Would like to maintain/gain a little weight

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I have double cream in my coffee as well as Greek yoghurt and plenty of cheese and nuts.
 
I think the change to my weight maybe due to taking metformin (2000mg per day) since first prescribed in mid March this year.
Up until I started taking metformin my weight had been fairly constant at around 59 to 60kg.
Since then it has dropped a little each month and is now 55.5 kg as of today although my diet hasnt radically changed in that time.
I'm 71 and 5 foot 5 inches tall.

Is the metformin likely to be the cause of my losing weight?

Any thoughts?
 
Metformin was used to aid weight loss but it's action is supposedly to suppress appetite so if you are eating the same as before then it is unlikely to be that, but we are all different.
Do you need to take Metformin? Your starting HbA1c was only 51 and it sounds like you are keeping a check on your BG levels, so if they are mostly in range then why not discuss dropping it for a few weeks with your nurse, to see if that helps.

In fact I would wonder if you are actually diabetic at all. Being very slim and only just over the diabetes threshold, I wonder if perhaps it might just be anaemia causing a raised HnA1c. Have your blood levels been checked for anaemia?
 
PGW said:
Update.
So over the past 7 days I have eaten 3 x 500g pots of full fat 10% brooklea greek yogurt - about 200g per day with fresh raspberries in addtition to my normal low carb + protein meals.
Result - was hoping to gain a little weight but overall I lost 0.3kg.
I'm suprised!
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I would count that as pretty well the same as 0.3kg is only likely less than 1 loo visit, i.e. 1 can coke weights 0.33kg
 
rebrascora said:
Metformin was used to aid weight loss but it's action is supposedly to suppress appetite so if you are eating the same as before then it is unlikely to be that, but we are all different.
Do you need to take Metformin? Your starting HbA1c was only 51 and it sounds like you are keeping a check on your BG levels, so if they are mostly in range then why not discuss dropping it for a few weeks with your nurse, to see if that helps.

In fact I would wonder if you are actually diabetic at all. Being very slim and only just over the diabetes threshold, I wonder if perhaps it might just be anaemia causing a raised HnA1c. Have your blood levels been checked for anaemia?
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Interesting - I think my red blood cell count is in the normal range - but I have my first review meeting with my diabetic nurse next Friday and will raise your points with her.
 
Leadinglights said:
I would count that as pretty well the same as 0.3kg is only likely less than 1 loo visit, i.e. 1 can coke weights 0.33kg
Click to expand...
Hi leading lights - I made a subsequent post because I had beeen losing weight since March this year and was hoping to reverse this a bit hence trying the high fat yogurt route.

Here is the post in question which should be self explanatory:-
I think the change to my weight maybe due to taking metformin (2000mg per day) since first prescribed in mid March this year.
Up until I started taking metformin my weight had been fairly constant at around 59 to 60kg.
Since then it has dropped a little each month and is now 55.5 kg as of today although my diet hasnt radically changed in that time.
I'm 71 and 5 foot 5 inches tall.
Is the metformin likely to be the cause of my losing weight?
Any thoughts?
 
PGW said:
I think the change to my weight maybe due to taking metformin (2000mg per day) since first prescribed in mid March this year.
Up until I started taking metformin my weight had been fairly constant at around 59 to 60kg.
Since then it has dropped a little each month and is now 55.5 kg as of today although my diet hasnt radically changed in that time.
I'm 71 and 5 foot 5 inches tall.

Is the metformin likely to be the cause of my losing weight?

Any thoughts?
Click to expand...
I think metformin at such a high dose or any dose was perhaps overkill for an HbA1C of 51 and for somebody who is prepared to engage with dietary changes it is a shame that was not the option you were given.
 
PGW said:
Hi leading lights - I made a subsequent post because I had beeen losing weight since March this year and was hoping to reverse this a bit hence trying the high fat yogurt route.

Here is the post in question which should be self explanatory:-
I think the change to my weight maybe due to taking metformin (2000mg per day) since first prescribed in mid March this year.
Up until I started taking metformin my weight had been fairly constant at around 59 to 60kg.
Since then it has dropped a little each month and is now 55.5 kg as of today although my diet hasnt radically changed in that time.
I'm 71 and 5 foot 5 inches tall.
Is the metformin likely to be the cause of my losing weight?
Any thoughts?
Click to expand...
It is likely the combination of making dietary changes in reducing carbs and possibly the metformin. When people reduce carbs that can have a substantial impact on losing weight.
 
Leadinglights said:
It is likely the combination of making dietary changes in reducing carbs and possibly the metformin. When people reduce carbs that can have a substantial impact on losing weight.
Click to expand...
Should I be worried about this weight loss trend? - the full fat yogurt for a week had virtually no effect as you pointed out.
 
PGW said:
Should I be worried about this weight loss trend? - the full fat yogurt for a week had virtually no effect as you pointed out.
Click to expand...
It might be worth having a chat with your nurse as weight loss can occur for a variety of reasons and should be checked out as it may be nothing to do with either the medication or change of diet but many who reduce carbs will lose weight but that is usually what they need to do. Always tricky to balance things when you have conflicting things.
 
It depends if you have cut your carb intake. Weight loss would be a natural consequence of that. Generally Type 2 diabetics tend to be carrying fat around their organs like pancreas and liver so their lower rib cage and tummy will be fat whereas Type 1 diabetics usually lose weight rapidly at diagnosis, but your HbA1c is not high enough to indicate Type 1 or at least not at a level that would cause weight loss, which is why I wonder if you are diabetic at all being underweight.

I would mention it to the nurse and perhaps ask to be referred for an ultrasound of your liver and pancreas as well as check for anaemia.

There is a school of thought that a slightly higher HbA1c may be normal in mature adults as the red blood cells do not replenish as quickly as they do in younger people so they hang around longer and as a result a bit more glucose gets stuck to them.... which is what the HbA1c measures and that a slightly inflated HbA1c in later life may not necessarily indicate diabetes but just those blood cells hanging around a bit longer. I personally do not think that Metformin is appropriate in your situation (my totally non medical opinion) and I would be discussing dropping that with your nurse and see if that makes any difference to your weight. As I said earlier, it's action in weight loss is as an appetite suppressant, so if you don't feel you are eating any less now than before, then I doubt this will be the cause of your weight loss, but it is worth stopping it for a couple of months to see if it makes a difference. You have a BG meter so you can keep a close eye on your levels and decide if you want to reinstate it if levels drift upwards more than you are comfortable with.
 
Thanks as usual for all your advice - certainly food for thought (no pun intended!)
I have my first diabetes review this coming Friday so will have to wait and see what my hbac1 result is and if the metformin (and weight loss) has made any difference.

I will bring up the points you have all raised.
 
Good luck and let us know how you get on. I don't expect the nurse to have heard of or understand some of the issues mentioned. Her level of training on diabetes will not be that in depth, but no harm in mentioning them.
 
UPDATE.
Just got the results of my hba1c test from blood taken last Friday and it has dropped from 51mmol in March this year to 44mmol today - better than I expected and a bit of a relief.

I think the weight loss has now stabilised but it did worry me that although I am slim by nature losing 3kg since march did concern me although it was probably caused by me being very carb conscious and also metformin (2000mg per day) being known as an appetite suppressant! I have a telephone consultation with my diabetic nurse in early August so will discuss the weight issue with her then.

I'd mainly like to thank all of you who have responded to this post and others that I have made especially the advice on carbs, the importance of proteins and getting and using a glucose tester.

Big round of applause for all of you.
 
Congratulations on a great HbA1c result. Good to hear your weight has levelled out a bit now and wish you lots of luck in maintaining that great progress. Well done!
 
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