Underweight - Now It's Getting serious

[SJC]

A year ago I was nine and a half stones. I have never been a big person and actually had just gone up to that weight from 8 and half stones since having surgery two years previously. It suited me and I was pleased.
Told I was pre diabetic, changed diet mostly based on LCHF and have continued to lose weight ever since.

A few days ago it was found by a nurse at my doctors that I am now only 6 stones 10 bs. This is scary stuff. I am to see a doctor next week. I am also due an endoscopy on Tuesday. This is an example of what my week's menu would be:

One of the following for each meal.

Breakfast Round of Burgen toast with butter and either peanut butter or mature cheese.
OR
Three tblsp Total Greek yoghurt with chopped nuts and seeds.

Lunch Ham salad hummus with half a round of Burgen or two oatcakes or
Avocado salad hummus with the same or
Leftover saved dinner from previous evening
Egg on toast with ham or slice gammon
Scrambled eggs with salmon and oatcakes
Tim mackerel salad and humous (all salads with a good dollop of mayo)

Dinner Roast, everything without the potatoes. Half usual amount of weak gravy.
Moussaka make with egg full cream turkey mince aubergines topped with plenty cheese
Salmon cheese sauce made with full cream and veg
Indian takeaway once a fortnight
90% pork sausage mashed butternut squash veg gravy

These are just examples. In between meals I eat a few nuts such as Brazil nuts, or have a couple more oatcakes, or pork scratchings a couple of times a week, couple squares dark 85% chocolate, half a round of Burgen with sesame spread or peanut butter.

Supper I leave it as late as possible, anything up to 10.30 as I go to bed at midnight.
Oatcakes with cheese, humous or peanut butter, a round of cheese on toast if I haven't had it already that day, tinned fish on toast.

What can I do? I am under a dietician but not due to see her until end of February. I am literally wasting away. It's like my body has just eaten it's own fat and is continuing to do it.

Thanks.

 

[AndBreathe]

A year ago I was nine and a half stones. I have never been a big person and actually had just gone up to that weight from 8 and half stones since having surgery two years previously. It suited me and I was pleased.
Told I was pre diabetic, changed diet mostly based on LCHF and have continued to lose weight ever since.

A few days ago it was found by a nurse at my doctors that I am now only 6 stones 10 bs. This is scary stuff. I am to see a doctor next week. I am also due an endoscopy on Tuesday. This is an example of what my week's menu would be:

One of the following for each meal.

Breakfast Round of Burgen toast with butter and either peanut butter or mature cheese.
OR
Three tblsp Total Greek yoghurt with chopped nuts and seeds.

Lunch Ham salad hummus with half a round of Burgen or two oatcakes or
Avocado salad hummus with the same or
Leftover saved dinner from previous evening
Egg on toast with ham or slice gammon
Scrambled eggs with salmon and oatcakes
Tim mackerel salad and humous (all salads with a good dollop of mayo)

Dinner Roast, everything without the potatoes. Half usual amount of weak gravy.
Moussaka make with egg full cream turkey mince aubergines topped with plenty cheese
Salmon cheese sauce made with full cream and veg
Indian takeaway once a fortnight
90% pork sausage mashed butternut squash veg gravy

These are just examples. In between meals I eat a few nuts such as Brazil nuts, or have a couple more oatcakes, or pork scratchings a couple of times a week, couple squares dark 85% chocolate, half a round of Burgen with sesame spread or peanut butter.

Supper I leave it as late as possible, anything up to 10.30 as I go to bed at midnight.
Oatcakes with cheese, humous or peanut butter, a round of cheese on toast if I haven't had it already that day, tinned fish on toast.

What can I do? I am under a dietician but not due to see her until end of February. I am literally wasting away. It's like my body has just eaten it's own fat and is continuing to do it.

Thanks.

Increase all of your portion sizes, and add something like a bulletproof coffee each day?

 

[Bluetit1802]

What a predicament for you to be in.

Your diet does look very low carb to me, without actually adding anything up. Do you keep a check on the amounts of carbs and calories?

What are your portion sizes like? A few fry ups?

As you are prediabetic rather than full blown, could you increase your carbs a tad?

I should talk. I have lost a lot more weight than I intended or needed, including another 2lbs this morning. If you find the secret, can you tell me?

 

[SJC]

What a predicament for you to be in.

Your diet does look very low carb to me, without actually adding anything up. Do you keep a check on the amounts of carbs and calories?

What are your portion sizes like? A few fry ups?

As you are prediabetic rather than full blown, could you increase your carbs a tad?

I should talk. I have lost a lot more weight than I intended or needed, including another 2lbs this morning. If you find the secret, can you tell me?

I am probably having around 80gm carb a day all told, sometimes more. I was pre diabetic at 44, then it went down to 37 after I started LCHF, then when I started to lose a lot of weight I increased to two slices Burgen most days and added the cream and total yoghurt and other fat, like coconut oil, more oily fish etc My last H a1c was 40. That was two weeks ago. My cholesterol had also gone up from 5.7 to 6.5 in about five months.

 

[SJC]

Increase all of your portion sizes, and add something like a bulletproof coffee each day?

It looks like I might have to admit defeat. Was trying desperately not to get diabetes for the sake of my future health, but actually at this kind of weight I look awful. It's doing awful stuff to me psychologically too. I don't even want to get in the bath because I can't bear to see my body.

 

[cold ethyl]

Can I ask why you are having an endoscopy? I wonder if some of the weight loss is not stress related. You seem to be eating a varied diet and peanut butter, cheese and nuts are all high calorie snacks so unless your portions are minuscule, I wouldn't have thought you were deficient in calories. What do you think your daily calorie intake is?

 

[AndBreathe]

I am probably having around 80gm carb a day all told, sometimes more. I was pre diabetic at 44, then it went down to 37 after I started LCHF, then when I started to lose a lot of weight I increased to two slices Burgen most days and added the cream and total yoghurt and other fat, like coconut oil, more oily fish etc My last H a1c was 40. That was two weeks ago. My cholesterol had also gone up from 5.7 to 6.5 in about five months.

I'm guessing the harsh reality may be that if you are unable to find a way of stabilising your weight, on a lower carb diet, you may have to increase the carbs and accept increased the potentially increased blood scores. Whether or not that takes to back to pre-diabetes or even over the line to diabetes; who knows.

In all of this there has to be a quality of life and a sustainable eating plan. I don't know how tall you are, but any adult weighing less that 7st has to be rather light. Somewhere along the line underweight is as dangerous as overweight.

For now, I'd be inclined to serve myself my usual portions, then add more, and make the effort to finish my meals.

 

[SJC]

Can I ask why you are having an endoscopy? I wonder if some of the weight loss is not stress related. You seem to be eating a varied diet and peanut butter, cheese and nuts are all high calorie snacks so unless your portions are minuscule, I wouldn't have thought you were deficient in calories. What do you think your daily calorie intake is?

I was under a gastroenetrologist for acid reflux and a hernia . He is concerned about my weight loss and wants to just check nothing is going on. My calories intake is probably around 1500 calories a day now.

 

[AndBreathe]

It looks like I might have to admit defeat. Was trying desperately not to get diabetes for the sake of my future health, but actually at this kind of weight I look awful. It's doing awful stuff to me psychologically too. I don't even want to get in the bath because I can't bear to see my body.

Not all pre-diabetics become diabetics, even if they never change their eating patterns, so there is no guarantee you'll end up diabetic, if you revert to your original eating patterns. I can't recall the statistics, but quite a significant percentage of pre-diabetics just stay in that range.

 

[SJC]

I'm guessing the harsh reality may be that if you are unable to find a way of stabilising your weight, on a lower carb diet, you may have to increase the carbs and accept increased the potentially increased blood scores. Whether or not that takes to back to pre-diabetes or even over the line to diabetes; who knows.

In all of this there has to be a quality of life and a sustainable eating plan. I don't know how tall you are, but any adult weighing less that 7st has to be rather light. Somewhere along the line underweight is as dangerous as overweight.

For now, I'd be inclined to serve myself my usual portions, then add more, and make the effort to finish my meals.

I feel so despondent a I have tried so hard.

 

[AndBreathe]

I was under a gastroenetrologist for acid reflux and a hernia . He is concerned about my weight loss and wants to just check nothing is going on. My calories intake is probably around 1500 calories a day now.

1500 calories isn't enough. Most women will lose weight, albeit slowly on 1500 calories. How tall are you?

 

[SJC]

Not all pre-diabetics become diabetics, even if they never change their eating patterns, so there is no guarantee you'll end up diabetic, if you revert to your original eating patterns. I can't recall the statistics, but quite a significant percentage of pre-diabetics just stay in that range.

No medical person has ever mentioned that. I was told to change my diet or I would become diabetic.

 

[cold ethyl]

I was under a gastroenetrologist for acid reflux and a hernia . He is concerned about my weight loss and wants to just check nothing is going on. My calories intake is probably around 1500 calories a day now.

Try upping the calories slightly - if you were reasonably thin before , your maintenance probably is a bit higher than 1500 but not by too much, unless you have a very physical job? I seem to recall any 1800 cals being where my mum maintained her weight at after her massive loss ( I can't remember if you work or not ). I seem to recall you were worried by your recent cholesterol increase , but there is evidence that weight loss in itself can temporarily elevate it so I'd not want to ditch the fats just yet. Recent evidence seems to suggest that it is the carbs not the fat that ups them in any case so I'd be reluctant to go back to higher carb eating both from diabetes perspective and heart health. Just have a bit more of what you are serving and maybe try having a starter or a pudding with main meal of day. Lots of low carb things such as soup or griddled veg or low carb berry fruit crumble made with almond flour.

 

[AndBreathe]

No medical person has ever mentioned that. I was told to change my diet or I would become diabetic.

Any sensible person diagnosed with pre-diabetes will want to do something about it, before they cross the line. Anyone diagnosed as pre-diabetic, then not making changes is playing diabetes Russian Roullette.

 

[SJC]

1500 calories isn't enough. Most women will lose weight, albeit slowly on 1500 calories. How tall are you?

5 ft 4 inches.

 

[SJC]

Try upping the calories slightly - if you were reasonably thin before , your maintenance probably is a bit higher than 1500 but not by too much, unless you have a very physical job? I seem to recall any 1800 cals being where my mum maintained her weight at after her massive loss ( I can't remember if you work or not ). I seem to recall you were worried by your recent cholesterol increase , but there is evidence that weight loss in itself can temporarily elevate it so I'd not want to ditch the fats just yet. Recent evidence seems to suggest that it is the carbs not the fat that ups them in any case so I'd be reluctant to go back to higher carb eating both from diabetes perspective and heart health. Just have a bit more of what you are serving and maybe try having a starter or a pudding with main meal of day. Lots of low carb things such as soup or griddled veg or low carb berry fruit crumble made with almond flour.

I don't seem to tolerate fruit at all well sugar wise, even berries. I gave them all up.

 

[cold ethyl]

I don't seem to tolerate fruit at all well sugar wise, even berries. I gave them all up.

Rhubarb? I find that doesn't spike me or Bramley apples.

I'm sure some of the loss is down to feeling so worked up by everything. It is hard to be trying so hard and for it to not be working out. Have you tried discussing how worried you feel by all of this with any medical professionals ? It seems that you need a more holistic approach than that currently being offered as you are worrying yourself ragged with it all - obviously you don't want to become a diabetic, but nor do you want to lose so much weight that you are ill both physically and psychologically. I would be seeing my GP and asking for help to pull all the strands of this issue together.

 

[AndBreathe]

I don't seem to tolerate fruit at all well sugar wise, even berries. I gave them all up.

What do you drink throughout the day?

 

[NoCrbs4Me]

My 2 cents: the problem may be simply that you're not eating enough. 1500 calories is too low, as others have said.

 

[SJC]

What do you drink throughout the day?

1 - 2 small bottles water. Two or three deface coffees and a coupe of decaff teas.