Weight loss not only helps people with diabetes improve blood sugar control, but it also lowers the risk of complications. However, if you’re experiencing unintentional weight loss, it could be a sign of underlying health issues. Let’s explore the cause of unintended weight loss in diabetes, the relationship between weight loss and diabetes, and healthy strategies for losing weight when you have diabetes.
Table of Content
Why Does Diabetes Cause Weight Loss?
Several factors can lead to weight loss when managing diabetes. These factors often indicate different health conditions.
Poor Blood Sugar Control & Insulin Resistance
When your body isn’t producing enough or cannot respond to insulin effectively, glucose in the bloodstream cannot be utilized for energy. In that case, the body starts breaking down fat or protein for energy, leading to weight loss.
In addition, hyperglycemia can cause glucose to pass through the kidneys without being fully reabsorbed. Excessive glucose is then removed through urine, also known as glycosuria. The increased osmotic pressure in the kidney also leads to frequent urination, which can contribute to dehydration and further weight loss. This is why, upon first being diagnosed with diabetes, many individuals experience:
- increased hunger (polyphagia),
- excessive thirst (polydipsia),
- frequent urination (polyuria),
- and noticeable weight loss.
Fear of Blood Sugar Spikes & Eating Too Little
After being diagnosed with diabetes, some people avoid eating or significantly reduce their portion sizes to avoid raising their blood sugar levels. However, consuming too few calories can result in an overall energy deficit, leading to unintended weight loss.
If you find yourself in this situation, consider consulting a dietitian to come up with a balanced meal plan tailored to your needs and blood sugar management goals. This way, you can maintain both stable blood sugar levels and a healthy weight.
Side Effects of Medications
Since weight management plays a key role in blood sugar control, some medications, such as SGLT-2 inhibitors, work by reducing the reabsorption of glucose in the kidneys, leading to more glucose being excreted in the urine. This then lowers overall calorie intake. GLP-1 receptor agonists (RA) also help with weight loss by slowing gastric emptying and suppressing appetite.
If you’re using medication to manage your diabetes, it’s important to know whether your current medications fall under these categories, as they could potentially contribute to weight loss.
People with diabetes have a higher risk of thyroid disorders and cancer compared to those without diabetes. Conditions like hyperthyroidism or abnormal tumor growth can increase the body’s energy demands, potentially leading to weight loss.
If you’ve ruled out poor blood sugar control and a lack of appetite, but you’re still experiencing unexplained weight loss, it might be time to schedule a health checkup to investigate whether another factor is contributing to your weight loss.
Relationship Between Weight Loss and Blood Sugar Control
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the global prevalence of obesity among adults has doubled since 1990, with over 2.5 billion people worldwide now classified as obese.
Maintaining an ideal weight is a key component in managing blood sugar levels. Not only can it reduce insulin resistance and improve the body’s ability to utilize glucose, but it also helps prevent complications associated with diabetes.
What Is a Healthy Weight Range?
- Body Mass Index (BMI): Between 18.5 and 24
- Body Fat Percentage: Below 25% for men and below 30% for women
For those with diabetes who need to manage their weight, it is recommended that once blood sugar levels are stable, lifestyle adjustments through diet and exercise are adopted to achieve a healthier physique. However, it’s important to ensure that weight loss happens in a healthy and controlled way.
Since weight management offers various health benefits, let’s explore practical ways to incorporate healthy weight loss into daily life!
How to Lose Weight with Diabetes? Diet First, Exercise Second
Food is the body’s primary source of energy. We get calories through eating and burn them through daily activities, exercise, and metabolism. When we consume more calories than we burn, excess fat accumulates in the body.
This is why the 80/20 rule has gained popularity. It suggests that diet contributes about 80% to weight management, while exercise accounts for the remaining 20%. The principle is based on the idea that reducing calorie intake is significantly more effective than burning calories through exercises.
But where should you start when it comes to healthy eating? Let’s break it down.
3 Steps to Diabetes-Friendly Diet for Weight Loss
Step 1: Control Your Carb Intake
Managing consistent portions of carbohydrate-rich foods is a practical approach to weight control. Before starting a weight loss plan, consult a dietitian to determine your ideal daily carbohydrate intake based on your personal needs. Your dietitian will recommend how many carbs you can eat per meal. Afterwards, you can make more balanced and nutrient-dense food choices for better weight and blood sugar management.
Step 2: Watch Your Calories
Caloric density measures the caloric content of food relative to its weight or volume. Food with higher caloric density will pack more calories into smaller portions. For example, 100g of pistachios contains around 320 kcal, while 100g of cherry tomatoes has only 34 kcal.
If you’re trying to cut calories, start by checking your fat intake.
Step 3: Know What You Eat
Counting calories isn’t as hard as you think. Even nutritionists don’t meticulously calculate every calorie they eat. After all, pausing to do math for every meal certainly takes the joy out of eating!
So how do you manage weight without that much stress? The key is awareness.
Think about your usual snacks: pistachios, cake, or fruit—which do you eat most often?
A nutritionist might look at a bag of chips and think, “This is equivalent to half a bowl of rice plus a spoonful of oil—I’ll just eat half.” Later at dinner, they might instinctively reduce their rice portion by a few bites.
No need to count calories—just pay attention to what and how much you’re eating. Making small, intentional changes to your meals can help you build healthy, sustainable habits to manage your weight.
Exercise: The Key to Sustainable Weight Loss for Diabetes
Once you’ve started reducing calorie intake, the next challenge is burning more calories. Studies often recommend exercise as an effective way to facilitate weight loss for people with diabetes. There are two main types of exercise: aerobic exercise and weight training.
Aerobic Exercise
The primary goal of aerobic exercise is to burn stored fat. Activities like brisk walking, jogging, cycling, swimming, or hiking can all help. Doing at least 30 minutes of aerobic exercise, three times a week, can help support fat loss over time.
Weight Training
Building muscle through strength training can increase your basal metabolic rate (BMR). Since muscles use more calories than fat, having more muscle means your body burns more calories—even when at rest. This explains why some people seem to eat a lot without gaining weight.
If you notice that your weight loss is slowing down or has plateaued, try incorporating weight training into your routine.
Managing Diabetes Starts with Weight Management
Studies have suggested that losing 5-10% of body weight, combined with at least 150 minutes of physical activity per week, can significantly reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes. Maintaining a healthy weight (BMI 18-24) can improve blood sugar control, reduce insulin resistance and potentially decrease medication dependence.
