Is there any health risk in being underweight? My BMI is 17.51 Eighty year old T2 diagnosed 2012 on 500mg metformin twice daily last HbA1c December 2018 was 5.9%. What can I do to gain weight if need be? Currently on LCHF diet.
Tayeola, I'm a very trim lady too, but I work very hard to keep my BMI at or above 18.5. 18.5 is where the BMI range declares the healthy range begins.
The BMI as a concept is a bit hit and miss, as we're all a bit different, but maybe adding just a few pounds would help you out.
I also enjoy a reduced carb lifestyle and when my weight dropped, after some surgery, it took a while for the weight to go back on - partly due to my body needing a lot of nutrition and energy to heal, before gaining weight.
What I did was I ate just a bit more at every meal, but concentrated on adding to the protein and fats, so didn't increase my carbs. I also added some more butter toveg etc., and I also did what I never do, and that was have a yoghurt "snack" during the evening, of some Greek yoghurt with a dollop of cream on top.
It took me a few months to gain 2kg, so if your metabolism is anything like mine, it might not be a quick fix, but obviously your bathroom scales will be your informer on progress.
As a very learned person said in a meeting a while ago, we should be managing the carbs we eat, via our testing meters, and the fats we eat, via the bathroom scales. That made all manner of sense to me.
