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4 tips for better weight management

Being overweight (or carrying excess body weight) can increase your risk of developing type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease. 1

Small dietary and lifestyle changes can have a significant impact on your ability to lose weight, lower your BMI and feel healthier.

But in order to understand how these adjustments can benefit your health, we must look at the role that insulin plays. Insulin regulates your blood sugar, which is essential to well-being and health. Taking steps to lose weight allows insulin to function at a better rate 2, therefore staving off the risk of type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease.

There is no “one size fits all” approach to losing weight or reducing your BMI, but as this video shows, eating a healthy and varied diet, increasing your physical activity, using tools and setting goals to track progress 3 are some of the ways that you can manage your weight, laying the foundations for a healthier lifestyle.

References
  1. American Diabetes Association. Cardiovascular Disease and Risk Management: Standards of Medical Care in Diabetes—2020. Diabetes Care, 43(S1), 2020: S111-S134 Viewed 10 March 2021 https://care.diabetesjournals.org/content/43/Supplement_1/S111 (Quote from Source: “Common conditions coexisting with type 2 diabetes (e.g., hypertension and dyslipidemia) are clear risk factors for ASCVD, and diabetes itself confers independent risk.”)
  2. Scheen AJ: From Obesity to Diabetes: Why, When and Who? International Journal of Clinical and Laboratory Medicine 2000, 55(1), 2000: 9-15. Accessed 17 Dec 2020 https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/10783502/ (Quote from the source: "The evolution from obesity to diabetes represents a continuum that progresses through different phases in which defects in both insulin action and insulin secretion play a critical interaction and must be looked at in concert.")
  3. American Diabetes Association 2020, Overweight, American Diabetes Association/Diabetes.org, viewed 17 Dec 2020, https://www.diabetes.org/diabetes-risk/prevention/overweight .
    (Quote from the source: "Here's what has worked for some people who have lost weight and kept it off:
  • Cutting back on calories and fat.
  • Staying physically active most days of the week.
  • Eating breakfast every day.
  • Weighing themselves at least once per week.
  • Watching less than 10 hours of TV per week.")

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Change can be hard, and taking the first step the biggest challenge of all, but the health and lifestyle benefits will be worth it both in the short and long term.