How can you prevent type 2 diabetes through diet and lifestyle changes. What are the key steps to lose weight fast on a diabetic diet. How much weight should you aim to lose to reduce your diabetes risk. What eating plan should you follow for effective weight loss. How can physical activity help prevent diabetes.

Understanding the Link Between Weight Loss and Diabetes Prevention

Type 2 diabetes prevention is not just a possibility; it’s a proven and powerful strategy. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) sponsored Diabetes Prevention Program (DPP) research study has demonstrated that individuals at high risk for type 2 diabetes can prevent or delay its onset through specific lifestyle changes. The cornerstone of this prevention strategy? Weight loss through diet and exercise.

But how exactly does weight loss impact diabetes risk? When you carry excess weight, especially around your midsection, it can lead to insulin resistance. This means your body’s cells don’t respond effectively to insulin, the hormone responsible for regulating blood sugar levels. By losing weight, you can improve your body’s insulin sensitivity, thereby reducing your risk of developing type 2 diabetes.

The Power of Small Steps

One of the most encouraging aspects of diabetes prevention is that even small changes can yield significant results. The DPP study found that losing just 5-10% of your body weight can dramatically reduce your risk of developing type 2 diabetes. This means that for someone weighing 200 pounds, losing as little as 10-20 pounds could make a substantial difference in their health trajectory.

Setting Realistic Weight Loss Goals for Diabetes Prevention

When embarking on a weight loss journey for diabetes prevention, it’s crucial to set realistic and achievable goals. But how do you determine what’s realistic for you?

• Aim for a 5-10% weight loss within 6 months
• Set a short-term goal of losing 1-2 pounds per week
• Calculate your BMI to understand your current weight status

To help you visualize your weight loss targets, consider the following example:

Current Weight (lbs)	5% Weight Loss (lbs)	7% Weight Loss (lbs)	10% Weight Loss (lbs)
200	10	14	20
250	13	18	25
300	15	21	30

Remember, these goals are not just arbitrary numbers. They represent significant milestones in your journey towards better health and reduced diabetes risk.

Crafting a Diabetic-Friendly Diet for Rapid Weight Loss

A diabetic-friendly diet that promotes weight loss doesn’t have to be restrictive or bland. In fact, it should be a balanced, nutritious eating plan that you can sustain long-term. The key is to focus on foods that are low in calories but high in nutrients.

Core Components of a Diabetic Weight Loss Diet

• Lean proteins (chicken, fish, tofu)
• Non-starchy vegetables (leafy greens, broccoli, cauliflower)
• Whole grains (quinoa, brown rice, oats)
• Healthy fats (avocado, nuts, olive oil)
• Low-fat dairy or dairy alternatives

How can you implement these components into your daily meals? Here’s a sample meal plan:

1. Breakfast: Greek yogurt with berries and a sprinkle of nuts
2. Lunch: Grilled chicken salad with mixed greens and vinaigrette dressing
3. Dinner: Baked salmon with roasted vegetables and quinoa
4. Snacks: Apple slices with almond butter or carrot sticks with hummus

Remember, portion control is crucial. Even healthy foods can contribute to weight gain if consumed in excess. Using smaller plates, measuring portions, and being mindful of hunger cues can help you manage your intake.

The Role of Physical Activity in Diabetes Prevention

While diet plays a crucial role in weight loss and diabetes prevention, physical activity is equally important. Regular exercise not only helps you burn calories and lose weight but also improves insulin sensitivity, even in the absence of weight loss.

How much exercise do you need for effective diabetes prevention? The DPP study recommends aiming for at least 30 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity, such as brisk walking, five days a week. This equates to 150 minutes per week, which is the standard recommendation for adults for overall health.

Incorporating Movement into Your Daily Routine

If you’re not currently active, the prospect of 150 minutes of exercise per week might seem daunting. The key is to start small and gradually increase your activity level. Here are some strategies to help you move more:

• Take a 10-minute walk after each meal
• Use the stairs instead of the elevator
• Park farther away from your destination
• Do bodyweight exercises during TV commercial breaks
• Try a new physical activity each month to keep things interesting

Remember, any movement is better than no movement. Even small increases in physical activity can contribute to your overall health and diabetes prevention efforts.

Tracking Progress: The Key to Long-Term Success

Monitoring your progress is crucial for staying motivated and making necessary adjustments to your diabetes prevention plan. But what exactly should you be tracking?

• Weight: Weekly weigh-ins can help you see trends over time
• Food intake: Keep a food diary to understand your eating patterns
• Physical activity: Log your exercise minutes and intensity
• Measurements: Track changes in your waist circumference

There are numerous tools available to help you track these metrics, from smartphone apps to wearable devices. Choose a method that feels manageable and sustainable for you.

The Power of Self-Monitoring

Research has shown that individuals who consistently track their food intake and physical activity are more successful in losing weight and keeping it off. Self-monitoring increases awareness of your behaviors and helps you identify areas for improvement. It also provides a sense of accountability and can boost motivation when you see progress over time.

Leveraging Your Healthcare Team for Diabetes Prevention

Your healthcare team can be an invaluable resource in your diabetes prevention journey. They can provide personalized advice, monitor your progress, and adjust your plan as needed. But how can you make the most of your healthcare visits?

• Prepare questions in advance
• Bring your tracking logs to discuss trends
• Be honest about challenges you’re facing
• Ask about additional resources or support services

Your healthcare team may also discuss medical interventions for diabetes prevention. For example, the medication metformin has been shown to be effective in reducing diabetes risk, particularly in individuals under 60 with a BMI over 35.

Exploring Insurance Coverage for Prevention Services

Many health insurance plans now cover diabetes prevention services, including nutritional counseling and diabetes prevention programs. Check with your insurance provider to understand your coverage and take advantage of these valuable resources.

Building a Support System for Sustainable Lifestyle Changes

Embarking on a journey to prevent diabetes through weight loss and lifestyle changes can be challenging. Having a strong support system can make a significant difference in your success. But how can you build this support network?

• Engage friends and family in your health goals
• Join a diabetes prevention program or support group
• Connect with others online who are on a similar journey
• Work with a health coach or registered dietitian

Remember, support can come in many forms. It might be a workout buddy, someone to share healthy recipes with, or simply a listening ear when you’re facing challenges.

The Power of Community in Diabetes Prevention

Research has shown that individuals who participate in group-based diabetes prevention programs are more successful in achieving their weight loss goals and reducing their diabetes risk. These programs provide not only education and resources but also a sense of community and shared purpose.

Many communities offer Diabetes Prevention Program (DPP) classes, which are based on the successful NIH study. These year-long programs provide structured education, support, and accountability to help you make lasting lifestyle changes.

Overcoming Challenges in Your Diabetes Prevention Journey

While the path to diabetes prevention through weight loss is clear, it’s not always easy. Many individuals face challenges along the way. Recognizing these potential obstacles and developing strategies to overcome them can increase your chances of success.

Common Challenges and Solutions

• Plateau in weight loss: Adjust your calorie intake or increase physical activity
• Lack of time for exercise: Break activity into smaller chunks throughout the day
• Difficulty sticking to a meal plan: Experiment with new recipes to keep things interesting
• Stress or emotional eating: Develop non-food coping strategies like meditation or journaling
• Social pressures around food: Communicate your health goals to friends and family

Remember, setbacks are a normal part of any behavior change process. The key is to view them as learning opportunities rather than failures. Each challenge you overcome makes you stronger and more resilient in your diabetes prevention journey.

Long-Term Maintenance: Sustaining Your Diabetes Prevention Efforts

Losing weight is an achievement, but maintaining that weight loss over time is equally important for continued diabetes prevention. How can you transition from active weight loss to long-term maintenance?

• Gradually increase calorie intake while maintaining a balanced diet
• Continue regular physical activity, potentially increasing intensity or duration
• Keep tracking your weight and behaviors
• Stay connected with your support system
• Regularly reassess and adjust your goals

It’s important to recognize that your body and circumstances may change over time. What worked for you during initial weight loss may need to be adjusted for long-term maintenance. Be flexible and willing to make changes as needed.

The Importance of Ongoing Monitoring

Even after achieving your weight loss goals, it’s crucial to continue monitoring your diabetes risk. Regular check-ups with your healthcare provider, including blood sugar tests, can help ensure that your prevention efforts remain effective. If you notice changes in your weight, energy levels, or other health markers, don’t hesitate to seek guidance from your healthcare team.

Remember, diabetes prevention is a lifelong commitment. By maintaining a healthy weight, following a balanced diet, staying physically active, and working closely with your healthcare team, you can significantly reduce your risk of developing type 2 diabetes and enjoy better overall health for years to come.

Your Game Plan to Prevent Type 2 Diabetes

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Type 2 diabetes prevention is proven, possible, and powerful. Taking small steps, such as eating less and moving more to lose weight, can help you prevent or delay type 2 diabetes and related health problems. The information below is based on the NIH-sponsored Diabetes Prevention Program (DPP) research study, which showed that people could prevent or delay type 2 diabetes even if they were at high risk for the disease.

Follow these steps to get started on your game plan.

Set a weight loss goal

If you are overweight, set a weight-loss goal that you can reach. Try to lose at least 5 to 10 percent of your current weight. For example, if you weigh 200 pounds, a 10-percent weight-loss goal means that you will try to lose 20 pounds.

Follow a healthy eating plan for weight loss

Research shows that you can prevent or delay type 2 diabetes by losing weight by following a reduced-calorie eating plan and being more active each day.

Move more

Find ways to be active every day. Start slowly and add more activity until you get to at least 30 minutes of physical activity, like a brisk walk, 5 days a week.

Track your progress

Keep track of your progress to help you reach your goals. Use your phone, a printed log, online tracker, app, or other device to record your weight, what you eat and drink, and how long you are active.

Talk with your health care team

Ask your health care team about steps you can take to prevent type 2 diabetes. Learn about other ways to help reach your goal, such as taking the medicine metformin. Also, ask if your health insurance covers services for weight loss or physical activity.

Get support for changing your lifestyle

It’s not easy to make and stick to lifelong changes in what you eat and how often you are active. Get your friends and family involved by asking them to support your changes. You can also join a diabetes prevention program to meet other people who are making similar changes.

Set a weight-loss goal

If you are overweight, the keys to preventing type 2 diabetes are to lose weight by choosing foods and drinks that are lower in calories, and to be more active. Set a weight-loss goal that you can reach. Try to lose at least 5 to 10 percent of your current weight within 6 months. For example, if you weigh 200 pounds, a 10 percent weight-loss goal means that you will try to lose 20 pounds. A good short-term goal is to lose 1 to 2 pounds per week.

Calculate your BMI to learn whether you are overweight.

Find your weight-loss goal

Find your current weight in the first column to see how much weight you would need to lose for a 5-, 7-, or 10-percent weight loss. For example, if you weigh 200 pounds and want to lose 5 percent of your current weight, then you would need to lose 10 pounds.

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Your current weight in pounds	Pounds to lose 5 percent of your weight	Pounds to lose 7 percent of your weight	Pounds to lose 10 percent of your weight
150	8	11	15
175	9	12	18
200	10	14	20
225	11	16	23
250	13	18	25
275	14	19	28
300	15	21	30
325	16	23	33
350	18	25	35

Calculate your weight-loss goal

Use the example below to learn how to calculate your exact weight-loss goal. In this example, the goal is for a 240-pound person to lose 5 percent of his or her weight.

As shown in the example above, a 240-pound person who wants to lose 5 percent of his or her weight would lose 12 pounds and weigh 228 pounds.

Step Number	Action	Result
Step 1	Weigh yourself to get your current weight.	“My weight is 240 pounds.”
Step 2	Multiply your weight by the percent you want to lose.	“I want to lose 5 percent of my weight.”  240 pounds (current weight) x .05 (5 percent weight loss) 12 pounds to lose
Step 3	Subtract the answer in Step 2 from your current weight.	240 pounds (current weight) – 12 pounds (amount to lose) 228 pounds (weight-loss goal)

Watch a short video that explains how breaking down a goal into small steps can make achieving it easier.

Follow a healthy eating plan for weight loss

Research shows that you can prevent or delay type 2 diabetes by losing weight by following a low-fat, reduced-calorie eating plan and by being more active. Following an eating plan can help you reach your weight-loss goal. There are many ways to do this. Remember that the key to losing weight and preventing type 2 diabetes is to make lifelong changes that work for you. Many popular weight-loss plans promise “quick fixes” and haven’t been proven to work long-term or to prevent type 2 diabetes.

The four most important steps to eating healthy for weight loss are:

1. Eat smaller portions than you currently eat of foods that are high in calories, fat, and sugar.
2. Eat healthier foods in place of less-healthy choices.
3. Choose foods with less trans fat, saturated fat, and added sugars.
4. Drink water instead of drinks with sugar such as soda, sports drinks, and fruit juice.

Pay attention to portion sizes

Using the plate method can help you manage your portion sizes. Fill half of your plate with fruits and vegetables. Fill one quarter with a lean protein, such as chicken or turkey without the skin, or beans. Fill one quarter with a whole grain, such as brown rice or whole-wheat pasta.

Source: U.S. Department of Agriculture

You can use everyday objects or your hand to judge the size of a portion. For example:

• 1 serving of meat or poultry is about the size of the palm of your hand or a deck of cards
• 1 3-ounce serving of fish is the size of a checkbook
• 1 serving of cheese is like six dice
• 1/2 cup of cooked rice or pasta is like a rounded handful or a tennis ball
• 2 tablespoons of peanut butter is like a ping-pong ball

Resources to learn more about portion sizes

Recommended daily calories and fat grams

The table below shows how many calories and fat grams to eat each day to lose weight. Your needs may be different, but these are good starting points. The amounts are based on the eating patterns used in the Diabetes Prevention Program research study.

*Eating less than 1,200 calories a day is not advised. Source: DPP Lifestyle Manual of Operations

Current Weight	Calories Per Day*	Fat Grams Per Day
120-170 pounds	1,200	33
175-215 pounds	1,500	42
220-245 pounds	1,800	50
250-300 pounds	2,000	55

You can also use the Body Weight Planner to make a calorie and activity plan that can help you reach your weight-loss goals within a set time frame.

How to read the food label

When making food choices, use the Nutrition Facts Label on food packages to see how many calories and fat grams are in the foods you choose.

Resources to learn how to read and understand a food label

Eat foods from each food group

Your eating plan should include a variety of foods from each food group. Use this chart from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to learn more about which foods to eat.

Source: U.S. Department of Agriculture

Eating tips for weight loss

• Try to get as close as possible to your daily calorie and fat gram goals.
• Eat meals and snacks at about the same time each day to keep from getting too hungry.
• Eat your meals on smaller plates and put your drinks in smaller glasses to make portions look bigger. Don’t worry about cleaning your plate.
• Eat slowly. It takes 20 minutes for your stomach to send a signal to your brain that you are full.
• Limit alcoholic beverages. If you drink alcohol, choose light beer or wine instead of mixed drinks.

Here are more tips on healthy eating.

Tips for eating at home

• Use low-fat, light, or fat-free sour cream, cream cheese, mayonnaise, cheese, and salad dressing.
• Cook with a mix of spices instead of salt.
• Refrigerate extra portions of food right after cooking so that you’re less tempted to go back for seconds.
• Freeze extra portions of food to have meals ready on days when you’re too busy or too tired to cook.
• Share a bowl of fruit with family and friends instead of cookies or chips.
• Eat fat-free or low-fat frozen yogurt or sherbet instead of ice cream.

Tips for eating at work or on the run

• Take your lunch to work or meetings to stay in charge of what you eat.
• Pack your lunch the night before so it’s ready to go when you are.
• Make a sandwich on whole-grain bread with turkey or lean beef.
• Use mustard or hummus instead of mayonnaise as a sandwich spread.
• Add carrots and celery sticks to your lunch instead of chips.
• Drink water instead of juice or regular soda.
• Pack a snack like an apple or fat-free yogurt to eat if you get hungry.

Tips for eating in-between meals

• Eat fruits, vegetables, or a small handful of unsalted nuts instead of chips or candy.
• To reduce calories, drink water instead of regular soda, sports drinks, or juice.
• Chew sugar-free gum between meals to help reduce your urge to snack.

Tips for food shopping

• Make a list of what you need before going to the store, and stick to your list.
• Eat a healthy snack or meal before shopping for food. Don’t shop on an empty stomach.
• Compare nutrition facts on food labels and choose foods that are lower in calories, saturated fat, trans fats, and sodium.
• Buy a new fruit or vegetable to try each time you go to the store. Use it to add flavor and color to soups, stews, or salads.
• Buy reduced-fat or light versions of mayonnaise, cheese, and salad dressing.
• Buy fat-free, low-fat, or soy milk instead of whole milk.

Tips for eating when dining out

• When possible, plan ahead by looking at the menu and nutrition information online.
• Take time when reading the menu to choose healthier meal options.
• Order from a menu instead of a buffet, where it is harder to control how much you eat.
• Ask about the portion size, amount of fat, and number of calories in menu items when deciding what to order.
• Ask to have your meal prepared with less fat, salt, or added sugars.
• Choose foods that are baked, steamed, grilled, or broiled instead of fried.
• Choose healthier foods at fast food restaurants. Eat grilled chicken (without the skin) instead of a cheeseburger.
• Order a salad for starters, and share your main dish with a friend or have the other half wrapped to go.
• Order sauces, salad dressing, or spreads on the side to reduce the amount used on your meal.
• Ask to have the amount you don’t want to eat put in a take-home container.
• It’s okay to have a small portion of high-calorie foods once in a while. Just keep your weight-loss goal in mind.

Watch a short video about Latecia, who after seeing her mom live with diabetes, knew she needed to make changes in her life to prevent the disease.

Resources to learn more about choosing an eating plan for weight loss

Move more

When you move more every day, you will burn more calories. This can help you reach your weight-loss goal and keep the weight off. Even if you don’t lose weight, being more active may help you prevent or delay type 2 diabetes.

Find ways to be active for at least 30 minutes, 5 days a week. Walking is recommended for most people. Check with your health care team about other exercise programs.

Use these tips to get started, and keep moving:

• Dress to move. Wear walking shoes that fit your feet and provide comfort and support. Your clothes should allow you to move and should keep you dry and comfortable. Look for fabrics that take sweat away from your skin to keep you cool.
• Start slowly. Start by taking a 5-10 minute walk (or doing another activity that you like) on most days of the week. Slowly, add more time until you reach at least 30 minutes of moderate-intensity activity 5 days a week. Moderate-intensity activity will increase your heart rate and breathing. To check your intensity, use the Talk Test: a person doing moderate-intensity activity is able to talk but not sing.
• Add more movement to your day. There are many ways you can add more movement to your day. If you have a dog, take your dog for a brisk walk in the morning or evening. When going shopping, park further away from the store’s entrance to increase your walk time. If you ride the bus, get off one stop early and walk the rest of the way if it is safe.
• Try to sit less in your day. Get up every hour and move. When you watch TV, walk or dance around the room, march in place, or stretch.
• Move more at work. Take a “movement break” during the day. Go for a walk during lunchtime. Deliver a message in person to a coworker instead of sending an email. Walk around your workplace while talking on the telephone. Take the stairs instead of the elevator to your workplace. Use the alarm on your phone, watch, or other device to remind you to take “movement breaks.”
• Count your steps. You may be surprised to learn how much walking you already do every day. Use a pedometer or other wearable device to keep track of your steps. A pedometer is a gadget that counts the number of steps you take. Work up to 7, 000-10,000 steps per day.
• Keep your muscles strong. Do activities to strengthen your muscles, such as lifting weights or using resistance bands 2 or more days a week.
• Stretch it out. If your body aches or is sore, you are less likely to move more. To reduce stiff or sore muscles or joints, consider stretching after being active. Don’t bounce when you stretch. Perform slow movements and stretch only as far as you feel comfortable.
• Make it social. When you bring other people into your activities, you are more likely to stick to your plan. Make walking “dates” with friends or family members throughout the week. For family fun, play soccer, basketball, or tag with your children. Take a class at a local gym or recreation center to be active with other people. Start a walking group with your neighbors, at work, or where you worship.
• Have fun. Being active doesn’t have to be boring or painful. Turn up the music and dance while cleaning the house. Go dancing with friends and family members. Play sports with your kids or grandkids. Try swimming, biking, walking, jogging, or any activity that you enjoy that gets you moving. Find different ways to be active so you won’t get bored.
• Keep at it. Reward yourself with nonfood treats, such as watching a movie, to celebrate your small successes. The longer you keep at it, the better you’ll feel. Making changes is never easy, but being more active is one small step toward a big reward: a healthier life.

Watch a video with physical activity tips and tips on taking small steps to become and stay more active.

Resources to learn how to get started with becoming more active

Track your progress

Research shows that people who keep track of their weight and activity reach their goals more often than those who don’t. Weigh yourself at least once a week. Keep track of what you eat and drink, how many minutes of activity you get each day, and your weight.

The examples below show how to record your daily activity and food intake.

Daily Activity
Type of Activity	Minutes
Walking	10
Stationary bike	20
Daily Total	30
Daily Steps
Number of Steps Taken	7,450

Daily Food and Drink Intake
Time	Amount	Food Item	Calories	Fat Grams
8:00 a.m.	1 cup	Oatmeal	160	3.5
	½ cup	Strawberries	25	0
	6 oz.	Light yogurt	90	0
	1 cup	Tea with sugar-free sweetener	0	0
11:00 a.m.	10	Almonds	70	6.0
12:30 p.m.	2 slices	Wheat bread	160	2.0
	4 oz.	Ham	125	3.0
	2 tsp.	Mustard	5	0
	1 oz. slice	Cheese	110	9.0
	1 oz.	Potato chips	160	10.0
	10	Cherry tomatoes	30	0
4:00 p.m.	4 squares	Graham crackers	120	3.0
	1 tbsp.	Peanut butter	95	8.0
6:30 p.m.	3 oz. skinless	Chicken breast	140	3.0
	1 cup	Cooked broccoli	55	0
	½ cup	Brown rice	110	1.0
	1 cup	Pineapple chunks	80	0
	1 cup	Nonfat milk	90	.5
Daily Total			1,625 calories	49.0 grams

Resources to record your meals and how much you move each day

You can also download an app to your smartphone or tablet that helps you track what you eat, your activity, and your weight.

Talk with your health care team

People are usually more successful at weight loss and being more active if they have regular contact and support from health professionals. Talk with your health care team about the changes you want to make to prevent type 2 diabetes.

• Tell your health care team about your progress with weight loss and activity, and if you are having trouble sticking with your plan.
• Ask your health care team if you should take a medicine called metformin. Research shows that taking metformin can help prevent or delay type 2 diabetes. It is most helpful in younger people who are overweight and have prediabetes, and for women who have had gestational diabetes, a type of diabetes that develops during pregnancy.
• Contact your health insurance provider to learn what benefits are offered for weight-loss programs, diabetes-prevention programs, nutrition counseling, or fitness programs.

If you smoke or use other tobacco products, you should stop. Even though quitting smoking can make it hard to manage your weight, it is a very important step to improve your health. Ask your health care team to help you create a plan for quitting. You can start by calling the national quitline at 1-800-QUITNOW (1-800-784-8669). For tips on quitting, go to SmokeFree.gov.

Get support for changing your lifestyle

Making big changes in your life is hard. You don’t have to change everything at once. You can make it easier by taking these steps:

1. Think about what is important to your health. What are you willing and able to do?
   Example: I know that being more active can help me lose some weight.
2. Decide what your goals are. Choose one goal to work on first.
   Example: I want to see if I can work up to getting 30 minutes of walking in a day on at least 5 days of the week.
3. Decide what steps will help you reach your goal.
   

   Steps to reach your goal	Example
   Set a time frame and deadline for making lifestyle changes.	I’ll start this week by walking for 10 minutes at lunch time.
   Plan what you need to get ready.	I need to take walking shoes to work.
   Think about what might prevent you from reaching your goals.	In bad weather, I won’t want to walk outside. I can walk inside instead.
   Decide how you will reward yourself when you do what you have planned.	If I stick with my plans this week, I’ll watch a movie.

4. Pick one step to try this week.

Add one or two healthy changes every week. Don’t get upset with yourself if you have a setback or lose control of your plan. Everyone has slips. Injury, illness, or being too busy can make it hard to stick to your plan. It’s not easy to make lifelong changes in what you eat and drink and in how often you are active. The important thing is to review your Game Plan and get back on track as soon as possible.

Resources to plan your lifestyle changes

You don’t have to do it alone

Find family and friends who will support and encourage you in preventing type 2 diabetes. Join with a neighbor or coworker in changing your lifestyle. Talk with your health care team to learn about programs that may help, such as the National Diabetes Prevention Program.

Low Carb and Weight Loss in Type 1 Diabetes

In type 1 diabetes, the body doesn’t automatically respond to meals by releasing insulin, this has to be done manually through taking injections or through bolus doses via insulin pump.

If you’re looking to lose weight, this can give an advantage, in a way, as it allows you to review exactly how much insulin you’re taking each day.

By contrast, people without type 1 diabetes have no good way of knowing how much insulin they have in their body.

A good rule of thumb is that the more units of insulin you take per day, the more likely you are to put on weight.

Less insulin intake, improved weight management

Say Jill and Michelle are roughly the same height and both have type 1 diabetes. Jill is taking 50 units per day and Michelle is taking 100 units per day. Generally speaking, it’s more likely that Jill will be finding it easier to manage her weight than Michelle.

So, if you’re looking to lose weight, one way to achieve this is to modify your diet, or eating habits, so that you take less insulin whilst maintaining good blood control.

Warning note: We need to make an important safety note that reducing your insulin whilst letting glucose levels go high for long periods of time is not a good idea at all. Doing this will lead to a much greater risk of very serious health problems such as retinopathy, neuropathy and kidney disease.

Reducing insulin intake safely

There are a number of ways insulin intake can be reduced in a safe way:

• Lower your carbohydrate intake
• Lower your protein intake -if you eat a lot of protein
• Increase physical activity
• Reduce snacking

Out of these, reducing carbohydrate intake is likely to have the greatest effect.

Lowering insulin doses should only be done if you are confident with adjusting your own insulin. If you are not confident, speak to your doctor about whether and how your insulin doses should be adjusted.

For more information on improving your success on a low carb diet, see our guides on:

Lower your carbohydrate intake

If you can reduce either your carbohydrate intake, you should be able to reduce your doses of insulin, however, be prepared to be patient with this.

If you can reduce the carb for meals, you should find you need less high mealtime/bolus doses.

Note that basal insulin doses may need adjusting when going onto a low-carb diet so involve your health in reviewing your insulin requirements.

Lower your protein intake

Some people may struggle to lose weight on a low-carb diet if they’re having a lot of protein in their diet.

If you are having a large amount of meat, for instance, you may need to substitute some of the meat for foods with more fat and less protein.

See more on how to follow a healthy low-carb diet

Increase physical activity

Getting into the habit of taking regular physical activity should help towards taking less insulin.

Taking walks after meals is a good way to lower sugar levels. Make sure you put in a lower dose for the meal to account for this.

Basal insulin can be reduced in advance of exercise if you know that you will definitely be carrying out a significant amount of exercise within up to 24 hours.

If you use an insulin pump , you can reduce or suspend your basal dose prior to or during exercise to prevent hypos occurring.

One thing to watch out for is if you find yourself having to take carbohydrate prior to or during exercise to prevent exercise.

You can try taking a 10-second sprint to raise sugar levels prior to exercise instead of having carbohydrate. The 10-second sprint, which can be performed on the spot, will usually trigger the liver to raise sugar levels within about 15 minutes.

Check your sugar levels 15 minutes after the sprint to make sure the effect has worked. Note you will need to use a blood glucose meter rather than a continuous glucose monitor (CGM) as they have around a 10-minute delay.

Reduce snacking

Excess snacking is a habit that many of us can all-too-easily fall into. Cutting back on snacking can be achieved with good commitment and being confident that you don’t really need to snack.

Hunger typically comes in waves and often, when feeling in a grazing mood, simply waiting it out for 20 minutes or so can see the snacking impulse pass.

It’s a good idea to get into a task or take some exercise to distract your thoughts away from eating.

Note that a feeling of hunger can sometimes be brought on by low sugar levels. If you are regularly going low after meals, you will need to review your insulin doses.

Reduce basal insulin gradually

The DAFNE course advises that most people do not need to be on more than 24 units of basal insulin a day. However, if you have insulin resistance, you may need to be on a higher basal dose than this and try to gradually reduce your basal dose down.

Maintaining a good low-carb diet should help you towards achieving this.

Seeing if you can reduce your basal dose down, whilst keeping good blood glucose control, can be used as motivation to see how you’re progressing.

Remember that this will take time so don’t demotivate yourself by expecting too much too soon.

Also, don’t get put off track by colds or other illnesses which may require you to raise your basal dose temporarily to keep sugar levels under control.

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How To Lose Weight With Type 2 Diabetes

If you have type 2 diabetes, then you know better than most how difficult it is to lose weight. Even when you think that you’re doing everything correctly with your diet and exercise plan, the weight never seems to fall off. Why is this?

Well, it could be a number of factors. Perhaps you aren’t eating as well as you thought. Or, maybe your medication is preventing you from losing weight effectively. Whatever the case may be, we’ll show you a few tips on how to lose weight with type 2 diabetes.

First things first, let’s talk about the benefits of losing weight with type 2 diabetes.

 

Benefits of Losing Weight With Type 2 Diabetes

When you have type 2 diabetes, losing weight should be one of your top priorities. However, for many, this is much easier said than done. Carrying excess body fat significantly increases your resistance to insulin, which makes your blood glucose management that much more challenging.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), approximately 90% of people with type 2 diabetes are overweight or obese. The longer that someone has a high body mass index (BMI), the greater their risk of developing severe health conditions, such as type 2 diabetes.

By losing weight effectively, those with type 2 diabetes can significantly improve their health and blood sugar levels. Experts say that the right way to lose weight is to implement healthy lifestyle choices, such as regular exercise and a well-balanced diet.

If you practice these healthy lifestyle choices, then you’ll not only see a major difference in your health and blood sugar levels, but also your energy, mood, attitude, agility, focus, flexibility, stamina, and so much more.

 

Set A Healthy Weight Loss Goal

It’s important to set goals for ourselves so that we have something to look forward to. Setting healthy, realistic weight loss goals is the best way to incentivize your success aside from the obvious health and wellness benefits.

Rome wasn’t built in a day, so don’t try to reach your weight loss goal overnight. While everyone wants a quick solution, drastic diets and extreme exercise regimes aren’t very sustainable. Try to focus on healthy lifestyle changes that you can maintain for the long term.

Once you’ve accomplished these goals the first time around, then you can learn how to practice these goals so that they can become habits.

It’s natural for setbacks to occur occasionally. When you have a setback, don’t be too hard on yourself or get discouraged. We’re only human, after all. The best thing that you can do is get back on track towards reaching new healthy weight loss goals for the future.

 

Move Those Muscles

Exercise and daily activity is an integral part of everyday life. Our bodies were not designed to stay still forever. We must move our muscles and break a sweat to maintain and improve our fitness health. In fact, research shows that exercise is the key to successfully keeping the weight off over time and that those who increase their physical activity will lose more body fat than those who only diet.

Try to aim for 150 minutes of exercise per week, or 30 minutes per day for 5 days a week. And remember, you don’t have to work out vigorously to lose weight. You can practice moderate, low-intensity exercises to sustain healthy weight loss. Take a 10-minute walk around your neighborhood after dinner, or ride your bike along the trail in the mornings before breakfast.

Adding a few more steps and movements in your day can make all the difference. Don’t let your type 2 diabetes get in the way of your physical health. Get off the couch and move your muscles to achieve healthy weight loss!

 

Diet Till You Drop

Maintaining a healthy diet isn’t about cutting out all foods. Eating a well-balanced diet is about increasing your fiber and protein while decreasing your carbohydrates, sugars, and saturated fats. By eating a good diet and maintaining healthy blood glucose levels, you’ll drop the weight much faster and more efficiently.

The American Diabetes Association suggests that those with diabetes should focus on eating lean protein, high-fiber, less processed carbs, fruits, and vegetables. They also note that eating low-fat dairy and healthy vegetable-based fats like nuts, avocado, and olive oil can help you manage a healthy weight.

You should speak to your doctor about your daily caloric intake and formulate a meal plan to get you on track to accomplish your weight loss goals.

 

Best Foods To Eat With Type 2 Diabetes

Carbohydrates:

You can find carbohydrates in fruits. Vegetables, whole grains, legumes, beans, and dairy products. Carbohydrates are rich in necessary vitamins, minerals, and fiber. These include:

• Whole grains (wheat, pasta, brown rice, oatmeal, and quinoa)
• Nonstarchy vegetables (peppers, onions, asparagus, spinach, and broccoli.)
• Legumes & beans

Proteins:

At least 1/4th of your meal should contain a source of lean protein, including meat, poultry, fish, and eggs. There are also vegetarian options like beans and tofu to eat as a source of protein. These include:

• Fish (sardines, tuna, or salmon)
• Poultry (chicken or turkey)
• Lean beef (tenderloin or sirloin)
• Eggs
• Tofu
• Hummus
• Beans
• Edamame
• Low-fat or fat-free cottage cheese

Fats:

It’s a common misconception that fat is a bad thing. There are such things as good and bad fats. The essential key is being able to differentiate between healthy and unhealthy fats, enjoying both in moderation. These include:

• Seeds (sesame, pumpkin, or sunflower)
• Olive oil
• Avocado
• Nuts (almonds, peanuts, and walnuts)

Dairy:

Low-fat dairy is a great source of protein. They are also low in saturated fats and sugar, giving you the energy that you need to get through the day. These include:

• Nonfat or low-fat milk
• Nonfat or low-fat plain yogurt (greek yogurt)
• Nonfat or low-fat cottage cheese
• Non-dairy milk (soy milk or almond milk)
• Reduced-fat cheese

Foods to Avoid With Type 2 Diabetes

It’s very difficult to maintain a perfectly healthy diet every day for an extended period of time. It is known that setbacks are natural, but you should do your best to not make these eating setbacks a habit. Certain foods that should be limited or avoided if you have type 2 diabetes include:

• Snack foods (chips, crackers, or pretzels)
• White bread or pasta
• Cookies
• Cakes
• Candy
• High-saturated fats (bacon or fatty cuts of meat)
• Canned soups
• Microwavable meals

The Bottom Line

Maintaining a healthy weight is not always easy, especially for people with diabetes. However, if you really give it your all to lose weight properly, then you can take full advantage of the incredible health benefits associated with eating a diabetes diet along with regular exercise.

When you eat well and exercise, you can significantly lower your risk of developing heart disease, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, irregular A1C levels, and extreme weight gain.

Make sure that you’re practicing healthy habits daily to prevent type 2 diabetes-related illnesses and health complications. You owe it to yourself and those that you care bout most to make your health your # 1 priority.

Unexplained Weight Loss: Could it be Diabetes?: Creekside Family Practice: Family Medicine

Weight loss is generally seen as a good thing. Achieving a healthy weight through regular exercise and a nutritious diet has numerous benefits for overall wellness, but what about weight loss that’s unintentional?

Small fluctuations in weight — a couple of pounds one way or another — are normal. But, if you’ve lost more than 10 pounds, and you haven’t ramped up your fitness routine or changed your diet, it could be a sign that something’s wrong.

In fact, unexplained weight loss could be a sign of diabetes. Diabetes is a common metabolic condition that affects the way your body uses sugar from the foods you eat. Diabetes is a chronic condition, and it can cause numerous health problems — from nerve damage to vision changes — if left untreated. If you notice unexplained weight loss or other symptoms, it’s important to visit the doctor.

At Creekside Family Practice in Cypress and Tomball, Texas, Hammad Qureshi, MD, and our team specialize in providing primary care and diabetes management services. If you’ve noticed unintentional weight loss, it’s time to get a professional opinion.

How diabetes can cause weight loss

Insulin is a hormone the body produces to absorb sugar, or glucose, from the foods you eat. Insulin converts sugar into energy that fuels your brain, muscles, and the rest of your body.

If you have diabetes, your body either doesn’t make enough insulin or it can’t effectively use the insulin it does make. As a result, the sugar stays in your bloodstream instead of being converted into energy, and your blood sugar rises.

Because the sugar stays in your blood, your body doesn’t get the fuel it needs. As a result, it begins burning fat and muscle for energy, which can result in unexplained weight loss.

The most common types of diabetes are Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes. With Type 1 diabetes, the body produces little or no insulin because the immune system attacks insulin-producing cells. Type 1 diabetes often develops in early childhood. 

With Type 2 diabetes, the body doesn’t produce enough insulin or becomes resistant to it. This type of diabetes often occurs later in life and is thought to develop due to lifestyle factors — such as being overweight and inactive — as well as genetic factors.

Other signs of diabetes

Unexplained weight loss rarely occurs on its own. If this happens to you, you should look for other potential signs that you may have diabetes, including the following:

Frequent urination

If your blood sugar is too high, your kidneys work overtime to filter out the excess sugar. This process creates more urine, making you feel the urge to urinate more frequently.

Constant thirst

Because of the frequent urination, this can dehydrate you. And dehydration can cause constant, unquenchable thirst, which is another sign of diabetes.

Other symptoms can include tingling or numbness in your hands or feet as well as blurry vision. These symptoms can be the result of nerve damage caused by uncontrolled high blood sugar.

If you have unexplained weight loss, don’t ignore it. Make an appointment with our team at Creekside Family Practice to find out if you have diabetes. If you do, we can develop a treatment plan to help you manage your condition. To learn more, book an appointment online or over the phone today.

How Weight Loss Can Reverse Type 2 Diabetes

An analysis published in The BMJ aims to let doctors and the public in on a little-known secret: Type 2 diabetes, in many cases, is curable.

People can reverse their diabetes by losing about 33 pounds, say the authors of the new paper, despite popular belief that the diagnosis is always a permanent one. If more people were striving for this goal, and if more doctors were documenting instances of diabetes remission, complication rates and health-care costs could both be reduced dramatically, the authors say.

Weight Loss Guide

The analysis is based on evidence from recent clinical trials. In one from 2011, people who were recently diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes returned their blood sugar levels to normal when they lost weight on a calorie-restrictive diet. In a 2016 follow-up study, people who had been diabetic for up to 10 years were able to reverse their condition when they lost about 33 pounds.

TIME HealthGet the latest health and science news, plus: burning questions and expert tips. View Sample

Mike Lean, professor of human nutrition at the University of Glasgow in Scotland, is an author of both the new analysis and of those earlier trials. He says a person’s likelihood of remission from diabetes is greatest in the first five years after being diagnosed.

Type 2 diabetes, he wrote in an email, is a disease “best avoided by avoiding the weight gain that drives it.” For people who do develop it, he believes that evidence-based weight-loss programs could help them achieve lasting remission.

“Not all can do it, but they should all be given the chance with good support,” Lean writes. “Taking tablets or injections for life to reduce blood sugar is a poor second rate treatment.”

Current guidelines for the management of type 2 diabetes include reducing blood sugar levels and lowering risks for heart disease, primarily with medications and general lifestyle advice about diet and exercise.

But many people don’t attempt to lose weight and keep it off, Lean says—and that may be because because they don’t realize they can become non-diabetic again. Many doctors don’t know this either, he says, so they don’t give patients the proper guidance and encouragement.

Most healthcare services cannot yet offer a structured weight loss program like those that have shown promise in clinical trials, Lean says, “but we hope very much that one will soon become widely available.” The first results from a large, ongoing study on the effectiveness of such a program are expected in 2018.

Lean and his coauthors also advocate for the medical community to develop clear guidelines for retesting and reclassifying people who were diagnosed with diabetes but whose metabolic measures have returned to healthy levels.

In the meantime, he says, those patients should do their best—by any available and safe method—to lose weight and keep it off. “People with diabetes should start to demand support for sustained weight loss,” he says, “but it will never be simple, and they themselves have to make big long-term changes.”

What is the Fast 800 diet?

Developed by Dr Michael Mosley of BBC Two’s Trust Me, I’m a Doctor, the Fast 800 diet claims to potentially cut your risk of type 2 diabetes, heart disease and cancer and, because stage one is a very low-calorie diet (VLCD), possibly reverse type 2 diabetes. The diet is aimed at those wishing to lose weight, especially if they carry excess abdominal fat, as well as those with blood sugar issues, including pre-diabetes and type 2 diabetes. Michael designed the diet based on the research performed by Professor Roy Taylor of Newcastle University including the DiRECT study, funded by Diabetes UK.

What does the Fast 800 diet involve?

The Fast 800 diet brings together the concepts of Michael Mosley’s previous books including the 5:2 diet and the Blood Sugar Diet and combines them with knowledge gained from recent research relating to intermittent fasting and low carb or low calorie diets.

The Fast 800 is structured in stages and starts with a rapid weight loss phase, which lasts for a minimum of two weeks and a maximum of 12. This involves following a daily eating plan that is restricted to 800 calories – either by using a VLCD meal replacement product which supplies 600 calories (normally equivalent to three shakes) combined with 200 calories of vegetables; or you can choose to eat real food (recipe ideas are included in the book), which comprise lean protein sources and vegetables. Those adopting this stage of the plan typically have either a lot of weight to lose, require fast results, have reached a weight loss plateau or have type 2 diabetes. Stage one is designed to switch the body from burning sugar to burning fat by prompting mild ketosis.

The second stage of the plan involves intermittent fasting, restricting calories to 800 a day for two days of the week, then eating a healthy, lower carb Mediterranean diet for the remaining five days. This stage offers an opportunity to embrace home cooking, reduce processed foods and focus on vegetables, wholegrains, nuts, seeds, legumes, healthy fats and lean protein. The plan recognises that sustaining protein intake is important to maintain muscle mass and support metabolism. The plan also suggests time-restricted eating to enhance the benefits of fasting.

Once you’ve achieved your goal weight, you enter the maintenance phase. This phase is designed to fit personal goals and to work with your lifestyle; you’ll continue with the Mediterranean style of eating, following a low sugar diet with limited amounts of starchy carbs, with a weekly fast day, if needed.

Is the Fast 800 diet healthy?

Whether the Fast 800 will be beneficial for you will depend on your circumstances. One of the goals of the Fast 800 is to target metabolically active abdominal fat – this fat puts people at risk of lifestyle diseases, like type 2 diabetes. The first stage of the diet works on the premise that when we eat refined, typically ‘white’ carbohydrates, like white bread, pasta and rice, they are easily broken down in the gut to release sugars which over time leads to fat accumulation and possible insulin resistance. The aim of this stage of the diet is to normalise liver and pancreas fat and promote regular insulin response and blood glucose management.

However, adopters should be aware that this rapid weight loss stage can be intense and may have a significant impact on blood sugar levels, so if you are prescribed diabetic medication or insulin you must discuss the plan with your GP and secure their ongoing support and monitoring for the duration of the plan.

During first stage you may also experience side effects – the most common are headaches, constipation or tiredness. This is typically due to dehydration, so the plan encourages you to increase your intake of calorie free liquids to 2-3 litres per day.

If you choose not to use a meal replacement product during this stage, micronutrient intake may be low and a vitamin and mineral supplement may be needed to support nutrient intake. Meal replacement products, such as shakes, are designed to help stave off hunger so if you do elect to follow the ‘real food’ version of the plan you may also be challenged with hunger pains.

Is the Fast 800 diet effective for weight loss?

VLCD, those supplying 800 calories or less, can lead to rapid weight loss, but may not be suitable or safe for everyone and they are not routinely recommended by the NHS. Typically, they are only recommended if you have an obesity-related complication which would benefit from rapid weight loss. The NHS advise that for the majority of us to lose weight in a safe and sustainable way, we should reduce our calorie intake to 1,900 calories for men and 1,400 calories for women.

Dr Mosley claims that by following the rapid weight loss stage of the Fast 800 you may lose as much as 14kg over 8 weeks. This does depend on your start weight, how much you need to lose and assumes you remain motivated and committed throughout this challenging phase. Stage two of the plan offers a more sustainable period from which to progress weight loss at a slower rate.

Is the Fast 800 diet safe to follow in the long term?

The NHS suggest that should you choose to follow a VLCD you should do so for no longer than 12 weeks and under the guidance of a suitably qualified healthcare professional. Dr Mosley also cites 12 weeks as the maximum period for the rapid weight loss stage of the Fast 800 and that, thereafter, a low-carb Mediterranean diet is followed.

Restricting calories over a long period of time will limit your intake of nutrients and energy, especially if you follow the ‘real food’ version of the plan. Meal replacement shakes are typically fortified with vitamins and minerals and supply protein and essential fats which may help fulfil your nutrient requirements, however, they are still a tool for short-term use only.

Although there are no reported Fast 800 trials the DiRECT study led by Professor Roy Taylor, which inspired components of the Fast 800 diet, continues to monitor participants. The study reported their second year findings which suggest that intensive weight management has the potential to reduce or delay the complications of type 2 diabetes.

Who shouldn’t follow the Fast 800 diet?

It is advisable to refer to your GP or healthcare professional before starting a new dietary regime especially if you are under 18 years old, elderly, have a pre-existing medical condition, including type 2 diabetes or are on medication. You may need your GP’s support to make changes to your medication and to monitor your blood sugar or blood pressure levels as you progress through the plan. You should also consult your GP if you’re taking warfarin, are on blood pressure tablets, are pregnant, breastfeeding or undergoing fertility treatment.

In addition, The Fast 800 Diet is not recommended for people who are underweight or have an eating disorder, are type 1 diabetics, have had a heart condition or are recovering from surgery. The 800 calories restriction is also not appropriate for anyone participating in endurance exercise.

Please note: if you’re considering attempting any form of diet, please consult your GP first to ensure you can do so without risk to health.

---

This article was published on 5 December 2019.

Kerry Torrens BSc. (Hons) PgCert MBANT is a Registered Nutritionist with a post graduate diploma in Personalised Nutrition & Nutritional Therapy. She is a member of the British Association for Nutrition and Lifestyle Medicine (BANT) and a member of the Guild of Food Writers. Over the last 15 years she has been a contributing author to a number of nutritional and cookery publications including BBC Good Food.

All health content on bbcgoodfood.com is provided for general information only, and should not be treated as a substitute for the medical advice of your own doctor or any other healthcare professional. If you have any concerns about your general health, you should contact your local healthcare provider. See our website terms and conditions for more information.

Diet and Lifestyle Changes can Beat Type 2 Diabetes

The best way to treat type 2 diabetes is by practicing healthy habits on a regular basis; in many cases, you might be able to get off the pill. A particularly good way to treat diabetes naturally is by eating foods that are good for diabetes, exercising regularly, and maintain a healthy weight. It is no secret that type 2 diabetes is on the rise in the United States. There is a multitude of things you can do to change your lifestyle and improve your health.

In a large clinical trial, Look AHEAD Study, https://www.niddk.nih.gov/about-niddk/research-areas/obesity/long-term-lifestyle-change-type-2-diabetes-obesity-study funded by the National Institutes of Health and the Centers for Disease Control Prevention (CDC) found that over a four-year period, making a change to healthier eating habits, and getting more exercise led to weight loss and improved diabetes control in 5,000 overweight or obese participants with type 2 diabetes.

One of the keys to being consistent is to keep a close tab on exactly what you are eating. We know that it is sometimes difficult to write down everything and every time you eat, however, it is greatly beneficial to attempt to do so. It is an accurate way to see how positive foods can slowly alter your weight, energy levels, and overall mental health. Foods such as fresh or frozen fruit and vegetables, whole grains, beans, lean meats, and low-fat or fat-free dairy are a healthy way to go. Focus on eating fruit and non-starchy vegetables, like broccoli, carrots, and lettuce, and having smaller portions of starchy foods, meats, and dairy products. Attempting to avoid foods that are high on the glycemic index (GI) and the glycemic load (GL) will drastically improve your A1C levels. These are primarily processed foods and white foods such as sugar and flour. Berries, apples, and pears are a particularly good choice for in-between meal snacks for they are extremely low on the GI.

It probably goes without saying that eating fast food is not a good idea except as a special occasion because they contain trans fats, refined carbohydrates, and loads of sodium, which compounds insult with injury to the diabetic’s heart and overall health. If you must stop for fast food attempt not to purchase anything that is deep-fried. Remember this should not be a meal; it should only be utilized to tide you over until you can get to a healthy meal later.

Type 2 diabetes most always comes with a care plan for weight reduction. Shedding a few pounds such as 10 or 15 pounds can make a big difference in people with diabetes glucose levels. If you are considered a borderline diabetic losing 7% of your body weight can help lower the risk of ever having to start taking medications and receiving a diagnosis of type 2 diabetes.

Exercise is a dual benefit for people who have type 2 diabetes. Walking, running, taking the stairs, parking further in a parking lot may seem minimal, however, this physical activity has the ability to push glucose out of your blood and into your cells. Of course, it is better to have a little more rigid workout such as cardio and weightlifting for attempting to lose weight. The CDC recommends getting at least 150 mins a week of brisk walking or similar activity, which comes out to about 30 mins a day, five times a week. The Center for Diabetes and Endocrine Care is here for all your diabetic needs or questions. diabetesendocare.com

 

 

 

90,000 At what diseases do they lose weight?

Losing weight for no explainable reason and do not understand what is the reason? In this article, we will look at the most common causes of weight loss, as well as figure out which doctor you need to see.

Weight loss is often a conscious choice – we change our diet and increase physical activity in order to get rid of extra pounds and be healthier. In this case, even relatively dramatic weight loss is the norm.

On the other hand, some people lose weight precisely when they face a serious illness.With the development of the most severe diseases, one or more other symptoms appear, which appear even before the loss of a kilogram. In this situation, the reasons for the dramatic weight loss are understandable and even expected.

Sometimes it happens that the first symptom of the development of a serious illness is precisely the loss of a kilogram. Other symptoms in this case appear a little later. Below we will consider the most common diseases in which weight loss may be the first symptom .Remember that all of the following violations are not related to planned weight loss.

At what diseases do you lose weight?

Possible causes of unexplained weight loss include:

Cancer

In the vast majority of cases, the patient develops other symptoms before losing weight. They can be very different – depending on the type and location of the malignant process. Sometimes dramatic weight loss in oncology is the first symptom that a person notices.

Why do you lose weight with cancer? Weight loss in this case is partly due to increased activity of cancer cells, which require nutrition. In the later stages of the disease, weight “goes away” due to a combination of various factors.

Weight loss in diabetes

Sudden weight loss is often a sign of diabetes. In people with this condition, the hormone insulin is unable to force cells to use glucose as an energy source.When this happens, the body “burns” fat and muscle tissue, thus obtaining the necessary energy. This partly explains why dramatic weight loss occurs in diabetes.

Hyperthyroidism

In this disorder, the thyroid gland produces too much of the hormone thyroxine. An excess of this substance causes an increase in metabolic processes (“accelerated” metabolism). Symptoms of this disorder are:

• Anxiety, nervousness, anxiety,
• Increased emotionality,
• Irritability,
• Poor sleep,
• Feeling of a strong heartbeat,
• Shaking hands (tremors),
• Excessive sweating,
• Diarrhea.

Why does a person suddenly lose weight even though they have a very good appetite? This can be explained by increased energy expenditure due to nervousness, anxiety and constant “running around”. These are all possible signs of hyperthyroidism, which you will read about in this article.

The presence of a chronic infection or inflammatory process

Usually, with a chronic infection, a person is faced not only with losing weight, but also with other symptoms. Although with some infections, such as tuberculosis or HIV, the first visible symptom is a sudden weight loss.

In some conditions, an inflammatory process is formed in one or more parts of the body. Again, in this case, the person will be faced with other symptoms. But with some inflammatory disorders, such as polymyalgia rheumatica, the first symptoms may be feeling unwell and dramatic weight loss.

Malabsorption syndromes

There are many diseases that affect the absorption of food in the intestine.They usually trigger the onset of a symptom such as diarrhea. In some patients, weight loss is the first noticeable sign of malabsorption syndrome. Disorders of food absorption include celiac disease (celiac disease), Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis.

Dementia (decreased mental ability)

In the early stages of dementia, people may feel good, but they are not really capable of caring for themselves properly.They cannot compose and adhere to a normal diet on their own, which is why they eat poorly and subsequently lose weight.

Causes of weight loss also include:

• Addison’s disease,
• Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease,
• Heart and kidney disease,
• Hypercalcemia (high blood calcium levels),
• Parkinson’s disease,

ulcers

• .

Other causes of weight loss

Sometimes weight loss is not directly related to diseases, but is a consequence of the intake of certain substances or the psychological state of a person.

Eating Disorders

Causes of losing weight can include certain conditions that are the result of a lack of perception of your body. With such a violation as anorexia, a person strictly controls his diet and is actively trying to get rid of extra pounds in his opinion. People with anorexia are severely underweight. This is a dangerous condition that in most cases requires the intervention of not only a clinical nutritionist, but also other doctors.

Side effects of taking medication

Sometimes taking medication causes side effects that lead to weight loss. Some drugs cause loss of appetite and dry mouth, while others cause heartburn or mild abdominal discomfort. There are also medications that affect taste and smell. Any of these side effects can lead to a decrease in calorie intake and dramatic weight loss.

Depression

In this condition, people very often lose their appetite and do not want to eat, which ultimately leads to weight loss.In addition, there is such a thing as nervous weight loss. If a person is frequently faced with stressful events and is constantly nervous, they may also lose pounds.

Alcohol abuse / alcohol dependence

Many people with alcohol dependence eat poorly and lose weight without realizing it. In this case, only relatives or friends can notice the change.

What to do in case of sudden weight loss?

If you or your family member for an unexplained reason began to lose kilograms, consult a physician. American experts recommend sounding the alarm if over the past 6-12 months a person has lost more than 5% of their total body weight for some unexplained reason. If the patient is an adult and has one or more serious illnesses, even a few lost pounds is a reason to go to the doctor.

At the appointment, the specialist will analyze the medical history and conduct a thorough physical examination. If necessary, your doctor will order a blood test or other diagnostic procedure.

In this article, we looked at which diseases they lose weight and which doctors should be consulted to find the root cause. Although, in most cases, the cause of weight loss or problems with weight gain is common malnutrition. If a person eats a lot and cannot gain weight, there is no need to look for hidden reasons.The best option is to get professional advice from a clinical nutritionist.

Sources:

1. Unexplained weight loss, Mayo Clinic,
2. Unexplained Weight Loss, Diabetes.co.uk,
3. Unintentional weight loss, NHS,
4. Weight Loss (Unintentional), Patient.org.

Dog losing weight: causes of weight loss in dogs

Liver disease in dogs

Sudden weight loss is one of the signs of early stage liver disease, along with vomiting, food refusal and general lethargy.

Exocrine pancreatic insufficiency (EPI) in dogs

Exocrine pancreatic insufficiency is a condition in which a dog cannot efficiently digest food because its pancreas does not produce enough digestive enzymes to keep the body running. This means that the dog is not getting the nutrients or energy it needs, which is why it is losing weight. This condition is also characterized by chronic diarrhea and increased appetite as the dog tries to make up for the lack of energy by consuming more food.

Diabetes in dogs

Unfortunately, diabetes is a common disease in dogs. With poorly controlled diabetes, the dog loses weight quickly enough. Often, diabetes in dogs is diagnosed with a weight loss screening. As a rule, diabetes develops in animals of middle or older age, with reduced body weight. If your dog fits this description, it is important to keep his weight stable.

What to do if you notice a sudden weight loss in your dog

Since sudden weight loss is a common symptom of some difficult chronic conditions such as kidney failure or diabetes, it is very important to consult your veterinarian if your pet is rapidly losing weight.Your veterinarian will do the necessary research to determine the likely cause of your weight loss and suggest treatment based on your pet’s condition. Your dog’s diet may need to be changed to normalize its weight and, if it has a gastrointestinal disorder, relieve or eliminate the symptoms.

If you have any concerns about your dog’s weight, contact your veterinarian immediately for advice on what to do in this situation.

90,000 how you can and should not lose weight with type 1 and 2 diabetes

Normal weight in case of sugar disease is necessary not only for the sake of beauty. This is a factor of well-being and longevity, prevention of the development of the problem and its complications. But you need to lose weight with diabetes so as to preserve all the principles of correct nutrition in case of illness.

📌 Contents of the article

Reasons for getting rid of excess weight

Losing weight with diabetes is because:

• Excess weight, that is, the amount of adipose tissue in the body leads to excessive production of insulin.This factor can cause the cells to become insensitive to the hormone, which means the progression of the disease.
• The process is impossible without reducing the amount of carbohydrates in the diet. Such nutrition will help to normalize the work of the pancreas, its production of insulin, that is, reduce the threat to health, and reduce the risk of diabetes complications.
• In case of type 2 pathology, this will help to equalize the blood sugar level. After all, being overweight is one of the reasons for the onset of the disease. Sometimes release from it makes it possible to reduce the dose of medications taken or completely abandon them, limiting ourselves to proper nutrition.
• Getting rid of extra pounds reduces the stress on blood vessels, which also suffer from diabetes. Lowering cholesterol levels, thanks to less fat in the diet, will make them more elastic. In this case, normal blood circulation will be restored. This also reduces the risk of complications of the disease (vision problems, heart problems, diabetic foot, etc.).

We recommend reading about the summer diet for weight loss. You will learn about the advantages and disadvantages of the summer diet, the menu for 5-7-10-30 days, the results of losing weight.
And here is more about a diet for losing weight on the abdomen and sides.

Basic principles of diet number 9

Changes in nutrition are the main thing that the endocrinologist will prescribe after the diagnosis is made. With diabetes, diet number 9 is indicated. Its main features:

• Low calorie content by reducing the amount of carbohydrates. Sugar, baked goods are excluded, sweet fruits, potatoes, pasta, bread are sharply limited. Carbohydrates should be “slow”: buckwheat, oatmeal, barley porridge.
• Fat reduction.You can not eat lard, smoked meats. Fats should be easily digestible, that is, mainly from dairy products: cottage cheese, sour cream, kefir, yogurt, cheese. They should be chosen with a low content. It is preferable to use vegetable oil, they eat little butter, mostly put in dishes.

• Preservation of the amount of proteins. Their body should receive from lean meat, fish, eggs.
• Lots of vegetables with low carbohydrates. They fill the body with vitamins, give a feeling of fullness without overeating.All kinds of cabbage, zucchini, eggplants, cucumbers, tomatoes, lettuce, pumpkin are useful for diabetics. Limit potatoes, carrots, beets.
• The way food is prepared should make it easier to digest. Dishes are boiled or baked, but not stewed or fried. Fruits and vegetables are best eaten fresh.
• Meals should be 5 – 6 times a day. The amounts of food are the same for breakfast, lunch and dinner. For snacks, portions are made smaller.
• You can drink not only water, but also mineral water, tea, rosehip broth.All sugar free, but substitutes are allowed.
• Bread is eaten no more than 200 g per day, this is especially important in type 2 diabetes. Berries or fruits are enough 300 g. If you exceed the norm, blood sugar will begin to rise.

Other diet options

As an alternative to table number 9, you can use the diet of Dr. Atkins. It also involves a reduced amount of carbohydrates. At the first stage, which lasts 2 weeks, they are allowed to eat no more than 20 g per day.On the table you need lean meat, fish, seafood, vegetables during this period. At the second stage, the volume of carbohydrates can be increased to 40 g per day. But you need to control your weight. Its increase is a signal for an excess of carbohydrates for a particular patient.

The Bernstein Diet is used in diabetes therapy in the West. It also involves reducing the amount of carbohydrates and optimizing the amount of fat. In fact, this is an improved version of the Atkins diet.

For the Bernstein diet for diabetes, see this video:

Nutrition rules for diabetes

Violation of the production of insulin or its sensitivity to cells dictates the need not only to choose foods, but also other conditions:

• Fractional feed .There should be 5 – 6 meals a day. You need to choose the same time for them. This will help stabilize the production of glucose and your own insulin.
• To avoid severe hunger, you should eat foods containing fiber. These are legumes, vegetables, coarse bread. But even savory and uncomfortable baked goods need to be limited.
• Alcohol excluded . It raises blood sugar and is converted into fat in the body. Putting salt in food is also worth less.

Tips for losing weight with type 1 and 2 diabetes

It is possible to lose weight in diabetes, although it is more difficult to do it than for healthy people. An integrated approach to the task, patience and consistency will help. You cannot sit on rigid diets, this can provoke a sharp rise or fall in blood sugar levels. The process should take place under the supervision of a specialist, taking into account his recommendations. Dosed physical activity becomes a good addition to nutrition.

About the benefits of water

When losing weight, you must drink water intensively. This rule is especially important for diabetics, because their cells are already suffering from fluid deficiency.

Water speeds up metabolism, removes fat breakdown products faster. This will relieve the kidney from the load, prevent the development of a complication – ketoacidosis.

It is important to drink pure water, not tea or coffee. The latter, due to its diuretic properties, should generally be replaced with chicory. And water should be drunk per day 30 – 40 ml per 1 kg of human weight.That is, it will make up 70 – 80% of the consumed liquid.

Psychological assistance

In order to eat right, without feeling deprived, you need the right attitude. To a large extent, this applies to those with type 2 disease. After all, it occurs with age, and it is more difficult to adjust to a dietary diet.

However, once you learn that diabetes is a lifestyle, dieting is easier. A psychologist will help, but some patients can cope on their own. After all, the diet of a diabetic, despite the prohibitions, is quite diverse.

Calorie accounting

When losing weight, it is important to control the amount of energy received from food and relate it to costs. Calorie counting is indispensable here. The daily ration should be 1200 – 1600 units for:

90,046 90,047 slender women of short stature, engaged in manual labor or sports;

90,047 women of medium build who want to lose weight;

90,047 women of short stature, doing without sports.

A day they can eat 6 servings of foods with starch in the composition, 2 – meat or fish and fermented milk products, 3 – vegetables and food containing fat.

Calories in 1600 – 2000 units are admissible for:

90,046 90,047 men of short stature and no excess weight;

90,047 overweight women seeking to lose weight;

90,047 men of average height who are inactive or want to lose weight.

A day they need 8 servings of food containing starch, 2 – fermented milk and protein products, 3 servings of fruits, 4 – fat-containing foods and vegetables.

Caloric content of the daily ration in 2000 – 2400 units is shown:

• tall athletic or physically active men;
• very tall men without excess weight;

90,047 women with similar parameters who have good physical activity.

They should eat 11 servings of food containing starch, 2 servings each of meat and sour milk, 3 servings of fruits, 4 servings of vegetables, and 5 servings of fatty foods.

All the principles of table number 9 are preserved with such a diet. You need to eat often, make small portions. And you should definitely monitor your blood glucose levels.

Reducing insulin for weight loss

Diabetes is a deficiency in the production of insulin by the body (type 1) or cell immunity to it (type 2).Therefore, therapy for the disease consists in replenishing hormone reserves and reducing resistance to the substance.

But insulin slows down the breakdown of adipose tissue. However, this does not mean that a diabetic is doomed to be overweight, gain more weight, or give up medications for weight loss. The latter is unacceptable because it is dangerous.

The solution is a low-carb diet. With its help, the blood sugar level is stabilized, decreasing to normal. And it is possible to reduce the dose of the drug, which accelerates the breakdown of fat.There are also medications that can help reduce the dose of insulin. These are Siofor, Metoformin, Glucophage, which are usually prescribed for type 2 disease. But they also help with insulin-dependent diabetes. Only the doctor should appoint them.

What to exclude from the menu

Forbidden for diabetes:

• rich pastries;
• sugar, sweets, any confectionery products, including curd;
• chocolate;
• grapes, dates, figs, raisins, other sugary fruits in any form;
• carbonated drinks with sugar;
• honey.

They instantly increase blood glucose levels, negate the effect of medication. You can only indulge in these delicacies occasionally and in small portions.

We recommend reading about the orange diet for weight loss. You will learn about the benefits of the fruit, its calorie content, the orange diet menu for 3-5-7-14 days, useful recipes, and the results of losing weight.
And here is more about diets for losing weight by 10 kg.

To lose weight with diabetes, you will have to forget about foods that do not increase glucose levels, but contain a large amount of fat:

• Heavy meat or fish broths;
• milk soups with noodles, semolina, rice;
• tongue, liver;
• sausages, sausages, sausages;
• any canned food;
• cream, sour cream;
• caviar, fatty fish;
• lard;
• salted and pickled vegetables;
• mayonnaise, other fatty and spicy sauces;
• alcohol, coffee.

They should not be eaten after the weight has returned to normal.

Weight loss when diagnosed with diabetes mellitus is possible and even necessary. But do not strive to lose weight quickly and at any cost. Before starting a diet, you need to consult a doctor. And during it, do not forget to control the blood glucose level several times a day.

Useful video

About the diet for diabetes, see this video:

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90,000 Plateau effect – how to lose weight after stopping weight

Anyone who has sought to lose weight knows firsthand what a dietary plateau is.In this article, we will explain what it is, why it occurs and how to overcome it in order to continue losing weight.

What is the plateau effect and what are the reasons for its occurrence

The plateau effect is a temporary arrest of weight loss. The first time it occurs 3-4 weeks after the start of the diet, but it can also be repeated if the process of losing weight stretches for several months. The reasons for the plateau are physiological:

• Decrease in metabolic rate.

When switching to a low-calorie and monotonous diet, the body first begins to burn fat reserves, but soon a limited and tasteless menu causes the opposite effect – the brain receives a signal about a lack of food.It slows down the metabolism in an effort to store fat for a rainy day, weight loss is suspended.

• Hormonal disorders.

If compliance with all the rules of nutrition in combination with physical activity does not give the desired effect, it is time to visit a doctor. The reason may lie in various diseases: thyroid dysfunction, insulin resistance, incipient diabetes. A doctor’s consultation will allow you to identify pathology and adjust your lifestyle and nutrition.

• Own errors.

If health problems are not identified, and the dietary plateau is delayed, you need to analyze the nutritional system. The main mistakes of losing weight are:

1. Food calorie content too low . A poor diet over time will force the body to create fat stores literally from a lettuce leaf. At the same time, the general state of health is greatly deteriorating, the process of losing weight is sharply inhibited.
2. Imbalance of proteins, fats and carbohydrates and, as a consequence, metabolic disorders.
3. Wrong drinking habits . To successfully lose weight, you need to consume at least 1.5-2 liters of clean water per day. With dehydration, the rate of weight loss will slow down.
4. The presence of a large amount of transgenic and cheap vegetable fats in the diet . They disrupt lipid metabolism and lead to weight gain. Most of them are found in cheap sausages, hot dogs, and store-bought desserts.
5. Inaccurate calculation of the calorie content of dishes . When preparing dishes, hidden calories and periodic snacks are not taken into account, the calculation is made conditionally.

If you have a plateau, you just need to continue to adhere to the chosen diet, do not change your diet and do not try to limit yourself even more

If the plateau is delayed and the weight has been at the same mark for 3-4 weeks, you need to take action. Let’s start with what not to do:

1. Urgently change your diet or food system in the hope that “this will definitely help.”
2. Dramatically reduce the caloric content of the diet or starve – the body will perceive the new regime as a deterioration in the standard of living and further reduce metabolism.
3. Panic and let the process take its course.

The body most often needs a dietary plateau to stabilize weight. During this time, the body gets used to the new state, the metabolism becomes suitable for the new weight. Don’t worry and stick to your diet.

What to do to overcome the plateau

Start by analyzing the causes of the plateau. First of all, you should visit a doctor and exclude possible diseases. If the weight has risen due to your own mistakes, we apply any of these methods:

• Food diary.

It will help to track the balance of the diet. In addition to calorie content, we consider BZHU – normally, proteins should account for 30–35% of the diet, and fats – 15–20%. The remaining 45–55% are carbohydrates, preferably complex carbohydrates.

• Fasting days.

We carry out unloading one or two days a week. On proteins (kefir, cottage cheese, chicken), you can remove excess water from the body. Fruit and vegetable unloading will help cleanse the intestines well. Physical activity during such periods should be reduced.

• Decrease in the amount of carbohydrates.

We are revising our diet in favor of proteins and fats, and we reduce the amount of carbohydrates at least twice. The effect will be quick and visible, because it is they who retain excess water in the body and cause swelling. Having overcome the plateau, you can gradually return to the usual balance of the BJU.

• Cascade fasting.

Its principle is to comply with the “food window”. Food can be taken only during a certain period of the day, all the rest of the time – low-calorie drinks (water, tea, coffee).The usual options are 8/16 or 6/18 hours.

• Calorie zigzag.

To keep the metabolism from slowing down, we adhere to the zigzag rule. We calculate the weekly calorie intake and distribute it so that we get a different amount of calories every day.

Allow ourselves one wrong meal per week. It will help relieve psychological stress and calmly overcome the diet plateau without breakdowns.

• Physical activity.

We add power loads, increase the intensity of classes or their number. Circuit training or interval training can help you overcome plateaus. We try to move more during working hours and at home.

If you have a plateau, try not to weigh yourself every day – this will make you more nervous. Once a week is enough to keep your weight in check

Transition to Healthy Nutrition with Grow Food

Fashionable diets are always built on strict restrictions and do not provide long-term effects.The system of proper nutrition not only helps to overcome the plateau, but also tidies up health along with the figure.

All Grow Food menus are designed to meet the daily caloric needs of people with different lifestyles and goals. The energy value of the rations varies from 800 to 2500 kcal.

If you are already using one of the Grow Food lines and the process of losing weight has stopped, just change the diet – choose another plan with a lower calorie content.This will help you overcome your diet plateau effortlessly.

90,000 Why people who have lost 100 kg do not stop getting fat?

Losing weight does not mean stopping getting fat. Ksenia Mazitova, a leading psychologist at the Regional Center “Family”, talks about the insidiousness of eating behavior using the example of a real story of one man.

December 2014. Weight – 203 kg. Height – 177 cm.

It was the third year of Alexander’s pension. The 59-year-old railroad worker and honorary driver could no longer wash or go to the store on his own.The work schedule of night shifts for 30 years has taught a man to eat at night when he returned from a trip, and sleep during the day, so that after two such days he will go back to work. He took with him glass jars with food, which his wife prepared. Unfortunately, the train drivers do not have the opportunity to normally dine. The jars are heated on batteries, and they only have time to eat during long stops. Breakfast, lunch and dinner with a break of 12 hours before the next meal is not about people of this profession.

Children have long lived their own lives, there was only a spouse nearby. His wife kept telling him that it was time to take care of himself, but she continued to cook and put on fried cutlets with horns. In addition, Alexander loved to pamper himself with a bottle of alcohol. On drinking days, he could eat a pan of cooked food at a time. Yes, after a few days of deep hangover, the thought came that it was time to end it, but after a while everything returned to the usual way of life.

Photo: Lydia Anikina © IA “Ural Meridian”

Alexander was not scared by the fact that some transparent liquid flowed from a huge abdomen (these were the first signs of ascites), and that brown spots appeared on the legs, and at night he woke up from the fact that his breathing stopped.

He was bothered by pain in the knees and back. Sometimes my legs ached so much that even strong pain relievers did not help. Even shortness of breath prevented me from climbing even to the second floor. All his life was spent on the sofa in front of the TV: there he ate, slept, received guests, was ill, stroked the cat. On sharp remarks of relatives: “You are so fat, take care of yourself”, he answered: “Leave me alone!”

Let’s go back to the feet. Legs became the starting point for losing weight. The pain still made the man go to the hospital. The doctor said that it was necessary to change the joints, but due to the large weight, it was impossible to perform the operation.A few more months of pain forced the man to start losing weight. The youngest daughter agreed to help him in this. She took him to her place. Previously, I threw all the goodies out of the house. They consulted with a doctor: a menu and exercise plan were drawn up, which even included simple cleaning of the house. Also, the man completely stopped drinking.

All this gave the result almost instantly. By the end of March, he had lost 15 kg, after another three months – 60 kg and in total by the end of the year more than 100 kg had gone.

Yes, there were difficulties: the skin sagged, and the reaction of the environment was something like this: you are great for losing weight, but you have grown so old, you are probably sick. However, after another six months, the body recovered thanks to classes in the pool, and everyone began to pay compliments – what a fellow Sasha. The operation was successful, the pain in the knees was gone.

December 2016. Weight – 102 kg

By 2016, Alexander was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. Ascites is a thing of the past.However, his mental state was greatly shaken. Alexander was significantly influenced by the fact that his wife began to drink heavily, and in 2018 he got into an accident – his beloved car was injured. By the end of this year, he became addicted to drinking, and his weight began to rapidly return. Alexander went back and forth: from diets and fasting days to gluttony. As a result, a cardiac arrhythmia was drawn. He quit drinking again, had a successful operation. But he did not stop eating. Even trying to comply with the diet, he waited for an hour when there would be breakfast, lunch or dinner.

November 2021. Weight – 130 kg

Now Alexander continues to follow the path of returning to obesity. At night, he eats sandwiches on the sly from his wife. When one of the relatives, for example, grandchildren, has food, one can hear from him: “Let me milk it.” Forgetting about the doctor’s orders, he continues to eat junk food, moves a little, gradually returns to life on the sofa. Increasingly, his relatives again began to hear the familiar: “Leave me alone.”

This is not the end of the story of our hero, but we can already assume what awaits him in the near future.

Photo provided by a psychologist

Ksenia Mazitova, a leading psychologist at the Family Center in Tyumen, helped to figure out how a personality prevents Alexander from being fat and completely abandon his addiction to food. It is often called a bad habit, and believers know this behavior as gluttony.

Having heard this story, can you explain why a man who weighed 69 kg at the age of 20, after 30 years of a successful career, began to weigh more than 100 kg?

– The key moment that led to this result was the end of the labor activity.For people of such professions as a military man, teacher, doctor, railway worker, the end of the activity is a serious blow to the psyche. Just imagine: a person devoted himself to his business for several decades, and after retirement this business was gone literally in a day. Moreover, often such a person cannot realize himself at home, as the hero of our history. Usually, by this time, the children have already grown up, and it is not possible to find themselves in parenting.

Due to employment, my wife did not have such a close relationship.Alexander’s work schedule influenced the fact that the relationship with his wife developed in a specific way. The wife is used to seeing her husband once every 3 days, so she built her life boundaries in such a way that she learned to cope with everything herself. However, I am not saying that this is a bad marriage. We say here that the relationship was specific. The same thing happens with pairs, where one of the partners is a shift worker. If a person is absent from marriage for two weeks at first, and then a reunion takes place, the relationship is already changing, transforming.Everything develops cyclically: at first we get used to it, then we get bored, then we get out of the habit, and then everything starts anew.

Let’s return to our hero. At work he had honor and respect, but at home he realized that such an attitude would no longer exist. Most likely, during this time, rather cool relations have developed with the children, no one calls him “you”, no one comes for expert advice either. Grandchildren also hardly know grandfather, because he was always at work. And when I was at home, I devoted the day to rest, the second to my family, and the third again to work – preparing for the day.Therefore, the main argument for himself here was: “I work a lot, so I get very tired.” It turned out to be such a parent-grandfather of the “weekend”.

Could it be that the profession has influenced not only family relationships, but also eating behavior?

– An important point that led to the development of obesity after retirement was that there was an almost complete loss of activity. That is, life has changed, but he has not changed his habits.A person always functions in the environment, and the environment is everything that surrounds us, and it is not stable, it always moves somewhere. Now we have, for example, a pandemic environment, then it will be different. For a person, there is also a microenvironment – today I am 20, I am a student, I am among the hangouts with classmates, and after two decades I am already 40 and I have a family, therefore, based on the context, I must change my behavior and activities. Our hero didn’t. The work was gone, and the days he spent there did not replace anything – he didn’t get a dog, didn’t find any hobby, as he sat on the couch, and remained there.The context of the environment was not taken into account by Alexander.

Tell me, could relatives in this case contribute to obesity?

– There may be a spouse’s secondary benefit here. Because from the history we see that when the husband’s business went uphill, she abruptly began to drink. This is such a trigger marker that it was beneficial for her to serve this disability of her husband. I guess it was her way of caring. His wife feeds him, washes him, it all boiled down to the fact that he could not cope without her.She believes that she is a martyr in this relationship — she endures all this. This situation is discussed with her friends, it is being discussed that if it were not for him, she could have lived a different life. It’s such a complacency for her. In fact, it turns out that her life revolves around his illness, mind you, by her own voluntary consent. All this was very beneficial to her. And when he was cured, the wife had nowhere to adapt herself. Therefore, the fact that she started drinking is not an accident.

It turns out that she became an alcoholic is not a surprise?

– Alcoholism, in addition to being an addiction, is always a withdrawal.And a person always goes either into himself or to another place. The wife chose the option of withdrawing into herself, choosing alcohol addiction. Apparently, in this family, alcohol is the norm, the usual way of reacting to stress. I don’t want to offend anyone right now. It’s just like a family scenario. Someone goes into depression, illness may develop, someone may have drugs, promiscuous sex, etc. This, again, speaks of a familiar environment for a person. In our family history, it was customary to go to alcohol, so she began to drink. Please note that when Alexander began to gain weight again, his wife began to drink less.But the miracle did not happen, everything is natural for their environment.

It is incomprehensible how a person did not notice that before he was slender, but now he is not just in old clothes, he does not fit into the doorway.

– Who says he doesn’t notice? He is a sane person – he sees all this. Food in this context (situation) is a reward and a way to satisfy needs that do not close. Let’s remember the Austrian psychologist Sigmund Freud.

Note The psychiatrist was convinced that a newborn person feels only pleasure and displeasure.The desire to put everything that gives pleasure inside oneself is considered natural.

– This is the first complex of the year when the baby is breastfed. This reflex moment, when something got into my mouth and I calmed down, persists into adulthood. People who smoke, drink excessive amounts of alcohol, those who talk a lot, and those who overeat experience this. It can be assumed that some kind of malfunction occurred in infancy and the person then serves this complex all his life.It’s just that someone gets out of this, finding a more or less ethical way, but someone also has “bad” habits. He chewed a pencil, for example, and the person is sure that it was after these actions that an insight came to him, and he wrote something brilliant. In the case of cigarettes, the same erroneous belief: I smoked, and a brilliant idea came to me. In fact, the reflex is triggered after something enters the mouth. This creates the effect of remembering that I am now safe, everything is fine, and then positive thoughts come.With food, everything is exactly the same: I have eaten – I get the feeling that everything is fine, that I am like my mother. All this, of course, happens at the subconscious level.

Photo by Lydia Anikina © IA “Ural Meridian”

You said that the needs are not covered. What does it mean?

– Most likely, in our history, this is significance, sexuality. If there is no sexual intercourse, no one hugs me, does not touch me, then the person comes to the conclusion that he, in fact, does not need a healthy body.My wife will not leave me, I have children, I have grandchildren. You can lie on the couch like that. The function of the body is eliminated by itself.

A person does not understand the true reason for his actions. Why?

– I say all this as a translation to a book, as links to a text. This is what we do in consultations. The psychologist helps the person to come to this, go through and say all these things in therapy.

But most don’t go to a therapist?

– Yes, and the reasons are known.It takes a long time and costs money. Although many people are ready to spend finances on dietary supplements or planting worms. However, the most important thing that frightens a person is the experience of unpleasant feelings: anger, resentment, anger. He is visited by a feeling of insecurity, because he has to open up to a complete stranger. Especially for a man in his 50s in Russia, it would hardly occur to a psychologist to tell something about himself.

Are there many such potential clients in our city, in the country?

– This is every second person in our city, and every first, because I know them personally.

Maybe then you will give an expert assessment of the story of our countrywoman, who weighed 350 kg, but, having lost weight, after several suicide attempts, died. Why didn’t the joy happen?

– The symptom is gone, you know. When there is something that interferes with life, it is very good to blame it on it. At such a moment, you can hear the following phrases from people: “Now, if not for this person”, “Not my alcohol addiction”, “If I had finished school then.” But in fact, the question is what? In accepting this responsibility, that I am a failure, for example.Realizing such things is unpleasant. But we try not to take people after 60 years into therapy. This does not mean that we are not helping them. It is hard to realize at that age that you have done things and therefore your life is like this and not another. We guide and advise such clients, but not so deeply. Because it can lead to a person’s suicide. A competent psychologist will never do that.

Why did Alexander return to his habitual food consumption again?

– He again got into his environment.Since with his daughter, I think he could not live long. He returned to his wife, and we remember that his disability is beneficial to her, and everything gradually enters into the habitual way of their past life – the environment. When a person loses one resource (in our case, this is a loss of value – a machine), something else must appear. My hypothesis is that a person, in principle, has lost the meaning of life. I don’t know where to apply myself, and then self-destruction starts. Plus, a person wants more attention to himself, because at work he received it.Mikhail Litvak, a psychotherapist, candidate of medical sciences, said: “Happiness is a hard thing, and when it falls on the weak, at best it will roll off him, at worst it will crush him.”

It is difficult to be successful, but it is easier to be unhappy. However, we are all looking for a niche to be the best. Here a person has lost all his resources (not so strong, important, masculine power has faded), but he wants to get attention. Therefore, he finds himself in the state of a suffering person: “But you watch and reproach yourself, and come and tell me about it.”

What awaits him?

– While his path lies to the fact that he will return to 200 kilograms. At the very beginning, he experienced a threat to life – the feeling of death was very strong. There was a social crisis. I am not very many years old, but I am already dying. We remember that in the first case there was a resource in the form of a daughter, who took everything into her own hands. But here, due to his age, he is unlikely to agree to the move. And if there is no third person, there will be no other resource in the form of a person or other meaning of life, he will return to the previous state.

How can a psychologist help him?

– Psychologist – this is the resource that our hero lacks, many people in a similar situation. The specialist leads the client and gives the opportunity to resist or change the environment. Man is like a cog in a clockwork. If you change, then the environment will change. But it is difficult for him to resist her alone and in general to do something about it, because he is in it. And he doesn’t see any problems.

Why do you need psychological support when losing weight, losing weight?

– First of all, in order to get rid of the main mechanism that triggers the physiological processes of eating or refusal from it.In the second, it is support, supervision, assistance at all stages of the passage of these processes. In the third, it is necessary to solve personal issues, to establish new relationships.

What is eating behavior? What is the right way to educate yourself to do healthy things?

– Psychological disorder, which is expressed in the breakdown of eating. This is compulsive (obsessive) overeating. This is bulimia – uncontrolled heavy food intake and subsequent violent emptying of the stomach.This is anorexia, which is characterized by a rejection of the body image, refusal of food, creating obstacles to its absorption and stimulating metabolism in order to reduce weight. This is an example of several eating disorders.

How to avoid this early in adulthood?

– Advice to parents: do not force children to eat. They have a satiety mechanism, children feel their body well. If the child is not fed, do not offer frequent snacks in the form of sweets or cookies, he will have a good breakfast, lunch and dinner.And if he is full, do not force him. At the same time, parents should try not to be hypocritical. That is, it should not be like this: “I eat a hamburger, but you can’t – it’s harmful, you’re still small.” In no case do not put children on unauthorized diets, do not limit their diet – this all causes complexes. And do not focus your attention on food: “What a good boy, ate the whole plate” or “You are a girl, and eat like an elephant.” These gender comparative traits are not going to work well. Do not encourage food in any way.In adulthood, it turns out that a person will choose trips to cafes and the like as a reward.

Photo by Lydia Anikina © IA “Ural Meridian”

Food is the satisfaction of a physiological need. Why is this not so in the case of humans?

– Psychically, food is a manifestation of love in the first place. Remember how our mothers first of all told us: “Do you want to eat?”Indeed, due to her psychological complexes, she cannot show her love in another way and simply say: “I love you.” for some people, food is a way to calm down, to feel safe, again received from their parents. Because when the child was sad, his mother took him to eat ice cream.

This is also a way to fill the void. Instead of thinking about what is happening to me and why, the person chooses the option to better fill this void with food. The latter is typical for those with bulimia.

How is psychology related to obesity? Is it more logical to start with a diet or a gym?

– If this is not a one-time action “Lose weight after childbirth” or “Lose a kilogram by summer”, then first of all you need to go to a psychologist. Here, in fact, there is a direct correlation (that is, dependence on the author), so the body and psyche are inextricably linked. A person is used to correcting symptoms, performing surgeries, placing leeches and resorting to other cosmetic procedures. However, it turns out that we simply decorate the swamp of problems, but we do not get out of it.