I am 28 years old, have had type 2 diabetes for two years, currently treated with Glucophage, and my last A1c was 5.7%. However, my weight seems to be decreasing slowly. I am 167 centimeters tall and weigh only 53 kilograms (I have lost 18 kilograms), I look very skinny and I want to gain weight. Is there any way to do it in safe way?

Congratulations on achieving a hemoglobin A1c in the normal range. That’s wonderful but you don’t want to have a great number there and achieve it by starving your body of food to avoid high blood sugar. You do need to gain weight, and to do so, you will need to add calories at each meal. By adding calories, you might see a rise in your blood sugar after the meals.

I suggest, if possible, that you work with a dietitian in your area to help you design a way to do this. By checking your blood sugar before and after eating you will find the amount of food you are able to eat without raising blood sugar. If that is not enough food to have a slow, steady weight gain, then additional medicines may need to be added.

Incidentally, Glucophage [metformin] is a wonderful diabetes tool but can cause weight loss. For some, this is a welcome side effect, but for people like yourself, it can be a problem.

KS