Weight!!!

[JueB]

Hi since being diagnosed diabetic 11 months ago I am really struggling with my weight. During this time I have lost 1 1/2 stone. Weight loss was one of my first symptoms along with thirst and fatigue. I am on 4 x metformin a day .Due to my weight loss I have just been through hell and back since Christmas having tests to rule anything sinister out , thankfully all come back negative. So hear I am , how do I put weight on? If Im a good diabetic I lose weight , if I try to put weight on my sugar levels rise ?

 

[DaveB]

Hi since being diagnosed diabetic 11 months ago I am really struggling with my weight. During this time I have lost 1 1/2 stone. Weight loss was one of my first symptoms along with thirst and fatigue. I am on 4 x metformin a day .Due to my weight loss I have just been through hell and back since Christmas having tests to rule anything sinister out , thankfully all come back negative. So hear I am , how do I put weight on? If Im a good diabetic I lose weight , if I try to put weight on my sugar levels rise ?

Being slim opens the possibility that your diagnosis might be T1 (LADA) rather than T2. Mis-diagnosis is common for 'slim' T2s. Do discuss having the two tests GAD and C-Peptide with your GP to confirm or otherwise. What are your typical blood sugar readings; I assume you have a meter?

 

[Inka]

@JueB If you haven’t been misdiagnosed, then you’re possibly not eating enough. What would a normal day’s food look like for you?

 

[helli]

@JueB sorry for adding t the questions you have been bombarded with - we ask because you we care.
What are our blood sugar levels like? If our blood sugars are too high, we can suffer from weight loss as our body cannot get access to the energy in the glucose so break down fat and muscle.
This could be due to a misdiagnosis but not necessarily.

 

[JueB]

Being slim opens the possibility that your diagnosis might be T1 (LADA) rather than T2. Mis-diagnosis is common for 'slim' T2s. Do discuss having the two tests GAD and C-Peptide with your GP to confirm or otherwise. What are your typical blood sugar readings; I assume you have a meter?

When I was first diagnosed doctor was convinced I was type 1 because of my symptoms. I had the GAD test and c peptide which confirmed I was type 2.
My sugar readings vary anything from 5 to 11, obviously dependant on what I have eaten.
As I’ve been so concerned about my weight I started eating things that I shouldn’t , white bread , chocolate etc . I know this isn’t good but just wanted to put weight on .
I wonder if it’s the Metformin that makes me lose weight ?

 

[JueB]

@JueB sorry for adding t the questions you have been bombarded with - we ask because you we care.
What are our blood sugar levels like? If our blood sugars are too high, we can suffer from weight loss as our body cannot get access to the energy in the glucose so break down fat and muscle.
This could be due to a misdiagnosis but not necessarily.

That makes sense , I haven’t been great with diet recently as I just wanted to put weight on . Silly I know !!

 

[JueB]

Hi. Similar experience to me. I got the all-clear for anything sinister, too. That included a CT scan.

If you're cutting back on carbs in order to manage your BG then the only other sources of nutrition are fats and protein, so although I follow what's generally called a Low Carb/High Fat diet it should be more accurately be called Low Carb/Normal Fat. No place for Low Fat items, despite what some HCPs will tell you. I also try and make sure I eat plenty of protein-rich foods and try and hit 1800-2000 calories a day. Since doing so my weight has stabilised.

Does your diet include things like nuts, dairy and full-fat natural Greek yogurt..???

Martin

Thankyou for your reply . I have started to eat more cheese and full fat yoghurt . I am probably guilty of buying low fat foods .

 

[pinkjude]

I have lost weight as my appetite has been depressed. Can I ask is it okay for ntype 2's to eat yoghurt and if so which ones are recommended. I also wonder if I eat enough. Breakfast is mini shredded wheat with porridge oars sprinkled over and some semi skimmed milk, lunch is generally a salad with added avocado/tuna/egg/chicken/smoked mackerel and dinner is usually fish or chicken and veg such as broccoli/kale/ carrots, home made soups with lentils, home made stews again usually with veg and pulses, omlette and salad. I eat an apple daily, some unsalted nuts like brazils, and have fruit for dessert generally blueberries or raspberries, occasionally cherries.
Am I eating too few carbs?

 

[Ditto]

Good grief. Eat like me, see menu thread, I can put three pounds on overnight no problem. I think we're all just so different. My body can't cope with any carbs I don't think.

 

[grovesy]

When I was first diagnosed doctor was convinced I was type 1 because of my symptoms. I had the GAD test and c peptide which confirmed I was type 2.
My sugar readings vary anything from 5 to 11, obviously dependant on what I have eaten.
As I’ve been so concerned about my weight I started eating things that I shouldn’t , white bread , chocolate etc . I know this isn’t good but just wanted to put weight on .
I wonder if it’s the Metformin that makes me lose weight ?

Metformin is supposed to suppress appetite aid with weight loss, personally I have never found it does for me.

 

[pinkjude]

Good grief. Eat like me, see menu thread, I can put three pounds on overnight no problem. I think we're all just so different. My body can't cope with any carbs I don't think.

where is your menu thread?

 

[Ditto]

Here... it's not just mine though.

What did you eat yesterday?

Yesterday Weight 14 8.0 :oops: Tum 49 1/2 Not long after getting up - 7.1 @ 5.55am / pint water / Nescafe Brunch: eggs scrambled with 2 tablespoons olive oil, baby tomatoes, garlics, mayo / pint water with meds Snack: ham and cheese Dinner: 2 pork chops braised, roasties I didn't ask for and in...

forum.diabetes.org.uk

I eat potatoes I put weight on over night, I eat an entire bag of grated Cheddar and lost a pound over night. You just can't figure it really. 😳 I had a friend who ate 8 slices of bread a day, slim as a reed!

edit/

@SueEK meant to say re cheese that you're thinking of giving up? I eat a lot of cheese and my liver symptoms have abated somewhat so long as I don't eat bread and potatoes and the obvious carbs. I have up to 2 tablespoons of olive oil a day as well. Part of me thinks give up fat altogether and then I think to hell with it, you gotta go with something... and I have a sneaking feeling it's not the good fats that make for a fatty liver. I had a fatty liver for decades before it got serious.

 

[Nick Cliff]

When I was first diagnosed doctor was convinced I was type 1 because of my symptoms. I had the GAD test and c peptide which confirmed I was type 2.
My sugar readings vary anything from 5 to 11, obviously dependant on what I have eaten.
As I’ve been so concerned about my weight I started eating things that I shouldn’t , white bread , chocolate etc . I know this isn’t good but just wanted to put weight on .
I wonder if it’s the Metformin that makes me lose weight ?

Hi @JueB.
I'm another slim T2. Taking Metformin definitely made me lose weight, via both loss of appetite and making my guts go on strike . It having been prescribed Nov 2019 owing to consistently higher HbA1C, and no further "wriggle-room" on diet and lifestyle. When consequently taking me off Metformin (Dec 2019) she DID mention that it originated as a slimming drug! My weight dropped from 57Kg to 55.5Kg in that time, after years of stability around 57-58Kg.
Since then I have been able to maintain acceptable control fg my blood glucose levels but not regain that weight. Including trying the lower carb, higher fat/protein diet. Weight sinking gradually to around 53Kg where I have arrested the decline. Advice on the NHS website regarding older people becoming underweight is to eat the same amount of food but spread into more meals, so I have been now having those between-meal snacks that have previously been avoided - and which I realise most other fellow T2s strive to avoid.. Snacks are high on protein and fat, such as cheese, yoghurt, peanut butter (the real organic stuff), with some carb.
Hope this helps.
Nick

 

[Drummer]

I have lost weight as my appetite has been depressed. Can I ask is it okay for ntype 2's to eat yoghurt and if so which ones are recommended. I also wonder if I eat enough. Breakfast is mini shredded wheat with porridge oars sprinkled over and some semi skimmed milk, lunch is generally a salad with added avocado/tuna/egg/chicken/smoked mackerel and dinner is usually fish or chicken and veg such as broccoli/kale/ carrots, home made soups with lentils, home made stews again usually with veg and pulses, omlette and salad. I eat an apple daily, some unsalted nuts like brazils, and have fruit for dessert generally blueberries or raspberries, occasionally cherries.
Am I eating too few carbs?

Wow - that is a lot of carbs - are testing to see how you respond to them?
As a type two myself, I would not touch such a load of starches and sugars, grains and fruits would push me into huge and prolonged spikes.

 

[Inka]

Wow - that is a lot of carbs - are testing to see how you respond to them?
As a type two myself, I would not touch such a load of starches and sugars, grains and fruits would push me into huge and prolonged spikes.

A salad with fish/meat/eggs for lunch and meat and veg for evening meal isn’t “a lot of carbs”. The breakfast is higher in carbs than the other two meals but the daily total won’t be “a lot” unless the portions are massive.

 

[Drummer]

Shredded wheat, porridge oats, milk, soups with lentils, stews with pulses, an apple, and then fruit for dessert - that really is a lot of carbs.
To have normal numbers - in normal times I could probably cope with 50 gm of carbs a day, I go with no more than 40 now - I could have small amounts of berries as dessert, which I have not done in two weeks now - but if I am hungry I increase the protein and fat of my meals as that keeps me feeling well, strong and energised.

 

[Inka]

No, it’s really not. All those things listed aren’t being eaten in one day for a start. They’re examples of meals. The fruit for dessert is berries - so again not high carb.

A moderate bowl of the Weetabix and milk, a salad plus protein for lunch, and meat plus veg for evening meal and a couple of berry servings might be more carbs than you personally can tolerate but it would add up to, what, 70 odd grams of carbs. Hardly “lots”.

 

[Drummer]

I think your 70 gm is rather optimistic but the only way to know is to weigh and calculate the daily total, and then see the result after eating each meal, as the OP is seeing high blood glucose on this diet - I would too if I ate eating that diet.
I had steak, salad and coffee for dinner. That should keep me in normal ranges and my weight steady.

 

[Inka]

Even if it was 80 or 90g it would still count as low carb not high.

I’m glad your appetite is coming back and hope you’re feeling a little better as much as you can do in the circumstances.