Introduction
For most of my adult life, I’ve carried a secret code with Type 1 diabetes that not everyone sees straight away. I’ve spent years feeling frustrated by my weight, confused by cravings, and honestly exhausted by the constant balancing act that comes with managing blood sugars while also trying to lose weight.
Over time, though, I’ve started learning more about how my body actually works — and that’s changed everything. This isn’t about dieting advice or chasing perfection. It’s about understanding the connection between blood sugars, insulin, cravings, and food, and how those things can massively affect the way we eat and feel.
The Weight Changes Over Time
I have been overweight for all of my adult life while living with Type 1 diabetes, having been diagnosed at the age of one.
Over the years, my weight has gone up and down at different times, but what I’ve started to understand now is how much blood sugar levels and physiology may have been influencing my hunger and eating patterns all along.
Understanding What Was Really Happening
This time, I’ve lost around 45 pounds. But I want to be really clear about something — this isn’t from “trying” to lose weight in the traditional sense.
I’m not battling cravings every second. I’m not counting calories or forcing myself through restrictive diets. My blood sugars have actually improved, and that seems to have changed my relationship with food more than anything else.
As my blood sugars have started to stabilise, I’ve noticed I naturally eat less. I no longer feel that constant, intense urge to overeat.
That’s been huge for me because, for a long time, I assumed I was an emotional eater. I thought my eating habits were about comfort, stress, or lack of self-control. But the more I’ve learned about blood sugars and how the body responds to them, the more I’ve realised that a huge amount of what I experienced was actually physiological.
Cravings, Comfort Eating, and Blood Sugars
I have learnt a lot without fully realising it at the time.
When I used to have periods where my blood sugars were high for long stretches, I would end up overeating constantly. Not because I lacked willpower, but because I was genuinely craving food all the time.
Looking back, I can see how much of my eating was driven by the physical effects of unstable blood sugars.
I genuinely enjoy food. I love a good plate of food just like anyone else. But what I’ve started noticing is that when my blood sugars are more stable, the cravings are nowhere near as intense. That pull for having to have a food is just not there.
And this is the part I find fascinating.
What I’ve Learned About High Blood Sugars and Cravings
I’ve learned that, for me, both high and low blood sugars can create cravings, but in different ways.
Low blood sugars are obvious because the body needs glucose immediately. Every cell in my body is basiclaly screaming for glucose and I’m pretty sure would murder most things just to get some. But high blood sugars seem to create a different kind of hunger altogether.
When blood sugar levels stay high, the body struggles to properly use the glucose already circulating in the bloodstream. Insulin resistance can also play a role. Even though glucose is present, the cells aren’t necessarily getting the energy they need. It’s like being at an vending machine, thirsty, and seeing all those lovely chilled bottles of water staring back at you. But you just can’t reach them (without some money, anyway, which I guess in this really bad analogy would represent the insulin…?!). So you get thirstier and thirstier, your body is struggling and will keep screaming for more.
So, despite having high blood sugar levels, my body keeps throwing out hunger signals, hoping that the food delivered this time will be accessible to the cells.
That creates this strange cycle where I crave more food, (try to resist but usually…) eat more food, and then often end up with even higher blood sugars afterwards.
Once I started understanding that, a lot of things suddenly made sense.
I Wasn’t An Emotional Eater After All
For years, I genuinely believed I was an emotional eater.
I assumed the cravings, overeating, and constant thoughts about food were all psychological. I blamed myself for lacking discipline and thought food had become some kind of emotional coping mechanism.
But now, looking back with a better understanding of Type 1 diabetes and blood sugar fluctuations, I honestly don’t think that was true.
What I was experiencing was far more physical than emotional.
When blood sugars swing constantly — especially when they stay high for long periods — the body sends out very real hunger signals. Cravings intensify, energy regulation becomes messy, and the drive to eat can become relentless.
But, at this point, I realised something… Whilst I can’t outsmart my body, maybe I can work more intelligently with it. When my body is craving sugar, the first thing I do is test my blood sugars. And I would say 95% of the time, my blood sugars are out of range. If they’re low, obviously I’m going to eat accordingly and not take this into account in any way, shape or form for my weight loss goals. I will not eat less later or punish myself in any other way for that. It’s just part of life. For high blood sugars, though, I’ve realised I do have some choice. I can choose to move. Even ten minutes of walking makes a difference and can really downregulate the intensity of the cravings for me.
Repeatedly witnessing the link between the presence of cravings and the number on my blood glucose meter really cemented it for me. And then empowering myself to realise that I can actually resist my biology, at least for 10 minutes, to correct my blood sugars back into range, or nearer my range, was a game-changer. That’s what made me realise this wasn’t really about emotional eating at all.
Food Isn’t Just About Willpower When You Have T1D
For years, I blamed myself.
I thought my overeating was purely emotional or that I simply lacked self-control. But now I realise it was far more complicated than that.
When your blood sugars are constantly fluctuating, your body is under stress. Hunger signals get confused, cravings intensify, and the body can constantly push you towards eating because it believes it still needs energy.
That doesn’t mean personal responsibility disappears, but it does mean there’s more happening beneath the surface than people often realise.
The Importance of Peace in Healing
The other thing I’ve come to believe very strongly is that the body — and honestly the entire mind-body ecosystem — needs peace in order to heal.
Stress, pressure, guilt, constant restriction, fighting yourself all the time… none of that creates an environment where the body feels safe. And I genuinely believe that safety matters in healing. Getting out of a fight-or-flight response is a massive tranche of getting to healing.
The calmer and more stable my life, mind, and blood sugars become, the better my body seems to function overall. My insulin needs reduce, my cravings reduce, and everything feels less chaotic.
For me, this journey has become about much more than weight loss. It’s about creating a bodily environment that supports healing rather than constantly pushing against it.
And whilst Type 1 diabetes is obviously complex, I personally feel that peace within the body is an important part of giving it the best possible chance to function well and reduce insulin needs as much as possible.
Closing Thoughts
Living with Type 1 diabetes affects so much more than blood sugar numbers. It can influence hunger, cravings, emotions, energy levels, and even the way we think about ourselves.
For me, understanding the connection between blood sugars and food has been incredibly eye-opening. As my blood sugars have improved, my eating habits have naturally changed too — not through punishment or restriction, but through finally understanding what my body was trying to tell me.
If you’re struggling with weight, cravings, or food while living with T1D, you are definitely not alone. Sometimes understanding the “why” behind it all can make a huge difference.
GET HEALINGT1D’S FUTURE ARTICLES IN YOUR INBOX!
Get the latest musings and findings straight to your email inbox.
Natalie is a blogger with Type 1 Diabetes. Natalie’s special gifts are questioning the status quo and being a rebel. She is using these gifts to question medical ‘knowledge’ and find a true cure for Type 1 Diabetes.
Recent Comments: