We all know that being overweight is bad for us.  If you want to improve your health and well being shedding a few pounds is a good way to do this.

Loosing weight will not only make you feel better it can help with your health.  People who are over weight or obese are more prone to getting cancer, dementia, heart desease and having a stroke

Losing weight is particularly important if you are diabetic or pre-diabetic

Millions of us have high blood sugar (glucose)  levels, many without knowing it.

Running a high blood sugar is bad for our health. It leads to something called insulin resistance. When we eat a meal containing glucose our pancreas releases the hormone insulin. Insulin tells our body cells to burn the glucose and stops us from burning fat until our blood glucose level returns to normal. But insulin is also a ‘fat storing’ hormone.  If we have eaten a meal high in glucose we need to store what we don’t use. This has to be converted first to fat. The body stores the fat under the skin, but if these stores fill up over time, the fat has to be stored elsewhere – mainly in our livers and pancreas where it is known as ‘visceral fat’.

Visceral fat is bad news. Abnormal fat in the liver, pancreas and muscles means our bodies become less able to lower blood glucose which tricks the body into releasing more insulin over longer periods of time; this is known as insulin resistance.

All this adds up to an increased risk of Type 2 diabetes, abnormal cholesterol and triglyceride levels, high blood pressure, stroke, heart attacks, obesity,  some cancers, fatty liver, dementia and possibly more!

WANT TO KNOW MORE??????????????????

Click here for our ‘Lifestyle Prescription Guide’       Warwick House Medical Practice LIFESTYLE PRESCRIPTION

Useful websites & resources:

Diabetes Co UK – information about diabetes, pre-diabetes and weight management

Low carbohydrate eating program     A heathy eating programme

The Real Food Lifestyle Booklet – lots of  information about eating more healthly

How many carbs? leaflet – a leaflet showing how high certain foods are in carbs

How many teaspoons of sugar in various foods?   Useful poster showing how much sugar is in your food

Dietdoctor website –  Another website with information about low carb eating

Apps for your smart phone that might be useful:

• Myfitnesspal 
• Mapmywalk
• Strava
• Change4Life—Food Scanner

Tips:

• Why not buy a pedometer or exercise monitor like a Fitbit or Jawbone?

• Download an app to your smartphone to remind you to drink water