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Type 1 underweight - how do i put weight on?

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powerley

Well-Known Member
Messages
53
Type of diabetes
Type 1
i have been a type 1 diabetic for about 3 years, and admittedly not very well controlled but have gone back to basics and have started to regain control. My problem is i weigh just 54kg which is underweight for my height 5ft 5 ..all the discussions on here tend to be about how to lose weight... i actually need and want to put weight on..any advice is greatly appreciated.
 
@powerley I'm very slim and I find what helps me is to keep records of what I eat, either on paper or using an app. That way I can see if I'm eating enough calories. I find increasing carbs helps me put on weight, but as you're improving control you may want to leave that for now so as to not complicate things.

I eat three meals a day and two snacks. I concentrate on getting the food in basically. Doing that consistently day after day will help a lot, as will keeping your blood sugar within range.

Things like full fat milk, peanut butter, nuts, butter, cheese, cream cheese, etc, are good for putting on weight. I also eat desserts in moderate portions sometimes.
 
More fat and more protein.

Increasing your carbohydrate intake will also help you to put on weight, but it will more than likely result in your numbers becoming harder to control. As your diabetes has been "not very well controlled", I'd stick with just the fats and proteins for now to keep managing your BG as easy as it can be.

To add to @azure's great list, here's a few other sources of fats (with minimal, trace or zero carbs) that may help you gain weight:

-Avocado
-Olive oil
-Full fat yoghurt
-Dark chocolate (80%+)
-Eggs
-Fish (fatty ones: salmon, mackerel, herring, sardines, anchovies, etc)
-Olives
 
Update tried allsorts to put weight on now down to 48kg and I look disgusting..tried to control readings ..and diet ..spoke to nurse about it and her response was arrr bless ..given up with healthcare professionals now as they are just not interested when they are confronted with a problem...I appreciate there are more important things and people in greater need than myself ..so I will experiment and see what happens.
 
Have any checks for any other conditions been done?
I know before I was diagnosed with coeliac disease (gluten-intolerance) I was slowly but surely losing weight and I couldn't put it on at all even when I was eating 3 times as much as anyone else, it was actually because in effect I was suffering from malnutrition because I'm gluten-intolerant but didn't know it (it never made me feel ill), so it could be something like that -obviously I'm not saying it is that but it could be something like that.
 
Have only had tests they do when checking Hba1c..I have expressed my concerns but they weren't interested. Their reply is always just ensure you take correct amount of insulin and control your levels.
 
powerley said:
Have only had tests they do when checking Hba1c..I have expressed my concerns but they weren't interested. Their reply is always just ensure you take correct amount of insulin and control your levels.
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Is that at a hospital clinic or the doctors?
If its at the hospital clinic then they are probably more interested in the diabetes side of it and may just not look or help with anything else, so go speak to your doctor/GP about the consistent unintended weightloss
If its at your doctors ask to speak to a different doctor (presuming your practice has more than one)
 
Will change doctors i think as I really do look terrible , see if I get any help there ...but I know the diabetic nurses travel to different practices so probably end up in same situation.
 
powerley said:
Will change doctors i think as I really do look terrible , see if I get any help there ...but I know the diabetic nurses travel to different practices so probably end up in same situation.
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I meant just go to the docs and just tell them about the weight loss, this may have nothing to do with the diabetes so you want an actual GP not a diabetic nurse for this issue.
 
Rokaab said:
I meant just go to the docs and just tell them about the weight loss, this may have nothing to do with the diabetes so you want an actual GP not a diabetic nurse for this issue.
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Yes good idea will try that ..thank you
 
Same problem with me, can't put weight on but high probability I have MIDD and its a common trait of this disorder
 
powerley said:
Will change doctors i think as I really do look terrible , see if I get any help there ...but I know the diabetic nurses travel to different practices so probably end up in same situation.
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What sorts of things are you eating on a day to day basis? Could you give us a bit of an idea, and someone might have a few ideas. Do you exercise much at all?

Have you had your thyroid checked out? Whilst most people living with thyroid issues have underactive thyroid glands, and find they put weight on easily, if you had, say, a slightly over active gland, that can lead to a very fast metabolic rate, meaning it's hard to maintain or gain weight.

You started this thread getting along for 4 years ago, and had lost 6kg in the intervening period. Has that weight loss been slow and steady, or did you find a way of maintaining things for a while. How has it gone?
 
Eat meat and veg...homemade curry..chilli
Shepherds pie that sort of thing ...at work I walk about 16000 steps a shift..I did start to put weight on for a spell by eating a very high protein diet but found it impossible to keep it up ...clogged me up so to speak lol..
 

It strikes me it could be easier to deal with transit issues than feeding issues.

Have you tried using a magnesium supplement to help move things along a bit?
 
powerley said:
Will change doctors i think as I really do look terrible , see if I get any help there ...but I know the diabetic nurses travel to different practices so probably end up in same situation.
Click to expand...

Before that I’d be really really firm with them. It’s such a faff to change docs. Sometimes you don’t get taken seriously unless you are firm. I’ve gone from no one interested in my condition to getting first class treatment. Somewhere in the middle would be nice! Good luck.
 
DCUKMod said:
It strikes me it could be easier to deal with transit issues than feeding issues.

Have you tried using a magnesium supplement to help move things along a bit?
Click to expand...
I will look into it and give it a try.
 
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