Diabetes is a condition that affects your ability to produce insulin, a hormone that’s instrumental in keeping your body nourished. Diabetes affects almost every bodily system, from your skin to your eyes, nervous system, and even your skeleton. While diabetes is common, weight management is one of the most valuable tools to aid anyone living with this condition.
Desoto Family Care Clinic in Southaven, Mississippi, raises the bar on diabetes care with deeply effective treatments for diabetes that target your whole body. Our staff of compassionate professionals offers custom weight management programs designed to help you maintain a healthy weight and mitigate the symptoms of type 2 diabetes.
How did this happen?
Diabetes affects hundreds of people worldwide, including an estimated 37 million in the United States.
There are three main types of diabetes: type I, once called juvenile diabetes; type 2, once called adult-onset diabetes; and gestational diabetes, which exclusively presents during pregnancy. In any type of diabetes, blood sugars, which are typically controlled by insulin, rise and stay beyond healthy levels.
The designations “juvenile diabetes” and “adult-onset diabetes” are no longer in use. By the late 1990s, children became one of the leading groups of new type 2 diagnoses, and it was discovered that type I diabetes can develop at any age.
Diabetes is an autoimmune disorder in which your immune system attacks your pancreas’ ability to produce insulin. Food or drink makes their way into your digestive system, where the nutrients are absorbed into your bloodstream by your intestines, and it becomes glucose. Insulin’s function is to unlock cell walls, allowing glucose to enter the cell, providing fuel for its functions.
If your pancreas doesn’t produce insulin, or doesn’t produce enough insulin, the glucose in your bloodstream rises. While your blood glucose, or blood sugar, rises, the rest of your body lacks the necessary nutrients, rendering your organs unable to properly function.
What does my weight have to do with diabetes?
Type 2 diabetes is exacerbated by excess weight. When you’re diagnosed with diabetes, your primary care provider gives you an insulin-to-carbohydrate ratio to help you stay as healthy as possible. However, as you continue to live with type 2 diabetes, you may notice that you require more and more insulin to remain healthy, mobile, and alert.
When you need progressively more insulin to treat high blood sugar, you’ve developed insulin resistance. This is a huge risk to anyone living with type 2 diabetes. Excess weight directly contributes to insulin resistance, and a weight management program can help you to stay on track and reduce your risk of serious complications.
What if I don’t think I need to lose weight?
We understand and appreciate the importance of staying positive and loving your body the way it is. Losing as little as 2% of your body weight can make treating diabetes easier, and offers a host of other physical and emotional benefits for people living with type 2 diabetes.
Your provider at Desoto Family Care Clinic has the expertise and tools to help you get to and maintain an ideal weight. With a combination of recommended exercises and a guided nutritional program, all you need is a little discipline and patience with yourself and your body.
Before you begin a weight management program with your provider, they sit with you for a full consultation, where you discuss your personal and family medical history. Your provider orders several tests to ensure you aren’t being affected by any other conditions. It’s not unusual for people living with diabetes to also live with hypertension or cardiovascular problems.
It’s not necessary for you to become your own definition of “skinny,” or perfectly fit, but exercise and a healthy diet are instrumental in controlling your blood sugar on a daily basis. Combined with your recommended insulin dosages or other medications, you may dramatically reduce your chances of developing the frightening, well-known complications of diabetes.
I need help managing diabetes
It’s understandable that you’re having trouble with daily management of your diabetes. Some people have a hard time adjusting to a new eating schedule, or making time for exercise. Desoto Family Care Clinic also offers counseling, as people living with diabetes can be prone to developing depression, anxiety, or other mental health disorders.
Type 2 diabetes doesn’t discriminate, and requires changes to your daily life for proper management. We’re here to assist with any need you have to protect your longevity and elevate your quality of life. Call our office at or request an appointment online today.