Age and Weight

I recently read a conversation on facebook about how we are only as old as we feel or, more importantly, as we act. I believe this is true, and I have been known to say, “age is an attitude.” Unfortunately, one thing doesn’t seem to get easier as we get older: our weight.

I have worked with many people who have struggled to take off extra pounds as they have gotten older. I always make sure they have confirmed with their primary health care provider that their thyroid is working properly (nothing as frustrating as fighting the thyroid when it comes to weight loss!). We also discuss calories in vs. calories out (we all know how that goes – eat less, exercise more).

But something about aging makes weight loss harder, and recently there was an article about this. The title caught my eye, because I can now add myself to the group of people who are working harder to lose weight as we age. I was always one of those people who could take off extra weight easily and quickly, but these days I’m finding it a lot more difficult.

With diabetes insulin can be an extra challenge (and some other medications, such as sulfonylureas). When we take insulin we have to eat. So if we just start exercising and decreasing calories, but don’t change our medication doses, we risk being low all the time.

If we take the proper amount of insulin for our bodies, and we eat the proper amount of food (and we exercise), it should all balance out. Taking too much insulin leads to eating too much food (because of treating lows, or just plain feeling more hungry). On the flip side, eating too much leads to taking too much insulin. The insulin allows all those extra calories to get stored as fat.

So taking less insulin (again, working toward the right amount for your body) can lead to weight loss, if you are eating fewer calories (again, the right amount of food for your body). Keep in mind that not taking enough insulin can be a dangerous (even deadly) situation. If you are planning to lose a significant amount of weight, work closely with your health care providers to make sure your insulin doses and food intake are appropriate.

If you have diabetes and need to lose weight, but you don’t take insulin, you need to check with your provider to make sure you don’t take another medication that could cause low blood glucose. If not, you are pretty much free to decrease your calories and exercise to your heart’s content (but speaking of your heart, be sure to clear it with your provider before you start exercising too hard). It’s a good idea to meet with a registered dietitian if you haven’t in a while. He or she can give you some suggestions on how to safely reduce calories and still get the healthy foods you need in your eating plan.

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