How to Lose Weight with Diabetes or prediabetes?

On the topic of losing weight or improving body composition; Most people still think in the wrong terms: the myths that we have been taught all our lives, about supposed mathematics between “calories in minus calories out,” and the wrong theory of “calorie balance”. We are made to believe that our body is only a storehouse of surpluses – where said surpluses are stored in the form of body fat –, something like a “calorie bucket”, and that to lose weight we supposedly must use willpower. to control two factors: “calories in” and “calories out.”

Nothing could be further from the truth. Our body is not a simple bucket of surplus, but a complex metabolic machine, where the processes of gaining or losing weight have everything to do with hormones, and very little to do with calories.We have been told similar myths to those of us who live with diabetes: that we should “watch calories,” as well as “avoid fats,” along with other harmful advice such as “we should eat carbohydrates.” or even sugar to avoid hypoglycemia” (I have talked about it before).

We must remember at all times that calories not are all the same.

A huge flaw of the “calorie deficit” theory is that, in addition to ignoring how our body works, it also ignores the fundamental fact that calories are not all the same: they do very different things. in our bodies, depending on where they come from.The myth that “foods are neutral” and that “all calories count” has done terrible damage to public health. One calorie of real fat does very different things in our body (give us health and an ideal source of energy); than one calorie of fructose (a liver toxin that causes terrible damage if consumed above a very small level).

Foods are not “neutral”, nor is it about “eating a little less of everything”: that is a lie!… The reality is that the quality of food matters much more than the quantity, Not to mention that real foods are self-regulating and it is very difficult to overeat them. carbohydrates, because they have a disastrous effect according to their glycemic index and because of their effects on insulin needs, favor a lot of fat accumulation, regardless of “how many calories” they have. And for those of us who live with diabetes, they cause hyperglycemia that is terrible for our health, triggering our needs for exogenous insulin (in type 1 diabetes) or endogenous insulin (insulin resistance). What calorie deficit are we going to talk about then, if all the calories are very different depending on where they come from?

State of the intestinal microbiota.

The state of our intestinal microbiota also has effects on the digestion, as well as the absorption and use of energy and nutrients. In this post, @david.healthcoach explains in more detail the relationship between microbiota and obesity: the presence of bacteria more suitable or more harmful, will influence how the food is digested and used. A clue is given by the fact that people with obesity usually also have a microbiotic imbalance, and less diversity in their intestinal microbiota. In this, diet influences much more than genetics.

Effective exercise.

Exercising and moving constantly is essential for health for many reasons, and it should be mandatory: that is out of the question. But it is not the fundamental factor in weight loss, as people believe. The need to exercise for health has more to do with strengthening muscles to avoid sarcopenia (muscular dystrophy) and to improve the use of glucose and insulin at the muscle level (rather than all work the liver has it), but not because “calories are burned.” Doing effective exercise can undoubtedly help you lose weight, but it is not the crucial factor “burning calories”, as the myths have told us, as we mention in this live with Marc Romera.

For an effective exercise scheme, strength exercise and the so-called High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) are much more efficient, although the transition and individuality of each case can be found with my accompaniments in my Diabetes Bien programs.

Take care of your circadian rhythms, have consistent habits in terms of schedules.

Habits consistent with our circadian rhythms have an enormous influence on the processes of storing or oxidizing (“burning”) fats. First of all, it is very important to not eat at night, and preferably only actually eat when there is natural daylight. It is the coherent way in which our genes evolved: we are a diurnal species, and all our hormones and enzymes that help with proper digestion and the use of energy and nutrients are manufactured and function optimally during the day and not at night. However, I understand that each case and circumstance is individual and the strength of each factor will have to be assessed in each case.

The “calorie deficit” is only a very small part of the answer.

Well, as I explained, our body is not a machine for storing surpluses in the form of fats or calories. Thinking in terms of calorie deficit is extremely deficient, and usually leads us to failure when it comes to losing weight. Well, thinking about “calorie deficit” is ignoring the way our body works, and the complexity of hormones that intervene in the processes of gaining or losing weight. In this publication, @novuelvoaengordar shows the experiments and studies that have been done, clearly demonstrating that it can be change body composition without ever generating a caloric deficit, and vice versa.

“Calories in” and “calories out” are interdependent; and furthermore, they are more consequence than cause.

The “CICO” theory (“calories in, calories out”; that is, “calories in less calories out”) is only partially true. This mistaken theory assumes that the two behaviors, “eating” and “moving” (or when there is a problem: “gluttony” and “laziness”) are completely under our control and that they depend only on “willpower.”This is a tremendous mistake. Again, our body does not know about calories but about hormones, and these hormones also dictate when we feel hungry and how intensely; if we feel lethargic and without the desire to move, with energy or discouragement, etc. So “calories in” and “calories out” will actually be a consequence and not a cause, of how we eat and how we manage many other factors. Furthermore, they depend on each other, they feed off each other. Many hormones intervene in this: for example, leptin that regulates our satiety, or a roller coaster of blood glucose and insulin that makes us feel anxious and hungry, etc.

Exposure to sun and cold: an environment consistent with our genes.

Adequate, conscious and consistent exposure to sunlight is essential for good metabolic and hormonal balance, mainly because it allows us to synthesize vitamin D, among other reasons. Likewise, exposing ourselves to the cold from time to time is also consistent with the way our genes evolved; They are positive stressors that stimulate the proper production of various hormones and can help us oxidize fats, and generally have a good metabolic and hormonal balance.

Adequate sleep and rest.

Proper, hygienic and consistent sleep habits not only ensure that we are not eating at inconsistent times (during the night), but also support the correct metabolic and hormonal balance of our body. Good rest is almost as important as all the other factors for losing weight.

Systemic inflammation.

Systemic inflammation is also a major factor in the presence of obesity. Various inconsistent habits will cause systemic inflammation (for example, consuming ultra-processed foods, cereals, many carbohydrates, seed oils), while healthy habits are anti-inflammatory (“grounding” or walking barefoot in nature, cold showers, certain non-harmful and occasional stimulants like tea or coffee).

Stress management, emotional and psycho-affective environment.

Properly managing stress, and living in a coherent emotional and psycho-affective context, also plays a role in weight loss or maintaining a healthy body composition. The close correlation between stress and weight gain and obesity is already beginning to be known.

Finally, it is important to remember that all of these dimensions of health and body composition have individual nuances, so it is not possible to claim that a single approach works for everyone. Although our human metabolism follows certain guidelines that are common to everyone, such as the need to eat foods consistent with our genetics and avoid inflammatory habits like the ones I mentioned, it is true that there is a personalization and not everyone The same things will work for everyone in the world.It is not just calories or just hormones that matter, but a combination of both (with a preponderance of hormones, microbiota, and metabolic state). This does not mean that thermodynamics (calories) are not involved in body composition at all, but the mistake is in ignoring our metabolism and believing that we are only a “calorie store” and that we must “count calories.”

For those of us who live with diabetes, glycemic management (aiming to have normoglycemia that keeps us healthy and well-being) and endogenous or exogenous insulin needs, of course, play a fundamental role in the composition bodily. Remember that if you want to start a learning path that leads you to improve your body composition, as well as live in normoglycemia, managing your diabetes or prediabetes (or to avoid them) in the most coherent and healthy way; It is safer and more effective to do it with the help of a consistent professional, who also lives with it.

My experience and my programs:

I am Rosy Yáñez, I am a Nutritionist with a PhD, an expert in Nutrition and Metabolism, Diabetes, Low-carb Diet, effective medication and intermittent fasting.

If you want to avoid or prevent having type 2 diabetes, improve your body composition whether or not you have type 2 diabetes, or if you are a parent of children or adolescents with diabetes or you are an adult with type 1 or LADA diabetes and want to continue learning about control adequate blood glucose levels, I invite you to look more about my accompaniment programs. Check out my best resources HERE.

If you have questions, Contact me HERE by WhatsApp to see if I can help you: https://bit.ly/2HSj8iy