How Maintaining Healthy Weight Can Help You With Diabetes
You probably already know that maintaining a healthy weight has many health benefits, both physical and mental. But, did you know that maintaining a healthy weight can also help you manage your type 2 diabetes? November is Diabetes Awareness Month, the 46th since its establishment in 1975, and to help celebrate, we wanted to bring awareness to diabetes and weight loss. So, how would losing weight with the Right Weight Program help with your type 2 diabetes?
Lower Blood Pressure and Bad Cholesterol
If you have type 2 diabetes, you’re more likely to have high blood pressure and high LDL cholesterol, also known as “bad” cholesterol, than people without diabetes. Between them, high blood pressure and high LDL cholesterol can cause a litany of issues within your body, like heart disease, heart attacks, strokes, aneurysms, kidney disease, and dementia, to name a few. Put simply, type 2 diabetes can put you at risk for a lot of dangerous conditions by affecting your blood pressure and cholesterol levels.
Luckily, research has shown that losing just 5-10% of your current body weight can significantly reduce your LDL cholesterol levels. Also, cardiovascular exercise can lower your blood pressure in two ways: by helping you lose weight, and by making your heart stronger, both of which allow it to pump more blood with less effort. By keeping these numbers low, you decrease some of the risks associated with type 2 diabetes.
Lower Insulin Resistance
People with type 2 diabetes have higher insulin resistance than people without diabetes, meaning that their body does not respond properly to the insulin produced by the pancreas—in other words, the body resists insulin. As a result, blood sugar levels go up. This is dangerous because high blood sugar levels can cause many complications over time, including vision problems, nerve problems, heart disease, kidney disease, and strokes.
However, there is evidence that insulin resistance is improved with weight loss, meaning that weight loss can improve your body’s ability to use insulin. This is great news! But, it’s important to know that if the lost weight is gained back, your insulin sensitivity will be reduced again. That means that once you lose weight, it’s just as important to keep it off with a continued healthy diet and regular exercise. That’s not always an easy task, but the professionals at Right Weight can help you with this part of your journey, too!
More Energy, Better Mood!
Here’s a benefit that applies to everyone, those with and without type 2 diabetes: losing weight can improve your quality of life. Specifically, when you lose weight with regular exercise, a weight loss diet, or our lipotropic injections, you’re likely to see increased energy, improved mood, and higher self-confidence. So, not only will you see your blood pressure, cholesterol, and insulin resistance improve, but your mental health will improve, too.
Make Right Weight a part of your journey! If you need help creating a diet plan for weight loss, or finding tasty, healthy foods to lose weight, call 301-345-7885 to schedule an appointment with the professionals at our Camp Springs or Greenbelt weight loss clinics. With our wide variety of customizable weight loss plans and supplemental fat-burning boosters, we’ll offer the support you need to improve your quality of life.
