I have a new diganosis a routine blood test gave me a count of over a 100. I started Mettormin today. I was a person who used sugar ridiculously to provide energy and to try and gain weight. In the last 18 months I have lost nearly 2 stone and the doctor said this is caused by my diabetes. The problem I have is I am a very fussy eater and am struggling to find things to eat. Most of the advise I have read on here so far seems to relate to controlling weight as well as diabetes. I have immediatley cut out all sugar and high carb foods. I just wondered if anyone has any experience of being underweight and managing to get back to a normal weight whilst safely managing there condition. Thanks
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New with Type 2 underweight
- Thread starter JAB1969
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Oh yes, that was me I was advised to eat avocado and nuts in moderation They are so calorific. I put weight back on and I still eat avo and almonds but keep an eye on weight increase.
s'nic
Well-Known Member
- Relationship to Diabetes
- At risk of diabetes
Welcome to the forum.
From what I've seen, advice for T2 underweight people has been to concentrate on proteins and fats (with lower carb veg / salads / sides options).
As regards being a fussy eater, it may be beneficial to try new foods, maybe push boundaries a little. A vegetable you are not so keen on may be tolerable if cooked a different way, eg air fried instead of boiled, so consider different cooking methods. Also chucking a sauce you like over a food you are not so keen on can make it tolerable.
Tastes change, like how a person who has 3 sugars in a coffee can adapt to a coffee with no sugar. So pushing your food boundary's a little wider could help your taste buds adapt and slowly embrace more variety.
An ex boyfriends son barely are any vegetables. One day he saw me munching raw carrot as I prepared a sunday lunch and was confounded. I explained to him that it tasted totally different to cooked carrot, and was a sweeter flavour, he tried a little bit and found it ok. So from then on he would eat raw carrot, and also barely cooked carrot. All three of his kids ended up asking their mum not to boil veg for so long 🙂.
From what I've seen, advice for T2 underweight people has been to concentrate on proteins and fats (with lower carb veg / salads / sides options).
As regards being a fussy eater, it may be beneficial to try new foods, maybe push boundaries a little. A vegetable you are not so keen on may be tolerable if cooked a different way, eg air fried instead of boiled, so consider different cooking methods. Also chucking a sauce you like over a food you are not so keen on can make it tolerable.
Tastes change, like how a person who has 3 sugars in a coffee can adapt to a coffee with no sugar. So pushing your food boundary's a little wider could help your taste buds adapt and slowly embrace more variety.
An ex boyfriends son barely are any vegetables. One day he saw me munching raw carrot as I prepared a sunday lunch and was confounded. I explained to him that it tasted totally different to cooked carrot, and was a sweeter flavour, he tried a little bit and found it ok. So from then on he would eat raw carrot, and also barely cooked carrot. All three of his kids ended up asking their mum not to boil veg for so long 🙂.
@JAB1969 is there a reason why you have been diagnosed with type 2 and not Type 1 diabetes.
To my understanding, weight loss is a symptom of Type 1 and not type 2.
Have you had any tests like GAD and c-peptide?
Are you testing your blood sugars and/or ketones?
The reason I ask is that high blood sugars and ketones indicate DKA which is very nasty.
If you have no blood test it maybe worth getting keto stix which are available from most pharmacies.
If you experience abdominal pain and/or shortness of breath, get to A&E as these are symptoms of DKA.
I am concerned because there are still GPS who think Type 1 is only diagnosed in children resulting in over 30% of adults diagnosed with Type 1 initially being misdiagnosed with type 2.
To my understanding, weight loss is a symptom of Type 1 and not type 2.
Have you had any tests like GAD and c-peptide?
Are you testing your blood sugars and/or ketones?
The reason I ask is that high blood sugars and ketones indicate DKA which is very nasty.
If you have no blood test it maybe worth getting keto stix which are available from most pharmacies.
If you experience abdominal pain and/or shortness of breath, get to A&E as these are symptoms of DKA.
I am concerned because there are still GPS who think Type 1 is only diagnosed in children resulting in over 30% of adults diagnosed with Type 1 initially being misdiagnosed with type 2.
I had a blood test at the doctors and was seen after the results by a specialist Diabetic Doctor so I am hoping this is not the case. But I am back next week so will ask some quetions.
The blood test was sent to the hospital for analysis and the results were pages long so I hope they tested for Keytones
A healthy diet, together with a healthy way of eating such as no snacks between meals, will result in weight loss when an otherwise healthy person is overweight, and weight gain when underweight.
@JAB1969 I'd suggest you compare your current diet as a fussy eater with Dr David Unwin's diet sheet. Should you be getting more protein, target 80-100g/day?
I have never been underweight, but was a Slim Type 2. I was 2lbs into the overweight range at diagnosis having put on 7lbs in the prior 12 months or so and 1 to 2lbs per year over the previous decade.
I used a Low Carb High Protein High(er) Fat way of eating for 4 months to get into remission (technically it took longer because of waiting for next HbA1C test). On this, despite the increased Calories from the Fat I still lost weight (almost 1/10th of my maximum weight). At that point I decided I didn't want to lose any more weight and so increased the amount of fat (again) by eating a lot more nuts and cheese. I don't know if I increase the carbs slightly by eating more nuts, but if I did not hugely so, however I did add back another 5 to 7 lbs that way and am not content with my weight and happy with my 4yrs in remission.
I used a Low Carb High Protein High(er) Fat way of eating for 4 months to get into remission (technically it took longer because of waiting for next HbA1C test). On this, despite the increased Calories from the Fat I still lost weight (almost 1/10th of my maximum weight). At that point I decided I didn't want to lose any more weight and so increased the amount of fat (again) by eating a lot more nuts and cheese. I don't know if I increase the carbs slightly by eating more nuts, but if I did not hugely so, however I did add back another 5 to 7 lbs that way and am not content with my weight and happy with my 4yrs in remission.
Leadinglights
Well-Known Member
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 2
It doesn't sound as if you had the c-peptide of GAD antibody test as they take several weeks to come back and would have likely needed to be taken at a hospital phlebotomy as the samples need special processing.
The weight loss and high HbA1C which is what the test was would be more indicative of Type 1 so definitely ask why they think you are Type 2.
If they are sure then diet is going to be as important as metformin, reducing carbs but keeping protein and healthy fats at a good level to compensate for the lower carbs.
Have a look at this link which although aimed for weight loss which to be fair many menu plans do,/ it may still give you some ideas for foods that you like. https://lowcarbfreshwell.com/
The weight loss and high HbA1C which is what the test was would be more indicative of Type 1 so definitely ask why they think you are Type 2.
If they are sure then diet is going to be as important as metformin, reducing carbs but keeping protein and healthy fats at a good level to compensate for the lower carbs.
Have a look at this link which although aimed for weight loss which to be fair many menu plans do,/ it may still give you some ideas for foods that you like. https://lowcarbfreshwell.com/
This is is an update on my earlier post, now deleted.
This pair of diagrams from the Freshwell Low Carb Project suggests that snacking carbs between meals would reduce fat burning time available and lead to weight gain.
Three meals per day - no snacks
Three meals per day - two snacks
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 1
- Pronouns
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Hope you are able to get some clarity around your diabetes type @JAB1969
We have quite a few members who were initially classified as T2 because they were not a child, who were later found to be T1 (50% of T1 cases develop in adulthood). Unfortunately the sense persists in some areas of general practice that T1 is a condition that develops almost exclusively in childhood, or fails to consider some of the rarer and more quirky forms of diabetes such as LADA.
Rapid onset to high HbA1c levels, weight loss, and not being overweight at diagnosis are all flags that get the forum’s senses twitching when mentioned by newcomers. Simply because this is a story we see fairly often. Even when people are seen by the GP with Special Interest in Diabetes at their practice.
Having said that, we also have several T2 members who were normal weight or even borderline underweight at diagnosis.
Diabetes is a condition that likes to defy the rulebook!
I get it!
Struggling with this for 3 years. Just persevere with eating snacks and track your calories. I have type 2 with a shrivelled pancreas and take Cre on. Also have a respiratory condition which normally has me struggling over the winter with breathing and loosing the weight I manage to gain during the better months. Currently underweight but gaining slowly. I track my calories using my fitness app and always make sure I have my snacks. Good luck!
Struggling with this for 3 years. Just persevere with eating snacks and track your calories. I have type 2 with a shrivelled pancreas and take Cre on. Also have a respiratory condition which normally has me struggling over the winter with breathing and loosing the weight I manage to gain during the better months. Currently underweight but gaining slowly. I track my calories using my fitness app and always make sure I have my snacks. Good luck!
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 1
- Pronouns
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Sorry to hear you are feeling fed up @Pixie55
There’s some information about type 3c and pancreatic damage here:
What is type 3c diabetes?
You may have heard of the more common types of diabetes like type 1, type 2 and gestational. But there are actually many other types of diabetes that aren't as well known. Type 3c diabetes develops because of the damage to the pancreas, which can happen for a few different reasons. And although...
Not all GPs are very up to speed with type 3c, but it might be worth asking your GP about, as an accurate classification means you will get access to the most appropriate treatment options, technology etc.
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