Losing Weight as a Diabetic Safely in Under 30 Days
Type 2 Diabetes requires both weight management and blood glucose control. Losing weight can make the condition easier to manage, and significant, long-term weight loss may even result in symptom remission. Most people who lose more than 20 pounds and are able to keep it off for a year can achieve remission, requiring no other diabetes treatments other than regular monitoring by their primary care providers.
While the health benefits of losing weight for people with type 2 diabetes are obvious, the best way to achieve a healthy weight may be less obvious. These steps can get you on the right track to losing weight and improving your health and well-being. Type 2 Diabetes: Steps to Weight-Loss Journey, explains 8 easily adoptable steps to manage diabetes.
Step 1: Create a SMART Goal
Setting a goal gives you something to strive for, which will help you stay focused and motivated to stick to your weight loss plan. The best goals adhere to the SMART rule, which states that they are:
- Specific: Your goal should state exactly what you want to accomplish.
- Measurable: Goals with a measurable metric of success are easier to track.
- Achievable: Your goal should be attainable so that you do not become discouraged.
- Relevant: Achieving your goal must result in tangible benefits.
- Time-Bound: Setting a deadline for your goal makes it easier to plan your strategy and track your progress.
Step 2: Concentrate on Food Quality Rather than Calorie Count
Step 3: Be Mindful of Portion Size
Even if you choose nutritious foods over processed foods, overeating can undermine your weight loss efforts. The plate method is an easy way to manage your portion size. Fill a standard 11 to 12′′ dinner plate with the following:
- Half of it should be non-starchy vegetables
- Cover it with a quarter of lean protein
- A quarter of it should be starchy vegetables or whole grains.
- On the side, you can serve fruit or a dairy product
Step 4: Get Started with Regular Exercise
Regular exercise encourages your body to burn fat and increases insulin sensitivity for better blood sugar control. Aerobic exercise is beneficial for both weight loss and diabetes management. Experts recommend 150 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise per week. You can divide the total exercise time however you want, for example, into daily 20- to 25-minute sessions, or exercise for 30 minutes five days a week.
Step 5: Monitor Your Health
Don’t forget about your Type 2 diabetes treatment plan as you begin to focus on improving your diet and level of physical activity. Continue to take your medication or healthy weight loss pills and monitor your blood sugar levels. Because you may be more prone to low blood sugar, especially during exercise, keep fast-acting carbohydrates on hand when you’re out and about. It is ideal to include diabetic weight loss pills such as Exipure that can provide weight loss with no side effects in the long run.
Step 6: Look After Your Mental Health
Weight loss for diabetics also involves both your mind and your body. Some ways to support your mental health while working toward your weight-loss goals are as follows:
- Talking to Friends and Family: When you are feeling discouraged or tempted to deviate from your programme, reach out to people you trust.
- Seeking Therapy: Therapy allows you to investigate the reasons for your overeating. A therapist can assist you in empowering yourself to make positive behavioural changes that will ensure long-term weight loss success.
- Managing Stress: Studies show that stress not only causes binge eating, but it may also contribute to weight gain. Hobbies, deep breathing exercises, yoga, mindfulness meditation, and self-care activities such as taking a long bath are all effective ways to de-stress. Stress management can also improve your blood sugar levels.
- Tracking Your Emotional State: Before reaching for a snack, consider why you feel the need to eat between meals. Are you worried? Bored? Are you upset about something? If your craving is caused by something other than hunger, reach out to your support network.
Step 7: Make an Effort to Get Enough Sleep
The amount of sleep you get can have an impact on your weight loss efforts in more than one way. When you don’t get enough sleep, your body is unable to produce enough leptin, an appetite-controlling chemical. Low leptin levels frequently contribute to overeating, and people with low leptin levels are more likely to have a high BMI (BMI). Furthermore, studies show that sleep disturbances or a lack of sleep can undermine your efforts to control your blood glucose.
Step 8: Keep Track of Your Progress and Re-calibrate as Needed
Weigh yourself daily to track your progress, but don’t put too much stock on day-to-day changes. Examine your weekly averages and compare them to your short-term objectives. In general, aim for a weekly weight loss of 1 to 2 pounds. Look for ways to improve your diet and exercise plan if they aren’t getting you to your goals. If you continue to struggle, you may need to reconsider your goals to ensure they are still attainable.
When you reach a weight-loss milestone, celebrate- but choose rewards that don’t involve food. Plan a fun activity with your friends or family, or treat yourself to something special. Share your success with others as well to receive ongoing encouragement and support.
Use your blood sugar levels as a tracking tool to track your progress as well. Keep track of how your numbers change as you lose weight. Seeing the health benefits of losing weight can motivate you to stick to your diet and exercise routine.