Control High Blood Sugar with Weight Loss: A Routine You Can Stick To
Over 60 to 80 per cent of people with Type 2 diabetes have obesity. In fact, it is one of the drivers of the diabetes epidemic and needs to be addressed equally from the word go. Previously, the only way of treating diabetes was to take medication and bring blood glucose levels down and under control. This is called a gluco-centric approach. But now there is a wholesome metabolic approach for diabetes treatment, which targets body weight.
This is necessary because extra weight around your waist means fat can build up around your key organs like your liver and pancreas and affect their functioning. Belly fat is known to trigger insulin resistance. Losing it could help the insulin you produce or the insulin you inject work properly. People with diabetes can benefit even after losing five per cent of their body weight. In fact, they can even go into remission if they lose about 15 kg. This way they could reduce their dependence on diabetes medication.
This change in treatment approach is fairly recent. In the past, anti-diabetic drugs brought down the level of blood sugar but over a period of time, some of them increased body weight like sulphonylurea and pioglitazone. Metformin was weight-neutral and now with GLP 1 receptor agonists, drugs can simultaneously address diabetes and weight loss.
But is this the only way? Absolutely not as you cannot depend on drugs for weight loss life-long and the effects do plateau out after long-term use. So, people with diabetes will still have to change their faulty diets and stick to a physical activity and sleep routine.
What to watch out for in diets?
Excess carbohydrate intake and eating wrong fats largely contribute to obesity. Rice, wheat and millets are all carbohydrates and since Indian plates have 65 to 70 per cent of them, the calorie overload leads to fat deposition in the easiest of areas, around the belly. I would say reduce carbohydrates by 30 per cent and replace them with proteins as the first step towards weight reduction. Plant proteins are preferred, choose from legumes and pulses, soybean, tofu, milk, paneer, curd, eggs, fish, chicken. This change will increase satiety and kill hunger pangs.
Go for monounsaturated fats like olive oil, mustard oil, groundnut oil, seeds. Avoid saturated and trans fats, basically café and bakery food. Don’t go for keto or Atkins diets. They may reduce weight in the short-term but may not be sustainable in the long run. With these diets, the bad cholesterol goes up, which is not too good for the heart.
Cutting calories isn’t always easy as you may be prone to hunger pangs. Foods that are high in fibre tend to be lower in calories, so you can eat a larger volume than other foods for the same number of calories. Since they take longer to eat and digest, they can help you feel fuller for longer.
How should your exercise routine be?
Physical exercise should be regular, sustained and rigorous. I call this the FAR (Flexibility, Aerobics and Resistance) approach. Include aerobics in the form of badminton, tennis, swimming, jogging, walking and so on. Second are flexibility exercises by which we mean stretching. Third is resistance training with mild weights. Of the three, aerobics help burn calories and, therefore, are the best for weight loss.
Exercise regimens have to be highly individualized. Build up step by step and increase your fitness and stamina. Exercise for at least 30 to 45 minutes at a stretch for five days a week. Women should bring their waistline to less than 80 cm, men less than 94 cm.
Sleep on time
Reset your sleeping schedules. Sleeping on time and enough hours help reset your body clock. Once your body is out of sync with its circadian rhythm, it leads to hormonal changes, sleep disturbances and weight gain.
With these changes and right medicines, people with diabetes can lose weight and keep their blood sugar under control.