When you have diabetes, being aware of symptoms and complications is very important. This can help you understand when the condition is progressing too fast. Talking to your doctor at an early sign of certain symptoms can significantly improve the outcome, as they can make adjustments to your current treatment plan to counteract the possibility of serious complications. When you experience rapid weight loss with diabetes, it is important to consult a healthcare provider.
How Diabetes Can Lead To Unexpected Weight Loss
Diabetes can lead to a number of symptoms, as well as complications. Some of these problems can be quite concerning in both kids and adults with the condition. Rapid weight loss is a symptom that sometimes occurs, especially among those who have type 1 diabetes. With this said people with type 2 diabetes can also experience unexpected weight loss.
People often associate diabetes with obesity and weight gain, but this isn’t always the case.
When it comes to looking at how diabetes could result in rapid weight loss, it is important to consider the way that type 1 and type 2 diabetes affect us.
When you have type 2 diabetes, it means your body does not properly utilize glucose in your blood. It is harder for glucose to enter cells, as the cells become resistant to insulin. When cells are unable to access glucose, they start to turn to other sources of energy. This often means that your body will start to burn fat as fuel for energy production. When this happens, you may start to notice that you are dropping pounds very quickly.
In type 1 diabetes, the body fails to make insulin. This creates a similar effect, but in this particular case, there is not enough insulin to carry glucose into cells. This causes the body to turn to fat storage in order to produce energy.
This is a complication that can occur in children with type 1 diabetes. This is why parents should carefully monitor their child’s weight. Unexpected weight loss can sometimes also serve as an early indication of diabetes – in kids and adults.
Other Signs That May Indicate Diabetes
Weight loss can be one of the many symptoms that appear if you develop diabetes. In fact, it may sometimes be the fact that leads to the diagnosis of diabetes – after making an appointment with your healthcare provider to discuss your concerns about unexpected weight loss.
While this is one symptom that may appear, there are other signs of diabetes that you should not overlook. By understanding what symptoms may signal diabetes, you have the ability to get a diagnosis early on.
Fatigue that is unexplained and unusual is another common symptom. You may feel weak and tired throughout the day, even if you get a peaceful night’s sleep. Irritability, changes in your vision, and excessive urination are also signs that you should not ignore. Apart from these, look for skin that becomes darker in the neck region, as well as under your arms. Being thirstier or hungrier than usual and finding that cuts take longer to heal can also be indications of diabetes.
It is important for parents to not only look for the signs in themselves but also among their children. Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease that is often diagnosed at a young age.
Losing Weight With Diabetes
It is true that diabetes can cause sudden weight loss. On the other hand, many people with diabetes are obese.
Recent statistics show that about 42.4% of American adults are obese. Among the American population, 9.2% are also expected to be severely obese. Research shows that there is a strong relationship between obesity and diabetes. When it comes to weight loss, just losing about 5% of your total body fat when obese can also produce noticeable results in glucose control and reduce the amount of medication you need to treat the condition.
Rapid weight loss is not something that you should aim for if you have diabetes. This condition requires a carefully planned and well-balanced meal plan. The meal plan should generally include regular meals throughout the day but without causing a spike or drop in blood glucose levels. If you take part in a restrictive diet, your body may not gain access to enough glucose in order to fuel your cells. This can lead to complications like hypoglycemia. When you have low blood sugar, you may feel irritable, experience anxiety symptoms, look pale, and start to shake. Sweating, hunger, concentration difficulties, dizziness, and several other symptoms can also appear.
Healthy weight loss means reducing your body mass index gradually over time. You can still restrict the number of calories you consume every day to help with weight loss, but not too much. In addition to diet, exercise also plays a role in weight loss, even among those with diabetes. Yet, this is another area where things get complicated again – as pushing yourself too much without the right carbohydrates could cause hypoglycemia while you exercise.
Here are a few tips that can help you safely lose weight when you have diabetes:
- Stay hydrated. Drinking enough water throughout the day is important. If you feel like having a soda or another type of drink, opt for an unsweetened option.
- Try to reduce the number of quick-acting carbohydrates in your diet. These carbs cause a quick spike in sugar levels, but this can wear off and cause hypoglycemia later on.
- Fiber should play an important role in your diet. It helps with digestion and keeps you full.
- Eat about 500 calories less than you burn. Focus on healthy fats, protein, and complex carbs when you plan out your meal.
Conclusion
Weight loss is important if you have diabetes and you are obese. Losing weight too quickly, however, can cause serious complications with your diabetic condition. Rapid weight loss does not always only occur with a weight loss program. A consistent loss of calories and problems with the process of glucose entering cells can also contribute to fast weight loss that could potentially lead to complications.