5 Foods That Can Help In Diabetic Weight Gain
Most of us associate weight gain to diabetes but weight loss? Yes! Though, it may come as a surprise to many, but weight loss – drastic weight loss – is one of the earliest signs of a person suffering from diabetes, mostly type 2. Diabetes leads to low levels of insulin, below the minimum required levels in the human body. This propels the body cells to start breaking down fat and muscle in the body for energy, since lack of insulin means that the cells are not able to store glucose. The body feels it is starving and starts to consume all available fat and also muscle which leads to weight loss. The weight loss can be anywhere between 3-4.5 kilograms in a month and is not healthy at all. This also leads to frequent trips to the bathroom as the body is pumping and recycling the blood faster. How Can A Diabetic Gain Weight? While many who are diagnosed with diabetes need to watch their diet and daily food intake to maintain their optimum body weight, others can go on to take insulin injections to keep weight loss under check. However, there are many diabetic weight gain supplements that are now accessible to diabetic people to help them maintain their body weight. It is important that you don’t act in half knowledge and binge on sweets like doughnuts, candies and confectionery items. They will cause an increase in blood sugar levels and cause complications in the body. What else can a diabetic person do to stay at a healthy weight? Well they can: 1. Eat Several Small Meals: Since the body is unable to store what a diabetic person eats, it is important to fuel the body regularly by eating several small meals in a day. It is also important to make healthier food choices. Avoid extra oily and sugary foods and chose foods that have a high glycemic index. 2. Whey Protein Continue reading >>
Your Weight And Diabetes
Diabetes is a group of disorders characterized by chronic high blood glucose levels (hyperglycemia) due to the body's failure to produce any or enough insulin to regulate high glucose levels. There are two main types of diabetes. Type 1 diabetes, which often occurs in children or adolescents, is caused by the body's inability to make insulin or type 2 diabetes, which occurs as a result of the body's inability to react properly to insulin (insulin resistance). Type 2 diabetes is more prevalent than type 1 diabetes and is therefore seen in roughly 90% of all diabetes cases. Type 2 diabetes is predominantly diagnosed after the age of forty, however, it is now being found in all age ranges, including children and adolescents. The impact of diabetes goes beyond chronic hyperglycemia. Diabetes is the leading cause of blindness (diabetic retinopathy), end stage kidney diseases (diabetic nephropathy) and non-traumatic lower extremity amputations (diabetic neuropathy) in working-age adults. People with diabetes are also two to four times more likely to experience cardiovascular complications and strokes. Diabetes and its related complications result in an estimated 200,000+ deaths each year, making diabetes one of the major causes of mortality in the U.S. In 2012, the NIH reported an estimated 29.1 million Americans (9.3% of the population) living with diabetes. Of these, an estimated 8.1 million persons were unaware that they had the disease. How does my weight relate to type 2 diabetes? There are many risk factors for type 2 diabetes such as age, race, pregnancy, stress, certain medications, genetics or family history, high cholesterol and obesity. However, the single best predictor of type 2 diabetes is overweight or obesity. Almost 90% of people living with type 2 diabetes a Continue reading >>
How To Gain Weight And Maintain Blood Glucose
By Lara Rondinelli-Hamilton, RD, LDN, CDE Yes, you read the title correctly—there are people with diabetes that are actually trying to gain weight. These people are underweight and need to put on a few pounds without creating extremely high blood sugar levels. Note: If you have diabetes and are losing weight or having difficulty gaining weight, your first step is making sure the issue isn’t due to high blood glucose levels. Uncontrolled hyperglycemia, which is typical with undiagnosed type 1 diabetes (or misdiagnosed type 2), can lead to weight loss and is a dangerous state for your body. If your weight loss or inability to gain weight is unexpected, make sure to discuss it right away with your doctor. It may be that your medication needs to be adjusted for better glycemic control. If, on the other hand, your blood glucose levels are controlled, here are few tips to help you gain weight without spiking your sugar. 1. Eat three meals a day. Don’t skip meals. If you are trying to gain weight, you need to increase your daily caloric intake. If you skip breakfast (or any meal), you could be missing out on an extra 400 to 500 calories per day, which if done consistently could lead to a one-pound weight loss per week. So, even if you are not a breakfast person, find some foods that you can eat for breakfast, such as a fruit-vegetable smoothie (you can add flax seed and coconut oil to increase calories, fiber, and satiety). A quick smoothie could be a few handfuls of spinach, 1 cup frozen berries, ½ banana, 1-2 tablespoons coconut oil, 1 tablespoon ground flax seed and ½-1 cup coconut milk. Serve the smoothie with a side of egg and chicken sausage. You might also try an egg, cheese, and avocado sandwich on a low-carb wrap or tortilla. 2. Eat snacks. Snacks and small me Continue reading >>
Weight-gain Supplements For Diabetics
Even though many people with diabetes struggle to lose weight, some may have the desire to gain. Supplements may help you get the calories you need to gain the weight. But as with all your other food choices, it's important to consider the total carbs in the supplement and how it might fit into your diet plan so that your blood sugars stay within the normal range. You won't be able to put the weight on if your blood sugars are out of control. Consult your doctor or dietitian to help you work the right supplement into your diet plan. Video of the Day Nutrition Shakes for Diabetes To gain 1 pound a week, you need to eat an extra 500 calories a day. These calories should come from a mix of carbs, protein and fat, according to the Joslin Diabetes Center. Nutrition shakes specifically designed for people with diabetes make a good choice because they contain a healthy mix of carbs, protein and fat. Most of these shakes have about 200 calories per 8-ounce serving, with about 50 percent of calories from carbs, 20 percent from protein and 30 percent from fat. These shakes also have 3 grams of fiber per serving, which may help keep blood sugar in control. Nutrition Bars for Diabetes You can also use nutrition bars specifically designed for people with diabetes to help add extra calories to your diet to gain weight. Nutrition information for these bars may vary, but they contain about 150 calories, with 50 percent of calories from carbs, 25 percent from protein and 25 percent from fat. The nutrition bars for people with diabetes are not as high in calories as the shakes, so you may need to eat more bars to meet your calorie needs for weight gain. A weight-gain supplement purchased at a health food store may also provide the calories you seek. Read food labels to find one that prov Continue reading >>
Diabetes And Weight Gain
Diabetes can be both the cause of weight gain and the result of weight gain. People with diabetes have an increased tendency to gain weight and those who are overweight have an increased chance of developing diabetes. Insulin is a natural, protein-based hormone produced by the pancreas in normal people. Its function is to promote the absorption of glucose into the cells to be used for cellular fuel. It also manages the absorption and storage of amino acids and fat by cells of the body that are sensitive to insulin (which are mainly the fat and muscle cells). Insulin has the above effects on the body, whether the pancreas releases it naturally or given as exogenous insulin to insulin-dependent diabetes. Diabetics who go on insulin therapy seem to have an increased tendency to gain weight. This is true of both type 1 diabetics and type 2 diabetics. Some of the gain is weight is due to the fact that, when insulin is in the bloodstream, it takes the glucose absorbed by the GI tract and puts in in storage rather than have the glucose be excreted by the kidneys. This causes a natural gain in weight. Some diabetics recognize the connection between insulin and weight gain. In order to lose weight, they often skip doses of insulin so that the blood sugar they take in is not stored but instead is flushed out by the kidneys. They don’t realize that this could be dangerous and can result in life-threatening side effects, such as diabetic ketoacidosis. The most effective way to strike a balance between insulin use and body weight is to take the insulin as directed and also to step up the amount of physical activity you engage in. This keeps the levels of insulin lower and you will lose weight. When you take less insulin and burn calories through exercise, your weight will naturall Continue reading >>
Low Carb Weight Gain Diet For Diabetes
Marie says: “I love all your information and it is so helpful ……but I need to gain weight without carbs and I am having a hard time.” While weight loss is an aim that is most common for people with type 2 diabetes, some people, like Marie, want to achieve weight gain or maintain their current weight without losing anymore. And as Marie clearly pointed out, this can be a bit tough when you choose to follow a lower carb diet. You see, those high carb foods that send your blood sugar soaring – sugar, rice, potatoes, pasta and bread – also happen to be loaded with calories. So when they get the cut, your blood sugar levels go down, which is great. But, suddenly you're stuck with eating non starchy vegetables (which is awesome) but you'll be dropping lots of calories and weight, too. If weight loss is your goal, all very well. If not, you can find you're dropping too much weight too quick and being too thin can also be problematic for your health. So, as promised, we're here to discuss what type of foods to eat so you can maintain or gain the weight you want while still following a low carb diet. Step 1: Increase calories We're all aware of the fact that the amount of food we eat makes a difference. Even when we eat lots of healthy foods, we can still eat too much – leading to weight gain. So it makes sense that what you need to do to gain weight is increase your caloric intake. But, you want to be focusing on doing that by eating nutrient dense real foods, not junk foods. Clearly, this defeats the purpose. Step 2: More fat equals more calories Both carbohydrates and protein contain 4 calories per gram while fat contains 9 calories per gram. Therefore, it makes sense that the easiest way to increase calories is to increase your intake of healthy fats. Healthy f Continue reading >>
Bodybuilding With Diabetes.
Weight training can be therapeutic and is recommended for the prevention and treatment of many diseases and illnesses. For example, it is recommended that people with diabetes exercise regularly. This is true for both type 1 and type 2 diabetes. When individuals hear the term "bodybuilding," they automatically think of competitive bodybuilding. In all reality, this is just one very small sector of a large subset of the population who weight trains (e.g., body builds) for general aesthetics and health. Weight training itself can also be therapeutic and is recommended for the prevention and treatment of many diseases and illnesses. For example, it is recommended that people with diabetes exercise regularly. This is true for both type 1 and type 2 diabetes. A Brief Background About Diabetes The rate of diabetes is soaring at an unthinkable level in North America. This increase is related to the obesity epidemic in this country; diabetes is one of the many diseases associated with obesity. There Are Two Main Types Of Diabetes: Type I Type II In type 1 diabetes, the pancreas (organ responsible for insulin production) completely stops producing insulin. Insulin is the hormone necessary to use glucose (sugar) found in foods for energy. Therefore, individuals with type 1 diabetes must take insulin shots. This usually develops in children between the ages of 8 to 12, but can develop at any age. I'm aware of one woman who developed type I diabetes in her mid 50's. Type 1 diabetes cannot be prevented; it is an autoimmune disease that ultimately results in the cells of the pancreas which produce insulin to stop functioning. On the contrary, type 2 diabetes is a disease in which the body is unable to produce and/or unable to properly use insulin. This accounts for about 90% of the t Continue reading >>
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Losing Weight With Diabetes: What Prevents It And Causes Weight Gain
I recently was included in a discussion on a Facebook group for athletes with diabetes about how hard it can be to lose weight through exercise. While I would never claim to have all the answers on this topic, here are some ideas about what can make you gain weight or keep you from losing weight with diabetes, based on my decades of professional and personal experience with diabetes and weight management, and what you can do about it. Insulin My former graduate student with type 1 diabetes went on an insulin pump and promptly gained about 10 pounds, even though his blood glucose control improved only marginally. Why did this happen to him (and why does it happen to so many other insulin users)? As a naturally occurring anabolic hormone, insulin promotes the uptake and storage of glucose, amino acids, and fat into insulin-sensitive cells around your body (mainly muscle and fat cells). It doesn’t matter whether it’s released naturally, injected, or pumped—all insulin and insulin analogues have these same effects. Going on intensive insulin therapy is associated with fat weight gain (1), for people with both type 1 and type 2 diabetes. Some of the weight gain comes from that if you’re using insulin to keep your blood glucose in control, you’ll be keeping and storing all of the calories that you’re eating instead of losing some glucose through urine (during hyperglycemia). Unfortunately, this realization has led some people to try skipping or limiting their insulin use to help them lose weight (2), but that is a dangerous practice that can lead to loss of excess muscle mass and life-threatening conditions like DKA. The best way to balance your insulin use and your body weight, in my opinion, is to be physically active to keep your overall insulin levels lower. I Continue reading >>
Type 2 Diabetes: Sponge Implants May Reduce Blood Sugar And Weight Gain
In a search for new treatments for type 2 diabetes, researchers have discovered that implanting polymer sponges into fat tissue might offer a way forward. So suggests new research from the University of South Carolina (USC) in Columbia that is featuring at the American Chemical Society's 254th National Meeting & Exposition, held in Washington, D.C. The team found that 3 weeks after receiving polymer sponge implants in their fatty abdomens, obese mice with type 2 diabetes fed on a high-fat diet gained less weight and had lower levels of blood sugar than untreated equivalent mice. Diabetes is a long-lasting disease that develops when the body either does not make enough insulin (type 1 diabetes) or cannot use insulin effectively (type 2 diabetes). Insulin is a hormone that helps cells to take up sugar from the blood so they can use it for energy. Major tissues and organs, such as the liver, brain, and skeletal muscles, need lots of blood sugar to work properly. If untreated, diabetes can result in vision loss, heart disease, stroke, kidney disease, and other health problems, due to damage caused by excess glucose in the bloodstream. Body fat is an 'active organ' Around 30.3 million people in the United States have diagnosed or undiagnosed diabetes. Approximately 95 percent of them have type 2 diabetes. The number of U.S. adults with diabetes has more than tripled in the past 20 years, largely as a result of an aging population and rising numbers of overweight and obese people. As yet there is no cure for diabetes, and current treatments depend heavily on patients' ability to manage them. Thus, researchers are keen to discover ways to manage diabetes that do not need patients to perform daily tasks. Important discoveries in recent years have revealed that body fat is not j Continue reading >>
The Deliberate Lies They Tell About Diabetes
By some estimates, diabetes cases have increased more than 700 percent in the last 50 years. One in four Americans now have either diabetes or pre-diabetes (impaired fasting glucose) Type 2 diabetes is completely preventable and virtually 100 percent reversible, simply by implementing simple, inexpensive lifestyle changes, one of the most important of which is eliminating sugar (especially fructose) and grains from your diet Diabetes is NOT a disease of blood sugar, but rather a disorder of insulin and leptin signaling. Elevated insulin levels are not only symptoms of diabetes, but also heart disease, peripheral vascular disease, stroke, high blood pressure, cancer, and obesity Diabetes drugs are not the answer – most type 2 diabetes medications either raise insulin or lower blood sugar (failing to address the root cause) and many can cause serious side effects Sun exposure shows promise in treating and preventing diabetes, with studies revealing a significant link between high vitamin D levels and a lowered risk of developing type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and metabolic syndrome By Dr. Mercola There is a staggering amount of misinformation on diabetes, a growing epidemic that afflicts more than 29 million people in the United States today. The sad truth is this: it could be your very OWN physician perpetuating this misinformation Most diabetics find themselves in a black hole of helplessness, clueless about how to reverse their condition. The bigger concern is that more than half of those with type 2 diabetes are NOT even aware they have diabetes — and 90 percent of those who have a condition known as prediabetes aren’t aware of their circumstances, either. Diabetes: Symptoms of an Epidemic The latest diabetes statistics1 echo an increase in diabetes ca Continue reading >>
How To Gain Weight Fast And Naturally (the Ultimate Guide)
Most of the people these days struggle with weight issues. A big number of people are either obese or overweight. Yet, not so small number of people have the opposite problem – the problem of being too skinny or underweight. For overweight people, this issue might not seem like a real one, but for people struggling with this condition, it is a very vivid problem. It often depends on the person’s metabolism, body structure, and genetics. Sometimes little tips and tricks can help you gain weight. But whether you are clinically underweight or you are just a “hard gainer”, principles of obtaining more kilograms are basically the same. What Does it Mean to be Underweight It means that your body doesn’t inquire the minimum amount of body mass needed to obtain optimal health. Even though obesity is number one health problem in the world today, being underweight can also be bad for your body. One study showed that there is a big chance of an early death because of this condition. Being underweight is also bad for your immune system. Your body does not receive the needed amount of vitamins, minerals, and other healthy substances. They are required for performing regular bodily functions. You are more vulnerable to immune diseases, for example, viruses, osteoporosis, and infections if you lack a sustainable amount of kilograms. There are several reasons why somebody has lost weight or struggles with gaining weight. Most common conditions are eating disorders. One of the most serious eating disorders is anorexia nervosa, a serious mental disorder. Other reasons may include different medical conditions, such as diabetes, thyroid problems, infections or even cancer. If you are experiencing some symptoms that pinpoint to some of these diseases, contact your doctor immediate Continue reading >>
The 2-day Diabetes Diet: What To Eat To Lose Weight
For folks with diabetes, weight loss is a natural form of “medication.” Reams of research prove that losing even just a few pounds is an effective way to control blood sugar or reduce the risk of developing type 2 diabetes in the first place. But in an ironic twist, losing weight may be more difficult if you have type 2 diabetes. And the reason isn’t just a lack of willpower. Too often, diet plans don’t work for people with diabetes because the metabolism changes associated with blood sugar problems may increase appetite, slow down fat burning, and encourage fat storage. Now breakthrough research has revealed a better way for people to lose weight and reduce insulin resistance. The secret is a concept called intermittent fasting. British researchers created this revolutionary new diet, which strictly limits caloric intake for two days of the week but permits larger portions for the remainder. Women who followed the plan lost almost twice as much fat as those who restricted calories every day. Within three months, participants reduced insulin resistance by 25 percent more on nonfast days and inflammation by 8 percent more than people who dieted continuously. Why Does this Particular Diabetes Diet Plan Work? It counteracts the effects of “diabesity,” where blood sugar problems and excess body fat meet. Just a small amount of excess weight and a genetic tendency for metabolism problems can trigger a cascade of health issues, including high cholesterol, high blood pressure, immune system problems, and hormonal imbalances. This constellation of health problems is caused by a modern lifestyle that is out of sync with our genetic inheritance. Researchers theorize that because humans evolved during alternating periods of feast and famine, many of us inherited variou Continue reading >>
How To Gain Weight If You Have Diabetes
Expert Reviewed Weight loss can be a symptom of diabetes. Because your body is unable to make use of sugar in the blood, those calories that would normally be utilized are lost. Even though you might be eating a normal amount of food, this loss of sugar and calories due to diabetes will still cause you to lose weight.[1] However, you can still work with your diabetes and maintain a healthy weight. Continue reading >>
How Weight Loss Can Reverse Type 2 Diabetes
TIME Health For more, visit TIME Health. An analysis published in The BMJ aims to let doctors and the public in on a little-known secret: Type 2 diabetes, in many cases, is curable. People can reverse their diabetes by losing about 33 pounds, say the authors of the new paper, despite popular belief that the diagnosis is always a permanent one. If more people were striving for this goal, and if more doctors were documenting instances of diabetes remission, complication rates and health-care costs could both be reduced dramatically, the authors say. The analysis is based on evidence from recent clinical trials. In one from 2011, people who were recently diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes returned their blood sugar levels to normal when they lost weight on a calorie-restrictive diet. In a 2016 follow-up study, people who had been diabetic for up to 10 years were able to reverse their condition when they lost about 33 pounds. TIME Health Newsletter Get the latest health and science news, plus: burning questions and expert tips. View Sample Sign Up Now Mike Lean, professor of human nutrition at the University of Glasgow in Scotland, is an author of both the new analysis and of those earlier trials. He says a person’s likelihood of remission from diabetes is greatest in the first five years after being diagnosed. Type 2 diabetes, he wrote in an email, is a disease “best avoided by avoiding the weight gain that drives it.” For people who do develop it, he believes that evidence-based weight-loss programs could help them achieve lasting remission. “Not all can do it, but they should all be given the chance with good support,” Lean writes. “Taking tablets or injections for life to reduce blood sugar is a poor second rate treatment.” Current guidelines for the managemen Continue reading >>
Meals To Help Diabetics Gain Weight
Gaining weight while controlling your blood sugar can be very difficult for those with diabetes. The key to a healthy weight gain is to recognize which foods affect your blood sugar and which do not. For weight gain that also allows consistent blood sugar control, add more healthy fats to your diet. Video of the Day The first step to a healthy diabetic diet is consistent carbohydrate intake at each meal. The American Diabetes Association generally recommends about 45 to 60 grams of total carbohydrates per meal, but this may vary for each individual. Foods that contain carbohydrates include, but are not limited to, grains, starchy vegetables, fruits, milk products, snack foods and sweets. Portion control of these foods is very important because too many high-carbohydrate foods will spike your blood sugar. Nonstarchy vegetables such as leafy greens, broccoli, eggplant, peppers and cabbage have fewer carbohydrates per serving and will not spike your blood sugar as much as starchy ones. The American Diabetes Association recommends at least three to five servings of nonstarchy vegetables per day. Fats and Weight Gain Fats can be categorized as "unhealthy" or "healthy." According to the American Heart Association, unhealthy fats include saturated and trans fats, which can contribute to increased cholesterol and should be avoided. These include high-fat cuts of meat and high-fat dairy products. Trans fats are not naturally occurring and are added to foods by the manufacturer. Fats contain 9 calories per gram, whereas protein and carbohydrates only contain 4 calories per gram.To gain weight, consume more calories than you are expending. Healthy Fats: Monounsaturated and Omega-3 Healthy fats can assist you in gaining weight, while controlling your blood sugar and cholesterol lev Continue reading >>
