Losing weight and managing your diabetes
What changes to my medication may I need to make?
Your diabetes medication should match the food you eat and the activity you do. As you lose weight and become more active, you become less resistant to the insulin your body produces or that you inject, therefore you may need your diabetes medication dose reduced. Also as you lose weight and your diabetes control improves, your body needs less medication to manage your blood glucose levels.
Some people with Type 2 diabetes lose weight and as a result are able to manage their diabetes with less or without any medication. Diabetes is a lifelong condition and their diabetes hasn’t been cured, but it has been controlled through food and physical activity.
As Type 2 diabetes is a progressive condition medication may still be needed in the future to control your blood glucose levels.
How can I lose weight and still control my diabetes?
Any changes you make to lose weight will affect your diabetes control, making it important to monitor your diabetes more closely, and any medication you are taking may need to be adjusted as you lose weight. Don’t miss meals or cut back too drastically – your diabetes control will suffer if you do.
How can I lose weight if I have to snack to prevent hypos?
Discuss your current medication with your healthcare team. It may, for example, be possible to adjust your diabetes medication so that you don’t need to snack between meals. You can also take a look at what you have as snacks and choose healthier options such as fruit or a diet/low-fat yogurt in place of biscuits, crisps and cakes.