Ask the Expert: How can I gain weight while on insulin?

July 28, 2009

By Jessica Gibbons, Certified Diabetes Educator and Registered Dietitian

“I am 6' 2" and was always around 170 lbs. Then when I was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes in 2005, I went down to 150 lbs and have stayed around that area. I would like to be back around 170 but cannot get there for the life of me. I eat about 2-3 times more than the average person a day, and still cannot gain weight. I usually keep my blood sugar in a good area, except for the occasional slip, but fix it right away. Is there any advice you could give me?”

The best advice I can give for weight gain would be to continue what you are doing. Eat six small meals, add Choice DM or another supplemental drink in between meals, get plenty of protein and be sure to add fat choices, since fat will give you the most calories and will effect your blood sugar the least. It can be tricky to care for blood sugars when you are eating numerous small meals, I assume you are on insulin if you are eating 2-3 times more than everyone else? Do you exercise? If not, you should, as exercise is important for muscle building and cardiovascular health, but excessive exercise could lead to you burning too many calories. If you haven’t already done this, I would recommend seeing a physician as you may have another disease process going on that would be critical to find and fix. For example, have you had your thyroid levels checked? You could be losing weight if your thyroid is not working correctly. Good luck!

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Comment

Florian

September 5, 2009 5:30 PM I am about the same height and weight and have been trying to gain a few lbs (lean muscle mass)so I do weight resistance training in addition to increasing my calories. Like you I am a Type 1 and I have to pay attention to blood sugar control so I eat more protein snacks like (cottage cheese and yogurt). I have been able to go from 175 to 185 but unless I keep up the weight training and extra snacking, I lose it all. Right now I am at 180 and I feel good and fit so I will be happy with that for now.