Snacks and Putting on Weight

I am desperately trying to put on weight. I just lost a ton of weight and I am the lightest I have been since my teens ( and I am 55). I don't seem to be evening out either.

I am eating so much veg, salad etc and cut down to about 70gm carbs a day max. I am trying to follow LCHF.

I get up at 8 am. I can't face eating anything for at least 90 minutes . I usually have a piece of Burgen toast, or a piece of Livlife toast with cottage cheese or maybe peanut butter. I always use butter on the toast. I have tried to eat Fage yogurt with either nuts or a few blueberries but it makes me gag. I can't eat bacon because of my low salt diet. On low protein diet too. Tried oatmeal and don't like it. Sometimes I might have two oatcakes, buttered with cottage cheese or hard cheese.

Then I eat again by 12.30 ish . Usually salad with either avocado, fish, hard cheese, or cottage cheese, OR I might have scrambled eggs with a piece of toast if I didn't have toast for breakfast. If I did I just put a bit of courgette, peppers or the like in it. Mushrooms are a no no for me and fill me with wind ( as I am finding out so does broccoli and cauliflower)

Then around 3.pm I have a square of dark chocolate, or an oatcake, or a Finn cripsbread

I usually have dinner around 5.30. Various meals that seem to be revolving around fish and veg or meat and veg, sausages, eggs, maybe the odd curry.

I try and eat something else before 9pm, usually another oatcake, half a round of toast and something, or a crispbread.

Now if you look at the above it looks like a slimmers diet, and to all intents and purposes it is! How the heck can I put on weight?

Butternut squash chips don't seem to be agreeing with me. A roast dinner with no spuds give me my highest BG levels but that's maybe because of portion more than anything.

I am also eating the odd amount of full fat cheese, babybels, hummous, mayo, but as you can see from the above all I am snacking on is oatcakes and crispbreads with the odd bit of chocolate thrown in.

What are people snacking on because I have to make up my calories badly. Every time I come to eat between meals to try and add calories I am stuck with those two things and
a) it's boring
b) it's not giving me any more weight.

I have an occasional packet of pork scratchings, but must curb that because of the salt.

Can any of you wonderful people suggest something? Tried four different fruits, blueberries, strawberries, raspberries and pears, and all seem to send my BG pretty high.

It's getting where I look in the fridge and feel like crying some days. I know I have to make calories up. I need to put weight on.

Brunneria said:

I can only speak from the experience of gaining weight at the drop of a hat!

The things that influenced my weight gain the most, were (in no particular order):

Excessive portion sizes
Combining carbs with fats
Chocolate addiction
Late night snacking (terror of hunger/hypos in bed)
Enjoying rich foods
Comfort eating
Food cravings and carb addiction
Loving hot chocolate
Not feeling satiated unless I felt FULL

I realise that some of these aren't practical, or desire able, for you.

BUT

If you can eat butter on bread, can you double the quantity?
Can you eat berries with cream on the top? This would increase the calories while slowing/eliminating the spike.
Can you increase your portion sizes?
Can you eat nuts?
Can you make it a rule to always eat carbs and fats together?

You will appreciate that this is not my area of expertise, but hopefully at least one of these will be useable...

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Thanks, that's actually of some help. I m not allowed too many nuts apparently because of my kidney disease. I can't stand cream, and have hated it all my life. That's probably why full fat yoghurt makes me gag.

AndBreathe said:

@SJC - what is your weight now, and how critical are the medics of your height/weight and BMI?

Of the things you are eating, what are your favourite things?

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Hi
Favourite? Dare I say none of it really. Maybe a roast dinner. Don't know my BMI. I am down to 7st 13lbs from 9st 8lbs since March and I am 5ft 4. My doctor gave me Ensure drinks which have a very high carb/sugar content so I didn't take them. Other than that they don't seem interested.

Daibell said:

Hi. You sound like someone who has LADA? What do you think your diabetes diagnosis is? What medication are you on? I can't check as you have restricted your profile. If you aren't producing enough insulin then your body can't make use of any carbs you have and will be relying on fat burn i.e. ketosis. This implies you need to increase fats and protein and importantly avoid high blood sugar due to the risk of ketoacidosis. If you aren't already on full tablet medication that may be needed and possibly some insulin? I've been thru this route and so have others on the forum. Let us have an update

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I was told I am prediabetic around April H1bc 44. Had another Hb test done beginning June and it was 37. Don't know what it is now. No advice. No meds. No idea! Kidney function (GFR) fell from 63 to 52 in weeks recently.

Bluetit1802 said:

Hi,

Your BMI is 19, which is still in the healthy weight range. Less than 18.5 is under weight.

http://www.bupa.co.uk/jahia/Jahia/s...formation/tools-calculators/hi-bmi-calculator

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Thanks. That's slightly reassuring but I still continue to lose weight so I feel it's only matter of time.

AndBreathe said:

Could you graze; thereby having a little and often?

What about things like pork crackling? It needn't be salty. A lovely pork chop, with crackling, or a steak with a little fat left on it.

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Sounds good but I have to keep my protein down too so constantly grazing on meat isn't a good idea. I graze on cheese but I see this as lesser of the two evils.

Bluetit1802 said:

Or why not treat yourself to your favourite roast dinner. Your Hba1c is in the non-diabetic range, so I'm sure a roast dinner once a week wouldn't harm your BS. I always have one!

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I do have it once a week, sometimes twice! It isn;t putting any weight on me though. It won;t without potatoes. I have struggled to put on weight and keep it on all my life really. I was one of those annoying people that could eat 2000 calories a day and I never really put any weight on.

Bluetit1802 said:

So why not have some roast potatoes? Or at least try some and test.

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I did and at the time only one or two very small roast potatoes put me up to about 7 but if I continue to do that chances are it will slowly climb?

AndBreathe said:

You're being too literal there. I wasn't suggesting you have an all-day belly pork diet (although ultra slow cooked, with crackling is something else).

What would you have eaten before? And, what are your blood scores on a day to day basis at the moment?

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BGs are mornings usually between 4.2 - 4.8 low fives if I eat too late at supper.
I am generally not going higher than mid 6's after two hours but average is about 5.7 after two hours.
I used to be able to eat anything and everything as I say, without putting on weight.

I know you might be thinking 'what's the problem'? with my BG scores but it is only a matter of time if I go gung ho to put weight on with the wrong foods. I am trying to save my one kidney at the same time.