Does Weight Loss Reduce your sugar levels.

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Steve711

Steve711

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Relationship to Diabetes
Type 2
Just a quick question if you are overweight at diagnosis will weight loss reduce your sugar levels regardless of how you acheive the weight loss ?
 
It can. It did for me. Oh, and changing my diet too
 
There seems to be good evidence that this can help for some people, yes.

Especially if weight is carried around the middle, and there is a build-up of visceral fat around the organs like the pancreas and liver which can impair their proper function.

Some of Prof Taylor’s research has deepened understanding about the interaction between weight loss, personal fat thresholds, and the body’s glucose management. You can read about that here:

Type 2 diabetes remission

Type 2 diabetes remission is when your blood sugar levels return to a safe, non-diabetes level long-term, without the need for glucose-lowering medication. It stops diabetes in its tracks and boosts your chances of a healthy future. When you are in remission, you reduce the risk of diabetes...
www.diabetes.org.uk www.diabetes.org.uk
 
Things are never black and white - regulars on here will recognise that as an ongoing theme of mine. So, if you change your question to,

....if you are overweight at diagnosis is there a high probability that weight loss will reduce your sugar levels regardless of how you achieve the weight loss ?...

Then I would wholeheartedly agree with it.
 
I think weight loss and low carb diet and exercise helped mine drop dramatically.
 
My blood glucose went down to much more normal numbers due to eating low carb - but my weight reduced without any effort.
 

Research spotlight – putting type 2 diabetes into remission

Researching a low-calorie weight management programme to put diabetes into remission Thanks to our research funding, scientists are busy investigating a new weight management treatment, which includes a low-calorie diet, to help people put their type 2 diabetes into remission.
www.diabetes.org.uk www.diabetes.org.uk

This is the summary of the most recent clinical trial that certainly shows weight loss leads to a reduction in Blood Glucose, if not overall diabetes remission.
 
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Just wondering aloud .. does weight loss improve insulin sensitivity (aka reduce insulin resistance) which means we need less insulin so, in the case of a struggling pancreas, it is more likely to be able to produce the required insulin to reduce blood glucose.
I know if someone with Type 1 reduces their weight, they will need to inject less insulin. I think I have read about a guideline of how much insulin we need to inject based on body weight (although this is so dependent on activity and food that it is only a lose guideline)
 
Hi I was diagnosed T2D last June and set about losing weight by any means possible. So I did the 5:2 diet, used an app called "Carb Manager" to keep my calorie intake below 1500 per day and my carbs below 100. I also undertook a vigorous programme of exercise at least 5 days per week. I managed to lose 45lbs by the autumn and was taken off medication because my blood sugar readings were normal. I have seen experts who say diabetics should not do intermittent fasting but all I can tell you is that it worked for me so I think the most important thing is to get the weight off (particularly visceral fat) by any means possible that work for you. The only downside is that I have had to buy a whole new wardrobe which has cost me a fortune!
 
helli said:
Just wondering aloud .. does weight loss improve insulin sensitivity (aka reduce insulin resistance) which means we need less insulin so, in the case of a struggling pancreas, it is more likely to be able to produce the required insulin to reduce blood glucose.
I know if someone with Type 1 reduces their weight, they will need to inject less insulin. I think I have read about a guideline of how much insulin we need to inject based on body weight (although this is so dependent on activity and food that it is only a lose guideline)
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Definitely.
I was fat, and lazy.
(And it certainly wasn't the "carbs" that did it, it was the fact I hoovered food up, by choice)
Type 2 is mostly insulin resistance, although the pancreas may be coated in fat, so is the liver, and the muscles.
I removed a lot of body fat, all my organs recovered, I exercised, and built up more muscle.
So, as you say, I also suspect not only can I produce more insulin if I need to, I also use the insulin I produce more efficiently.
 
Delta Wizard said:
Hi I was diagnosed T2D last June and set about losing weight by any means possible. So I did the 5:2 diet, used an app called "Carb Manager" to keep my calorie intake below 1500 per day and my carbs below 100. I also undertook a vigorous programme of exercise at least 5 days per week. I managed to lose 45lbs by the autumn and was taken off medication because my blood sugar readings were normal. I have seen experts who say diabetics should not do intermittent fasting but all I can tell you is that it worked for me so I think the most important thing is to get the weight off (particularly visceral fat) by any means possible that work for you. The only downside is that I have had to buy a whole new wardrobe which has cost me a fortune!
Click to expand...

I can understand if you are a diabetic on meds that stimulate insulin production, or inject insulin, fasting could cause harm.
Then again, there is a lot of research now that shows putting your Circadian rhythm out causes your body to hiccup. Badly. And certainly your eating habits are part of that cycle.
I found going the other way, and actually imposing regular eating times made a very positive difference to me.
 
I had got to 101kg which was far too heavy for a 5'7" woman. I need to be 20% lighter..... losing 10% has already put my HBa1C from 55 to 49 I hope it is now lower still.

Low carb fewer calories in = loose weight.
 
Losing weight at a moderate kind of pace - say around half a kilo per week - via calorie restriction was enough to reverse my T2D.
 
Many thanks for all the replies i have been completely cutting out potatoes , rice and pasta and yes it has taken my Hb1c down significantly but feel i need to keep loosing weight but would like to have a bit more of a balance with foods but not sure what effect this will have ?
 
Steve711 said:
Many thanks for all the replies i have been completely cutting out potatoes , rice and pasta and yes it has taken my Hb1c down significantly but feel i need to keep loosing weight but would like to have a bit more of a balance with foods but not sure what effect this will have ?
Click to expand...
What do you mean by 'a balance of foods'.
Have a look at the thread 'What did you eat yesterday' where people post their daily menu as you may pick up a few ideas. Bare in mind some people will have varying amount of carbs per day and be on a variety of medication and/or dietary regimes.
If you look at my posts then I am on no meds and have approx 70g carb per day.
 
Steve711 said:
Many thanks for all the replies i have been completely cutting out potatoes , rice and pasta and yes it has taken my Hb1c down significantly but feel i need to keep loosing weight but would like to have a bit more of a balance with foods but not sure what effect this will have ?
Click to expand...

One way of finding out, test bg.
 
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