Food & Fitness

Setting Realistic Weight Loss Goals

• Losing a small amount of weight lowers blood glucose, blood pressure, and cholesterol levels.

Losing weight can be a double or triple health bonus and well worth the effort for people with type 2 diabetes! Not only does it help with feeling better overall, but a small weight loss can help to lower blood glucose levels, blood pressure and cholesterol levels.

Most people set out to lose a large sum of weight popularized by fad diets as well as the media. Something to keep in mind is the health benefits you can see with a smaller weight loss 5-10% of body weight. For a 180 pound individual, that translates to 9-18 pounds. That may not seem close to the 40 pounds or more you’d like to lose, but it is a huge bonus for your health if you lose fewer pounds and keep them off.

Throw in a resolution to be physically active every day, and you’ve set yourself up for better health and diabetes management throughout 2008.

If losing weight is one of your new years resolutions, check out our tip sheets.