Does Diabetes Make You Lose or Gain Weight?

Does Diabetes Cause Weight Loss?

For most people who have been diagnosed with diabetes, losing weight is an essential part of diabetes management and improving their overall health. But sometimes, uncontrolled or unexplained weight loss or weight gain can cause some concerns. 

Does Diabetes Increase Weight?

Managing your weight is often considered an important step in managing your diabetes health overall. However, certain diabetes-related medications and therapies may cause weight gain.

Do you think that having diabetes makes losing weight difficult for you? Watch this video to learn how to overcome diabetes and why it becomes a barrier to your weight loss efforts!

What Are the Causes of Weight Gain in Diabetes?

1. Insulin and weight gain

Many people who are on insulin therapy notice an increase in their weight. While weight gain can sometimes be related to taking insulin, it is still possible to manage your weight.

Insulin helps to remove the glucose from your blood and helps it enter the cells. As a result, there is a decrease in the glucose levels in your bloodstream, which is what insulin therapy aims to do. 

However, if you are on a high-calorie diet and not exercising enough, a larger amount of glucose will get accumulated in your cells, more than the cells need. This excess glucose that your cells do not need will then get stored as fat, resulting in weight gain.   

If you had uncontrolled or prolonged diabetes before starting your insulin therapy, it is possible you were losing weight, or your weight was stagnant, despite eating a healthy balanced diet, or the regular diet that now causes you to gain weight.

When you have very high blood sugar, your body is unable to properly absorb the nutrients from your food. However, once you start your insulin therapy, your body will finally be able to properly use the calories and carbohydrates from the foods that you are eating. This can often result in weight gain.

In some cases, while it may feel that taking insulin is making you gain weight, it may be helping your body reach its normal weight range. 

2. Medication and weight gain

Certain medications that are part of your diabetes care can also cause some weight gain. 

Sulphonylureas:

• These medications stimulate the pancreas into producing more insulin.

• As a result, there is more insulin in the body to remove glucose from the blood and put it in the cells where it can be used for energy.

• If it is not used up, this excess glucose gets stored as fat.

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Thiazolidinediones or Glitazones

• Sometimes known as TZDs, these medications improve the body’s insulin sensitivity and reduce the amount of insulin that is present in the blood.
• While you are taking these forms of medication, it is important to have the right mix of diet and exercise.
• If the amount of calorie intake is higher and exercise levels are low, the body will store the extra calories as fat and cause weight gain. 

3. Other medications

• If you are already on other non-diabetic medications, it is possible that the drugs, combined with your diabetes medication, is causing weight gain.
• Inform your doctor of all medication you are on so that your healthcare team can form a proper plan involving medication, therapy, diet, and exercise. 

Why Diabetes Causes Weight Loss?

People with prolonged type 2 diabetes can often experience muscle atrophy, especially when there is not enough physical activity. In such a case, the muscles of the body, especially those of the lower limbs, tend to waste away.

• Diabetes can often cause reduced muscle recovery and strength, as well as a loss in muscle mass.
• Muscle atrophy, or losing muscle mass can lead to sudden and unexpected weight loss.
• In such cases, the muscles of the body become weak. In severe cases, one limb may look smaller than the other. 

Why is Weight Management Important in Diabetes?

According to the American Diabetes Association, losing even 5 to 6 kilograms can help you lower your blood sugar levels, improve your cholesterol levels, reduce the stress on your knees, hips, feet, and ankles, and reduce your blood pressure.

Excess weight around the waist can increase the risk of fat build-up around your organs, such as the pancreas and the liver. This can cause insulin resistance, where your body is unable to make the best use of insulin. 

For those who are overweight or obese, losing a large amount of weight, such as 15 kilograms, can even reduce the dosage of medication or cut down the need for certain medications entirely. 

Is the Ideal Weight/BMI Goal Different for People With Diabetes?

No two bodies are alike, and how much weight is ideal for you may drastically differ from another person’s weight goal, whether they have diabetes or not.

Your healthy weight goal will depend on:

• Your current waist size
• Your BMI (body mass index)

BMI does not necessarily focus on how much fat is accumulated around your waist, so it is good to measure your waist.

What is the ideal BMI for someone with diabetes?

The BMI index uses your height and weight to calculate whether you need to lose or gain weight. 

Healthy waist size recommendation:

• Women < 31.5 inches 
• Men < 35 inches 

Healthy BMI:

• Normal: 18.5 to 24.9
• Overweight: 25 to 29.9
• Obese: over 30

Weight Management Tips for People With Diabetes

1. Count your calories

• Cutting down the number of calories you intake through foods and drinks can help you reduce extra weight and manage your weight.
• Speak to your diabetes healthcare team and understand your specific dietary requirements. Understand the amount of macro as well as micronutrients you need to incorporate into your daily diet.

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• If possible, reduce your portion sizes and avoid second helpings. Also, have more water instead of beverages with a high-calorie count.
• It is easy to cut down on extra calories once you start tracking your calories and analysing the nutrient breakdown of your diet. You can use the fitterfly app to do this!
• Use technology such as personal glycemic response and meal mapping to find the right food combinations for you. This will help improve satiety and reduce blood sugar fluctuations. 

2. Avoid skipping meals

• Do not skip meals, as this can cause a sudden drop in your blood sugar levels, a condition known as hypoglycaemia, especially if you have not adjusted your insulin dose accordingly.
• Repeated episodes of hypoglycaemia can cause other health issues such as tremors, a feeling of being tired or exhausted all the time, confusion, feeling drowsy, and so on. In severe cases, it can cause a person to become unconscious, and can even turn fatal.
• Skipping meals can also make you excessively hungry and make you binge eat, defeating the purpose.

3. Make exercise a part of your daily routine

• Being physically active can help you burn off the excess calories in a very natural and healthy way. 
• However, it is best to get an in-depth fitness and pain assessment from an experienced physiotherapist, especially if you are a beginner and have a history of pain. 
• If you are a beginner, you can start with 45 minutes to an hour of walking every day.
• If your overall health allows, go for cycling, running, jogging, swimming, aerobics, dancing, or playing a physical sport. Get a go-ahead with your diabetes healthcare team before starting any of these activities. 
• Depending on how much exercise you are doing, your body will use insulin, accordingly. Make sure to inform your healthcare team about any new exercise routine so that they can adjust the dosage of insulin, accordingly.

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4. Mind your insulin intake

• Do not try to increase or decrease your insulin intake on your own. Taking less insulin than what your doctor has recommended can lead to serious repercussions such as diabetic ketoacidosis, or hyperosmolar hyperglycaemic syndrome.  
• You must adhere to the dosage that your doctor has prescribed and take it accordingly.
• Do not reduce or skip your insulin intake in the hopes of reducing weight.
• If you have skipped a few insulin doses and noticed some weight loss, do not get caught in this trap. This can cause serious health repercussions, such as a sudden spike in blood sugar levels, known as hyperglycaemia, when too much glucose accumulates in the blood due to a lack of insulin. 
• This can result in vomiting, an increase in heart rate, problems with vision and an increase in thirst or hunger. Left untreated over a period of time, it can lead to serious health complications.

More than your weight, it is important that you provide your body with the nutrition and additional help it requires to stay fit and healthy.

If you are worried that your weight is higher or lower than your ideal BMI or ideal weight, speak to your diabetes healthcare team to find a personalised plan that takes a comprehensive approach to weight loss, and includes diet, exercise, stress & sleep management to help you get the most out of your treatment.  

Fittertake

Type 2 diabetes is a metabolic disorder and therefore has a complicated relationship with weight. But the good news is, with a comprehensive diabetes management program you can not only lose weight but also build habits that help you maintain a healthy weight.

Fitterfly’s programs like Fitterfly Weight Loss Program and Fitterfly Diabetes Care Program not only take into account traditional methods such as diet and exercise. But also, take into account sleep and stress management that impact both weight loss and type 2 diabetes. These plans are personalised based on in-depth nutrition, wellness, and fitness assessments.

And have a progress tracking feature that improvises plans based on your outcomes. 85% of the members who completed the Diabefly program have lost an average of 2.62 kg weight. 

Speak with us and see how we can make it possible for you.