Am Under weight, How can I gain Weight?

[tarahson]

The 5 months i traveled to different country that am studying now, since my arrival i have not been doing good, my BG is no more stable, sometimes its very high and am worried so much about it. am on diet but dont exercise regularly, i try hard to do whatever possible to improve my BG. my biggest worry is am loosing weight, only the past 4 months i lost 2kg. now am 57kg and 23yrs old, i really want to gain weight to improve my shape. whenever i stand on the scale and see am loosing weight am really stressed so much. please Help how can i gain weight without affecting my BG. any advice also welcome

[AngelKitty]

Hi Tarahson,
Have you been feeling sick? I noticed you said your BGLs ride very high - if this is the case you may be losing weight because your body is producing ketones.
In order to put on more weight you are going to have to eat more and that means that you will also have to adjust your insulin accordingly. Hope this helps.

[Jan B]

Hi Tarahson,

If your BG is running high a lot of the time, a lot of the nutrients are going right out of you, causing you to lose weight. If you concentrate on getting your BG stable, you might start putting weight back on. I thought this direction because I know there are some misdirected, typically young, Type 1s who let their BGs run high, just so they can lose weight. Not a good idea at all!

It also seems that if you are running high, you aren't getting enough insulin (basal, bolus, or both). Heavy stress will often cause you to need more insulin. I bet you are under a lot of stress, right? And to keep things simple -- the more often you test your bg, the better control you will have. I've found that to be very true.

[tarahson]

am not feeling serious illness right i had Flu for quite a week and doing well now. but the last time i visited my doctor he told me my kidneys are good but i think i really need to adjust my insulin. Thanks for ur help

[tarahson]

Thats really true, am really stressed since i moved to different country for couple months ago. i try to keep busy myself just not to feel stressed but i think its getting worse. and also my studies contribute alot to that. maybe you can give advice

[AngelKitty]

Hello,
If you increase the amount of carbohydrates you eat in each meal you will definetely put on weight. This will mean that you will have to increase your insulin as well, to cover for the extra carbs. More carbohydrates = more insulin = weight gain.
Hope this helps.

[retired60]

I have the same problem with weight, although I don't lose any I can't gain any no matter what I do. I have been thin all my life, and it does not matter about carbs or anything. The doctor just tells me to count my blessings.

[fgummett]

As above, you may not need to eat more, just adjust your insulin so that you can make better use of what you currently eat.

What kind of BG levels are you getting?

[tarahson]

sometimes as high as 28-29 but mostly around 12-17

[fgummett]

sometimes as high as 28-29 but mostly around 12-17Are those fasting BGs or after meals? Have you tested for ketones?

[TommyC1]

I went from 190 lbs (86 kg) to 130 lbs (59 kg) before I was diagnosed. Yeah I was in denial.
The point is that if you do not get enough insulin your sugars will run high and you will loose weight.

Good Luck!

Tommy

[MJM]

I'm 63 and will be a diabetic 50 years this coming summer. I was thin when I developed diabetes and have tried everything to put on weight down the years. Nothing worked. The fact that ur losing weight is probably due to ur high blood sugars. If u get them down to normal or near normal levels I reckon u could stop losing weight. It is imperative that u control ur high blood sugars, otherwise it will lead to many problems in the future. Stress, or worry, is also a factor for increasing blood sugars and if u can find a way to resolve that it may be helpful. Illness can also increase ur bgs. If ur blood sugars get very high, it is difficult to get it back to normal. Exercise of course should help also and is recommended for all diabetics. Exercise could also reduce insulance resistance if present, and with high bgs insulin resistance increases. Hope u can get it sorted soon. - Mike

[Luke]

I went from 195 to 145 when I got sick and was diagnosed. I am around 167 right now. Sad thing, is I am 6-foot-5, so that makes me look amazingly skinny, and I hate it.

[Olidus]

sometimes as high as 28-29 but mostly around 12-17

What were your last A1C's?
Those are high - and if you run that high for a long period of time you will indeed lose weight, body not producing insulin and needs energy so starts to use stored up fat. This is of course not healthy at all.

I bet your not feeling 100% either? I know for me - back when i was DX'd I lost a boat load of weight - was losing sleep - anxiety took over, was border lines depressed. aka a walking Zombie. Mind you we all re-act differently to different situations, but if your readings are in MMOL/L you really need to get those under control and get your life back on track.

This is of course my own personal opinion.

[tarahson]

Am on insulin (Mixtrd) for 6yrs now , am trying my best to control my worrying BG, but it seems far away from that. since i moved to different country with totally different food my BG level is up and down. i always have poor diet control, i eat alot without counting any calorie lately my BG gets High. i dont offtenly count my calories, besides am trying to do my best to count since i want to add more pounds, i really eat alot and dont increase my units but am visiting my doctor next week and discuss alot with her. any of ur suggestion is always welcome
i really want to gain some pound and i think some of suggestions will be helpful to me

[Olidus]

As I'm sure you arleady knwo its all about balance, and try to not to get confused or upset that you don't get your BGs under control over night.
Do you have an I:C ration right now? If not it maybe something you may possibly want to look at, as it helps alot of us on here.
What are you currently taking for your basal?

[fgummett]

Am on insulin (Mixtrd) for 6yrs now...

Mixtard® The active substance is insulin human made by recombinant biotechnology (30% as soluble insulin and 70% as isophane insulin).

Sounds like a pre-mixed insulin which surely makes it very hard to do an I:C ratio with a dynamic bolus at each meal... surely this is more suited to a set daily regime that does not change?