Feb 25 2009
Signs of Diabetes
One of the signs of diabetes is losing weight. I know a lot of people tend to gain weight with diabetes, but it can also lead to rapid and unhealthy weight loss.
What causes weight loss?
Having diabetes can sometimes make you lose weight unhealthily. The most common reason for weight loss is a high blood glucose level, which means that your body is not using glucose properly for energy. Instead, your body starts to use fat from stores in your muscles and beneath the skin. If your diabetes continues to be uncontrolled, you will start to lose weight. Weight loss is more common and severe at diagnosis in Type 1 diabetes, but can also occur gradually in uncontrolled Type 2 diabetes.
You may also lose weight if you have other conditions possibly related to your diabetes that cause weight loss, for example an overactive thyroid.
What causes weight gain?
Some people with diabetes, and particularly those with Type 2, put on weight. There are a number of reasons why you might gain weight as a result of your diabetes:
Taking more insulin than you need. This is because insulin causes your body to store glucose as glycogen in your liver and muscles and, if there is a plentiful supply, as fat beneath your skin. You may need to adjust your insulin dose to counter this.
Taking certain tablets to lower your blood glucose level. There are some types that can cause weight gain. You may need to consult your health professional.
Consuming more calories than you need. You might be eating more because you are worried about hypos and want to prevent them, because you are having more snacks to balance with your tablets, or perhaps because you have stopped smoking and are snacking to compensate. Or you may be comfort-eating because you feel low or depressed. You may need to change your eating habits or eat more healthily.
Being less active, perhaps because you are physically unable to take any exercise or because you find it difficult to fit physical activity into your day. You may need to plan how to increase the amount of activity you do.
You may also find it useful lo set targets related to your food intake rather than your weight. For example, if you decide to cut out or cut down on certain foods during the week, you will feel more positive at the end of the week when you have achieved it – particularly if your weight loss is a little slower than you would like. So hopefully you can see that managing your weight and keeping track of any sign of diabetes is now as difficult as you may have believed.
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