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Lost too much weight with Type 1 Diabetes..help!!

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Posted 7/6/2011 3:28 AM (GMT 0)
Hi guys. Im Gisselle, new to this site and extremely worried. I have been a type 1 since i was 11, I am now 26. A few years ago I decided to be a total idiot and stop taking insulin and go with natural healing (which didnt work) ...Since then I lost a total of 30 or so pounds. I was at 138 and I am now at 109. It has been about 4 years since then and Im still at 109 pounds. I eat like an animal and still dont gain weight. I must admit my blood sugar is still not in very good control but i am taking more insulin now. I didnt have health insurance so was not able to go to the drs.. I have also developed really bothersome stomach problems iver the past 2 years which went from 1 weel constipation to diarrhea for one day and then back to constipation, etc. Now i feel bad to my stomach almost every day, if it is not the excessive gas, its the extreme fullness after eating or the nausea in the mornings after breakfast. I really would like to gain at least 10 pounds and have no idea how to. Im sick of people asking if in bulimic pr something because I am not. Im just really depressed at seeing myself so skinny.

Has anyone gone through this and does anyone have any advice as to how to gain my weight back?? Thanks for taking the time to read this and God bless!!! 

Posted 7/6/2011 4:01 AM (GMT 0)
Are you under a doctor's care now? If so you really need to talk to your doctor about this and let your doctor help you come up with a diet plan that will both help manage your weight and your diabetes.

Most likely you are going to have trouble gaining any weight until your blood glucose levels are under control. One of these reasons people with uncontrolled diabetes loose weight is because they are urinating out the calories.

When you speak to your doctor I would be sure to mention your stomach problems. It is possible that you may be suffering from gastroparesis which amount to problems with your stomach emptying properly. Food can sit in your stomach for long periods of time "rotting" or it can also "dump" rapidly causing intestinal issues. It is not uncommon for people who have this to go from one extreme to another. There are other possibilities from side effects of medications to kidney issues.

In the meantime you can try drinking more water, especially with meals. Eat smaller meals more frequently. If you normally eat 3 meals per day try dividing that into 4 or 5 smaller meals, but be sure your meals are good for your diabetes. Also avoid eating raw fruits and veggies. Cooking them can help reduce stomach problems. Also avoid broccoli and oranges and other fruits and veggies that are very fiberous (stringy) in nature.
Posted 7/6/2011 4:26 AM (GMT 0)
I'm type 1. Hba1c reflects average blood glucose levels. If my hba1c gets somewhere over 8.5-9.0 (in my local units, dunno what it converts to), I tend to lose weight no matter what. If my hba1c is under that, I tend to gain a lot of weight. My last hba1c reading from the lab came back at 7.6 and the target level here is between 7.0 and 8.0. Actually, my current problem is how to lose weight while keeping the blood glucose levels optimal..
Posted 7/6/2011 12:17 PM (GMT 0)
Gissy, if you stopped taking insulin and your body doesn't produce it (you said you were type 1), your body would be slowly starving.  In other words you would be killing yourself, starting with the organs.   Weight loss would happen first as your cells could not get any nutrients since there was no insulin in the body.  I'm sorry you decided to go off insulin for that reason but now that you're back on it, maybe it will take awhile to get back on track.  To gain weight back, you need to bulk up on more food but not on carbs.  Foremost, you need to make sure your blood sugar is controlled.  I'm sure you understand how important this is.  Uncontrolled high blood sugar also damages your organs, so stay on your normal insulin procedure.  Eat more.  Contact your local diabetes association for some guidance as well as your own doctor. 
Posted 7/14/2011 11:46 AM (GMT 0)
Thank you Lanie for mentioning the need to decrease carbs, and get calories from other sources (like protein, fat, and some vegetables). There is such a divided opinion about whether diabetics should eat a lot of carbs (like the ADA recommends, 45-65% carbs for diabetics!), or restrict the amount of carbs, since it is well known that carbs convert rapidly into sugar (and even the ADA knows this and states this...yet they still recommend an extreme amount of carbs). I don't understand why there are two contradictory ideas out there, but I am convinced that a low carb diet is good for most people.

Thanks!
Posted 7/14/2011 12:53 PM (GMT 0)
Welcome to the Forum, Nila.  After I read Dr. Bernstein's Diabetes Solution and Good Calories, Bad Calories by Gary Taube, I am convinced that low carb is actually the best choice for me.  As a type 2, I cannot metabolize carbs, so food made with flour and sugar are not in my diet anymore.  Even the ADA has come to state that carbs will make your blood sugar rise and the Food Pyramid by the FDA has changed its emphasis on grains.  There is nothing in grains that we can't get from other sources.  The problem is that having a nice crusty piece of bread tastes so good and bread has become such a basic food for many people.  However, I am convinced that I do not want to take meds just to counteract the bread or potatoes I would like to eat.  Sometimes I do eat some bread, but it's a rare occasion.  The other disturbing fact is that many doctors accept higher than normal blood sugar for us.  No one can say at what point a certain blood sugar reading will damage our organs.  I've read that blood sugar over 140 or 130 will damage our organs over time.  It may be even lower, but for me I don't understand why there should be different acceptable ranges for non-diabetics.  A non-diabetic will rarely see blood sugar in those ranges.  Why should that be acceptable to me then?  People with high blood pressure are not told that a higher reading is ok for them. 
Posted 12/12/2011 1:57 AM (GMT 0)
Gisselle, I have been a type 1 for over 40yrs and in 1985 began to experience the same problem. What I found was I am lactose intolerant. Which means any thing made with dairy products I can't eat (ei. milk cheese yogart sour cream chocolatre or certain breaded foods amoung others) and all foods made with these products. Unfortunately many cultures like Italian, hispanic, french and even some asain cultures use many of these ingredience to prepare their meals. As far as your inabilty to gain wieght may be your blood glucose levels having elavated bgs caused me to be dehydrated and to lose wieght, which will cause constipation as well.
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