Proven weight loss strategies for managing diabetes Proven weight loss strategies for managing diabetes

Diabetes management requires a multi-pronged approach that incorporates healthy living with medications. Watching what you eat and getting enough exercise are just as important as correctly taking any medications that have been prescribed. Whether you have diabetes or not, a practical weight management plan is one that can be stuck to. Otherwise, you’ll struggle to continue with the healthy habits you adopted and lose any progress you’ve made. Since diabetes can be a life-long condition, having a realistic weight management plan is essential to managing the condition. We have a wide range of diabetes medications to help you control your blood sugar levels. We also have advice on how to live your best life with diabetes and weight loss management strategies that work.

Medications for Diabetes and Weight Loss

Type 1 diabetics need to manage their condition with insulin drugs. These medications contain synthetic versions of the insulin their body needs to regulate blood sugar levels. Not all type 2 diabetics need to use medications because a balanced diet and exercise is usually enough to treat the condition. They’ll only need medication if diet and exercise aren’t enough to lower blood sugar levels. Some diabetes medications can actually help people lose weight when they’re combined with a healthy lifestyle. Weight loss medications work much in the same way, helping you lose more weight than you would if you just tried diet and exercise alone.

Diabetes Medications

  • Lantus Insulin: Lantus is an injectable insulin analogue that helps regulate blood sugar levels in type 1 diabetes. It can sometimes be prescribed to type 2 diabetics when other treatments haven’t worked.
  • Humalog Insulin: Humalog is a fast-acting man-made insulin that starts lowering blood sugar levels in 15 minutes. It peaks at 1 hour and continues working for up to 4 hours. This medication is used for type 1 diabetes in children and adults, and for type 2 diabetes in adults.
  • Trulicity: A medicine used to treat type 2 diabetics when diet and exercise aren’t enough to control blood sugar levels. Trulicity stimulates the body’s production of insulin, slows down digestion, and can help with weight loss.
  • Metformin: Metformin is an oral medication used to treat gestational diabetes and type 2 diabetes. It lowers blood sugar by improving how your body handles insulin and is one of the most common medications for type 2 diabetics.
  • Byetta: Byetta is the brand name of Exenatide, an injectable type 2 diabetes medicine that makes the insulin your body produces more effective. It’s sometimes used in conjunction with other medications like Metformin.

Weight Loss Medications

  • Saxenda: Saxenda is an injectable weight loss medicine that can help reduce your overall body weight and fat percentage. Its active ingredient, liraglutide, helps you feel fuller faster, so you eat less food at mealtimes.
  • Orlistat: Orlistat, the brand name for Xenical, is an oral medication that absorbs some of the fat you eat. When used with a healthy diet, it can help you lose weight and keep it off.
  • Wegovy: Wegovy has taken the weight loss world by storm. It’s an injectable weight loss drug that will soon be available to buy online in the UK from us. Wegovy works by supressing your appetite and slowing down digestion, helping you to feel fuller for longer periods of time.

In some instances, you may be able to take weight loss drugs with your regular diabetes medications. However, before combining any medications you should speak with your GP or specialist to ensure that it’s safe for you to do so.

Effective Weight Loss Management for Diabetes

Since losing weight is especially beneficial to diabetics, any long-term weight loss plan needs to be one that is easy to stick to. Crash diets and extreme exercise can be dangerous for diabetics because of their effects on blood sugar. Instead, you should set smaller, more realistic goals. Your diet and exercise habits don’t need to drastically change overnight. The more realistic your goals are, the more achievable they’ll be. An added benefit to making these realistic goals smaller is that you’ll reach them more often which will continually boost your confidence and sense of achievement. Eventually, these small changes will add up and will become habits that you do without even thinking about them. Any setbacks should be taken in stride. You’re only human and there are going to be instances where you don’t reach your goals or stick to your plans. These aren’t failures! They’re just opportunities to do better in the future.

Some ideas to get you started are:

  • Going for a walk three days a week
  • Drinking 8 glasses of water per day
  • Having healthier desserts during the week
  • Swapping out unhealthy cooking fats for healthier ones
  • Only having alcohol on weekends

When you feel comfortable, you can set the bar higher with bigger goals. In the end, it’s all about doing what works for you. Trying too much too soon is a recipe for failure.

Weight Loss Tips for Diabetics

In addition to setting realistic goals, you can try a few tips to keep you on track with your weight loss management plan. Start tracking what you eat and drink with an app or in a food diary. Seeing what you actually eat in a day can give you better insight and show you where changes can be easily made.

Other weight loss tips for diabetics include:

  • Speaking with a dietician who specialises in diets for diabetics.
  • Fill up by eating the low-calorie foods on your plate first.
  • Eat slowly so your brain has time to register when you’re full.
  • Stock up on healthy snacks.
  • Go to bed on time to avoid eating late at night.
  • Find a hobby you can turn to when you’re tempted to eat out of boredom.

Now that you know how to get the most out of your diabetes and weight loss management strategies, you can contact us to buy your diabetes medications. With us, you can have all your prescriptions shipped hassle-free right to your doorstep. Start your consultation today with our experts.