How to lose weight by checking blood sugar? seems like a weird question, but actually you can.
From the ordinary breakfast of pancakes or sandwiches to heavy dinner and light snacks in between, our blood sugar levels continue to swing depending on what we eat and what we decided not to eat.
Unfortunately, having this severe fluctuation in blood sugar over a long period of time can cause serious health issues like insulin resistance that eventually leads to type 2 diabetes and PCOS for women.
In this article, we will discuss simple ways you can follow in order to maintain your blood sugar levels optimized and avoid weight gain along with other health risks caused by insulin resistance;
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How to lose weight by checking blood sugar?
Checking blood sugar constantly can be something odd if you aren’t diabetic. However, it keeps you alert to the extreme rises and sharp drops in blood sugar which are called blood sugar spikes. In fact, sugar spikes are followed by insulin spikes which leave you hungry and craving for more sweets that in turn makes you gain weight easily. So to lose weight you have to keep it ideal by focusing on what you eat and other factors.
How long to wait after eating to check blood sugar
It’s better to check Blood sugar levels 2 hours after eating and not right after you eat.
Ideal blood sugar levels for weight loss
To keep your blood sugar level normal, your reading have to be:
- Fasting: 4.0 to 5.4 mmol/L (72 to 99 mg/dL) .
- 2 hours after eating: Up to 7.8 mmol/L (140 mg/dL) .
Unlike the gradual rising and falling, which normally happens throughout the day when eating, sugar spikes occur after eating foods that have a very high amount of sugar, or when eating carbs that break down into smaller glucose units.
If you checked your blood sugar after eating and turned out it’s higher than normal, then, you can follow these tips to avoid being in the danger zone of gaining more weight and developing diabetes.
1- Eat less carbs;
Going on a low carb diet or even a zero carb diet, like keto diet, for example, will make sure that your blood sugar won’t rise.
As known, carbs like sugar and refined carbs present in bread, cereals, rice, and desserts have a high glycemic index. As these foods are easily digested and absorbed in the blood causing a sharp rise in blood sugar.
Moreover, refined carbs are stripped from fibers and vitamins which make their digestion harder and slower, and make you full after eating.
So, eating refined carbs makes you crave more food, especially sweets and cause weight gain.
Then we can conclude that replacing carbs with low-glycemic foods like whole grains, fruits, and legumes is better to prevent sugar spikes.
Glycemic index meal calculator
Check out the glycemic index calculator, to know if the carbs you eat (high, medium, or low) in glycemic index.
2- Maintain a healthy weight;
Studies proved that weight loss could improve insulin function to control blood sugar levels more effectively. Also, it was proved that insulin resistance is linked to obesity.
Check out your BMI to know if you are (underweight, normal, overweight, or obese).
So, maintaining a healthy weight can prevent blood sugar spikes that can lead to more weight gain.
3- Exercise;
Doing more exercises has shown to increase insulin sensitivity, which means that insulin can function better on lowering blood sugar and preventing sugar spikes.
Fortunately, both high intensity and moderate-intensity exercises have shown to be effective in improving insulin sensitivity and decreasing blood sugar.
Make sure you are exercising at least 2 hours per week, and to know more how to plan your exercises perfectly check out:
- Exercise plan; step by step guide to making a successful exercise plan
- WORKOUT; How To Lose Weight Walking
4- Drink more water;
Believe it or not, dehydration can cause rising blood sugar.
As the body upon dehydration increases the secretion of a hormone called vasopressin that causes water retention, therefore, this hormone doesn’t allow the kidney to get rid of excess sugar through urine. So, water and sugar become locked within the body leading to high blood sugar and insulin resistance.
So make sure to drink at least 2 liters of water every day.
5- Apple cider vinegar;
Introducing some vinegar in your diet shows to have many proven health benefits including weight loss and sugar control.
Having a cup of diluted vinegar after a meal shows to reduce the glycemic-index that helps to prevent sugar spikes.
You can make it a habit to drink 1 tbsp of apple cider vinegar diluted with water every day, you will be surprised with the results.
6- Eat Cinnamon;
Studies showed that cinnamon increased insulin sensitivity and reduced blood sugar when taken after a high carb meal.
Spicing your food with cinnamon or maybe just drinking it with milk can help you stabilize blood sugar.
7- Reduce Stress;
Learning how to manage stress is an important part of controlling blood sugar levels and preventing spikes. As being on stress stimulates the liver to release glucose stored in the blood, which raises sugar levels.
So, to avoid stress triggering blood sugar spikes, try some yoga exercises to help you relieve stress.
Bottom line;
Blood sugar levels depend on multiple factors that you should learn how to improve them.
However, to adjust this part of your health consider making these simple changes in your lifestyle to enjoy gradual improvements in your health.
To know more about the habits that can make you gain weight, check this 4 Sumo habits you must avoid to lose weight.