How To Stop Weight Loss In Diabetes

Diabetes and its types :

Diabetes is a medical condition when the blood sugar level in a person increases beyond what is normal and it happens when the body finds it difficult or fails to regulate sugar balance due to insufficient insulin in the body or what is medically termed as insulin deficiency.

High blood sugar in the body implies that the body is not able to process glucose and so glucose continues to remain in the bloodstream without being used by the cells for energy conversion.

Starved of energy body looks for an alternative source of energy in muscle tissues and body fat starts burning them Insulin deficiency occurs when pancreatic glands in the digestive system fail to produce enough hormonal insulin necessary for regulating glucose metabolism.

There are two types of diabetes which are medically termed Type 1 and Type 2diabetes.

Type 1 diabetes is when an insufficient amount of insulin in the body leads to energy starvation in the body cells affecting their normal functions adversely.

As a result, the cells are forced to look for an alternate source of energy that activates gluconeogenesis which activation of the synthesis of glucose in the noncarbohydrate substrate tissues which are nothing but body muscle and fat.

However, due to lack of insulin glucose fails to enter the body cells and instead goes on increasing in the blood resulting in an increase in blood sugar and decrease in body weight due to body muscle and fat loss.

Type 2 diabetic patients on the other hand are given more to obesity.

In such cases, though the pancreas normally synthesizes insulin, the cells of the body display resistance to insulin and do not absorb glucose for further energy conversion.

This leads to increased blood sugar levels and additionally in accumulation of lipid conglomerates resulting in an increase in body weight due to the presence of lipid compounds

Symptoms of Diabetes:

There are certain obvious changes in a person’s habits when affected by diabetes.

Persons feel the need to go to the loo for urinating unusually frequently during the day and night.

It is mainly because of the rise in blood sugar. As a corollary to it, the persons gets dehydrated and feels thirsty more often. This, also results in weight loss.

Loss of water in the body makes   the skin dry and also causes paresthesia, tingling and burning sensation in the limbs.

Such a person may also suffer from anemia. To put it precisely the body symptoms that should put one on alert :

i)                Frequent urination

ii)              Thirst for water

iii)             Craving for sugar

iv)             Loss of weight / weight gain

v)               Palpitation

vi)             Exhaustion

vii)           Anemia

viii)         Increase fragility in hair and nail plates

 

Weight loss in Diabetes

Many a times people with Diabetes show symptoms of weight loss.

This is more usual in insulin-dependent diabetic patients whose pancreas gland does not produce enough insulin which helps in regulating metabolism of glucose.

This can be explained scientifically as during diabetes, the body is at a deficit of insulin and so the sugar levels in the blood spike up since the body does not metabolise the glucose formed after digestion.

This sugar present in the blood cannot be metabolized for generating energy as it remains in the blood stream without entering the cells.

The body hence goes into energy starvation and looks for alternate sources of energy.

Thus, the body starts using tissues of muscles and fat as a source of energy and a person starts losing weight. This weight loss can be upto even 20 kgs a month.

An overweight person might initially find this very exciting however, over a period this unexplained weight loss results in muscle fatigue and tiredness.

The weakened muscles can lead to internal injury while doing strenuous or daily work. This may further lead to conditions like ketoacidosis, anemia and blood protein deficiency. 

Also diabetics should be very careful to avoid getting injured or wounded to prevent blood loss because the healing process in diabetics takes a long time and may lead to complications like gangrene formation.

Sometimes the reduction in weight can also be associated with frequent urination resulting in dehydration and reduced weight.

Thus, the diabetic are often found to be drinking more water.

For those who aspire losing weight, should follow other weight loss methods like regular exercise, walking, stress reduction, sleep modulation etc.

The weight loss due to diabetes is a medical condition and especially if it is noticeable or significant, it requires medical checkup and intervention from a doctor as this kind of weight loss indicates uncontrolled levels of sugar in the body and can not only cause damage to muscles but also affect the internal organs of the body.

Irregular sugar levels affect vision and patients become prone to kidney failures in the long run.

Prevention of Weight loss in Diabetes

1)     Monitor blood sugar levels : Prevention is always considered better than cure, thus to prevent such weight loss due to diabetes, the first step to take is to monitor ones blood sugar level and create a chart to find the fluctuations and deviations.

 

2)     Look for the carbohydrate types and quantity :  Carbohydrates of different types have different digestive process and products. Also, in case of processed food, the quantity of carbohydrates are often mentioned on the label.

 

Thus, choosing food that does not raise blood sugar fast is the key. In other words, one should look for the glycemic index of the food which is an indication of how much and how soon will it release sugars in the blood.

 

One should choose foods with a low glycemic index below 55 – 70%. Generally fruits, vegetables, whole grains, greens etc have low glycemic index and are good for diabetic.

 

3)     Add Fibers :  Consuming food rich in plant fibers is healthy and the fibers also help to clean bowel and also help in maintain right weight.

 

4)     Discipline: Diabetologists often make dietary recommendations and prescribe medications. These diet charts often advise an optimum ratio of proteins, carbohydrates, and fats all of which are necessary for proper functioning of the body.

 

It is utmost important to adhere to these guidelines and medicine timings so that the sugar levels are rightly maintained, and all these effects can be controlled.

 

5)     Walking and Exercise: The best medicine for controlling diabetes is walking. Regular brisk walks or taking up a sport or exercise regime increases metabolism and improves appetite.

 

It also restores and builds muscle mass and helps in reducing insulin resistance. It is desirable to do 45 mints of brisk walk in the morning and in the evening.

 

While walking the patients should take care of wearing the right walking footwear to prevent any injury to the foot as it can lead to Diabetic feet which is very dangerous.

 

6)     Adhere to meal timings:  Irregular eating habits can only aggravate the problem and hence it is essential that the patients not only watch the daily calorie intake but also adhere to the eating timings.

 

Eating right quantity, right kind and at the right time help in keeping the sugar spikes under control and prevent unexplained weight loss or weight gain. Often diabetics are advised to take small meals at regular intervals.

 

Thus, the portion size and the timings of such meals must be strictly maintained.

 

7)     Choose healthy alternatives: Often diabetics are restricted from consuming certain food that increases blood sugar levels. This leads to cravings and a general sense of deprivation which in turn causes stress.

 

Instead, the wiser idea is to choose healthy alternatives e.g. instead of canned fruit juices, consume fresh whole fruits. Instead of whole milk and ice cream, choose low-fat yoghurt or skimmed milk. Chose lean proteins and fish or other seafood instead of red meat or pork.

 

Try nuts and seeds instead of cookies and biscuits. While on diet, patients should avoid refined sugar, honey, potatoes and grains such as rice rich in carbohydrates which cause a rise in blood sugars. 

 

8)     Take help: Whether it is weight loss or weight gain, it is necessary to take help from practitioners, endocrinologists who are authorized to prescribe dietary supplements which might be necessary to regain some weight.

 

Consult or appoint a dietician who can suggest you food that is high energy and can set a proper diet plan. It is a general feeling among the patients that they can control diabetes by self-medication or self-regulation on their own, without consulting a doctor, a physician or a dietician because it may be a wasteful exercise in terms of money and time.

 

However, one must realise that spending money on a dietitian or a physical trainer can only help in speeding up recovery and also prevent further visits to the doctor.

 

Conclusion : Diabetes is a lifelong concern and ignoring its symptoms like uncontrolled weight loss or making self-decisions can be harmful in the long run as it can be a slow killer where major organs like heart, kidney and eyes can be damaged.

We can save the complications by taking timely action and care. However, before indulging in any exercise or weight management diet, it is necessary to consult a doctor or diabetologist so that you make the informed right choices that are not counterproductive and healthy.