Need to gain weight !!!

jammer

Active Member
Messages
26
Hi everyone. Right i've been a type 1 for 15 years, i'm a 19 year old male that does exercise and is constantly eating.

My problem is that i can't seem to put on any weight (i look lyk a twig :? ).

I have asked a number of people, Doctors,Dieticians etc. and they all say that if my bloodsugar level is steady and not too high i shld be able to put on weight.

Heres the butt ( or th lack of it :lol: ) i have been closly monitoring my bloodsugars and eating the right foods but still can't put on weight.

Has anybody else had this problem and found an easy way to solve it i.e tablets, certain foods to eat, which protein shakes do the job, any advice would be a great help thanx :roll:
 

jopar

Well-Known Member
Messages
2,222
Sorry Jammer I'm in similar plight

If you've got good tight control of your diabetes and still can't put on weight, then the weight you are is proabably the weight you would have been if you'll weren't diabetic..

A lot of 19 are quite skinny, most males don't start to fill out until they are in their early 20's, and some people are just naturally skinny people what ever they do..

My 20 year old son, is skinny as a rake 6ft and about 10 stone :shock: And does that boy eat, he clears more food in a meal than I do all day :shock: it's like feeding a bottomless pit, always has been..

If you've got tight control, and no issues with your BG's swinging high at times then there is little that I know off to what you can do, put don't be too disheartened, as many 19 year old males are skinny but fill out a bit when they are in their early 20's..
 

jammer

Active Member
Messages
26
Hey thyanx for the speedy reply.
before the start of 2009 i had real trouble keeping my bloodsugars down below 15 which was having a really bad effect in general but i got my act together last year and they are good now.

I hope i do start putting on some weight soon because i starting to feel skinny on the inside now and its a bit of a downer :? .

Thanx for the reply :D
 

shedges

Well-Known Member
Messages
432
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Pump
Hi,

I was very thin at that age - remember one girl's reaction on getting her back to mine was 'Oh aren't you thin. There's nothing of you'... didn't stop her though. :wink: 8) .

I didn't really start to fill out until about 25 - went from being about 11 stone to 13; everyone is different. Lifting weights and eating loads certainly helps. I've found that the only guaranteed way for me to gain weight is to up the carbs intake (whilst also upping the protein to keep ratios about the same).

Sam.
 

cugila

Master
Messages
10,272
Dislikes
People who are touchy.......feign indignation at the slightest thing. Hypocrites, bullies and cowards.
I was just over 9 st and 6 ft when I was 23.......I needed to make 10 st to get the job I wanted. I was eating 3 meals a day, virtually everything I could get my hands on. I was a big drinker as well. Absolutely nothing I did let me put weight on.

I finally went to see my GP explained the problem that I had in getting to at least 10 st and he prescribed me some sort of protein powder drink that in a matter of weeks had me up to the magic 10st and just over. I'm not sure if the same thing is available now, might be worth asking.

After about 3 months of 3 square meals, regular daily trainng and plenty more drinking..... :shock:
I got up to about 12 st which I kept to till sometime in the 80's when I started to put on a bit more, finally levelling out at my ideal 13 st. I kept that weight for years until diagnosed as a T2 in 1997.

So, not your typical T2, fit, healthy, BMI 24, in the ideal weight category.

Ken
 

skeltonr9

Member
Messages
7
Hi Jammer,i was dianosed type 1 10 months ago i an 6ft5 and my weight dropped to 9 stone.I am now over 12 stone my weight gain seemed to be after i was prescribed amitriptyline to ease my sore feet.I know how you feel doctors dont seem to understand that being thin can be just as embarassing than being overweight.Hope you gain weight soon
bob
 

redrevis

Well-Known Member
Messages
108
Hey Jammer

I've been thin all my life. Since about 16 years old I've been 6' 2" and weight 10 stone. I'm now 26 and still the same height and weight. I've done the same as you, spoken to doctors, dietitions, nutritionists, tried all sorts and nothing work sto put weight on. At one point I was eating 4 meals a day and having pints of protein powder shakes with full fat milk and still I put on no weight. I can eat as much as I like and never put it on. When i became type 1 I lost nearly a stone before diagnosis. That was a few months ago and I'm nearly back to 10 stone again. It is frustrating when people don't realise that being thin can be the same mentally/emotionally as someone who is over weight. People think nothing to say to me "I've seen more meat on a lettuce" but wouldn't dream of saying anything off hand like that to someone overweight. I remember in college when getting hugs off girls and them saying, " oh god, you're so thin I can feel all your bones" really helped with the self confidence :(
If they hugged someone overweight do you think they would have said "oh god, you're so fat I can feel all your fat" no i don't think so :evil:
I've been told the old phrase, you'll fill out in your 30s. All I can say to that is, I'll believe it when I see it. If you find some miracle solution to weight gain please let me know :lol: and no, steroids don't count :p
 

g-man

Member
Messages
18
jammer said:
Hi everyone. Right i've been a type 1 for 15 years, i'm a 19 year old male that does exercise and is constantly eating.

My problem is that i can't seem to put on any weight (i look lyk a twig :? ).

I have asked a number of people, Doctors,Dieticians etc. and they all say that if my bloodsugar level is steady and not too high i shld be able to put on weight.

Heres the butt ( or th lack of it :lol: ) i have been closly monitoring my bloodsugars and eating the right foods but still can't put on weight.

Has anybody else had this problem and found an easy way to solve it i.e tablets, certain foods to eat, which protein shakes do the job, any advice would be a great help thanx :roll:

Protein shakes won't put weight on you, they contain little to no carbs. To put on weight, you need to take in more calories than you expend during a typical day. I'm not being condescending, that's just how it is! :D (barring any medical condition that could be interfering of course).

My guess is you're eating less carbs during a day than you think and compounding this by exercising too much, so all the 'good' work you do at the gym/whatever is eating up any muscular gains (assuming increased muscle mass is what you're aiming for?).

There is the option of 'weight gainers' but you have to check the labels very carefully and monitor your BG's as they caused massive spikes in my levels when I started taking them. There are some good ones out there though.

I've been through this process myself as I too was bordering on underweight at 19 but after years of reading and trial and error managed to achieve my weight gain goals. I'm also Type 1.
 

carty

Well-Known Member
Messages
3,379
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Hi jammer
I also need to gain weight but I am not in the same position as you as I am an OAP I asked for a dietitians appointment which was very helpful .Try to increase your calorie intake by eating more snacks I eat cheese and nuts and meat .Try to eat every 2 hours or so .The GP has also prescribed for me Glucogen which you can only get on prescription , it is basically made up of oils and it increases calorie intake by about 550 cals per day.It tastes awful rather like liquid lard :!: but I have put on about 3 kilograms and to be honest I dont take it as often as I should I dont know if it would work for you but it is worth asking your GP or DN about it .
Keep on eating :lol:
CAROL
 

g-man

Member
Messages
18
My other suggestion would be to get a set of body fat scales, by that I mean a proper one that you stand on like bathroom scales. You need to ensure that you're putting on good quality muscle rather than fat.

Cheese will give you lots of protein but be aware it's high in fat too, so go easy on that. To maintain your metabolism at an even rate, try to have 6 smaller meals a day and don't think about the '3 main meals'. You may have heard the term 'grazing' which is exactly what this is. It allows your body to process food more evenly and I've found helps my BG's stay slightly more stable as there isn't a sudden need for a large amount of insulin associated with a 'main meal'.

Stay healthy.
 

the_exile

Well-Known Member
Messages
76
Hi Jammer,

I was the same, weighed around 9 1/2 - 10 stone until I was in my mid twenties, past few years I've put on a bit of weight and I'm now 12 - 12 1/2, think every teenager/young adult goes through the "eat for an army put on no weight" stage.
 

toner29

Member
Messages
19
Hi,

I used to have the same problem as you, I am 6ft 3 and 24 and upto about 12 months ago I weighed about 11 1/2 stone and felt really skinny. I started doing some weight training with a friend and increasing my food intake (especially protein). Yes protein doesnt always help with gaining weight, but if you are weight training it helps repair the muscles that you have broken down during training meaning you start to see real gains and you will definatley start filling out!

Check this out and give it a go whilst increasing you protein intake -

http://stronglifts.com/stronglifts-5x5-beginner-strength-training-program/

Also avoid regular cardio excersises as it will just burn off the muscle you have worked for. It sounds silly but weight training really gets your heart rate pumping anyway so you shouldnt need to be killing yourself with cardio as well.

Hope this helps.

Steve
 

cleo82

Well-Known Member
Messages
61
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Insulin
Dislikes
Not being able to control effects of stress on blood sugars
Hi, I realise the original post is way out of date now, and hope you've found a few pounds Jammer, but for anyone in same situation - has coeliac disease been ruled out? if not, ask your doctor to do the blood test. ("EMA" I think.)

I had 7 or 8 years of stomach pains, bowel problems and anaemia before a doctor thought to check it. Few weeks later had biopsies, which confirmed that I'd had it for years judging by damage to villi.

Not sure what the statistic is but I know type 1s are at a much higher risk of developing this disease too so recommend anyone with type 1 experiencing low weight / stomach pains / bowel problems / anaemia ask their GP or diabetes team for the test.

Undiagnosed, and therefore untreated, it leads to all sorts of complications but treatment just involves cutting out gluten - completely, and for life. (not easy, but no additional jags or surgery (other than the odd endoscopy perhaps)