It's not just about a smaller waistline

Most Americans want to lose weight, but for diabetics, maintaining a healthy BMI is vital. Diabetics who are overweight often experience high blood pressure and are at an elevated risk for diabetes complications.

WebMD.com spoke with Cathy Nonas, MS, RD, a spokeswoman for the American Dietetic Association and a professor at Mount Sinai School of Medicine, who explained that dropping a few pounds can be extremely beneficial for an individual's overall well-being.

"We know it's true that if someone with diabetes loses 5 to 10 percent of their weight, they will significantly reduce their blood sugar," she said.

Of course, beginning a diet is never a simple task, and people often need help from different outlets. Because of this, diabetics may want to consider looking into a weight loss program that will take their overall health into consideration.

Medi-Weightloss® will provide an in-depth medical consultation and devise a custom diet and exercise plan for individuals looking to become slimmer, healthier and ultimately happier.

The benefits of participating in a regular exercise routine go far above and beyond weight management

Interactive Exercise
The benefits of participating in a regular exercise routine go far above and beyond weight management. Research has proven that exercise can help decrease your risk of developing a number of diseases and improve your overall quality of life. Here are just a few benefits of incorporating exercise into your life.

Improves bone health: Regular weight-bearing exercise, such as walking, running, or resistance exercise, helps promote healthy bone growth, delays bone loss, and may protect against osteoporosis, a form of bone loss associated with aging.

Prevents and controls diabetes: The Finnish Diabetes Prevention Study (DPS) is the first individually randomized controlled clinical trial to test the effects of lifestyle modification in individuals with a high-risk of developing diabetes. The DPS study results showed that type 2 diabetes can be prevented by making changes in lifestyle, including improving diet and exercising.

Improves mood: A recent study showed the antidepressant effect of regular physical exercise to be as effective at boosting mood as antidepressant medication. Individuals in the study exercising at least 30 minutes a day three times a week showed decreased symptoms of depression and elevated mood.

Helps lower cholesterol: Exercise has been shown to improve cholesterol levels by decreasing LDL (bad) cholesterol, triglycerides and total cholesterol and increasing HDL (good) cholesterol.

Lowers blood pressure: A recent study analyzed the effects of exercise on individuals suffering from hypertension (high blood pressure). Results concluded that exercise can help decrease blood pressure and recommends exercise be used in the management of hypertension both in untreated hypertensive patients and for individuals at high-risk for developing hypertension.

Steps to take after a diagnosis

After receiving a diabetes diagnosis, many people fear that they will no longer be able to live a normal life. However, there are numerous ways to cope with the disease, says the American Diabetes Association (ADA).

consultation with doctor
If you view your diagnosis as a challenge rather than a dark rain cloud that will follow you on a day-to-day basis it will help you get on track toward a healthier lifestyle. Next, take proactive steps to make sure you receive the help you need. Failing to seek treatment for diabetes and its related complications can result in permanent damage to your body.

Enlist the help of a highly qualified group of healthcare professionals. Your primary care physician will be aware of many of the issues you are likely to face as you begin to address the disease. Your PCP will be able to provide information on living with diabetes as well as resources that can help you better manage the disease.

A nurse educator can be beneficial, according to the ADA. This individual can help you identify complications that may be arising as a result of the disease and equip you with the tools to treat symptoms.

You may also want the guidance of a registered dietitian or nutritionist as you learn to manage your diabetes. This health professional can assist you in making healthy food choices that will help you maintain your blood glucose levels on a daily basis.

The ADA also notes that just a 5-10% decrease in body weight can improve insulin sensitivity, decrease fasting glucose concentrations, and reduce the need for some diabetes medications.

Don’t worry. Take action

While a diabetes diagnosis can be a shock, it does not have to define who you are. You can take steps to manage the disease and still enjoy an active lifestyle.

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Individuals develop type 2 diabetes as a result of genetics and lifestyle factors, and no matter why you developed the disease, don’t beat yourself up over it. Your focus needs to be on making healthy lifestyle changes. Moving forward from the stress and guilt associated with the diagnosis will help you focus on what’s important — taking action to improve your health.

First, enlist the help of your primary care physician. Your PCP will be able to provide information on living with diabetes as well as resources, such as a registered dietitian, that can help you better manage the disease.

Remember, you are not alone. There are a number of resources for individuals suffering with diabetes and support groups. Understanding that you have the power to control your health can be extremely beneficial. Diabetes can be physically and mentally exhausting, but it doesn't have to be a cloud over your head. Your treatment will be much more effective if you are positive and mentally prepared to make the needed lifestyle changes. Try to make the lifestyle changes as quickly as possible and stick with them.

If you need to shed extra pounds, consider enrolling in a physician-supervised weight loss program. The American Diabetes Association notes that just a 5-10% decrease in body weight can improve insulin sensitivity, decrease fasting glucose concentrations, and reduce the need for some diabetes medications.

Eating healthy and engaging in physical activity on a regular basis also can help you better manage the disease, reducing your risk for diabetes-related complications, such as heart disease and stroke.

Learn why you should consider medical and professional assistance

Physician Supervised Weight Loss
A stunning 73 percent of Americans are considered overweight or obese. Being overweight is a medical issue that can increase your chance of suffering from:

Coronary heart disease
Type 2 diabetes
Cancer (endometrial, breast, and colon)
Hypertension (high blood pressure)
Stroke
Liver and gallbladder disease
Sleep apnea and respiratory problems
Osteoarthritis (a degeneration of cartilage and its underlying bone within a joint)
Gynecological problems such as infertility
With the rising rate of obesity and the medical issues that result from being overweight, we are seeing an increase in the number of physicians playing a role in treating this disease. Physicians have been successful in helping patients with lifestyle changes, such as smoking cessation and blood pressure control, and this success is mirrored by physicians helping their patients with weight loss and weight maintenance. There are several reasons why people who need to lose weight should seek medical and professional assistance.

Comprehensive Evaluation

Anyone interested in losing weight should understand their current health. A physician can do a thorough evaluation that includes a comprehensive blood panel, EKG, weight and body fat analysis, waist circumference, and a detailed review of your medical and health history. This evaluation is a key component of any weight loss program as it will not only provide details on your current health, but provide a point from which you can measure your success.

Medical Monitoring

Chances are if you are overweight, you are suffering from one or more of the health concerns mentioned earlier, and you may be on one or several medications. When on a weight loss program, you may experience changes in your blood pressure as well as heart and respiratory rates. Weekly monitoring by a physician can help track these changes and monitor you for appropriate adjustments in your medication.

Individual Support

Studies have shown that the doctor-patient relationship provides several opportunities to encourage behavior change and reinforce positive changes, including improved dietary practices, increased activity, and weight loss maintenance. Programs that encourage weekly visits with a physician also will provide accountability and continual support to assist you in losing weight as well as education and programs to help you maintain your weight loss and wellness for a lifetime.

You can lower your risk

A staggering 25.8 million Americans, young and old, have diabetes, and in 2010, 1.9 million new cases were diagnosed. While these numbers are astonishing, the number of Americans suffering from prediabetes has skyrocketed as well.

About 79 million Americans are suffering from prediabetes, which occurs when blood glucose levels are higher than normal but not high enough for the diagnosis of diabetes. And while statistics indicate that the majority of prediabetics will eventually develop type 2 diabetes, you aren’t just a number and you can turn things around.

If you’re prediabetic, you don’t just have to accept that you will become a diabetic. Through early intervention prediabetes is reversible. Simple changes, such as losing a moderate amount of weight (just 5 to 10 percent of total body weight) as well as moderate exercise (walking 30 minutes per day), can make a huge impact.

According to Dr. White of the Medi-Weightloss® in South Park, N.C., 9 out of 10 individuals diagnosed with diabetes are overweight. “We teach patients proper nutrition and behavior modification so they can lose weight and decrease their chances of developing diabetes,” Dr. White says. “The exceptional thing about Medi-Weightloss® is that our program positively affects patients’ basal metabolic rates. Patients quickly reach their goal weight, which motivates them to stick with the program.”

“Losing weight is so important for individuals suffering from prediabetes,” notes Dr. White.

“Prediabetics have a 50 percent higher risk of cardiovascular disease, which can lead to heart disease and stroke. Prediabetics are also at a risk of developing diabetes unless they make a long-term lifestyle change.”

The epidemic of overweight and obesity is affecting Americans across the country and Medi-Weightloss® is fighting that epidemic, one patient at a time.

Babies are more likely to become overweight during childhood

The U. S. Department of Health and Human Services has long touted that children with overweight or obese parents are more likely to become overweight themselves. Recent research supports that lifestyle factors are not the sole cause of this phenomenon. According to researchers from The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, a woman who gains a significant amount of weight during her pregnancy is more likely to have a child who becomes overweight by age 7.

Brian Wrotniack, Ph.D., and his team of investigators reviewed data from the Collaborative Perinatal Project, a multicenter, retrospective study that consisted of 10,226 participants between 1959 and 1972. Surveys provided to women who participated in the study included questions regarding maternal pre-pregnancy weight, age and race. Moreover, maternal weight gain and a child’s growth during pregnancy, at birth and at age 7 were also recorded.

The results of the study are astounding as the odds of a child being overweight at age 7 increased by 3 percent for every 2.2 pounds of pregnancy weight gained by the mother. According to the Institute of Medicine (IOM), the quantity of weight gain during pregnancy is contingent on the mother’s starting weight prior to pregnancy. The IOM recommends that women at a healthy pre-pregnancy weight gain 25-35 pounds, while women who are considered overweight should gain 15-25 pounds.

Researchers concluded that children born to women who gained more than the recommended levels were 48 percent more likely to be overweight. The association between pregnancy weight gain and the child’s excess weight in later years remained significant even after adjusting for factors such as gender, gestational age, infant birth weight, race, age, and maternal BMI percentage. Another study conducted by Emily Oken, MD, MPH, at Harvard Medical School also found that gestational weight gain is directly associated with BMI and risk of obesity in adolescence. This research supports findings that obesity rates influenced by gestational weight gain are not only limited to childhood but also advances well into the teenage years.

Pregnancy weight gains have increased over the years as obesity has escalated into a public health crisis. Dr. Wrotniack and his team maintain that one in two women (46%) gain more weight than recommended during pregnancy. Substantial weight gain during pregnancy is now considered one of the earliest determinants of obesity in children. Counseling women to adopt healthy eating habits and increase physical activity before and during pregnancy may be effective ways to prevent future obesity risk in children and adolescents.