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Need to gain weight

F

flonvic

Well-Known Member
Messages
1,811
Location
South yorkshire
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
T2 diabetic.64 yrs old.got hba1c down from 72 to 51.I have lost 20lbs ( now 10st 2lb).I am 5ft 9 and I am being told by family that I am too thin.I must admit I do look thin.My question is,what can I eat to raise my weight but not my blood sugar.Sorry for the long post.
 
I had the same over the first 18 months or so, then without trying about 7 or 8 lbs crept back on over the next 12 months. I don't like them, but no one says I'm too thin any more. :happy:
I didn't think I'd changed anything but suppose I must be eating bigger portions overall. I'd like to skip more meals, my tummy and appetite say I could but my family want to eat 3 times a day and I find it difficult not to eat when they are.
Maybe just eat more low carb food, ie bigger portions?
 
MrsA2 said:
I had the same over the first 18 months or so, then without trying about 7 or 8 lbs crept back on over the next 12 months. I don't like them, but no one says I'm too thin any more. :happy:
I didn't think I'd changed anything but suppose I must be eating bigger portions overall. I'd like to skip more meals, my tummy and appetite say I could but my family want to eat 3 times a day and I find it difficult not to eat when they are.
Maybe just eat more low carb food, ie bigger portions?
Click to expand...
Thankyou.I have been diabetic for many years.was over the moon at reduced hba1c but family are right,I am a bit too thin.DN said hba1c should be 50-60 so perhaps i can afford to eat more.
 
Hi @flonvic. First of all - well done you for getting your HBA1c down such a lot. This is very good indeed.

Second up - it seems I have been answering these too thin threads that pop up from time to time in much the same way for a while, and I am perfectly happy to do this, as it has certainly gotten easier to present a case. Hope the Forum is happy for me to do so too?

OK - how weight looks on our frame is definitely all relative - in our case when significant weight loss is involved - and yours is 20 lbs/nearly 10 kg, and you are tall. So your friends and family, and you? Probably just need to adjust to your new body composition.

According to the personal fat threshold theory - losing weight when it comes to getting better with type two is a good thing, as long as you are getting enough nutriton to be as healthy as you can be with type two. A good way to track your health and body composition numbers is to look at your waist height ratio, and put in in a ratio calculator online (my favourite is health-calc.com, where I also ran your numbers for your BMI). This should reassure you. Your medical professionals will be looking at your BMI to make sure you are a healthy enough weight (their definition of too thin is a BMI of under 18.)

I popped your peramters into a BMI calculator and you apparently have a BMI of 20. Perfectly healthy normal weight, according to the BMI calculator.

What I suggest is - watch a few old movies from the 1950s, the 60s, and all the way up to the 70s and early 80s. You will see that your too thin was the norm of yesteryear. Get your friends and family to have a looksie too. When you look at the waist sizes of both men and women on your TV set my belief is you will be reassured that you are not in fact too thin.

I hope thus reassured you can concentrate on your nutrition needs, and not needing to plumpen up, which is super important for getting healthier for sure.
 
AloeSvea said:
Hi @flonvic. First of all - well done you for getting your HBA1c down such a lot. This is very good indeed.

Second up - it seems I have been answering these too thin threads that pop up from time to time in much the same way for a while, and I am perfectly happy to do this, as it has certainly gotten easier to present a case. Hope the Forum is happy for me to do so too?

OK - how weight looks on our frame is definitely all relative - in our case when significant weight loss is involved - and yours is 20 lbs/nearly 10 kg, and you are tall. So your friends and family, and you? Probably just need to adjust to your new body composition.

According to the personal fat threshold theory - losing weight when it comes to getting better with type two is a good thing, as long as you are getting enough nutriton to be as healthy as you can be with type two. A good way to track your health and body composition numbers is to look at your waist height ratio, and put in in a ratio calculator online (my favourite is health-calc.com, where I also ran your numbers for your BMI). This should reassure you. Your medical professionals will be looking at your BMI to make sure you are a healthy enough weight (their definition of too thin is a BMI of under 18.)

I popped your peramters into a BMI calculator and you apparently have a BMI of 20. Perfectly healthy normal weight, according to the BMI calculator.

What I suggest is - watch a few old movies from the 1950s, the 60s, and all the way up to the 70s and early 80s. You will see that your too thin was the norm of yesteryear. Get your friends and family to have a looksie too. When you look at the waist sizes of both men and women on your TV set my belief is you will be reassured that you are not in fact too thin.

I hope thus reassured you can concentrate on your nutrition needs, and not needing to plumpen up, which is super important for getting healthier for sure.
Click to expand...
Thankyou.I have lost a lot of this weight from round my middle which is good?At my heaviest i was 13 st so of course i look different but i cant make them understand I am not doing it for how I look,but to get my numbers down! They just dont get it.
 
flonvic said:
Thankyou.I have lost a lot of this weight from round my middle which is good?At my heaviest i was 13 st so of course i look different but i cant make them understand I am not doing it for how I look,but to get my numbers down! They just dont get it.
Click to expand...
Those around us can't ever totally get it. I have stopped expecting them to.

Folks get used to us looking a certain way, so when that changes, there will be a degree of concern - especially if our clothes become baggy and ill-fitting. That's never our greatest look.

Looking at your BMI (which is a very blunt tool, but a helpful indication) you are just about right. My suggestion would be that you set about an objective to remain stable for several months, then review again. I would bet most of those concerned folks will be used to you looking as you do by then.

Achieving a stable state is trickier than losing or gaining, because you are looking for balance. You may find in trying this that you gain a couple of pounds along the way, or you could lose a bit more. All I would say should (when) either of those things happen is not to panic, but not to let it run away with you. I'd suggest you give yourself an allowance of x lbs either way, bearing in mind even those with rock solid weights will vary a little day-to-day.

For me, I prefer to keep my A1c in the non-diabetic range, and I have been fortunate enough to be able to do that without draconian efforts. I can't understand why your nurse would want you to maintain into the diabetic range if you have options to be in the non-diabetic ranges.

Well done on your journey so far. It's a marathon not a sprint.
 
If you can sit in the bath and not go Ouch!!! then you are sufficiently padded in your Glutinous Maximal region (derriere) I too am 64kg and had similar comments from family, but I have maintained that weight fairly steady for 8 years now. So with my BMI of between 21 and 22 I am happy, the doc is happy. You have the option of turning excess fat into muscle which weighs more. (eat protein and up the exercise) It looks better than flab.
 
Oldvatr said:
If you can sit in the bath and not go Ouch!!! then you are sufficiently padded in your Glutinous Maximal region (derriere) I too am 64kg and had similar comments from family, but I have maintained that weight fairly steady for 8 years now. So with my BMI of between 21 and 22 I am happy, the doc is happy. You have the option of turning excess fat into muscle which weighs more. (eat protein and up the exercise) It looks better than flab.
Click to expand...
Thanks for your input.flab isnt the problem.Its the wrinkly skin! To be expected I suppose.I am happy so sod the lot of them! Heres hoping hba1c has gone down a bit more.Due at the end of this month
 
AloeSvea said:
Hi @flonvic. First of all - well done you for getting your HBA1c down such a lot. This is very good indeed.

Second up - it seems I have been answering these too thin threads that pop up from time to time in much the same way for a while, and I am perfectly happy to do this, as it has certainly gotten easier to present a case. Hope the Forum is happy for me to do so too?

OK - how weight looks on our frame is definitely all relative - in our case when significant weight loss is involved - and yours is 20 lbs/nearly 10 kg, and you are tall. So your friends and family, and you? Probably just need to adjust to your new body composition.

According to the personal fat threshold theory - losing weight when it comes to getting better with type two is a good thing, as long as you are getting enough nutriton to be as healthy as you can be with type two. A good way to track your health and body composition numbers is to look at your waist height ratio, and put in in a ratio calculator online (my favourite is health-calc.com, where I also ran your numbers for your BMI). This should reassure you. Your medical professionals will be looking at your BMI to make sure you are a healthy enough weight (their definition of too thin is a BMI of under 18.)

I popped your peramters into a BMI calculator and you apparently have a BMI of 20. Perfectly healthy normal weight, according to the BMI calculator.

What I suggest is - watch a few old movies from the 1950s, the 60s, and all the way up to the 70s and early 80s. You will see that your too thin was the norm of yesteryear. Get your friends and family to have a looksie too. When you look at the waist sizes of both men and women on your TV set my belief is you will be reassured that you are not in fact too thin.

I hope thus reassured you can concentrate on your nutrition needs, and not needing to plumpen up, which is super important for getting healthier for sure.
Click to expand...
Waist to height 0.47?
 
flonvic said:
Thankyou.I have been diabetic for many years.was over the moon at reduced hba1c but family are right,I am a bit too thin.DN said hba1c should be 50-60 so perhaps i can afford to eat more.
Click to expand...
Some DN panic a bit too much about lows in non medicated people imo. Sure it’s a concern if the lower hba1c is achieved by way of hypos particularly as we age for fear of falls etc whilst hypo but if thats not the case there’s nothing wrong with having a lower number all the way down to normal below 41mmol. In fact the NICE guidelines say that it is to be encouraged if you are safely achieving those lower numbers without hypos and eating enough food. Their targets also make allowances for what they think is achievable for the general population using their eatwell advice, rather than just what’s most desirable or achievable with lower carb to reduce complications. That includes people unwilling to take a dietary option and rely solely on medication.

I agree people have had their view of “normal“ weight distorted by a generation of widespread overweight and obesity images. That coupled with being accustomed to seeing someone a particular and changes of mental image to match physical change takes time. Ignore ‘em for now and they’ll get used to it.
 
HSSS said:
Some DN panic a bit too much about lows in non medicated people imo. Sure it’s a concern if the lower hba1c is achieved by way of hypos particularly as we age for fear of falls etc whilst hypo but if thats not the case there’s nothing wrong with having a lower number all the way down to normal below 41mmol. In fact the NICE guidelines say that it is to be encouraged if you are safely achieving those lower numbers without hypos and eating enough food. Their targets also make allowances for what they think is achievable for the general population using their eatwell advice, rather than just what’s most desirable or achievable with lower carb to reduce complications. That includes people unwilling to take a dietary option and rely solely on medication.

I agree people have had their view of “normal“ weight distorted by a generation of widespread overweight and obesity images. That coupled with being accustomed to seeing someone a particular and changes of mental image to match physical change takes time. Ignore ‘em for now and they’ll get used to it.
Click to expand...
Thankyou.Like you say they will get used to it.I just hope its not been for nothing.I will know hopefully by the end of the month.Weight loss has stalled so perhaps no improvement.We will see.fingers crossed.
 
flonvic said:
Thanks for your input.flab isnt the problem.Its the wrinkly skin! To be expected I suppose.I am happy so sod the lot of them! Heres hoping hba1c has gone down a bit more.Due at the end of this month
Click to expand...
My derriere is now like a cherry and not a (big) peach!
 
flonvic said:
Thanks for your input.flab isnt the problem.Its the wrinkly skin! To be expected I suppose.I am happy so sod the lot of them! Heres hoping hba1c has gone down a bit more.Due at the end of this month
Click to expand...
Moisturise, moisturise, moisturise - all over.

Whilst once we pass our 40s, our skin isn't quite so elastic as before, I'd wager your skin will also improve over time. Juat look after it.
 
MrsA2 said:
I had the same over the first 18 months or so, then without trying about 7 or 8 lbs crept back on over the next 12 months. I don't like them, but no one says I'm too thin any more. :happy:
I didn't think I'd changed anything but suppose I must be eating bigger portions overall. I'd like to skip more meals, my tummy and appetite say I could but my family want to eat 3 times a day and I find it difficult not to eat when they are.
Maybe just eat more low carb food, ie bigger portions?
Click to expand...
I too lost a lot of weight (reduced to 44kg) esp after time restricted eating which I started in Jan'23. Now due to perimenopause, am gaining weight ...gained 3.5 kg so far. Some of my old clothes aren't fitting me anymore.
 
Oldvatr said:
If you can sit in the bath and not go Ouch!!! then you are sufficiently padded in your Glutinous Maximal region (derriere) I too am 64kg and had similar comments from family, but I have maintained that weight fairly steady for 8 years now. So with my BMI of between 21 and 22 I am happy, the doc is happy. You have the option of turning excess fat into muscle which weighs more. (eat protein and up the exercise) It looks better than flab.
Click to expand...
But that too, Oldvatr, is just a body composition issue :).

I wrote about my lack of padding on the butt in here many moons ago, and one forumite thought this meant I looked like a skeletor, her words, post experimenting with weight loss to lower my blood glucose. I have what is called, in the US, an 'Asian mom butt' (apparently ! according to the wonderful standup comic Michelle Buteau) - as in very small due to a narrow waist and not a lot of padding, and is just part of my body type. I am actually broad shouldered, with good muslces for an old broad (I work on it), and very normal weighted post low-carbing, with a tendency - oh what a surprise (not! for an insulin resistant type two) to put padding on around my waist. Not my thighs. Not on that small butt. And yeah - I have extra pillows on my seats and lower myself gingerly into the bath, lol.

It's just a body type! Lots of female athletes have this build.
 
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