Weight loss with diabetes

The official statistics of diabetes mellitus and its real prevalence, which can be estimated indirectly, differ by about three times. 3.3 million Russians are officially diagnosed, but about 5.7 percent of the population, that is, 9 million people, actually suffer from diabetes. This means that about six million do not even suspect that they are living with a deadly disease. Given the rate at which the disease is spreading, the number of cases will double by 2025.

With diabetes, losing even five kilograms can help reduce the risk of complications and better control blood sugar levels. In addition, losing weight helps to reduce insulin resistance (insensitivity) and reduce the dose of drugs that lower blood sugar.

Diabetic Weight Loss Plan

It is impossible to simply go on a low-calorie diet or starve to lose a few kilograms with diabetes: a condition dangerous to health and life – hypoglycemia – can develop. Therefore, you need to lose weight under the guidance of a doctor by developing a step-by-step plan. As a rule, it includes the following items:

• increased physical activity – this helps to expend calories and burn fat;
• reduction of incoming calories due to changes in diet. Very small changes can have very good impact. Such as- you can replace your normal tea with green tea. And, if you are into coffee then you should definitely replace it with ultra-green coffee;
• consumption of foods with fiber, which saturates well and normalizes digestion;
• correction of the drinking regime, sufficient fluid intake;
• struggle with stress, which is often “seized” by dense and high-calorie foods.

Before you start losing weight, you need to undergo an examination and, together with a specialist, determine what percentage of weight you can safely lose in a week or month. On average, weight loss should be no more than one to two kilograms per week. This will help maintain health and prevent re-gaining weight. In some cases where traditional approaches do not work, it may be worth looking into medical weight loss procedures such as gastric sleeve surgery.

What is important to know

It is advisable that at all stages of losing weight you are constantly monitored by an endocrinologist or nutritionist. It is important to change the diet correctly, to reduce the calorie content of food, while not losing the necessary vitamins and minerals. In addition, you need constant monitoring of blood sugar levels, adjusting the dose of medications taken.

It is important that you do not have dramatic fluctuations in blood sugar levels during your obesity period. This adversely affects the metabolism. If you experience conditions such as hypo- or hyperglycemia (a decrease or increase in blood glucose levels relative to normal), then your diet or level of physical activity is not chosen correctly.

How nutrition is adjusted

You can reduce the calorie intake by an average of about 500 kcal per day. This will not affect your health in any way, but will lead to the fact that fat reserves will be gradually consumed. The total number of calories in your diet should be distributed as follows:

• up to 55% are complex carbohydrates – whole grain cereals, durum wheat pasta, legumes, buckwheat, millet, rice;
• about 25–35% – for fats, mainly vegetable; suitable salads with olive or sunflower oil, dishes with avocado; it is permissible to eat no more than 10-15 g of butter for breakfast;
• about 10-25% – protein dishes such as lean meat, poultry or fish, steamed or grilled, boiled, stewed or baked without oil.

It is important that the overwhelming majority of carbohydrate components contain fiber and complex carbohydrates (whole grain bread, cereal side dishes, vegetables). Sweets, starchy foods (potatoes, corn) should make up less than 10% of all foods.

Physical activity

Regular exercise and physical activity increase calorie expenditure. It also makes it easier for you to maintain your blood sugar levels. If you exercise every day, you can gradually lose extra pounds without harm to your health. If you have type 2 diabetes, then on average you should have at least 150 minutes of physical activity per week… This is approximately 20-30 minutes of classes per day. Aerobic exercise is especially useful, which accelerates the delivery of oxygen to the tissues. This can be in the gym or at home, frequent walks in the fresh air, swimming or cycling. Start with good exercise, gradually increasing the load. Remember that physical activity should be a part of your lifestyle, even if you are not losing weight as quickly as you would like. It also helps control diabetes.