Losing weight is a challenge for many people, but it can be particularly difficult for those with diabetes. As a diabetic, it’s important to maintain a healthy weight to help manage blood sugar levels and reduce complications.
However, balancing a healthy diet, exercise routine, and insulin requirements can be a delicate and challenging process.
Diabetes occurs when your body is unable to use insulin effectively to control your blood glucose levels. There is a strong connection between food, weight, and diabetes.
Why do you need to lose weight?
The goal is to keep blood glucose levels under control. When blood glucose levels remain high, they usually lead to many life-threatening complications.
Insulin resistance is what often leads to type 2 diabetes and to improve insulin sensitivity, weight loss is important.
Once you lose weight, you will be able to keep your glucose levels normal and also eventually be able to reduce medication dosages.
Reducing the number of medications you take because of diabetes is one major achievement for most diabetic individuals.
Even for type I diabetics, weight loss is also helpful in reducing complications like kidney failure, stroke, and heart attacks. Even though type 1 diabetes is caused by insulin deficiency and not insulin resistance.
There are also a few diabetic individuals who want to achieve remission.
Which simply means you won’t have to be on any medications, and this too can be achieved through weight loss. Especially when weight loss strategies are put in place as soon as the diagnosis is made.
What’s your weight target
To get your weight target you have to understand what is a Normal weight. Every individual could be different, based on their weight and height.
A BMI score of between 18.5 and 24.9 indicates a normal weight. To get your BMI take your weight in kgs divided by your height in meters squared.
A large waist size also leads to insulin resistance. A Waist size of more than 90cm is a risk factor, both for men and women.
Why did you gain weight as a diabetic?
Before the diagnosis of diabetes is made, most individuals may come in with lots of weight gain. Once they start medication and insulin injections the risk of weight gain increases.
Diet plays a huge role in causing weight gain, foods full of sugar and saturated fats, like fast foods are what usually cause insulin resistance. Insulin is a growth hormone, while you use the insulin injection, you can also gain a few pounds.
Diet plans for weight loss for a diabetic.
1. A low carbohydrate diet
A low carbohydrate diet is good for a diabetic patient, in attaining full control of the blood glucose levels. Weight loss, because usually when you consume too many carbohydrates, the excess glucose gets stored as fat in our bodies.
Reducing the amount of carbohydrates will help a great deal. A low carbohydrate diet, means that the amount of carbohydrates is drastically reduced.
This is done with close monitoring to also ensure substantial amounts of,
- high proteins,
- healthy sources of carbohydrates,
- and healthy choices of fat, just to make sure we never have to get to malnutrition.
2. Ketogenic diet
If you have ever thought about weight loss, you must have come across the famous keto diet and its extraordinary effects on attaining fast weight loss results.
For patients with diabetes, the keto diet may also look attractive, however caution! There’s diabetic ketoacidosis, which is more common in patients with type 1 diabetes than those with type 2.
In patients with type 1 diabetes, there’s usually not any insulin being produced, in this case, glucose is not being utilized as expected by the body.
When this individual goes without any insulin therapy, the body will not be getting energy from glucose, hence fat gets burned down to ketones, and too much ketone bodies quickly leads to diabetic ketoacidosis.
In one way, the keto diet can help reduce the number of carbohydrates, especially refined carbohydrates, hence maintaining blood glucose levels at a normal range.
3. A Low GI diet
A Low GI diet can be helpful for people with diabetes who are trying to lose weight. GI stands for glycemic index, which is a measure of how quickly blood sugar levels rise after eating a particular food.
Foods with a high GI value can cause blood sugar levels to spike, while those with a low GI value are digested more slowly and have a more gradual effect on blood sugar levels.
By choosing foods with a low GI value, individuals with diabetes can better manage their blood sugar levels and potentially achieve weight loss goals.
4. Intermittent Fasting
Intermittent Fasting, Diabetes mellitus, especially type 2 diabetes has a risk factor, and that is obesity. It has been shown to lead to weight loss, which in turn will help in preventing the occurrence of diabetes.
Diabesity, which is obesity in diabetics, will also need to lose a few pounds to get good control of their blood glucose levels.
However, for diabetics especially those with type 1 diabetes, intermittent Fasting is not recommended at all. For type 2 diabetics, close monitoring will also be highly encouraged, and having your own glucometer will be important to keep track of your blood glucose levels, especially during the fasting period.
5. Portion control
Portion control is an important aspect of managing diabetes. As a diabetic individual, it is crucial to be mindful of the amount of food you consume in one sitting.
Eating too much can cause a spike in your blood sugar levels, which can be detrimental to your health. It is recommended to use measuring cups and a food scale to ensure that you are consuming the appropriate portion sizes for your meals
Does losing weight help?
Weight loss can be very beneficial for individuals with diabetes. It can help to manage blood sugar levels and reduce the risk of complications.
This is because excess weight can contribute to insulin resistance, which is one of the main factors in the development of type 2 diabetes.
By losing weight, you can improve insulin sensitivity and reduce the need for medication. Additionally, weight loss can help to reduce the risk of other complications associated with diabetes, such as heart disease and stroke.
It’s important to remember that weight loss should be done through a healthy diet and exercise routine, and under the guidance of a healthcare professional, especially for individuals with diabetes who may need to carefully manage their blood sugar levels.
Insulin resistance, diet and weight loss
Insulin is the hormone that helps control blood glucose levels. When you have insulin resistance it now means that you may have elevated blood glucose levels.
Most people may not actually show any symptoms but when symptoms like increased thirst, hunger and urination come in, it may mean that you have now developed prediabetes.
Insulin resistance can be caused by obesity, being overweight, and a large waist circumference, or central obesity.
When you lose weight, you achieve to reduce the resistance hence a good control of your blood sugar levels.
Foods loaded with sugar like most juices, soda and sugar tea, and also foods with lots of saturated fat, can cause insulin resistance.
Is it possible to enter diabetes remission by losing weight?
Remission can only be discussed in relation to type 2 diabetes, as type 1 diabetes cannot be reversed.
Yes, it is possible to achieve diabetes remission in some cases by losing weight. Studies have shown that weight loss can improve insulin sensitivity and blood sugar control, leading to a decrease in medication requirements or even complete remission of diabetes.
However, it’s essential to note that individual results may vary, and it’s always best to consult with a healthcare professional before making any significant changes to your diabetes management plan.
Why is weight loss difficult for a diabetic patient
Weight loss can be challenging for diabetic patients due to several reasons. One of the main factors is that some diabetes medications can cause weight gain, which can make it harder to lose weight.
Additionally, insulin resistance, which is common in people with type 2 diabetes, can make it more difficult for the body to burn fat. Furthermore, people with diabetes may feel hungry more often due to fluctuations in blood sugar levels, which can lead to overeating and difficulty in losing weight.
Finally, physical activity can be more challenging for diabetic patients due to complications such as neuropathy and other health issues.
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