Why Does Need to Control Weight to Reduce Risk of Diabetes?
If you have been diagnosed with prediabetes high blood sugar that does not reach the threshold of a diabetes diagnosis lifestyle changes can prevent or delay the onset of the disease. Making a few changes in your lifestyle now may help you avoid the serious health complications of diabetes in the future, such as nerve, kidney, and heart damage. It is never too late to start. Changes in lifestyle are important if you are currently at an increased risk of type 2 diabetes, such as excess weight, high cholesterol, or a family history of diabetes.
You may be surprised to know that losing weight can help you manage your diabetes, as well as your heart and blood pressure. Weight is a sensitive issue for many people and getting to an ideal, healthy weight is easier said than done. But carrying too much weight can make things complicated, as it increases your risk of serious health problems. It could also make it harder for your doctor to see how you are coping with your diabetes. And sometimes when people are struggling with weight issues, they think they are the only ones who feel bad about it. But we have got loads of ideas on how to start slimming down whether you want to lose a few pounds, keep fit or improve your health, these tips will show you where to start. You will have more energy, and you will reduce your risk of serious complications like heart disease and stroke. Losing weight can help with your diabetes control too. And if you have type 2 diabetes, losing weight could even mean going into diabetes remission.
Benefits Of Loosing Extra Weight
Losing weight can help you control your diabetes. The extra weight around your waist means fat can build up around your organs, like your liver and pancreas. This can cause something called insulin resistance. So, losing this weight could help the insulin you produce or the insulin you inject work properly. And as you start to lose weight and get more active, you and your healthcare team may need to look at your medication, especially if you treat your diabetes with insulin or sulphonylurea. This might mean reducing the dose or making other adjustments but talk to your healthcare team about it. For some people, needing fewer diabetes medications is a great motivation for losing weight. Thus, losing weight can help with your diabetes, but it is not easy. It takes time and effort to adjust your diet, exercises more, and learn how to deal with hunger but it is worth it. You feel better, you look better, and it will also reduce the risk of complications like heart disease, stroke, or kidney disease.
To get the best from your diabetes treatment, losing around 5% of your body weight can have real benefits for your health. If you have obesity, you are more likely to put your diabetes into remission if you lose a larger amount of weight, rather than slowly and safely following the advice of your healthcare team. This is even more likely if you lose the weight nearer to your diagnosis and quickly. It is a myth that losing weight slowly is better for you. This could mean coming off your diabetes medication completely a life-changing possibility.
What’s A Healthy Weight To Aim For?
This is about working out your Body Mass Index (BMI) and your waist size. A doctor can help you determine your ideal weight for your height, but you can also do this on your own by using the BMI Calculator. One’s BMI and waist size are two important ones to measure.
- Know Your Weight: Reaching your goal weight is the most important thing you can do for your health, but it is not always easy. Research shows that losing just 5% of body weight will improve your BMI and increase your chances of keeping it off. It can be difficult to work out your healthy weight, so it is important you find the right level for you. We have used a BMI calculator for every age and gender to work out the range of weights that are best for a healthy BMI level. It is based on what is recommended by health professionals for an individual, so it considers factors like age and gender. There may be other factors that influence your BMI that are not shown in this tool such as any exercise, diet, or heights that were gained or lost over time.
- Know Your Waist Size: You do not have to aim at just good health, you can always achieve an amazing physique. A healthy waist size depends on your gender and ethnicity. It should be:
- Less than 80 cm (31.5 inches) in women
- Less than 94 cm (37 inches) in men
- Less than 90 cm (35 inches) in South Asian men
Can Diabetes Cause Weight Gain?
If you have had type 1 diabetes for a while, you might have learned what it means to deal with your weight. It is tough to lose weight and keep it off, but it is possible if you make changes and stick to a healthy diet and regular exercise. Insulin is a small molecule, so the amount of insulin in your body and how quickly it helps your blood sugar levels rise affects how much you gain and lose in weight. There are lots of reasons why people put on or lose weight when they have diabetes – including how much insulin they take, their diet, and the type of insulin they are taking. When you are diagnosed with diabetes it is also likely that you lost a lot of weight in just under 6 months as this is one of the main symptoms. The type of insulin can also affect your weight in different ways as some types do not elevate blood sugar levels as quickly as others.
Diabetes Diet Plan To Lose Weight
Many people with diabetes have heard that a low-carb diet will help them manage their blood sugar and lose weight. There is no such thing as a “special diet” for people with diabetes – but there are many ways to lose weight. A calorie is a unit of energy, which is contained in the food and drink we consume. Your body uses energy for everything you do from breathing and sleeping to exercising. When you eat, you are replacing the energy you have used, which helps you maintain a healthy weight. The best approach is one you are likely to stick with because everyone is different and what works for one person may not for another. Dieting is much easier when you stick to a small number of simple rules. There is various diet that is clinically approved, nutritionally balanced, and calorie and carb-counted which can help you lose weight such as:
- Low-carb diet plan
- Mediterranean diet plan
- Lower-calorie diet plans, like 1,200 or 1,500 calories a day
Direct is not a diet. It is testing a weight-management program, delivered in GP practices. Then there is a very low-calorie diet, which means having less than 800 calories a day. We have not created low or very-low-calorie meal plans as these could be challenging for most people to make themselves at home. Most people who follow these diets use special meal replacement products, like soups and shakes, which are nutritionally complete.
A low GI (Glycemic Index) diet can help you manage your blood sugar levels and can be an effective weight loss plan for people with diabetes. There are many popular diets like the 5:2 diet, intermittent fasting (such as the Paleo diet), and the Mediterranean diet. Unfortunately, there is not enough strong evidence to say these are effective for weight loss in people with diabetes either.
If you are considering a commercial weight-loss program, ask lots of questions. Your local diabetes team can help point you in the right direction.
Exercise And Being Active For Weight Loss
Regular exercise or physical activity has many health benefits, including helping to prevent type 2 diabetes. But before you start any new physical activity, speak to your diabetes team. They can make sure you have all the information you need about how your diabetes might be affected. Especially if you treat your diabetes with insulin or certain diabetes medications like sulphonylureas, as being more active may increase your risk of hypos. Your diabetes team will support you to make the right adjustments to your medications to reduce your risk of hypos.
Weight Loss Surgery
Weight loss surgery is a possibility if you have a lot of weight to lose. If you have type 2 diabetes, losing weight can make a big difference to your health. Ask your healthcare team if they recommend weight loss surgery as a way of helping you lose weight and get into remission. There are different types of bariatric surgery that aim to make you feel fuller sooner and eat less. Weight loss surgery, or bariatric surgery, is a type of surgery that is used to help people with diabetes lose weight. This can improve your health by getting you into the ideal weight range and lowering your risk of complications related to diabetes. If you have a lot of weight to lose and are looking for an effective way to do that, this may be a good option for you. The main goal of bariatric surgery is to help you feel fuller sooner as well as eat less.
Diabetes Weight Loss Medication
If you are interested in losing weight, talk to your healthcare team about whether medications can help. Some diabetes medications, such as GLP-1 analogues, can also help with weight loss. Your healthcare team can give you advice about whether these medications are right for you. Avoid buying medications online and always get advice from a healthcare professional.