6 Tips for Weight Loss for Diabetics With Integrative Medicine

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With the rising rates of childhood obesity, a common concern of being overweight and lifetime risk of diabetes is rising among the youth. However, you can mitigate this by incorporating diabetes risk reduction intervention practices that involve lifestyle changes. The same lifestyle changes can lead to the prevention of heart disease and even cancer.

What Is Diabetes or Diabetes Mellitus?

It is a group of diseases that affects insulin sensitivity and how the body uses blood glucose. Glucose metabolism is important as it produces energy and fuel for the cells that make up the muscles and brain. The underlying cause varies with the type, which includes type 1 and type 2 diabetes. Type 2 diabetes is more common and can occur at any age but generally happens in adults.

Prevention and Control of Diabetes Mellitus

Diabetes care, prevention, and control involve staying lean and staying active. Staying lean, however, does not mean that you starve yourself and become underweight. It concerns weight management. Make sure that your body weight is healthy and within the proper range for your body.

In the case of weight loss, commercial weight-loss products may contain products that may affect your hormones and insulin secretion. Before using any of them, make sure you consult your doctor first. It is not easy to build a habit of exercising and eating well. However, it is necessary, especially when you are living with type 2 diabetes.

Integrative Medicine

Integrative or complementary medicine incorporates conventional and alternative medicine. Both complementary and alternative medicine use non-mainstream practices to bring health to the whole person. At RIH we use the best of both worlds. The best of traditional medicine as well as the best of alternative medicine.

Conventional weight loss therapies involve calorie restriction, exercise, and weight-loss medications. However, alternative therapies incorporate methods like thyroid optimization, hormone balancing, and blood sugar control. So, in addition to exercising and eating healthy, integrative medicine also offers alternative therapies to aid in weight loss. Here are a few tips to lose weight.

Alternative Medicine Strategies to Help Lose Weight

Many alternative methods can aid with weight loss. They include thyroid optimization, hormone balancing, and blood sugar control. Each of these is very important for weight loss. It is nearly impossible to lose weight if thyroid levels are off, the same goes for hormone levels and blood sugar. At RIH we use an optimal approach to thyroid, hormones, and blood sugar instead of just shooting for the “normal” range. We also consider things such as leptin resistance, toxins, adrenal fatigue, and vitamin/mineral deficiencies.

Natural dietary supplements like Berberine, Green Tea, and Vitamin D can all be helpful in your quest for a lower weight.

Become Active and Exercise

Health research shows that an adult needs about 150 minutes of moderate to intense activity each week to stay healthy. You can spread out the activity to 30 minutes every day. It does not have to be vigorous exercise, but it is as easy as walking briskly, riding your bike, or doing some gardening and chores.

If you have type 2 diabetes, these levels of activity will stabilize your blood sugar. It will also reduce your blood pressure, reduce your risk of heart disease, and keep you in optimal health. If you are not yet active, you need to consult your health care provider first. They will do a thorough check-up and let you know how to start.

Also, take a walk after every meal. 10 minutes is enough. Past health research shows that nearly all participants at risk of high blood sugar would show greater improvements. The improvements are after 15 minutes stroll after each meal, rather than a 45-minute stroll in the morning or afternoon.

Keep A Journal for Diabetes Management

Not just a normal journal, but a food journal. It will help you keep track of what you are eating. It will also help you with time to plan and control your meals. You will be able to keep track of your low glycemic index foods.

Health research also shows that you will manage your weight with regular journaling about what you eat. Weight management affects diabetes management in many ways that you can explore below.

Plan Your Meals

In addition to keeping a journal, you need to plan your meals. It is not just enough to write down what you are eating, but it is also important to plan weight control. It will also set you up for success on this journey.

Stress reduction is also another advantage of planning your meals. You do not have to worry about what your next healthy meal will be. You will be able to plan for diabetes-friendly foods and can help in disease control. Planning meals helps to ensure patient safety.

Downsize Your Meals

Sometimes it is necessary to use smaller plates such as bowls. It will help you to eat less and satisfy you more. On your smaller plate, you can choose to put more vegetables and protein than other foods. Protein and vegetables help to manage blood sugar.

Diabetes care requires learning about proper portion sizes. It helps to keep the carbs low, checking blood glucose levels and maintaining blood sugar levels.

Beat Insulin Resistance with S.M.A.R.T Weight Management

It is important that in addition to keeping a journal and planning your meals, you keep a list of goals. Keep them specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time-bound. It makes the task of weight management easier to stick to and less overwhelming. They will also help you form long-lasting healthy habits.

For example, managing diabetes involves glycemic control. You, therefore, need to spread out foods with a low glycemic index across the day. You can even decide what quantity of these foods you want to eat in a day. Therefore, your specific goal is glycemic control. Your measurable control will be the quantity of food you want to eat each day.

The attainable goal will involve breaking down the quantity to specific foods you want to eat each day. The relevance deals with why it is important to keep the specific goal. Lastly, how long do you want to follow through with this goal? You can keep it for short periods of two weeks or less. Then add it incrementally as you achieve your goal of improved glycemic control.

People with diabetes, heart disease, and those trying to lose weight can reap great benefits from this goal. Research shows that obesity contributes to insulin resistance which makes it hard for the body’s glucose metabolism. However, weight management helps manage your A1C levels, which also helps detect insulin resistance early. According to the American Diabetes Association, A1C is an average of blood sugar levels between two and three months. The detection helps to reduce risk and take proper measures.

Diabetes control and weight loss involve a lot of glucose control. Therefore, how and what you eat is important to improve insulin sensitivity and the body’s ability to utilize blood glucose.

For more information on different treatment modalities and complementary therapies, you can fill out our online form to schedule an appointment.