Why Healthy Eating Paves A Path To Weight Gain Diabetes And More
This is why even the purest and most moral of eaters develop insulin resistance and the span of lousy that is part of the glucose-insulin package.
We dont need to search very far to find a real-life example.
Perhaps a young woman, a tender hearted good-deed doer, led by her conscience to eat morally. Shunning all animal foods, she steadfastly embraces the ethical, sustainable, local plant-based movement.
Having formerly been a conventional foods grazer, eating more processed foods than not, she notices a fortuitous change. Weight loss.
Her physique is slimmer. Her mood peppier. Her conscience clearer.
Fast forward a handful of years and our plant-based eater find herself wondering
Is my metabolism slowing? Am I not exercising enough? Why am I developing a ring around my waistline? And why am I always thinking about the next meal?
Her weight up-shift is concerning. And she hears of others who have dropped significant weight by eating, of all things..meat.
They privately stepped off the plant platform, just for a time, and achieved terrific weight-loss results.
Moral principle clashes with metabolic principle. The primal human need to look lovely and appear morally above reproach is powerful. She applies the same tactic. You know, just to see if it works. It does.
Reason #: Typically Recommended Eating Patterns Often Backfire By Keeping You Hungry And Keeping Your Blood Sugar High
If youâre like most people with type 2 diabetes, youâve been told to eat carbohydrates but eat fewer overall calories, and to eat small meals throughout the day to keep your blood sugar steady youâve probably been advised to count your carbs and eat enough of them to keep your blood sugar up after taking medication to lower itâconfusing, right?
What many find as a result is that theyâre always hungry, always thinking about food and facing cravings. Whatâs at work is a survival instinct that even the strongest-willed person canât withstand for long. This is a situation where your physiology is fighting against you. Even worse, those frequent small meals with carbohydrates create spikes in your blood sugar followed by drops in your blood sugarâa blood sugar roller-coaster that stimulates frequent hunger.
Diabetes Types And Weight Loss
Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune condition where the body sends antibodies to attack the pancreas, which prevents it from producing enough insulin to regulate your blood sugar. It is not clear what causes Type 1 diabetes, but it is thought to be genetic and is usually first diagnosed in childhood or young adulthood.
Type 1 diabetes is not associated with excess weight. But if you are carrying extra weight, losing it can reduce your risk of complications and reduce your need for insulin.
Type 2 diabetes is where your body does not produce enough insulin and/or your cells may not respond to insulin properly and do not take in sugar from your blood. Type 2 diabetes develops over many years. The cause is not known, but being overweight and inactive are major contributors.
For Type 2 diabetes, weight loss is key. If you have prediabetesthat is, you have consistently high blood sugar but do not yet have diabeteslosing 7-10 percent of your body weight can reduce the risk of developing diabetes. If you already have Type 2 diabetes, losing weight could cause your condition to go into remission, potentially eliminating your need for medication.
Also Check: Treatment Of Type 1 Diabetes In Child
It Starts With Finding A Way To Eat Fewer Calories Than You Need
A calorie is a unit of energy, which is in the food and drink we consume. Your body uses energy for everything we do from breathing and sleeping to exercising. When you eat, youre replacing the energy youve used, which helps you to maintain a healthy weight.
As a general guide, government recommendations are that men need around 2,500kcal a day to maintain a healthy weight, and women need around 2,000kcal a day. But most people need different amounts of calories based on how their bodies work, how active they are and any weight management goals.
Weve put together some 7-day meal plans to help you lose weight. They’re all clinically approved, nutritionally balanced, calorie and carb counted, and can help if you want to lose weight:
- Mediterranean diet plan
- Lower-calorie diet plans, like 1,200 or 1,500 calories a day
Evidence shows that the best approach is the one that youre likely to stick to. So the key is to find a plan that you enjoy and fits in with the rest of your life. Everyones different and what works for some may not for others.
Weight And Type 1 Diabetes
In diabetes, the body doesn’t use glucose properly. Glucose, a sugar, is the main source of energy for the body. Glucose levels are controlled by a hormone called insulin, which is made in the pancreas. In type 1 diabetes, the pancreas does not make enough insulin.
Undiagnosed or untreated type 1 diabetes can cause weight loss. Glucose builds up in the bloodstream if insulin isn’t available to move it into the body’s cells. When glucose levels become high, the kidneys work to get rid of unused sugar through urine . This causes weight loss due to dehydration and loss of calories from the sugar that wasn’t used as energy.
Kids who develop type 1 diabetes often lose weight even though they have a normal or increased appetite. Once kids are diagnosed and treated for type 1 diabetes, weight usually returns to normal.
Developing type 1 diabetes isn’t related to being overweight, but keeping a healthy weight is important. Too much fat tissue can make it hard for insulin to work properly, leading to both higher insulin needs and trouble controlling blood sugar.
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Type 2 Diabetes: How To Lose Weight
Weight loss is a common recommendation for treatment for type 2 diabetes. Many people are overweight when theyre first diagnosed, and that extra fat actually increases their insulin resistance . By losing weight, people with type 2 diabetes can become less insulin resistant, and theyre able to use insulin better. If youve recently been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes and you’re overweight, you should get started as soon as possible on a weight loss plan. It is important to work with a registered dietitian to help you figure out a plan that will work for youa healthy meal plan, physical activity, and realistic goals will help you reach a healthy weight. There are many advantages to losing weight : Boost your energy level Lower your cholesterol levels Protect your heart Make it easier to control your blood glucose level As you may already know, losing weight can be a challenge, but dont let that stop you. Do whatever you need to in order to stay motivated. It is the amount of calories we eat that contributes to weight gain. Make small changes. Learn portion sizes and reduce the amount of snacks in your day to reduce the total amount of calories you consume each day. Find cookbooks with healthier recipes using low-fat options. For a little fun, take our carb counting quiz to see how well you know the carb content of certain foods this can help you make healthier choices. Work with a registered dietitianContinue reading > >
Getting Blood Sugar Back To Normal
The good news: When we shed the body fat, insulin often starts working again. Thats because our bodys cells often start working again. Their doors kick open when insulin comes calling. Once again, insulin can ferry glucose out of the bloodstream and into our cells. As a result, blood glucose falls into healthy, normal ranges.
Recommended Reading: A1 Diabetes And Medical Supply
Carbohydrate Foods Digest Into Sugar Or The Science Term Glucose
Glucose, beyond what our body needs at the time of eating, changes or converts into body fat which is simply stored energy.
Body fat sticks or is inaccessible for use when conditions are right.
Body fat cannot be accessed for burning when insulin is elevated.
Body fat is controlled by insulin.
Manage insulin, and win.
Exceptions To The Rule
Professor Taylor caveats that all of this research is relevant for individuals with the usual form of type 2 diabetes. Rare forms of diabetes exist that can easily be mistaken for type 2 diabetes, including:
A) Pancreatic diabetesThis occurs after several cases of pancreatitis and is likely to be caused by pancreas damage.
B) Monogenic diabetesThis genetic form of diabetes is commonly found in slim individuals diagnosed in early adulthood who have a very strong family history of diabetes.
C) Slow onset type 1 diabetesSometimes type 1 diabetes develops slowly, appearing in adulthood, and these individuals usually need insulin therapy soon after being diagnosed.
Key points:
Recommended Reading: What Is An Insulin Pump
The Importance Of A Healthy Weight
When kids with diabetes reach and maintain a healthy weight, they feel better and have more energy. Their diabetes symptoms decrease and their blood sugar levels are better controlled. They also may be less likely to develop complications from diabetes, like heart disease.
Doctors use body mass index to determine if a person’s weight is healthy. If your doctor recommends that your child lose weight to control diabetes, a weight management plan can hel. Even if your child’s BMI is in the healthy range, the doctor can help you come up with a healthy meal and exercise plan.
Losing Weight With Insulin Resistance: Why Is It So Hard
All carbohydrates break down into simple sugars upon digestion. Insulin is necessary to push sugars we ingest through diet into our cells to be used up for energy. When the body is unable to use this insulin efficiently, as is the case with insulin resistance, blood sugar levels spike. With nowhere to go, the body converts these extra sugars into fat and stores it to be used up later. Most of this fat is concentrated around the abdomen.
In a nutshell, losing weight with insulin resistance is difficult because cells are starved of fuel when theyre unable to absorb sugar and nutrients from the blood. This leads to metabolic changes and disturbed appetite regulation, which only adds to your weight loss woes. Ghrelin is a hunger hormone that stimulates appetite, increases food intake and promotes fat storage. Research has found that insulin resistance is linked to decreased plasma levels of active ghrelin and increased belly fat.
Scientists from University of Pittsburgh found that insulin resistance causes triglyceride accumulation in skeletal muscle, leading to obesity. Their findings suggest that the underlying cause was reduced capacity for fat oxidation and not fatty acid uptake. It has also been found that abdominal fat has a significantly stronger relationship with insulin sensitivity than fat gained anywhere else on the body.
Recommended Reading: How Much Does It Cost To Make Insulin
You Can Eat Many Types Of Foods
There’s nothing you cannot eat if you have type 2 diabetes, but you’ll have to limit certain foods.
You should:
- eat a wide range of foods including fruit, vegetables and some starchy foods like pasta
- keep sugar, fat and salt to a minimum
- eat breakfast, lunch and dinner every day do not skip meals
If you need to change your diet, it might be easier to make small changes every week.
Information about food can be found on these diabetes sites:
Lose Weight Reverse Type 2 Diabetes: Why It Works
Sept. 17, 2018 — Peter Maher, a retired teacher in London, says weight has been a long-term issue for him. But when it inched up even more a few years ago, his type 2 diabetes became more unmanageable. Soon after the scale read 245 pounds, he remembers catching a glimpse of himself in a mirror.
“I saw this great, fat person staring back at me,” recalls Maher, now 71. “That was my eureka moment.” Knowing he had to take action, he consulted âDr. Google.â
He found a London doctor who had published research about how substantial weight loss can reverse type 2 diabetes. In late 2015, he emailed Roy Taylor, MD, at Newcastle University and said he’d like to go on the plan Taylor had devised. The response? “You and 20,000 others.”
Taylor’s plan was so popular, he could take on no more people. Maher persisted, so Taylor sent him detailed directions and the protocol — a strict liquid diet of 800 calories at first, with regular food then phased in. The liquid diet consists of four servings of soup or vitamin-rich shakes.
By September 2016, after months of dieting, Maher had lost 66 pounds and was able to go off all his diabetes medicines, including insulin. His general practitioner said he had truly resolved his diabetes. And he had had the disease for about 30 years.
Now, he is one of Taylor’s poster patients — he’s kept off most of the weight and still does not need insulin or other diabetes medicines.
Read Also: How Do Diabetics Check Their Blood Sugar
Weight Loss For Diabetics
Losing weight can make a big difference for people with diabetesit can lower glucose levels in the blood, which may decrease the effects of diabetes and make the condition more manageable. But there are added complications and risks, too. For example, making big changes to your diet can cause serious problems. One of these is hypoglycemia, when your blood sugar goes so low that you risk the danger of going into a diabetic coma. If you have diabetes, you have to be especially careful about your weight loss plan.
Ways To Combat Menopausal Weight Gain Due To Insulin Resistance
Many women find that they gain weight sometimes a significant amount during menopause. And, to make matters worse, their old tried and true ways of getting the weight off simply dont work.
There are many theories regarding the causes of weight gain at menopause. Its a complex issue that includes a combination of poor diet sedentary lifestyle, stress, and many other factors. But, the truth is, whatever the underlying cause, insulin resistance is the primary driver of menopausal weight gain. And, the key to reversing it and achieving lasting weight loss is to keep insulin levels low.
Now, to be clear, menopause does not cause insulin resistance. Insulin resistance is the result of overall poor hormonal health. If you are struggling with post-menopausal insulin resistance and weight gain here are some additional recommendations:
Have you ever been diagnosed with insulin resistance? What have you done to reverse it?
Additional Resources from Dr. Northrup
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Behind The Weight Loss Advice
In an earlier study, Taylor’s team assigned 149 patients to the strict weight loss program and another 149 to usual care such as treatment with medications. Most were diagnosed within the previous 6 years before the start of the study.
After a year, only 4% of the usual care patients had remission of the diabetes, but 46% of those on the weight loss program did. The more they lost, the higher the chances of reversal. While 7% of patients who lost less than 11 pounds went into remission, 86% of those who lost 33 pounds or more did, Taylor found.
In general, âremissionâ in diabetes means a personâs blood sugar levels remain normal. While some refer to this as a âcure,â diabetes is not a âone and done,â disease. That is, it could always return if the patient regains the weight or returns to unhealthy habits. In 2009, a group of diabetes experts wrote that âremissionâ is a term used when a person has normal blood sugar levels for one year without therapy or surgery.
In the latest study, Taylor took a closer look at some of those patients who reverse, and ”we have a clear physiological handle on what is happening,” he says.
The Only Thing You Need To Do Is Reduce Your Bodys Insulin Release
Why?
Insulin is your bodys chief fat accumulation, fat storage, fat lockdown hormone. Each weight loss attempt described above, in its own way, reduced insulin.
Picture a winter scene.
Looking out your Pennsylvania window you see the first snowflakes of the season.
Environmental conditions must be just right for the snowflakes to form and then further right for them to land on the grass and trees. and stick. If the weather supports the snow laying on hardscape like driveways and streets, accumulation ensues.
At first the laying snow is barely noticeable. We get distracted. We walk away from the window. We dont pay attention.
When we look again, the view is quite different. Where, just moments before there was merely a covering, now the snow on the ground is gathering, piling even, in certain places where it sticks more easily. Conditions are ripe for accumulation. And the more consistently it snows, the more accumulation grows.
Sound familiar?
Weight gain is subtle. Imperceptible at first. We get distracted. And even if we are eating by the rules, whichever ones were drawn to or have created for ourselves, when our internal conditions are just right, fat accumulates.
That condition is insulin. And our snow is glucose.
accumulate : to gather or pile up especially little by little, to amass
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Losing Weight After 60 Is Hard Here Are 9 Ways To Drop The Pounds
Letâs face it â trying to lose weight after your 60 years old is really hard. Back in the day, you could eat whatever you wanted . Now, you eat a Hersheyâs Kiss, and you gain 2 pounds overnight.
As our bodies age, we lose our ability to eat whatever we want. Suddenly, we have to track calories and steps to stay ahead of the scale.
Before we get into 9 ways you can realistically lose weight, stay in shape, and feel like youâre 25 again, itâs important to understand why keeping the weight off has suddenly become so difficult.
â If youâre 65+ and are enrolled in Medicare, there are plans that offer free gym memberships as a part of your health insurance. It’s never been easier to get motivated and stay in shape! Learn more