Weight Loss In Diabetes: One common piece of advice from every endocrinologist to the person suffering from diabetes is to reduce weight. Have any idea what are the benefits of losing weight in diabetes? Below given are the following benefits of loosing weight in diabetes:
- Improved insulin resistance
- Better results with A1C test
- Balanced cholesterol levels
- Balanced Blood pressure
- Reduced risk of sleep apnea
- Reduced risks of cardiac diseases
- Balanced blood sugar level
Being healthy with a normal weight is good for anyone who wants a life with a lowered chance of chronic diseases. According to American diabetes association, About 50 per cent of diabetes treatment methods require you to lose at least 10 per cent of body weight.
It is a good idea if you lose some weight with exercise and diet control. For that, you should follow a certain mechanism of weight loss in diabetes. Weight loss is mandatory if you are suffering from Type 1 diabetes or type 2 diabetes mellitus.
Is Weight Loss in Diabetes Harmful?
Weight loss with physical activity is suitable to control blood sugar levels. But, unintentional weight loss can be harmful and serve as a sign that something is wrong. If your blood sugar levels are high, it can cause you to urinate. You can experience dehydration and possible weight loss.
Additionally, people with diabetes can experience muscle breakdown with high sugar levels. This unhealthy form of weight loss is noticeable in many people. Especially, in people with diabetes who do not take diabetes medications. Most of the doctor’s office visits are with complaints of unexplained weight loss. In some cases, diabetics have cancer and other diseases. These diseases go unnoticed.
In short, supervising your attempt at weight loss from time to time is necessary. This is to ensure that nothing fishy is going inside your body. Also, to avoid side effects. But, if you are exercising, make sure you discuss it with your doctor and supervise the exercises.
This is because people with diabetes could experience fatal results from uncoordinated exercise. Those, who have cardiac issues, are more prone to these fatal results.
Any unintentional weight loss among people with diabetes can point towards serious illness. Your physician evaluates your daily practices to ensure the maintenance of a healthy weight.
[Also Read 5 most important tips for Diabetic in managing weight]
Is Weight Loss Good for A Diabetic?
Before we get to the part where you learn about weight loss-based diabetes treatment, first learn about diabetes. For People With Type 2 diabetes, the pancreas fails to make enough amount of insulin levels.
This is a hormone that aids in the regulation of blood sugar levels. To date, doctors believed that this issue is for life. But, some trials have proved that diabetes can stop when monitored.
Also Read How Weight Loss Can Reverse TYPE 2 Diabetes?
Obesity & Diabetes
Diabetes and obesity are linked to one another in ways like:
- Obesity is a significant element in developing cardiovascular diseases and diabetes.
- Increasing cases of obesity come with rising numbers of diabetic patients.
- Being overweight or obese is associated with several co-morbidities.
- Weight reduction is the prime goal for the management and prevention of diabetes.
Manage or Cure-Diabetes?
Weight Loss In Diabetes provides the following benefits:
Traditional therapy for diabetes treatment focuses on its management rather than cure. But, holistic health approaches have better methods to counteract the effects of diabetes.
Top food factors that lead to uncontrolled weight gain:
- If happen to eat more calories than required, your body fails to burn it away. As energy and stores it as fat. To ensure that you do not gain extra weight, make sure you reduce your portions.
- Eat 2/3rd of your meal before dusk. Make sure your breakfast or lunch is the biggest with dinner being the smallest in terms of portions.
- If you experience hunger pangs between meals, opt for tea/coffee without sugar, drink water, or opt for fresh fruit. This helps you reduce cravings for highly-caloric food.
- Nil or minimal physical activity can also lead to weight gain. So make sure you opt for cardio and strength training at least 1 hour a day.
- Increasing levels of stress can also lead to weight gain. This is because stress makes your cortisol levels go haywire and your body goes into “Fight or flight” mode. Entering this mode makes your brain send signals to the body to save energy and fat for bad times.
- If you tend to suffer from sleepless nights, it could also lead to uncontrolled weight gain.
[Also Read 5 Tips for a Healthy Diabetic Lifestyle]
Mechanism of Weight Loss in Diabetes for Long Term
When trying to lose weight as a person with diabetes, you can seek help from a medical Centre. Medical Centers help with daily dietary requirements. Eat fresh fruits and vegetables. Additionally, you can opt for the following options
- Find interesting cookbooks that flaunt tasty recipes with well-balanced nutritional elements.
- Work with registered dieticians to get help with diabetes-based food plans.
- Always remember that weight loss is temporary but maintaining the new weight is what counts.
- Remember your health goals and stick to an achievable goal, do not expect a miracle.
- Keep physical activity a regular thing and do not fall back to old habits.
Commitment to weight management
For specific individuals, losing weight would cut when it boils down to controlling blood sugar levels. You might need to stick to your prescribed medications to ensure that things do not go haywire.
Now, this is not to say that you have to take medications always. With proper physical exercise and healthy food, you can stop taking drugs. Focus more on reducing the fat around the belly. This is the most significant factor in diabetes. It causes high blood pressure and similar issues.
Whether you have diabetes or not, it would help if you went for a healthy diet. Also, I should opt simple life. Healthy weight is a lifelong promise to oneself.
Knowing the perfect balance of weight loss and diabetes management
Make sure you keep an eye over the blood sugar levels as you try weight-loss tactics. With the changing dietary habits, your body might need some time to get acquainted with new life ways. It is safe for people with diabetes to cut off 500 calories per day. Make sure your new meal plan has an extra amount trimmed from carbohydrates, fat, and protein.
Carbohydrates have the highest effect on the blood sugars of diabetics. Especially, the ones with extra weight. Better to have fiber-based food items such as vegetables, and whole-grain bread.
One can eat leafy dishes also. Refrain from the consumption of starchy carbs or a sugary diet. They will most increase the blood sugar level with a quick crash.
How Does Exercise Help in Diabetes?
Healthy weight is always a non-negotiable option. When it comes to getting rid of insulin resistance taking a toll on the body, make sure you do not go overboard. Slow and steady is always the key.
There is no fast way to lose weight, and good things always come from hard work. Health care professionals will always ask you to start with small exercise sessions. You have to increase the frequency of your workout sessions.
Say, if you start with 5 minutes of daily exercise, continue this till you get acquainted. Now increase it to 15 minutes per day and so on. Apart from cardio-based practices, you need to add well-timed sessions of strength training. Diabetes medicines perform their best when paired with proper exercise.
Physical activities help burn blood sugar as well as muscle/liver sugar. If you use insulin or similar diabetic medications, you need to check your blood sugar level. Tell your doctor about the new health care protocol and see if he recommends reduction in dosage.
[Also Read Diabetes: Here is How to Manage Diabetes with Exercise]
Types of exercises and how they help
Aerobic Exercise:
High blood pressure and cholesterol links to diabetes. Running on a treadmill and opting for aerobic exercises lower blood sugar.
Weightlifting:
Strength Training:
What do you get with proper weight loss?
Improved Insulin Resistance:
If you have Type 2 diabetes, the entire body system fails to respond to your pancreas’ insulin. Additionally, the blood sugar level also goes up.
This issue is insulin resistance which links to excess weight. Bosy uses insulin in the best way when you lose extra pounds. Thus, insulin resistance reduces, and this aids in diabetes management.
Also Read Does Intake of Insulin Increases OR Decreases Your Body Weight?
Better Results with A1C:
One can experience better test results in A1C tests after increasing insulin sensitivity. But the patient has to lose weight for that. These tests transcribe that your health is getting better by the day.
Further Reading Is Weight Loss During the Diabetes Treatment Good or Bad?
Good cholesterol and lower blood pressure:
High bad cholesterol level and blood pressure is a complication among diabetes patients. When you have high blood sugar and high blood pressure, it lowers your HDL or good cholesterol. Additionally, your LDL or bad cholesterol level increases. It leads to more body fat.
Reduced Risk from Sleep Apnea:
If you have diabetes, chances are, you have a severe breathing issue known as sleep apnea. About half the diabetic population suffers from this issue. It can be dangerous at times. Weight loss will help lower the risk of sleep apnea.
Also Read How lack of Sleep is related to Insulin Resistance
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