A Look at the Three Main Triggers of Type 2 Diabetes!

Chances are you have heard of the long-term consequences of being type 2 diabetic and overweight. The type 2 diabetes story is a little like “which came first the chicken or the egg”… “obesity causes type 2 diabetes, type 2 diabetes causes obesity”.

Its not necessarily your fault you have developed type 2 diabetes, nevertheless here are a few “triggers” that can help bring it about.

Genetics… your lineage, there’s not much you can do about it. If you have parents or brothers and/or sisters with type 2 diabetes, you are at greater risk to develop this condition

Your Diet… on the other hand your diet can play a crucial part in whether or not your doctor gives you a diagnosis of type 2 diabetes. It is, after all, an acquired condition that is generally seen in overweight or obese people (roughly 90%), usually 50 years of age or older. If you eat high calorie processed foods, you will find yourself putting on weight, especially around your abdominal area. Slowly and surely your cells become resistant to your body’s insulin and your blood sugar levels start to rise. Not corrected, full blown type 2 diabetes develops.

To stop pre-diabetes in its tracks, or to reverse type 2 diabetes, you are going to need to empty those fat cells around your abdominal area.

Check out online the Metropolitan Life height and weight tables… these will give you the normal weight for height for women and men. After you’ve narrowed this down, see what calories you need to take in to maintain it. Then check out the Mayo Clinic online. Use the calculator there to show you the amount of calories needed daily to arrive at the weight suggested for your age and activity.

Once you have this information, you’ll need to subtract the calories you don’t need so you can lose weight. For instance:

a 35 year old woman, height 5’5″, who weighs about 200 pounds and does a light amount of activity… needs 1,850 calories to maintain her current weight. If she wants to lose weight, she needs to only take in 1,000 calories every day at that same activity level, meaning she’d lose two pounds each week

a 200 pound, 5’9″ 35 year old man, who does a light amount of physical activity needs 2,600 calories every day to maintain his weight. However, to lose three pounds every week, he needs to reduce his food intake to no more than 1,500 calories every day

You shouldn’t just be considering your calorie intake… for example it would not be a good idea to eat 1,000 calories worth of donuts. Healthy foods include:

non-fat milk

fruits

vegetables

nuts

whole grains

Lack of physical activity is another factor in the development of type 2 diabetes. The value of exercise goes beyond the physical benefits. Working out reduces emotional tension and stress. It also improves your mood and alleviates depression symptoms.

Despite the benefits of being active, many people who want and need to work out are not able to continue on an exercise program for long. Barriers to maintaining commitment to this can include lack of time or fatigue and, for many, exercise is not fun.

Exercise can help boost your insulin sensitivity or increase the ability for insulin to enter your cells… we find the time for all sorts of other things… exercise is important to your health and managing your type 2 diabetes.