Need to gain weight

[frombc]

Hello, Since I've been told I'm prediabetic I've lost weight. I was only 135lbs to begin with and over the last couple of months I'm down to 120lbs. I've been eating about 1500 cal a day, but am really having a hard time trying to figure out menus that are balanced. I've added nuts and hazlenut butter to my diet, but this throws the balance out in the fat category. I guess these are 'good' fats so maybe that's ok.

Should I just eat more of everything. A lot of the books are geared towards losing weight. I don't want to eat piles of meat...they slow my system down. Any suggestions how I can gain some weight and keep a balance. Thanks!

[duck]

You could get into bodybuiling/weight-lifting (seriously). Muscle adds more weight than fat, and is obviously healthier.

[Penny]

Hello, Since I've been told I'm prediabetic I've lost weight. I was only 135lbs to begin with and over the last couple of months I'm down to 120lbs. I've been eating about 1500 cal a day, but am really having a hard time trying to figure out menus that are balanced. I've added nuts and hazlenut butter to my diet, but this throws the balance out in the fat category. I guess these are 'good' fats so maybe that's ok.

Should I just eat more of everything. A lot of the books are geared towards losing weight. I don't want to eat piles of meat...they slow my system down. Any suggestions how I can gain some weight and keep a balance. Thanks!
I know this is a big worry for you, but I sure wish I needed to gain weight instead of losing!:eating: My son needed some beefing up, when he was a teen, I also did not want to feed him a lot of extra fat. But acting on the doctor's advice, we fed him milkshakes and eggnogs. You also need to limit your carbs for obvious reasons. Maybe if you just added a little extra to each meal it would evenutally help you gain. Maybe add some good whole grain breads or cereals, and some peanut butter. Good luck, and I hope you can find a resolution for this problem!;)

[MarkMunday]

I have a similar challenge. Trying to gain weight by eating carbs is like trying to push water uphill. You have to eat a lot of them. And they mess with your blood sugar levels. It really makes sense to increase your consumption of the most energy dense type of food, which is fat. It is important to keep away from trans fats, which will mess your cholesterol levels up. But all other fats are fine.

If you don't like meat, how about eggs and cheese?

Cheers,

Mark

[am1977]

Hmmm, are you sure you are type 2? If you are Type 1, I can see why you would be dropping the weight so rapidly- it would be b/c there isn't insulin available and the food you take in would basically be lost. It wouldn't be able to enter the cells of your body w/o insulin. You would have to manage the disease with injections of insulin to make up for your body's lack of insulin production.

If that seems too farfetched- have you considered seeing a dietician or educator? They could give you ideas and suggestions on what to eat, but to still remain in control of this disease.

So best of luck and hope to see you around :ciao:

[frombc]

Hmmm, are you sure you are type 2? If you are Type 1, I can see why you would be dropping the weight so rapidly- it would be b/c there isn't insulin available and the food you take in would basically be lost. It wouldn't be able to enter the cells of your body w/o insulin. You would have to manage the disease with injections of insulin to make up for your body's lack of insulin production.

If that seems too farfetched- have you considered seeing a dietician or educator? They could give you ideas and suggestions on what to eat, but to still remain in control of this disease.

So best of luck and hope to see you around :ciao:

Hi there, I was just told prediabetic, nothing else. I'm going for another glucose test next week. Should I ask for a GAD.

I actually can't remember exactly how much I weighed when I was tested, but it was somewhere around 130-135. That was at the beginning of January. Since then I've changed my diet (eating about 1500 cal/day) and walk everyday. Would losing approx 10-15 lbs with reduced calorie than I was having before with added excersise considered rapid weight loss? I'd like to hear some opinions...cause now I'm worried. Would there be any other symptoms? Thanks.

[am1977]

Hi there, I was just told prediabetic, nothing else. I'm going for another glucose test next week. Should I ask for a GAD.

I actually can't remember exactly how much I weighed when I was tested, but it was somewhere around 130-135. That was at the beginning of January. Since then I've changed my diet (eating about 1500 cal/day) and walk everyday. Would losing approx 10-15 lbs with reduced calorie than I was having before with added excersise considered rapid weight loss? I'd like to hear some opinions...cause now I'm worried. Would there be any other symptoms? Thanks.


I'm sorry, I didn't mean to worry you :****mate: . I didn't know that you were told that you were pre-diabetic. I guess I assumed you were dx'ed as a T2.

I don't think you should worry too much. If you have been working out and eating less, than I wouldn't stress out about the weight loss. HOwever, if you weren't doing ANYTHING at all and still losing weight, that would be a different story.:eek:

As far as other symptoms of T1: extreme thirst, constanly running to the bathroom:vroam: , exhaustion, muscle aches, etc. I wouldn't read too much into how you feel- go get tested again and take things from there. If it turns out that you are ok- GREAT, it's great for your own piece of mind. But if it turns out that there is a problem, at least know that you can control and manage this disease and your in the company of many, many other people.

I hope that things turn out ok for you- please keep us posted! :flybye:

[MarkMunday]

..... I was just told prediabetic, nothing else. I'm going for another glucose test next week. Should I ask for a GAD......
A simple glucose test doesn't tell the full story. My daughter was diagnosed because of a random blood test that happened to be done after a substantial glucose load. At the time, her fasting blood sugars were fine. She had no symptoms either. And she is T1.

So yes, if you want the diagnosis confirmed, get them to test for antibodies. Problem is that not all T1s test positive for GAD. And a GTT wouldn't be conclusive either if you are early the honeymoon stage. Testing your insulin levels would show if there is any insulin resistance. That may be the best option.

Cheers,

Mark