Secret Southern Couture: Are You Overweight? Top Tips for Losing Pounds & Preventing Diabetes   

Monday, August 6, 2018

Are You Overweight? Top Tips for Losing Pounds & Preventing Diabetes

Crazy schedules, desk jobs and the ready availability of processed foods make it easy to put on a few extra pounds. Doing so, however, puts you at risk for diabetes and other health problems. Fortunately, there are several ways you can take control of your health and drop those extra pounds to reduce your risk of diabetes and be your healthiest self. 


Ditch the Diets
Fad diets can help you shed pounds quickly at the beginning but haven’t gotten the medical seal of approval for preventing diabetes. Many of these diets work by cutting out an entire type of food, such as carbohydrates. This can cause malnutrition in the long run by eliminating nutrients and vitamins your body needs to perform at its peak. Instead of dieting, try making healthier choices one meal at a time. This leads to a more permanent lifestyle change rather than complete diet overhaul that is difficult to maintain over the long term. 

Hit the Gym
Going to the gym is a great way to get healthy, but it can be intimidating and motivating yourself is hard. To help make it easier, consider working with a personal trainer. A trainer can tailor a fitness plan that’s right for meeting your goals without overdoing it or risking injury. For example, do you want to work on strength training? If so, they can gear a plan focused on that. Your trainer will know if you skip appointments, too, creating accountability that makes staying motivated a bit easier.

Set Realistic Goals
Getting healthy is a positive step and something you should feel good about. It’s easy to get discouraged, however, if you keep missing your goals. To help keep the good vibes going, set realistic goals for yourself. If you absolutely love ice cream, don’t cut it out of your life completely and deprive yourself. Instead, decide that you’ll have a bowl of ice cream for dessert three nights a week and choose fruit the other four days. Talk to your doctor about your weight loss goals, as well. He or she can help you lose weight safely and know what to expect when you step on the scale. If losing 50 pounds a month isn’t possible, know that so you don’t set yourself up for failure by setting a goal that just isn’t feasible even if you’re doing well. 

Be Kind to Yourself
Nobody is perfect. Losing weight, keeping it off, and reducing your risk of diabetes will be a lifelong journey. On most days you might do well, but—on occasion—the chocolate cake will prove irresistible or the drive-through window easier than cooking. When you make a mistake, forgive yourself. You can win the war, even if you lose a few battles along the way. Pick yourself up, dust yourself off, wipe the cake crumbs off your lips, and do better tomorrow. 

Depending on your family history and other risk factors, you may not be able to prevent diabetes completely. That doesn’t mean it’s not worth trying. Use these tips to help you get to a healthy weight and you’ll be on the path to preventing or delaying a diabetes diagnosis.