How I Dealt With Sudden Weight Loss

I have had type 2 diabetes for over 20 years. Of course, I've had my ups and downs. Sometimes, I think people think they are experts regarding what we "should" or "shouldn't" do to manage diabetes. People with diabetes are different, and what works for some might not work for others.

Weight management is a popular topic

One of the most significant topics I hear in the type 2 diabetes community is weight management. Most people with diabetes experience fluctuations in weight. I've personally experienced sudden weight loss and trouble maintaining a steady weight. 

My struggle with weight with diabetes

At the beginning of my diabetes journey, I started losing weight so quickly that I did not notice until people started pointing it out to me.

My family and friends were concerned that I was probably going through some stress or doing something I wasn't supposed to do. It turned out that my diabetes was making me lose weight at an alarming rate. There are ways to lose weight, but I never imagined I would ever struggle to regain weight.

Symptoms that accompanied low weight

Believe it or not, I struggled with each passing day. I always felt tired, with no energy to walk around or do simple things like shopping. My throat was always dry as a desert, and I started getting sick more often. I was not in good shape back then, but I didn't realize it.

My muscles cramped more often due to weakness, and even simple tasks became tiring. On top of that, I wasn't seeing myself. Whenever I looked at myself in the mirror, I felt somebody else was standing there, a frail woman with a weak body. I was in my 40s at the time. This was not me.

In addition, whenever I met somebody, the first thing they said was a comment about how weak I looked. It made me pity myself even more. I even started avoiding going out because I was not feeling confident about myself. Somebody else has taken over my body; that is how I felt.

Talking to my doctor and getting a plan

I talked to my doctor, who made a nutrition plan with vitamins and supplements. It was a 5-time meal plan separated over a whole day to fulfill all my dietary needs. It had all the necessary nutrition that helped manage my blood sugar.

A quick look at my nutrition plan

To gain a healthy weight, I started my day with water and fresh fruit like an apple. That was a kind of a pre-breakfast. I would also take a 20-minute walk in the morning.

Then I usually had 2 egg whites and oats with unsweetened iced tea. At lunch I usually had chicken with avocado. For an afternoon snack, I would enjoy a bowl of mixed vegetables. Then for dinner, I would sometimes eat a bowl of yogurt with brown rice with either chicken or turkey.

Seeing positive changes

I ate all these meals, mixed and matched, and shuffled them to keep them yummy and exciting. My doctor prescribed a few diabetes-friendly supplements, and I started seeing positive changes within a month. My natural look was coming back, and my body was getting stronger. It felt nice, less vulnerable, healthier, and more energetic.

Where to start with weight management

Consulting my doctor and following a personalized nutrition and care plan worked for me. It was all backed up by my doctor's prescription and regular monitoring.

Contact your healthcare provider or registered dietitian if you are going through something similar and need help knowing where to start. As I said in the beginning, we are all different. This was just a part of my journey.