Underweight, recent diabetes diagnosis, need to gain weight

gtnbtr6

I’m 80, recent diabetes diagnosis, underweight, very active ( workout w/weights 2-3 times weekly- steps per day =at least 2 miles), no assist needs. How to gain weight, watch carbs, get enough protein. Help!

AnnPT77

gtnbtr6 wrote: »

I’m 80, recent diabetes diagnosis, underweight, very active ( workout w/weights 2-3 times weekly- steps per day =at least 2 miles), no assist needs. How to gain weight, watch carbs, get enough protein. Help!

I'm not in that swim lane personally, but I think there are some maybe-relevant resources here.

There's a thread about ideas for gaining weight (aimed at so-called "hard gainers", but potentially useful for anyone on a gaining track):

http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10326769/are-you-a-hard-gainer-please-read#latest

Some of the advice in there won't suit you, because of the diabetes in the picture, but I think some of it may be relevant. (I hope so.) In general, for someone who wants to gain weight, relatively higher fat foods are likely to be helpful: That can include fattier cuts of meat, fattier fish, full fat dairy foods, nuts (and nut butters), seeds, etc. You can also put olive oil or similar on veggies or other foods to increase the calories.

If you're having difficulty getting enough protein, this thread may be helpful:

https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10247171/carbs-and-fats-are-cheap-heres-a-guide-to-getting-your-proteins-worth-fiber-also

The thread's focus is relatively lower-calorie protein sources, but as you look down the linked spreadsheet, there are more calorie-dense ones in there, plus there may be some protein sources you hadn't thought of that you enjoy eating and could add to your routine. Of course, it's fine to add protein powder/shakes or bars if needed to increase protein. With your goals, you might want to find ones labeled as "mass gainer" sources. Do read labels, though, since some may have ingredients that don't suit your particular circumstances.

I'm not 80, "just" 68, but I'd underscore how very vital protein is for us as we age. At our age, it's more important to spread the protein through the day (as compared to the young'uns) because we tend to metabolize it less efficiently. This source has some good insights, including some sections about the effects of certain health conditions, one of which is diabetes.

https://www.jamda.com/article/S1525-8610(13)00326-5/fulltext

Since I'm not diabetic, I'm not sure how much of that information might have already been made available to you via other channels, so I'm putting it in there just to be conservative.

Wishing you success with this mission!

ross3860

I'm diabetic too, age 60. Without going through a long explanation I would suggest you watch some YouTube videos from Dr Tim Noakes and Zoe Harcombe. Bottom line is to reduce carbs dramatically and eat the rest as meat and fat. I've dropped my Diamicron and now only take Metformin and Jalra. Morning sugar readings of around 6mm/l. I've been doing this for about 6 weeks. It's a keto diet. You shouldn't have an issue with protein with this approach. To put it in perspective, my carb intake is under 20g/day.

neanderthin

Yeah a higher protein diet and also one where carbs have been lowered would be beneficial for sure. A ketogenic diet would work but very low carb diets like this are really hard to gain weight with and you may have to push yourself past satiety, which I find really difficult to do, but that's individual and some will put on weight. You could try and just reduce your carbs somewhat and get most of your protein from animal sources and milk might help with weight gain. Too bad for some reason your Dr. didn't inform you of your elevating A1C that would have slowly increased over time (decades) and kudo's to you that it took 80 years.

kshama2001

gtnbtr6 wrote: »

I’m 80, recent diabetes diagnosis, underweight, very active ( workout w/weights 2-3 times weekly- steps per day =at least 2 miles), no assist needs. How to gain weight, watch carbs, get enough protein. Help!

Good on you for being so active!

Since fat has 9 calories per gram as opposed to carb and protein's 4 calories per gram, the most efficient way to gain weight is to eat more fat. Nuts, nut butter, butter, oil, cheese, fattier cuts of meat like ribeye, fattier fish like salmon all have low or no carbs. Full fat everything!

Lots of good advice on this thread, but perhaps you would like to ask your doctor for a referral to a diabetes educator/registered dietitian?