Type 1 Diabetes and Weight Loss: Why Goals Must Come From a Place of Love

Sensitive Topic Warning: This article discusses weight loss themes that may trigger individuals with eating disorders. If you or someone you know is struggling with or is at risk for an eating disorder, please seek assistance.

Daily Habits Inform Our Health

I go to the gym, track my macros with MyFitnessPal, and manage my blood sugar levels as best I can. But with T1D, it’s never that simple. Starting insulin therapy, poor sleep, and heightened stress all play a role. 

Then I discovered something called food noise—who knew that not everyone is constantly battling annoying thoughts about food? These challenges aren’t personal failings; they are normal, unavoidable aspects of life with T1D.

Living with type 1 diabetes has shaped me into someone whose life sometimes revolves around food: 

When is my next meal? 

What are the carbs? 

How will that affect my blood glucose levels? 

What if I go low and need to eat more?

It’s annoying. T1D makes activities that should be basic and normal, complex and obscure. 

Some days are better than others. If my blood glucose levels are on a rollercoaster, that’s when the food noise feels especially loud, but I can usually help tame it through movement. Movement is beneficial for us in many ways. It provides mental clarity, helps manage blood sugar, and supports mood stability. 

My days tend to include walks with my dog, sometimes a gentle stroll on my office pad, champion boot camps, and being mindful of my food intake. I’m not obsessed; I’m just in tune and soaking up every last minute of this summer. I know that in the next few months, going outside may not be as easy or enjoyable, so I plan to make the most of the outdoors until then.

Future Health Goals

Honestly, I’m at my heaviest but have never felt more accepting and loving toward my own body. It took a while to get here. I’m a millennial. I grew up in the heroin chic era of pop culture, where celebrities were plastered on magazines looking like skeletons. Growing away from that took healing. 

Thinking about the future, I want to be strong and agile. If I have children, I want to be able to run and play with them without much hardship. If I don’t, I want to be able to travel and spend time with my friends and family the same way. I want to be an active adult for as long as I have on this Earth. 

I want to feel like a superhero, which is a hyperbole, but when I think of a superwoman, I think of someone who nurtures her body and builds its strength. That’s simply what it means to me. This summer, I’ve taken meaningful steps toward that goal. Signing up for champion boot camps has been life-changing!

While BMI isn’t the best or only indicator of health, my results show I’m slightly above the target range. BMI is still used by doctors to inform treatment decisions, but it’s not perfect. It doesn’t measure body fat—muscle mass, bone density, and body composition all influence our health.

With that in mind, I know I’m close to reaching my goal strength. Let’s think of it that way. My routine just needs some fine-tuning and time. As a health and wellness coach, I understand that changing habits—big or small—takes time. It doesn’t happen overnight. Progress is never linear. The important thing is to keep showing up and trying. The more I show up, the easier it gets.

Part of loving my body these days means holding myself accountable because accountability is a part of love.

GLP-1s and Weight Loss in T1Ds

Another option I could consider at this stage is a GLP-1, but I don’t think they’re for me yet. I want to try the remedies I’ve mentioned above first, before turning to GLP-1, if my insurance and doctors support it. GLP-1s can be an incredible option for people who need them. They’re not the easy way out.

On that topic, GLP-1s are often another taboo in weight discussions. When it comes to diabetes, some people find the idea of type 1 individuals using it frightening, but many are microdosing successfully, reducing food noise and losing those extra pounds.

Weight is challenging. It’s personal. What works for one person might not work for another. It’s not the main focus of my life, but it’s a challenge I want to feel comfortable addressing. Wanting to lose weight no longer means hating my body. Any changes I desire are now directly linked to my health, well-being, and future goals.

Shaping Habits for Life

As a woman in my early 30s, I realize the habits I develop today will shape the rest of my life, and I won’t let this time pass me by.

Living with type 1 diabetes has taught me early on how precious each moment is. The condition is very fragile. I refuse to spend my life worrying about weight for ego. If I can preserve my health to serve and live life fully, I will have fulfilled one of my main purposes. Because I know that if my health isn’t intact, I can’t do the things I love or give back the way I want to.

Healthy bodies come in all shapes, sizes, and forms. At the end of the day, my health is my top priority, regardless of whether I have a few extra pounds.
Sharing this is vulnerable, and it doesn’t come easily. 

Change Has to Come from Love

I’m sure there are women out there who are at peace with themselves and still on the path of evolution, self-growth, and development. Wanting to change doesn’t mean you don’t love yourself; it should mean the opposite. Always change for the better.

If we don’t change, nothing changes within us, around us, or because of us. You might make mistakes along the way, but that’s how you learn. You can only learn through trying and failing.

What you tell yourself during your weight loss journey matters. Being unkind to yourself is never a good motivator or catalyst for change. You’re not treating yourself like the friend you deserve or the daughter you’re raising. When you speak kindly to yourself, everything is better. You can still hold yourself accountable using positive affirmations.

Sure, I want to lose a few pounds, but it’s not the focus of my life. There are things I want more and work harder at, and that has more to do with my mental health. When I have mental health and clarity, everything else feels more supported. If I’m not a part of my own support system, what do I have?

Always be your own ally in everything you do.