How to Gain Weight with Diabetes – Diabetes is one of the most common and chronic diseases in the world and more than 415 million people are suffering from this chronic disease. More than 46% are simply not aware that they have diabetes. The most common myth about diabetes is that it is exclusively linked to obesity and weight gain. Moreover, diabetes is also a major factor that causes coronary heart disease, renal disorders, and adult blindness. On the other hand, the relationship between diabetes and weight is a little more complicated. Therefore we make this blog, to provide all the necessary information about diabetes and How to Gain Weight with Diabetes. Thus stay connected with this blog, and keep reading this blog carefully.
In India, lots of people who are affected by diabetes lose weight and are struggling to gain weight. Research shows that weight loss can be a result of losing fluid and sugar during bathroom breaks and meds can also be the culprit. Sometimes consuming new diabetes medications can make you gain weight, and then you lose it again once your body adjusts. By the way whatever the causes of your weight loss but increase in calorie consumption is the only way to gain weight. It is a good trick to eat healthy food every 3 hours or so before your body starts burning its fat stores for energy.
When you add more calories to your diet for weight gain, then it minimizes simple sugars, and refined carbohydrates are important. Various foods like ice cream, milkshakes, and cookies can help you in gaining your weight but these sugary foods can raise your body’s sugar level. Therefore, eating low-fat, low-calorie foods, like fat-free yogurt, plain steamed vegetables, and sugar-free jello is beneficial for you. Lots of people are suffering from type 2 Diabetes. Those people have an increased risk of heart disease. Therefore talk to your doctor or healthcare team about what is best for you.
What are the Consequences of Diabetes on Your Weight?
As we said above various people are suffering from diabetes, some have no idea that they have it. On the other hand, the biggest myth is that diabetes is associated with being overweight, especially type 2 diabetes. Because various people have trouble gaining weight in fact, unexplained or unintentional weight loss can be a symptom of undiagnosed diabetes. Weight management always depends on insulin, a hormone produced by your pancreas. People who are suffering from diabetes are unable to use or produce enough insulin to transport excess sugar out of their blood and into their cells, where insulin can be used as energy. In that case, your body starts burning its existing fat stores and muscle tissues to supply your cells with energy.
Your weight can affect diabetes as well as diabetes can also affect your weight and it will depend on the type of diabetes that you have. Diabetes is a metabolic disease that can cause high blood sugar levels in your body. For people who are suffering from diabetes, their body doesn’t make enough insulin or can’t effectively use the insulin it does make.
Types of Diabetes and their Effects on Body Weight
As we discussed above diabetes is a chronic disease that happens when your blood sugar level is too high. Diabetes can develop when your pancreas doesn’t make enough insulin and it affects people of all ages. Here we mention some types of diabetes:
| Type diabetes | In this type of diabetes, your body doesn’t make enough insulin and your body cells don’t respond normally to the insulin. Apart from this, it is the most common type of diabetes that affects adults and children as well. |
| Prediabetes | Generally, it is a stage before type 2 diabetes in which your blood glucose levels are higher than normal but not high enough to be officially diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes. |
| Type 1 diabetes | This type of diabetes is also known as an autoimmune disease in which your immune system attacks and destroys insulin-producing cells in your pancreas for unknown reasons. |
| Gestational diabetes | This type of diabetes develops in some people during pregnancy and usually goes away after delivery. |
Some Other Types of Diabetes Include:
Type 3c diabetes – This type of diabetes will only happen when your pancreas experiences damage which affects its ability to produce insulin and it can cause lots of health issues such as Pancreatitis, Pancreatic Cancer, Cystic Fibrosis, and hemochromatosis.
Latent Autoimmune Diabetes in Adults (LADA) – It is like type 1 diabetes that also results from an autoimmune reaction but it develops much more slowly than Type 1. This type of diabetes usually happens over the age of 30.
Maturity-onset diabetes of the young – It is also known as monogenic diabetes which happens due to an inherited genetic mutation that is affected by how your body makes insulin and uses it. This type affects up to 5% of people with diabetes and commonly runs in families.
Neonatal diabetes – It is a rare form of diabetes that occurs in newborn babies, or within the first six months of life. It is another form of monogenic diabetes and about 50% of babies have neonatal diabetes and have the lifelong form called permanent neonatal diabetes mellitus. On the other condition, it disappears within a few months from onset but can come back later in life. This is called transient neonatal diabetes mellitus.
Strategies For Healthy Weight Gain with Diabetes
Weight gain is a challenging process for diabetic patients due to a combination of metabolic changes and dietary restrictions that people with diabetes. If you are suffering from type 2 diabetes and have been told to gain weight. Then you may have a hard time finding the best way and eating plans online that are not focusing on losing weight. Type 2 diabetes is associated with having a higher body weight and there are various cases where a person with diabetes may need or want to gain weight.
If you are newly diagnosed with diabetes or an underlying condition like hyperthyroidism, gain weight with type 2 diabetes. It can be challenging because they need to keep their blood sugar level in check.
Healthy Tips or Healthy Ways to Gain Weight
Gaining weight can come with a risk because you have to keep your blood sugar level in Check and it is essential to follow a healthy diet that is full of nutrition. These foods are rich in calories and include carbs that are lower on the glycemic index. But remember to always consult your doctor before changing your diet and exercise plan to gain weight.
Find Your Number – First of all you have to know what your ideal number is and how much you need to gain to get there. After that compare your current weight and BMI. Set an overall goal that states the total amount of weight you want to gain then set several mini goals that involve gains each week and month.
Eat at consistent meal times – eat your meal around the same time daily it can help to regulate your hunger hormones. It is advisable to eat at least 3 meals per day and ideally 1-3 smacks when trying to gain weight.
Add high protein foods with meals and snacks – put high protein foods on your plate that can help to better regulate blood sugar levels when you consume carbohydrate-dense food. Adding protein-rich foods can also help in minimizing muscle mass loss and often accomplish weight loss.
Choose high-calorie and low-volume foods – Adding healthy fats and snacks to your plate is a great way to add calories without the added volume. Apart from this, fats provide less effects on blood sugars as compared to carbohydrate-rich foods.
Add calorie-rich drinks that are high in protein and low in sugar – sipping high-protein beverages which are low in sugar such as low-fat milk or unsweetened soy milk can be a great way to increase calories. If you are struggling with poor appetite then milk can be used to replace the water in certain recipes such as oatmeal and so on.
Consume nutritional supplements – If you do not meet the calorie intake that you need then add nutritional supplements that are diabetic-friendly. It can help meet goals and gain weight.
Types of Foods Can Help a Diabetic Gain Weight?
Here we mention some foods that are nutrient-dense foods and healthy fat foods that optimize blood sugar. These are important to help a person with diabetes who wants to gain weight. This food can include:
Healthy fats:
- Olive oil
- Raw nuts
- Nut/seed butter such as peanut, almond, and sun butter
- Hemp seeds/chia seeds/ground flax seeds
- Hummus
- Avocados
Complex carbohydrates:
- Whole grains such as oats, brown rice, barley
- Whole grain bread
- Pasta
- Starchy vegetables such as sweet potatoes, corn, peas, pumpkin
- Whole fruit
Lean Proteins:
- Chicken breast
- Ground turkey
- Fish
- Bean/Legumes
- Lentils
- Tofu
- Low-fat dairy including plain yogurt, cheese, milk
- Soy milk
- Protein powder if unable to meet needs with foods
Do you want to put on weight?
If you want to gain weight then you should consult with your doctor and take advice from a dietitian like Priyanka Mittal. She suggests some tips and things and also you have to make changes to the way your diabetes is managed. So consult with your healthcare team before changing your eating styles and exercise. They will understand why you might be losing weight.
- Eat easier and smaller meals and snacks that can also help in increasing your appetite.
- Add full-fat dairy products such as milk, cream, cheese, and yogurt which you can use as a snack. For example, you can add great cheese to soups or pasta dishes or add a tbsp of cream to porridge or rice pudding.
- Use unsaturated fats to your food and vegetable oils like olive oil and rapeseed. Use sunflower oil to cook dishes or in dressings.
- Avocados, nuts, and seeds are rich in fat and are healthy and used as a good snack.
- Serve vegetables with spread or grated cheese.
- Used cream or full-fat milk for foods like mashed potato or soups.
- Add nourishing milky drinks.
- Add powdered milk to make cereals.
Conclusion
To Conclude, if you want to gain weight with diabetes, you need to take guidance from your doctor or dietitian. Gaining weight while being a diabetic is very challenging as you need to keep your blood sugar levels in check. Your chosen dietitian will create a blood-sugar friendly plan to increase your nutrition and assist you in reaching your desired weight.
It is important for you to keep in mind to add high-calorie and high-protein foods to your diet. Focus on high-fiber and whole-grain carbohydrates instead of increasing calories by incorporating sugary foods.
So you see, gaining weight while being a diabetic is not impossible. All it needs is an extra dose of patience and planning skills.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Question 11 – What is the fastest for a diabetic patient to gain weight?
Answer – Use full-fat dairy products such as milk, cream, cheese, and yogurt which can be added to your meals or used as a snack. You can use grated cheese in soups or pasta dishes or add cream also in your pudding and porridge as well.
Question 2 – Can diabetics struggle with weight gain?
Answer – everybody thought that diabetes is associated with obesity or being overweight. Especially type 2 diabetes but it is a myth that everyone with diabetes has a high body mass index. Because various people are struggling and have trouble gaining weight.
Question 3 – What to eat to increase weight?
Answer – A study has shown that to gain weight you have to increase the intake of fats and proteins might help you gain weight naturally. On the other hand, you can add food items such as red milk, chicken, fish, beans, whole milk, eggs, full-fat yogurt, nuts, and butter, etc.
