April 15, 2010

Type 2, Weight Loss and Control – Stop Dreaming, Act NOW

dream imageDo you (or a loved one) have type 2 diabetes and you’re under the impression that your blood glucose would rapidly fall into control if only you could just lose weight? Have you heard this promise from your healthcare provider (HCP)?

As a dietitian and diabetes educator nothing would please me more than to be able to say this is true. But it’s often not the case and particularly so as type 2 progresses over the years. My message to you, stop dreaming and act NOW!

The main mantra to people with type 2 diabetes, especially early on, used to be lose weight. Though losing 10 to 20 pounds can, especially early on after diagnosis, cause blood glucose to plummet and other medical problem to improve, research shows the continually pounding about weight loss that people often get from their health care provider needs to change. We know much more now about the progression of type 2.