bloodsugars rising as a result of fat breakdown, I’ve tried modifast a few years ago and didn’t notice it then. If its rising I would give myself a very small amound of insulin to make it even.
(I hope that was written correctly, I’m dutch so this is a bit difficult for me)

I’m a Type 1 and have been for 30 years. I’m 51 and female, using Novorapid and Lantus. I’m well controlled with a HbA1 of 6.2 usually, and am somewhat overweight. I’ve been doing the diet for three weeks now and have found it a grind at times, but what they say is true – you get used to it. I eat three meals a day and also two snacks to keep the hunger at bay, but I think I’ll soon be able to give them away.

In diabetes terms, I think eating three meals rather than two (or one) is sensible simply because it makes management easier – you just take less insulin. But on the other hand, this means that you are not actually ‘fasting’ for any prolonged period so I wonder whether I will reap the other health benefits that they speak of. Does anyone know?

In terms of hypos, I have 2tsps honey (30cals per spoon!) and just put up with it. You have to really. But taking less insulin means that you are much less likely to have one, and I’ve found this to be true.

So I’d recommend it as a system for sure.

Hi jdtaos, At the moment as there is not enough research available (yet) to be able to advise you sufficiently about the benefit and safety of intermittent fasting in Type 1 diabetes, I would definitely recommend you talk to your specialist about if and how you might do it.

You may already know about the interesting research recently published from Newcastle into Type 2 diabetics which demonstrated that in people who have had type 2 diabetes for 4 years or less, major weight loss returns insulin secretion to normal.

‘It has been possible to work out the basic mechanisms which lead to type 2 diabetes. Too much fat within liver and pancreas prevents normal insulin action and prevents normal insulin secretion. Both defects are reversible by substantial weight loss.
‘A crucial point is that individuals have different levels of tolerance of fat within liver and pancreas. Only when a person has more fat than they can cope with does type 2 diabetes develop. In other words, once a person crosses their personal fat threshold, type 2 diabetes develops. Once they successfully lose weight and go below their personal fat threshold, diabetes will disappear.’
Overweight patients with type 2 diabetes who were put on a diet of just 800 calories a day were free of the disease within a few weeks of following the strict regime:
http://www.express.co.uk/news/health/452220/How-a-strict-diet-of-800-calories-a-day-can-cure-diabetes-in-weeks
Interesting to see above how maysi01 and others are getting on with IF.
In general as you know weight reduction and reducing refined carbohydrates is key whether you are Type 1 or 2

Good luck with managing your diabetes. I hope this is of some help and that more research will be available soon!
Clare (Gp and Michael’s wife)

Thanks so much for your info morrisminor72. I very much appreciate hearing from other TYPE 1’s (no insult meant to Type 2’s or Clare but we are not at all the same). I’ve been on the Pump for 6 yrs but still looking for a Doctor that can help me get well correlated with my pump. So I’m trying temp basals on IF days.
I have found that wearing the Sensor on IF days is a necessity — even when it isn’t correct.
I also tried Birsays 2 tsp of honey and find that to be very helpful. I’ve had enough Glucotabs to last, ok not a lifetime but plenty of it, so the honey is easy and nice. Any thoughts on the pump, Birsay? Took me a very long time to go on it but now I love it!!

I am finding myself having more unexpected lows in the days following my fast, and they don’t seem to be related to my cycle (sorry – TMI), my food intake or exercise.
I get the same phenomenon when trying a new sport or activity (latest hobby is iaido – Japanese sword drawing and cutting). I was low for days after my first few classes, but all good now.
There is some evidence that insulin production can occur sporadically even after 50y of T1D – I wonder if fasting in some way provokes that release? Or seriously sensitises tissues to the effect of our injected exogenous insulin?
I have not fasted this week due to an overwhelming schedule and fatigue – I do not do well when hungry AND tired. Next week is good to go though! I have some nice days off, in which I shall fast and exercise.
My uniform pants are getting more comfortable – yay!

I don’t really know the science but I definitely find after starting a new exercise regime or changing my diet significantly for the better, I get quite a few more hypos – at the time, but a day or even two days afterwards, too.

I started this diet last week and after my first fast day I found I needed less insulin for the next two days. My second fast day didn’t work out so well – I tried halving my basal insulin but it didn’t work out very well for the night time period (I had a reading of ‘Hi’ at 5am, something which I’ve not had for many years!) so the rest of the day was fairly normal once I’d corrected that, and the following day seemed normal too. I am logging everything that happens at http://www.fastinganddiabetic.blogspot.com to help me remember everything as I go, but also for any other diabetics who are interested in this.

What I really want is to go on the pump but I am having a monitor thing for a week to check my lantus dose is correct, because I really don’t feel like it is…

Thanks AnnieNZ, I just ordered Pumping Insulin, 5th Edition.
Also just wanted to recommend Eating Well, the magazine or online @ eatingwell.com. There are many recipes that come in at calories that work on a 500 calorie day. And I just switched to the 530G and Enlight sensor by Medtronic. CGMS is the way to go!
Here’s to all of us IF’s and our health! We’re worth it.

FYI for people like me: I just discovered the Pattern (Medtronic pump:other pumps alternate basal rate — thank you AnnieNZ!) technique for my Fast days. At this point, i’m trying 50% of my basal rate.

Your posting tugged at my heart. I don’t have Type 1 Diabetes, but my son does. I managed his diabetes each day from when he was dx’d at 3 until he went off to college – maybe not so much while he was in high school.

There are some folks on this forum who have Type 1 and have lost weight by fasting. (I would do a google search on 5:2 fasting and Type 1 to find the postings).

Personally, I see it as a wonderful opportunity to verify that your basal insulin is correct. If your sugar readings are all over the place, I would think that doing a fasting basal test would be a great way to get these set as these are usually suspect with out-of-control sugars. I imagine your body with the hormones going wacky plays havoc with the blood glucose levels.

With exercising, I would eat prior to exercising or shortly thereafter with reduced insulin for the food to keep the blood glucose level up.

Although I have not been successful losing weight on 5:2, I believe it is a positive change in my diet. One suggestion I have about exercise; I bought a stationary bike and have been doing the Fast Exercise routine. I’m a walker but know that I don’t get my cardio up and usually have low BS after. When I do a 14 min routine on the bike, I don’t get low and I feel really good after.
Also are you on a CGM?
I ordered the Kindle edition of Pumping Insulin and am really impressed with the material.
http://www.amazon.com/Pumping-Insulin-Everything-Success-Smart/dp/1884804861
Hope something helps!

Jasdeep:

A CGM isn’t testing four times a day, it is a device you wear that tests your blood sugar every 5 minutes. My son has one and finds it invaluable.

Testing 4 times a day is the minimum amount for a Type 1 diabetic and often is not enough data to determine a pattern – as you discovered.

You need more data to find the pattern. If you could test every hour, you would see the pattern.

Going low at night after exercise is very common. I would have my son eat an 30 gram snack and not have any insulin for it to keep the sugar up at night after exercise.

This is a standard management technique for Type 1. I am surprised your endo doesn’t know recommend this. Is your primary doctor an endocrinologist with other Type 1 patients.

It looks to me like you get your insulin through injections. The Pumping Insulin book has good techniques for using injections like you would a pump.

nucolorado, are you on a pump and CGM?

Coming late to this thread, but see that a few others are adding, too, so I thought I’d go ahead. I’m a female Type 1 diabetic, age 55, diagnosed 43 years ago. I have been very lucky and healthy most of these years in spite of some challenges. I have hypothyroidism, which makes weight issues even worse, and I have been gradually gaining about 2 pounds a year over the past decade. It has to stop somehow, but every year I lose the pounds then gain them back with more. (I am a university professor and my spring semesters are always impossible and my exercise and self-care much more of a challenge in those months, so I always lose weight over the summer, maintain over the fall, then add it all plus more in the spring.)

I was so excited by the 5:2 idea and started it just last week. I am finding it easy so far, and I match the fast days to days when my schedule doesn’t allow as much exercise anyway. I’m on an Animas Ping pump. Don’t yet have CGM, but test my bg a lot on fast days, and it’s worked fine. Though I have to occasionally eat a glucose tab or two to keep on an even keel, the lowered blood sugars of fast days feel really good. (I’ve been able to prevent the terrible lows by increased testing.)

Honestly, I’m excited by this because a) I think it will match well to my variable schedule, b) I will be able to keep it up without that horrible “never eat normally again” kind of thing most diets seem to entail, and c) it will keep my metabolism from adjusting to the lower calorie intake. I have had the issue of my weight loss flattening out after a few weeks even though I keep calories restricted, and I know it’s because my body adjusts to the lower calories. I’m hoping that this intermittent fasting will prevent that. It just makes sense to me, though I will talk with my endo about it next time I see him.

I have to say that those who try this without a pump are braver souls than me, but with a pump it doesn’t seem that complicated.

been on pump for 7 years. I think great care in regulary monitoring blood sugars whilst doing this diet but we do that anyway especially on fast days. i dont worry if my blood sugar drops re my calorie intake for the day. on fasting days i have found reducing my basal levels by 10% works for me and for bolus i’m usually on a 1:1.5 and on fasting days reduce to 1:1 this seems to reduce risk of hypoglycaemia. I have found my weight increasing insiuously since being on the pump as i can seem to eat with impunity and keep good control but at risk of becoming sumo like especially on all inclusive holidays! think the watchword is even more regular monitoring and i eat thing which release slowly eg porridge oats for breakfast