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Type II Diabetes is a monster of a disease which according to the International Diabetes Federation, 463 million people are currently living with today.
Having witnessed diabetes up close, in both a healthcare setting and at home, I can honestly say I have a better understanding for what Diabetics go through.
The daily challenges alone of what diabetics’ face is exhausting:
Worrying about what and when to eat constantly
Thinking about how others will react to their diagnosis
Stressing about developing complications in the future
Having concerns about financial costs that then effect medication and care
And just the overall tiredness and frustration in day to day living
Even though many healthcare providers try to address these issues, the main problem lies in the healthcare system itself.
Type II Diabetes is a preventable and reversible disease that we can eradicate by taking the right steps.
I know this to be true because my sister and I have been able to personally help those with diabetes in our own family! Both our dad and uncle have lost tremendous weight, gotten off or completely reduced their medication and effectively reversed their diabetes!
But before we dive into the nitty-gritty of reversing diabetes, lets start with the basics.
Type II Diabetes is a chronic metabolic disease characterized by elevated blood glucose (blood sugar), which can lead to complications that involves damage to the heart, blood vessels, eyes, kidneys and nerves.
This type occurs when your pancreas isn’t producing enough insulin, your body is resistant to its actions, or both.
Without insulin working effectively, blood glucose levels rise quickly and steadily thereby creating insulin resistance and eventually Type II Diabetes.
Diabetes and Weight
Although the exact cause of diabetes still remains a mystery, researchers seem to be getting closer to determining the source.
Considered a chronic condition, Type II Diabetes seems to stem from poor lifestyle choices that have added up over time.
What is even more apparent is the strong association between obesity and diabetes.
As a matter of fact, it is believed that obesity accounts for 90% of diabetes cases with evidence showing that obese individuals are 80 times more likely to become diabetic than those with a BMI less than 22! In addition, those that tend to store excess weight around their midsection are particularly vulnerable.
Why is that, you ask? How exactly does weight gain lead to Type II Diabetes?
Well, as more and more studies are coming out many researchers are realizing the harmful effects fat, particularly visceral fat, has when it comes to insulin resistance and diabetes.
Visceral fat is the type of fat that appears inside your abdominal cavity and around your organs. It releases two substances that appear to be the culprits in developing this condition. They are:
1 – inflammatory substances and
2 – free fatty acids
The inflammatory substances suppress insulin pathways making the body less responsive to insulin and increasing its resistance.
1. Examine Your Eating Habits
Most people will tell you to start eating a diabetic diet that is plant-based to start reversing your diabetes, which I agree with. But I’m sure if you are reading this article, you’re already know that.
I think instead you should ask yourself why you are not eating a plant-based diet? Are you having that midnight snack every single evening? Why can’t you stop eating when you feel full? Do you eat when you are sad?
It’s easy to tell someone that they should eat healthy but it takes actual work to find out the reasons as to why you are not eating the foods you know are good for you and avoiding the ones that aren’t.
The quicker you create good eating habits, the quicker you will ensure a smaller waistline and reversal of your diabetes as well!
2. Increase Your Non-Exercise Movements
People believe that there is a particular type of exercise that is the best for weight loss. Many will argue that high-intensity interval training (HIIT) is the best while others will firmly disagree and say strength training is way better for you. Well I’m here to tell you that there is something even better for your health, NEAT.
NEAT or non-exercise activity thermogenesis are daily movements outside of structured exercise such as standing, getting out of bed, walking, fidgeting, cooking, cleaning etc.
You might think that these movements carry little effect but in actuality they are very important in keeping excess weight off.
Living a sedentary lifestyle has contributed to obesity and conditions such as Diabetes. NEAT counteracts this by improving your basal metabolic rate (BMR) which amps up weight loss at rest!
In addition, reduced NEAT has been linked to insulin resistance and glycated hemoglobin A1C. So, the more you fidget the greater the chance you’re lowering your blood glucose!
Finding ways to incorporate NEAT that works for your personal lifestyle will prove fruitful for your Diabetes.
3. Determine Your Stress Triggers
Something that there seems to be plenty of in the world is stress, am I right? A lot of us deal with pretty hectic lives so finding ways to not stress can sometimes be difficult.
The problem occurs when we do try to manage our stress by using unhealthy methods such as eating. Some of us have resorted to “comfort foods” as a way to lessen our anxiety but that only results in added calories and conditions such as Diabetes.
Why does this happen?
Well, stress releases the hormone cortisol which is not only an appetite stimulant but more specifically, increases cravings for sugary and fatty foods. These types of foods tend to get deposited around the midsection, which further exacerbates the problem.
While implementing relaxation techniques such as meditation, yoga and deep breathing has proven to help lower stress, understanding YOUR stress triggers and getting ahead of them is by-far the best plan you have to fight off stress and stop weight gain in it’s path.
4. Observe Your Sleep Pattern
Wouldn’t it be wonderful if you could get 8-10 complete hours of sleep every night? As great of a dream as that is, it can actually be very beneficial when it concerns your weight and diabetes.
Poor sleep has been found to actually cause weight gain and insulin resistance.
How does that happen?
Well disturbances in sleep alter hunger hormones leading to:
increases in appetite
less of an ability to fight cravings and make healthier choices
increases caloric intake
decreases BMR and motivation to exercise
All of which effects your weight negatively in the end.
To top all of this off – insulin resistance can occur due to a lack of sleep in just a matter of days. A small study showed that just having 4 hours of sleep for six days affected participants ability to lower their blood sugar by 40%!
In order to fix all of that you may want to try practicing proper sleep hygiene techniques to get good quality sleep.
But what about for those of you may be already doing this?
I would suggest taking it a step further by having a look at your exact sleeping pattern instead.
Tracking your sleep habits in a diary can actually be the most successful way to help you identify what’s robbing you of sleep and putting you back on track to a good nights rest.
5. Shift Your Mindset
Researchers previously thought that weight loss was an issue primarily involving ONLY the body. But as knowledge has evolved with the times, we’re all finding out that the ability to lose weight is not purely physical.
Evidence now shows that those who have been successful at losing weight and sustaining it, are the ones who have developed a particular mentality.
Now experts have realized that a positive mindset is the turning point need to achieve weight loss success.
As simple as this might seem, neglecting to examine false beliefs, self-destructive negative thinking or inflexible attitude has left many people disappointed and feeling like failures. By judging yourself and being overtly critical of your choices, it only makes it that much harder to lose weight and reach your goals.
Instead, start paying attention to your internal dialogue and continue to challenge your belief system. This will help you to be more positive, uplifted and realistic as you tackle your weight loss goals and motivate you long-term which can lead to your diabetes reversal.
6. Be Consistent
I’m sure, like myself, lots of you have tried to lose weight before. But have ended up gaining it back and then some. Because we’ve all been there, heck I’m no stranger to the yo-yo weight game!
But what I’ve realized is that it’s consistency or more specifically, habits which helps you lose weight AND keep it off.
Doctors have found a ton of evidence that proves that people become or remain overweight as a result of habits and by changing those habits weight can be lost and maintained.
One study demonstrated this by having participants form new healthy habits and replace old unhealthy habits over a period of 12 weeks. When examined, the results showed significant weight loss in majority of individuals and maintenance at the 12-month mark.
This has been ground-breaking for the weight management community who have struggled for years to assist overweight and obese individuals.
With so many diets failing to encourage permanent healthy lifestyle changes, no wonder we fail in the end. And even if you do lose weight initially, the pounds quickly return once you stop dieting.
But if you can change your habits you can transform your life. Choosing to make positive changes in the way you eat, exercise, stress, sleep is important for weight loss!
As a result, your healthy habits will free you of weight gain AND diabetes by the end!
7. Have A Personalized Weight Loss Plan
We’ve all tried to lose weight by mimicking what our family members and friends have done. Like following some of the same tactics: drinking apple cider vinegar, starting the keto diet, or having a bullet coffee. But we never achieve the same results as them.
What?! Sally lost all her weight? I did exactly what she did yet the number on the scale hasn’t budged
Well, the reason why this doesn’t work is because we’re all different.
Everyone is unique in their behaviors, beliefs, and experiences related to their health. Because of this, everyone also forms obstacles that are only special to them. A one-size-fits-all weight loss plan fails to consider these individualistic roadblocks (which will appear) when on your weight loss journey.
Being able to anticipate these barriers and overcome them is a major component to successfully losing weight and keeping it off.
Not to mention that personal weight loss plans are also designed to match your own lifestyle. Whether you are the type of person that is always on-the-go, prefer to eat on a budget or is just not a fan of broccoli, personal plans make it easy for you to achieve your weight loss goals by fitting your life into their plan and not the other way around.
So. remember, when losing weight, find a plan that works for YOU. It should take your obstacles and preferences into consideration in order for it to work in the the long haul.
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