Why Is It Hard to Lose Weight With Diabetes?

Written by Susan Fox, Health Writer

Is it hard to lose weight with type 2 diabetes? It sure can be, but it is not as hard as some people think. 

It is true that the master metabolic hormone, insulin, loves to store fat in your body, which can make weight loss trickier for those with diabetes. 

And, yes, one very small study in 1987 found that, in a group of 12 overweight adults and their spouses, those who were diabetic had a harder time losing weight.

But don’t expect medications to be an answer for weight loss.

In fact, drugs that lower sugar produced in the liver or increase the sensitivity of muscle cells to insulin — biguanides, sulfonylureas, thiazolidinediones — make it even harder to lose weight.

These prescriptions are, in many ways, worse than the health problems they’re supposed to help. 

They’re actually linked to a whole boatload of serious side effects, including low blood sugar, weakness, hunger, weight gain, high cholesterol, bone fractures, and heart failure.

Insulin Resistance Is at the Core of Type 2 Diabetes

With type 2 diabetes, the pancreas does create insulin, but either not enough or more than enough — but, due to insulin resistance, glucose can’t enter through the “doors” of the body’s cells; they are literally “locked out,” unable to enter cells to be used for energy. 

In fact, you may even over-produce insulin to meet the energy demands of the body. However, with type 2 diabetes, sugar cannot enter through the “doors” of the body’s cells; they are literally “locked out.” 

With nowhere to go, the glucose (sugar) stays in your bloodstream, circulating much longer throughout the vascular system, and this is a problem. 

Excess blood sugar makes our blood vessels less stretchy and causes them to narrow, blocking blood flow. 

Damage to large blood vessels is called macrovascular disease, while damage to small blood vessels is called microvascular disease.

Complications from macrovascular disease include heart attack; stroke; and peripheral arterial disease (PAD).

Microvascular disease can lead to problems with our eyes, nervous system and kidneys.

Even if you don’t feel symptoms of diabetes (yet), damage can build up over time, little by little.

The best first option for treatment is diet.

Losing Weight With Diabetes: Fat Chance?

And it is true that the cellular energy factories, mitochondria, in people with diabetes are more sluggish and that hunger hormone levels in these folks can be unbalanced, but people with blood-sugar and insulin challenges can most definitely lose weight. 

In fact, for every bit of weight lost, people with diabetes find that losing weight after each pound lost is easier and makes their metabolic health better.

A healthier diet and sensible physical activity have been proven to be the pathway to success for people focused on glucose health and weight loss,  and this is especially true for those who choose a special low-glycemic high-protein nutritional supplement, but more on this below…

Do You Gain Or Lose Weight with Diabetes?

A healthy weight is crucial for limiting long term damage from diabetes.

Keeping weight in check makes it easier to control blood glucose levels, and with that comes with an array of other health benefits. Diet adjustments well worth the effort.

LGHP = Low-Glycemic Highway Patrol?

In a way…If you do choose to lose weight and lower sugar levels with a low-glycemic high-protein (LGHP) diet, you’ll be on patrol for sugar crashes, nutrition robbers and sweet saboteurs of our diet and our health!

And you’ll always be on the lookout for a well-planned, nutritious way to acquire your weight and glucose-health targets. It’s likely you already have a sense of what foods to avoid: sugary drinks and food with added sugars, excess fats and deep-fried anything, processed foods, deli meats, junk foods, and pastries. 

The Mayo Clinic recommends using the glycemic index (GI) as a way to select foods as the GI ranks carbohydrates based on the ability to affect blood sugar levels.

A diabetes diet is a healthy-eating plan that's naturally rich in nutrients and low in fat and calories. In fact, an LGHP diet is the best eating plan for most everyone.

Key elements on the Almased LGHP food list are high in fiber and whole foods like fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. 

Healthy proteins include lean meats, poultry, fish, and plant-based high fiber proteins such as soybeans (including tofu and edamame), nuts, and seeds. 

Some good fats are olive oil, flaxseed oil, and walnut oil.

How to Lose Weight with Diabetes Type 2

You may have tried a multitude of eating plans only to yo-yo back to your original weight, and maybe then some! 

Counting calories makes us obsessed about what we supposedly can’t, or shouldn’t, eat, so how long can any diet last when you’re always hungry?

But, as mentioned above, we know that we can support blood sugar levels by making preventive lifestyle tweaks, mainly by losing weight and increasing physical activity.

Let’s Get Physical!

Muscles become more sensitive to insulin with exercise, and people can reverse insulin resistance with an active, healthy lifestyle.

Some people might feel nervous if they receive a diagnosis of insulin resistance or prediabetes, but making hasty lifestyle changes while expecting instant results is not realistic… or helpful.

It’s best to increase levels of physical activity gradually and, diet-wise, it’s best to substitute one meal per day with a healthy, low-carbohydrate option, and just try to do this consistently over time, week after week.

Hassle-Free and Healthy Eating 101

The Almased meal replacement diet plan side-steps the pitfalls of counting calories that are the killers of most diets. 

Almased delivers accelerated appetite control without any stimulants. 

And, experts say the Almased Diet is easier to follow than most other ranked diets.

Almased’s unique formula supports the body’s metabolism, protects against muscle loss, and helps burn body fat more successfully. 

Drink 1 or 2 Almased shakes a day as a meal replacement for desired weight loss. 

Then, drink just one Almased shake daily for nutritional wellness and appetite control, as needed. 

Easy peasy, right? 

The great thing is that with continued use of Almased in conjunction with an LGHP diet, healthy blood sugar can be supported long-term. 

And the best part is that Almased keeps the weight off .. after the initial diet is over!

In a 2008 study of 90 overweight or obese adults, people either ate a fat-restricted low-calorie diet or a diet where they replaced two meals each day with the Almased meal-replacement drink. 

The results? Participants who received the Almased meal replacement for 6 weeks lost significantly more weight and fat than did those who received the fat-restricted diet. The meal replacement also reduced risk factors relating to metabolic health.

In an earlier study, in this case, lasting for six months, people who received the Almased high-protein low-glycemic diet were able to lose fat while retaining preserving lean muscle mass.

Overall, research has shown that the Almased nutritional supplement leads to improved body composition and better metabolic and hormonal health. 

“Almased has dramatically improved my health and diet. As someone who needs to keep my blood sugar levels under control, Almased helps support that and I do not have to worry about feeling hungry.”

Success Story Justin S. wrote about his experience with Almased

Almased Encourages Weight Loss for Any Individual including People with Diabetes!

Many people who are overweight also have leptin resistance, which drives their desire to eat more and more. 

Not only does Almased support healthy blood sugar and thyroid health, but it also supports healthy leptin and ghrelin levels (satiety hormones), so you’ll feel full and satisfied longer. 

Making lifestyle changes can be hard, but isn’t it worth it?

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