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Lost too much weight

Pam24

Member
Messages
10
Type of diabetes
Parent
Treatment type
Insulin
Hi guys!
My mom has been battling diabetes for several years now. She has never properly taken care of herself ever since she was diagnosed. Her doctor recently recommended her to start taking insulin because her glucose levels were just too high even with the help of meds. Throughout the years my mom has lost a lot of weight. She was never absurdly overweight or anything. However, she got the notion that if she stopped eating, skipped meals or ate very small portions (a lot of times food taht is not ok for diabetics) she would be able to control her diabetes. This lead her to lose a lot of weight.
I was too you ng to realize how bad her diet choices were and to fully undertsand what diabetes actually was. Ive been trying to understand better her condition to try to help her.
This lead me to some questions that might sound stupid. So forgive me for not having much knowledge about this. I understand that carb counting has helped a lot of ppl to control their diabetes. However, if my mom is underweight with high glucose levels would this be the best approach? Wouldnt this lead her to lose even more weight? What is the best way to help my mom gain weight while maintaining her levels controlled?
 
Pam24 said:
if my mom is underweight with high glucose levels would this be the best approach? Wouldnt this lead her to lose even more weight? What is the best way to help my mom gain weight while maintaining her levels controlled?
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I presume that her high glucose levels are because she is eating too many foods high in carbohydrates and eating a lower level of carbs should help in this respect. I suggest that you find a level of carb consumption that does not give too high a reading.

Yes, this will cause weight loss most likely. Although this is a desirable effect with us overweight people it is not helpful if you start out thin.

She could eat other foods (not carbs) which are high in calories and she could eat it on a more regular and frequent basis in order to maintain weight.
 
So what kind of food exactly are we talking about that would be low on carbs that are high in calories? Could you give me some suggestions?
 
Hi
I can only go by myself but I have never been overweight so if I go to low on the carbs I loose more weight than I need to
 
Unfortunately, although I have discussed this kind of problem with my DN I have not been able to put it to the test as I usually do because I am not thin. However, I just went to my fridge and freezer to see what is in there.

Corned beef. 1g carbs and 194Kcal per 100g

Mattesons smoked pork sausage 0g carbs and 311Kcal per 100g

Tinned ham 3g carbs 95Kcal per 100g

Also, salted peanuts are fattening. Although not carb free, they are the absolute lowest thing in the GI table so a handful of those every now and again might be ok. Someone else on here said he eats peanut butter on a stick of celery. You can't have bread of course.
 
Thanks for all of the suggestions!

AnnieC said:
Hi
I can only go by myself but I have never been overweight so if I go to low on the carbs I loose more weight than I need to
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Annie, around how many carbs per meal is your target? I understand everyone is different and that the only way to know the ideal amount is through testing with my mom. However, it would be good to have a small notion of how others do it.
 
Hi Pam
I don't really count carbs I have not found it necessary yet as I am prediabetic so my levels are not high but are borderline T2 so I have just cut out the sugar stuff and starchy carbs like pasta and rice but I eat most fruit and vegetables I have Bergen Linseed and Soya bread usually just one slice toasted with my breakfast and it does not raise my levels. I do eat nuts of all kinds including salted peanuts and I stay around 8.8st
 
I was trying to google for some high calorie and low carb foods and nuts are definitely at the top of the list. I also found that avocados could help. Maybe making some guacamole to go with some grilled chicken?
Thanks for the suggestions
 
Your mum may have an eating disorder too
Ask her to get a referral to the hospital diabetic clinic who will have a wholistic look

Ask if she wants to join forum
Ultimately everything is up to your mum and there is nothing you can fix
As well as insulin which will let her put on weight
You mum needs more fat in diet to replace the energy from lost carbs
http://www.dietdoctor.com/lchf
 
Last edited by a moderator:
I am looking forward to hearing what happened regarding this. Usually I give out info after I have tried it on myself but as I said earlier I am not thin so can't really do this one.

Wine makes you put on weight but wine has sugar in it. Anyway, we don't want to turn your mother into a lush do we.
 
Thanks for the advice everyone! I will definitely keep everyone updated about this.
 
I was borderline underweight when I started low carbing. Whilst I've lost a few kgs on the low carb diet, my weight has stabilised. My BMI is now about 18.2 so just underneath the official healthy threshold but I feel as healthy as I ever have.

Could your Mum's weight loss be related to not taking insulin doses sometimes? I say this as it could lead to ketones which are the energy byproduct of body fat (and sometimes muscle) being broken down.

Getting the sugar levels down to normal may actually help reverse some of the weight loss, especially if your Mum eats regular meals. Personally, despite being a low body weight when starting low carb, it hasn't lead to any drastic loss of weight at any time.

Ed
 
Hi Pam,
When I was first diagnose I lost 4 stone in 5 months I went down to 6stone and looked very unhealthy!!! Like Ed says it will be down to your mum misusing her insulin (maybe to do with her diet to)! Her body will be producing ketones which eats away at the fat so putting the correct insulin in her body will help to stable her weight out! I find eating little meals throughout the day help with my control (which completely goes against the recommended 3 meals) However, small meals may help your mum find a good balance towards regular eating and not being over faced. I hope you get the support needed can be a daunting process! x
 
alaska said:
Could your Mum's weight loss be related to not taking insulin doses sometimes? I say this as it could lead to ketones which are the energy byproduct of body fat (and sometimes muscle) being broken down.
Ed
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My mom was underweight before she even started using insulin. The doctor just recently put her on recently. This was about two weeks ago. So the weight loss is not related to not taking insulin doses sometimes. I think it was just bad diet. She didnt know what she could or couldnt eat.
 

Thanks for the advice! Its good to know my mom isnt alone in this Hopefully the insulin will help her stable her weight out. She just recently changed doctors. This new doctor was the one who suggested my mom start taking insulin. So far my mom has been doing very well. Her glucose levels were constantly around 300 and now we're seeing more promising numbers like 109 (today). This new doctor has been aiding us with what she can or cant eat. So we're positive that things will turn out better. So far she hasnt lost more weight which is a good sign. Psychologically she has been doing better too. When the doctor told her she would havve to go on insulin she was almost crying because she was scared. However, she now realizes that its there to help her and theres nothing wrong with using it when she needs it.
 
Presumably the reason why your mother needed insulin was that her glucose levels were too high. That could have been part of the problem. The body needs insulin for glucose to get into the cells and also to stop the liver from releasing too much glucose.
If there isn't enough to do this hen glucose levels rise but the body still isn't getting enough energy . It then breaks up body fat and muscle because it 'think's it's starving but glucose levels still don't fall because there still isn't enough insulin. (That's why the T1s who have replied mention that on diagnosis they have often lost weight and why if they don't take their insulin they will lose weight)
Glad to hear that the doctor is helping her, it's really important to get diet and insulin balanced . It's a huge learning curve and lots of people report that they don't get enough help.
 

That does make sense! Thanks!
 
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