Why Weight Loss is Not Important for Managing Diabetes

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You will hear most providers tell patients “Lose weight to control your blood sugar levels” or “If you lose weight, your diabetes will go away.” This in fact, is just simply not true. Quite frankly, it sends the message of fat shaming or fat phobia to the patient. It is our job as clinicians to do better as to provide quality and patient-centered care.

A reason weight loss doesn’t work with improving glucose control is because a person can lose weight but the same eating patterns can still be there, still causing fluctuations of glucose to sky rocket or fall too low. Also, diets aren’t sustainable and people usually gain the weight back, if not more.

Consistent and realistic eating patterns are important for managing glucose control, along with portioning carbohydrates at meals. There’s lots of factor besides weight that affect diabetes. Examples include stress, lack of sleep, infection/illness, enough water consumption, lack of exercise, smoking, certain medications, genetics, and food security.

The key to managing glucose levels is spreading out carbohydrates throughout the day and not just 3 large meals. I always tell my clients to eat 3 regular sized meals and 2-3 snacks throughout the day for stable glucose levels. Another healthy option is for a person to make sure they are eating protein first before the carbohydrates as a way to slow glucose from rising too quickly, Having whole wheat options can also prevent glucose from rising too high since whole grains are complex carbohydrates. The body takes longer to completely break down and absorb the carbohydrates. This means that it’s longer lasting energy as well. Lastly, counting how many servings of carbohydrates you have per meal and snacks is a necessity. If you have too many, the blood sugar levels will rise because the pancreas can’t pump out enough insulin to keep glucose from rising in the blood. Be sure to portion all of your servings of carbohydrates.

To learn more on how to manage your blood sugar levels and portioning meals or servings of each macronutrient with a HAES approach (Health At Every Size), please email me to set up an appointment!