Very thin prediabetic losing too much weight on food plan
Hi, I have prediabetes. I have started eating a whole food plant based diet very low fat diet recommeneded by the Mastering Diabetes Program by Cyrus Khambata. By nature I've always been very thin and underweight ( 5'3 and 98 lbs). Now I'm at 92 lbs. Are there any very thin diabetics out there who can give me some much needed advice? Thanks! Betty
Hi
, I know it's been a while since you posted but I wanted to see how you're doing now and if you've made any progress with this? I'm in pretty much the same situation - prediabetic and underweight (almost 5'6 and 112lbs currently, although I went down to 108lbs in March 😬). I've found that most of the diet plans designed to help with diabetes seem to be geared towards weight loss. I find it incredibly frustrating and disheartening. I've started tracking my calories and making sure I "meet" them every day. Have you tried anything like that? I'm also actively trying to put on weight by doing some light weights, so I also try to meet or exceed my protein "goals" every day. I'm eating quite a lot of fat too, mostly the unsaturated kind. Hope you're doing okay and would love to hear back from you. 
My sister-in-law was diagnosed with type 1 in her 20s. So, it can happen. It might also be that your pancreas simply isn't producing enough insulin to combat the problem with dietary and lifestyle changes alone and that your body is resistant to the insulin that you do produce. Just as with other health conditions, there are different rates of progression for type 2 diabetes. I am sure that sounds disheartening, but maybe medication (and possibly insulin) is not the worst thing. It might make you feel better overall and allow you to remain at a healthy weight. I have never heard of the acid watchers diet. I had to look it up, but it sounds very much like the diet I was on for a few months after a severe bout of acid reflux. That's really interesting that it helped bring your HbA1c. Any idea why? I hope your test results show lower numbers. Will you let me know how it goes, if you don't mind. You know I will be thinking of you. Enjoy the rest of the week! - Lori (Team Member) Thanks,
! I have had the same thoughts about medication. I guess I'll see what happens at the end of the month and go from there. I have managed to reduce my fasting glucose finger pricks over the past few weeks so hopefully that's a good sign...
With the acid watchers diet I have a few theories! 1. I had actually "reversed" my prediabetes at that point and my body could tolerate lots of carbs, 2. the weight loss I had with that diet made a difference (I went to an even lower weight than I am now on that diet !), or 3. eating a completely whole food diet helped. I had to make almost everything from scratch on that diet (which was exhausting but I'm glad I did it because it did actually seem to resolve the acid reflux issue). I think I did it for three months, but I would say I still mainly eat whole foods for breakfast and lunch. Dinners are a bit hit and miss because one of my family members usually makes dinner. Anyway, I guess I will never know for sure what helped. I would be tempted to go back to it if it wasn't so restrictive and tiring! I'll definitely keep you posted on my blood test. Thank you for the support 💖
Thanks so much for sharing your journey. Diabetes is never the same in two people. I’m sure your health care team can get you off this rollercoaster. I have had various experiences with registered dietitians. Some gave advice that was tailored to me, others gave a generic version which was not helpful. Are you testing your blood sugars on a regular basis? Or did the high values create more stress for you? Some people have found continuous glucose monitors to help see what your sugars are doing over time. Just a thought. Adding my two cents, medication, if suggested, might just be the way to stabilize your twitchy blood sugars. And please do keep us posted after your next blood work and appt’s. Shelley, community moderator 🇨🇦 Wow! What a journey,
. Thank goodness you knew enough to keep pushing for answers. I am not sure most people would even know where to begin. I am thrilled to hear that you are in the upswing and that you are healthy again, and I hope your story helps someone else. Are you okay with four injections a day? Is there hope of getting an insulin pump at some point? Sending loads of happy hugs your way! - Lori (Team Member) Thanks,
🥰 Yes I feel okay with the injections and I settled in to the routine of doing them surprisingly quickly. The injections are nothing compared to how I was feeling during that final month of waiting for the test results. I would have done anything to feel better! I don't know how I feel about a pump... most of them seem to need changing every three days or so, which seems extremely laborious and like it would be a hassle. I think if I end up having very variable basal needs I might consider it, but at the moment the injections seem to be doing a good job. Thanks so much for your kind words, as always. Hugs! 💖
