Last Updated on June 6, 2021 by Dr Sharon Baisil MD
Are you diabetic? Do you face several symptoms apart from just blood sugar level fluctuations? Well, diabetes has several influences and changes in the overall body and its working.
With diabetes, weight management of the body becomes an increasingly obvious issue. What is more? Well, it is not just about keeping the weight steady, but more than that. It is more about handling the excessive fluctuations in body proportions.
This can be two-way trouble also. You can either gain or lose weight in improper amounts. As a diabetic patient, it is usually common to experience weight gain. If you are overweight, you become automatically more vulnerable to catching diabetes as well.
But have you heard about losing weight after being diagnosed with diabetes is also a concerning issue for many? Today, let us focus on the weight-related effects of diabetes on an individual’s body. We will cover …
- Can diabetes make you lose weight?
- Is losing weight a sign of diabetes?
- What are some other causes of weight loss?
- 12 tips to gain weight
And so on.
Focusing on such aspects is important for overall diabetes management. It is paramount to keep a check on how your body reacts to diabetes and take steps to handle these symptoms to control your overall diabetic health.
Can diabetes make you lose weight?
Well, as diabetes is a condition affected by metabolic disturbances, it is no unobvious reason to see changes in the way the body and its metabolism reacts in weight management cases.
Hence, diabetes can make you lose weight. You must check your health conditions and determine if diabetes is the cause behind the excess shedding of pounds unnecessarily.
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Type 1 diabetic patients are more likely to go through this issue of weight loss.
Several researched studies prove that diabetes can make you lose weight. The primary cause behind such weight loss is the insufficient production of insulin in the body.
Insulin is an essential metabolic hormone that helps to maintain the sugar levels in the body. The insufficient functioning of the beta cells in the pancreas that assist in producing insulin in the body leads to improper secretion and quantities of it that hampers proper digestion and conversion of sugars obtained from food into glucose.
These sugars then mix directly into the blood flow and increase the overall glucose levels of the body. This is why diabetes affects the body’s sugar levels due to improper working of the insulin hormone.
But wondering how does it affect weight, especially losing weight?
Due to the improper secretion and functioning of insulin in the diabetic body, the sugars are not transformed into glucose. Glucose is a simpler form of sugar that the body needs to derive energy.
Due to insufficient energy in the form of glucose in the cells, the body switches to draw glucose from the muscles and fats stored in the body. This is why diabetics tend to lose muscles and tend to lose weight over time.
This is a concerning issue as the body can face an acute shortage of energy.
Moreover, this disrupts the proper control of blood sugars as well, which can also eventually keep aggravating these conditions.
Is losing weight a sign of diabetes?
Yes! Losing weight suddenly and without any efforts directed at it can be an evident cause of diabetes.
As you might be losing weight because of unexplained reasons, it can be because your body may be going through blood sugar and insulin dysfunction issues.
It is possible that it is your body sign showing that it is unable to convert digested sugars into energy. This leads to losing weight with increased unhealthy blood sugar levels.
You may often experience other accompanying issues such as frequent urination, increased thirst, joint and body pains, etc.
It is advised to refer to a checkup and doctor’s appointment to determine the underlying issue and detect if it is diabetes. If so, you would require taking the necessary steps accordingly.
Why is it harmful to lose excess weight in diabetes?
First of all, the energy being used up from your fat stores can be taxing for the body in emergency cases. We usually derive our energy needs from the carbs in our food that are converted into glucose.
In a diabetic health situation, your body may fall short of glucose due to inefficient conversions into usable glucose forms. To mitigate this shortage, fats stored in the body are used.
Over time, with the emptying energy resources, you can feel exhausted more frequently. There is an increased urge to drink water. You may also feel fatigued and suffer from dehydration.
These symptoms, in turn, can heighten your health risks as diabetic patients.
Moreover, you tend to lose your muscle density and strength. This is another reason why the body can become weaker. You can become more susceptible to joint issues, pains, injuries, etc.
But it is important to know the right ways to gain weight. Rushing through dietary changes can be unhelpful and may even be useless in treating weight loss caused by diabetes.
We will provide you with certain helpful, safe, as well as effective tips to gain weight. Stay with us to know more about these bodily issues.
How much weight loss is bad for your body?
Losing a few pounds is not a very big deal. It is said to be good for the body. Diabetics are said to keep a close eye on their weight; it is often recommended to lose some weight for them.
But when does it get out of hand?
As a diabetic patient, if you identify that you are suffering from excess weight loss, it is necessary to take immediate steps. Weights that are 5% to 10% below your normal BMI can be harmful.
When you observe that you have started losing weight unintentionally beyond 5% of your normal weight, it is a concerning issue. This is equivalent to losing around 5 kg or nearly 10lbs in six months without any diets or exercises targeted at weight loss.
It is best to keep a stable weight depending on your healthy BMI range. Anything above or even below can be risky for the body and especially harmful for diabetic patients.
Therefore, it is best to keep a regular record of your body and its weight. You can even resort to talking to your doctors for the best advice and methods to control weight loss in diabetes.
What can be some other causes of weight loss?
Weight loss can be the result of many different reasons and not just diabetes. Some other prominent causes of weight loss are:
- Chronic digestive issues
- Diarrhea
- Hyperthyroidism
- PCOD and PCOS
- Intake of highly concentrated drugs
- Substance abuse
- Stress and Depression
- Dementia
- Genetics
- Parkinson’s disease
- Tuberculosis
And so on.
Whatever the reason, it is important to address these changes and take measures accordingly.
So what can be some measures that correct weight loss? Let us have a look.
12 Tips to gain weight
Gaining weight is a venture of consistency and dedication. It is crucial to induce safe and healthy ways to gain weight to ensure that you do not fall under any other health risks.
Let us have a look at some of the best ways to gain weight:
- Include more proteins in your diet. Foods that are richer in protein help build muscles, which is necessary if you are losing weight due to diabetes.
- Include healthy fats such as dairy and meats that are higher in fats. These will help to build your fat energy resources.
- Keep a check on the calories you eat; you usually have to eat more calories than burn in a day to make sure that it adds to your weight. But ensure an intake of healthy calories instead of just empty carbohydrates.
- Include good amounts of vegetables and fruits in your diet as they are natural sources of energy, minerals, and vitamins. You can fill up your calories with these and avoid excess processed foods and unhealthy oils.
- Have a glass of milk every day. Go for full-fat milk instead of skimmed milk versions. This is a good way to enrich your body with both fats and proteins. You can also focus on having dairy products like – ghee, cheese, cream, yogurt, etc.
- Eat dry fruits, seeds, and nuts. These are healthy proteins and fill up the body with healthy calories and provide it with energy.
- Avoid excess alcohol, smoking, or drug abuse. These are unhealthy in a lot of ways and easily affect the weight of the body.
- Include strength training and bodyweight exercises. These are great ways to build muscle and also add strength. Exercises like squats, push-ups, weight-lifting, bench presses, etc., are some of the many recommended exercises.
- Yoga is also an effective practice to promote weight gain and encourage good metabolism. Moreover, it is a way to de-stress.
- Sleeping and resting well are also important to keep body weight healthy promote proper weight gain.
- Add more meals and distribute them throughout the day. Eating frequently and healthy snacking is a good way to gain some weight.
- Drink water efficiently promotes weight gain. Switch to not having a lot of water before meals, as it reduces your capacity to eat more. Drink water after your meals.
References
- https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0140673609614574
- https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamainternalmedicine/article-abstract/608855
- https://spectrum.diabetesjournals.org/content/20/3/133.short
- https://academic.oup.com/jcem/article/89/6/2608/2870294?login=true
- https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1464-5491.1990.tb01375.x
- https://care.diabetesjournals.org/content/34/7/1481.short
- https://www.jacc.org/doi/full/10.1016/j.jacc.2017.12.014
- https://europepmc.org/article/med/9130035
- https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0749379704002028
- https://www.ahajournals.org/doi/full/10.1161/01.HYP.36.1.20
- https://academic.oup.com/jcem/article-abstract/77/5/1287/2650038
