Pre-Diabetic Trying to gain healthy weight after losing 10 lbs

caseysmom2013
caseysmom2013 Posts: 3 Member
edited December 23 in Health and Weight Loss
Hi all, I was diagnosed with PreDiabetes last December. I weight lift three days a week I am 5'6" and weighed about 134 when I started watching carbs. Now I'm down to 124, which is too light for me. I need to figure out how to gain a few "good" pounds without impacting my Blood Glucose levels. My A1C was 5.7 when last checked in July, the same as it was back in December 2018. My Macros run in the neighborhood of Protein-130-140; Carbs, 180-220; Fat, 65-75. Any suggestions?

Replies

  • MelanieCN77
    MelanieCN77 Posts: 4,047 Member
    Ask whoever diagnosed you.
  • kimny72
    kimny72 Posts: 16,011 Member
    If you need to gain weight, you need to eat more calories.
    How to do that without impacting your levels is something you need to discuss with your doctor or an RD.
    Pre-diabetes isn't really a "condition", more a risk factor, and different doctors will approach it different ways taking into consideration the individual's total health picture.
  • Byrdsong1920
    Byrdsong1920 Posts: 336 Member
    Definitely ask your primary care doctor for a nutritionist referral. More than likely they'll ask for a food diary. You will need to watch sugar intake. Sugars are hidden in fruits, smoothies , simple carbs like pasta, breads etc.

    Good luck!
  • AwesomeOpossum74
    AwesomeOpossum74 Posts: 106 Member
    No expert, but it looks like your BMI is 20, which is normal for your height (5'6") and weight (124lbs). Why do you think you're underweight? Is it something to do with your weight lifting, or would you just like to be heavier?

    - Muscle is heavier than fat.
    - You burn more calories with cardio exercise than with weight lifting.
    - Weight management is handled by calorie balance (eating and exercise). Balance how many calories you eat with how many calories you burn to gain and lose weight as desired.

    As far as your blood levels and prediabetes, everyone is different. Seeing that you appear to be normal weight, you may need to look at other factors (consult a specialist). I was prediabetic a few years ago, but also well overweight. I started at 5.9A1C at 240lbs. I brought my weight down to 185, and last time I went to the physician, I am 5.4 A1C, which is "normal". My doctor cautions that I may need medicine to keep it down in the next few years, no matter how healthy I live, because I'm predisposed to diabetes.

    P.S. A lot of people here eschew BMI as a measurement tool, because everyone is built differently and have different requirements. But I think it's ok for general measurement.
  • rheddmobile
    rheddmobile Posts: 6,840 Member
    Hi - I’m a type 2 diabetic. With your starting weight and weight loss I would be concerned you are actually showing signs of LADA, not type 2. Do you have a family history of diabetes? Have you seen an endocrinologist or just a general doctor? Losing weight without lowering calories can be a sign you aren’t making enough insulin.

    Anyway the solution to gaining weight without increasing carbs is to eat more fat. If you want to stick to healthy fats, eat fatty fish, nuts, nut butter, healthy oils, or avocados. Adding some olive oil and nuts to a salad, for example.

    Have you considered dropping your carbs below 150g a day? That seems to be a sweet spot for many people trying to reduce a1c.
  • MrsAmyMcKinley
    MrsAmyMcKinley Posts: 16 Member


    I have diabetes 2 in order to gain weight adjust your intake of food higher then 2,000 cals per day
  • CSARdiver
    CSARdiver Posts: 6,252 Member
    To shed some light on this prediabetes isn't a diagnosis - it's a risk factor.

    Speak with your medical professional about precisely what to do and why. There are far too many variables at play for any recommendations over a site with little to no information.
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 28,052 Member
    AwesomeOpossum74 wrote: »
    No expert, but it looks like your BMI is 20, which is normal for your height (5'6") and weight (124lbs). Why do you think you're underweight? Is it something to do with your weight lifting, or would you just like to be heavier?

    - Muscle is heavier than fat.
    - You burn more calories with cardio exercise than with weight lifting.
    - Weight management is handled by calorie balance (eating and exercise). Balance how many calories you eat with how many calories you burn to gain and lose weight as desired.

    As far as your blood levels and prediabetes, everyone is different. Seeing that you appear to be normal weight, you may need to look at other factors (consult a specialist). I was prediabetic a few years ago, but also well overweight. I started at 5.9A1C at 240lbs. I brought my weight down to 185, and last time I went to the physician, I am 5.4 A1C, which is "normal". My doctor cautions that I may need medicine to keep it down in the next few years, no matter how healthy I live, because I'm predisposed to diabetes.

    P.S. A lot of people here eschew BMI as a measurement tool, because everyone is built differently and have different requirements. But I think it's ok for general measurement.

    According to https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/educational/healthdisp/pdf/tipsheets/Are-You-at-a-Healthy-Weight.pdf the BMI range for 5'6" is 118 to 148 lbs, so for some 124 pounds would be too low. I'm 5'6" and my family would certainly do an intervention if I got anywhere near the 120s, or, for that matter, the 130s.
  • caseysmom2013
    caseysmom2013 Posts: 3 Member
    Yes, same here. 124 is too light for me. I can do 135 fine. Just want to put on about five lbs but not hurt my A1C.
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 28,052 Member
    edited September 2019
    kshama2001 wrote: »
    AwesomeOpossum74 wrote: »
    No expert, but it looks like your BMI is 20, which is normal for your height (5'6") and weight (124lbs). Why do you think you're underweight? Is it something to do with your weight lifting, or would you just like to be heavier?

    - Muscle is heavier than fat.
    - You burn more calories with cardio exercise than with weight lifting.
    - Weight management is handled by calorie balance (eating and exercise). Balance how many calories you eat with how many calories you burn to gain and lose weight as desired.

    As far as your blood levels and prediabetes, everyone is different. Seeing that you appear to be normal weight, you may need to look at other factors (consult a specialist). I was prediabetic a few years ago, but also well overweight. I started at 5.9A1C at 240lbs. I brought my weight down to 185, and last time I went to the physician, I am 5.4 A1C, which is "normal". My doctor cautions that I may need medicine to keep it down in the next few years, no matter how healthy I live, because I'm predisposed to diabetes.

    P.S. A lot of people here eschew BMI as a measurement tool, because everyone is built differently and have different requirements. But I think it's ok for general measurement.

    According to https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/educational/healthdisp/pdf/tipsheets/Are-You-at-a-Healthy-Weight.pdf the BMI range for 5'6" is 118 to 148 lbs, so for some 124 pounds would be too low. I'm 5'6" and my family would certainly do an intervention if I got anywhere near the 120s, or, for that matter, the 130s.

    To the people who are disagreeing with me, what exactly are you disagreeing with? The NIH or that my family would do an intervention if I were in the 130s? That's awfully presumptuous of you.

    I have a large frame http://www.myfooddiary.com/Resources/frame_size_calculator.asp and the only time I've had a BMI as low as 24 was after 6 weeks of undereating and overexercising during boot camp.

    When I first arrived there, I had to get boots and hats from the men's side of the uniforms room because there weren't any big enough in women's.

    I've always had a hard time buying bracelets and non-stretchy hats and gloves. I wear men's shoes as often as I can get away with it.

    The BMI is a range for a reason.

    I know Asian women who look just find on the low end of it, and have correspondingly small hands, wrists, and feet.
  • DancingMoosie
    DancingMoosie Posts: 8,619 Member
    I would suggest increasing fats, as they have the most calories per gram. There are other factors to consider, so speaking with a registered dietitian may be helpful. I learned in diabetic training to count all carbs, not just sugar, which is a common misconception.
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