Physical activity can make you feel better, function better, and sleep better. Here are the basic guidelines:. If you have diabetes , physical activity can help you manage the condition along with your weight.

Being active makes you more sensitive to insulin the hormone that allows cells in your body to use blood sugar for energy. Lower insulin levels can help prevent fat storage and weight gain. Learn more about being active when you have diabetes here.

While how you lose weight will be highly personalized, these pointers have helped others reach their goal and could help you, too. Control your environment so temptation is out of the picture and healthy habits are in. Some ideas:. Too little sleep makes dieting much harder because it increases your hunger and appetite, especially for high-calorie, high-carb foods.

Too little sleep also triggers stress hormones, which tell your body to hang onto fat. Outsmart this problem by being physically active, which has been shown to help you fall asleep faster and sleep better. And these tips are tried and true: no screens an hour before bedtime, avoid heavy meals and alcohol before bedtime, and keep your bedroom dark and cool.

Try this interactive Body Weight Planner to calculate calories and activity needed to get to your goal weight and maintain it. Writing down what you eat is the single best predictor of weight loss success. Guess how long it takes yes, studies have been done?

Less than 15 minutes a day on average. Use this handy food diary [PDF — KB] to get started. People who keep the weight off tend to be motivated by more than just being thinner. For some, it might be a health scare. Others want more energy to play with their grandkids.

Skip directly to site content Skip directly to search. Español Other Languages. Healthy Weight. Español Spanish Print. Minus Related Pages. Learn what it takes to get to a healthy weight and stay there! Weight status and BMI Weight status BMI Underweight Less than Success Stories. Get moving to stay motivated and keep the weight off.

Balancing Food and Activity. Learn More. Weight Loss Success Stories Get Moving To Manage Your Diabetes Physical Activity Basics CDC Diabetes on Facebook CDCDiabetes on Twitter. Last Reviewed: December 30, Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Doctors do know that GLP-1s appear to help curb hunger. These drugs also slow the movement of food from the stomach into the small intestine. As a result, you may feel full faster and longer, so you eat less.

Along with helping to control blood sugar and boost weight loss, GLP-1s and SGLT-2 inhibitors seem to have other major benefits. Research has found that some drugs in these groups may lower the risk of heart disease, such as heart failure, stroke and kidney disease.

People taking these drugs have seen their blood pressure and cholesterol levels improve. But it's not clear whether these benefits are from the drug or the weight loss. The downside to GLP-1 drugs is that all but one has to be taken by a shot. And, like any drug, there is a risk of side effects, some serious.

More common side effects often improve as you continue to take the drug for a while. Low blood sugar levels hypoglycemia are a more serious risk linked to the GLP-1 class of drugs.

But the risk of low blood sugar levels often only goes up if you're also taking another drug known to lower blood sugar at the same time, such as sulfonylureas or insulin.

The GLP-1 class of drugs isn't recommended if you have a personal or family history of medullary thyroid cancer or multiple endocrine neoplasia. Lab studies have linked these drugs with thyroid tumors in rats.

But until more long-term studies are done, the risk to humans isn't known. They're also not recommended if you've had pancreatitis. The drugs already discussed are indicated in people living with type 2 diabetes.

There is also a drug that has a higher dose of liraglutide Saxenda that's approved for the treatment of obesity in people who don't have diabetes. If you have diabetes and wonder if one of these drugs may be helpful for you, talk to your diabetes doctor or health care provider.

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GLP-1 agonists: Diabetes drugs and weight loss. Products and services. Are there any type 2 diabetes drugs that can help people lose weight and lower their blood sugar? Are there side effects? Answer From M. Regina Castro, M. Thank you for subscribing! Sorry something went wrong with your subscription Please, try again in a couple of minutes Retry.

Show references American Diabetes Association. Standards of medical care in diabetes — Diabetes Care. Dungan K, et al. Glucagon-like peptide 1 receptor agonists for the treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus.

Accessed April 10, Goldman L, et al. Diabetes mellitus. In: Goldman-Cecil Medicine. Elsevier; Accessed April 11, Hu M, et al. Effect of hemoglobin A1c reduction or weight reduction on blood pressure in glucagon-like peptide-1receptor agonist and sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 inhibitor treatment in type 2 diabetes mellitus: A meta-analysis.

Journal of the American Heart Association. Boyle JG, et al. Cardiovascular benefits of GLP-1 agonists in type 2 diabetes: A comparative review. Clinical Science. Bellastella G, et al.

The details will depend on what you like and what fits in best with your life. If you need ideas and support, talk to a registered dietitian or diabetes educator your doctor can give you a referral. Physical activity can make you feel better, function better, and sleep better.

Here are the basic guidelines:. If you have diabetes , physical activity can help you manage the condition along with your weight. Being active makes you more sensitive to insulin the hormone that allows cells in your body to use blood sugar for energy. Lower insulin levels can help prevent fat storage and weight gain.

Learn more about being active when you have diabetes here. While how you lose weight will be highly personalized, these pointers have helped others reach their goal and could help you, too. Control your environment so temptation is out of the picture and healthy habits are in. Some ideas:. Too little sleep makes dieting much harder because it increases your hunger and appetite, especially for high-calorie, high-carb foods.

Too little sleep also triggers stress hormones, which tell your body to hang onto fat. Outsmart this problem by being physically active, which has been shown to help you fall asleep faster and sleep better.

And these tips are tried and true: no screens an hour before bedtime, avoid heavy meals and alcohol before bedtime, and keep your bedroom dark and cool. Try this interactive Body Weight Planner to calculate calories and activity needed to get to your goal weight and maintain it.

Writing down what you eat is the single best predictor of weight loss success. Guess how long it takes yes, studies have been done? Less than 15 minutes a day on average.

Use this handy food diary [PDF — KB] to get started. People who keep the weight off tend to be motivated by more than just being thinner. For some, it might be a health scare. Others want more energy to play with their grandkids. Do health experts recommend Ozempic for weight loss purposes?

Our experts answer these questions and more. Ozempic, known generically as semaglutide , was approved in by the U. Food and Drug Administration FDA for use in adults with type 2 diabetes. Ozempic is a weekly injection that helps lower blood sugar by helping the pancreas make more insulin.

It is not approved for weight loss, but some physicians prescribe it to be used for weight loss. Ozempic works by mimicking a naturally occurring hormone. As those hormone levels rise, the molecules go to your brain, telling it you're full. It also slows digestion by increasing the time it takes for food to leave the body.

This is similar to the effect of bariatric surgery. When using Ozempic to treat diabetes, weight loss is a common side effect. It is designed to be taken long-term.

The active ingredient in Ozempic, semaglutide, does work for weight loss, according to research. It's important that people continue to make lifestyle changes to help their weight loss, such as eating right and exercising. Ozempic is not approved for weight loss. However, semaglutide is approved for weight loss under the name Wegovy.

Ozempic has a smaller dose of semaglutide than Wegovy. This can cause your weight to plateau. Research has shown that if you stop taking Ozempic or Wegovy , it's likely that you will gain back the weight you lost. Learn about weight loss medications, like Wegovy, and whether they're right for you.

Discover how controlling your glucose levels can aid in ageing gracefully. Learn about the latest research that links glucose levels and ageing, and how Vively, a metabolic health app, can help you manage your glucose and age well. Delve into the concept of mindful eating and discover its benefits, including improved glucose control and healthier food choices.

Learn about practical strategies to implement mindful eating in your daily life. Understand the nuances of polycystic ovary syndrome PCOS testing in Australia, the importance of early diagnosis, and the tests used to effectively diagnose the condition. Also, find out when these diagnostic procedures should be considered.

We acknowledge the Traditional Custodians of the lands where we live and work, the Gadigal of the Eora Nation. We pay our respects to their Elders past and present. CGM Program. For Organisations.

Button Text. Your Cart. Product is not available in this quantity. Weight Management. Managing your blood glucose levels can have a positive effect on insulin.

When the amount of insulin is at normal levels, cells can burn fat more effectively, which can contribute to weight loss. Continuous glucose monitors can help you track your glucose levels and manage your carbohydrate intake to suit your body.

This can help with weight management. How insulin and weight loss are related Insulin is the key messenger in glucose regulation. Why monitoring your glucose can help you lose weight Managing your blood glucose levels can have a positive effect on insulin, as insulin mirrors glucose.

Should I go on a low carb diet? May 1, Dr Michelle Woolhouse Integrative GP and Vively Medical Director Dr Michelle Woolhouse is an integrative GP, with over 20 years experience treating chronic conditions through lifestyle medicine.

Join Vively's CGM Program Achieve your health goals using your glucose data JOIN NOW. Next articles. Glucose management. Dr Michelle Woolhouse.

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Sugars also are known as simple carbohydrates, and starches also are known as complex carbohydrates. Focus on healthy carbohydrates, such as:. Dietary fiber includes all parts of plant foods that your body can't digest or absorb.

Fiber moderates how your body digests food and helps control blood sugar levels. Foods high in fiber include:. Eat heart-healthy fish at least twice a week. Fish such as salmon, mackerel, tuna and sardines are rich in omega-3 fatty acids. These omega-3s may prevent heart disease.

Foods containing monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats can help lower your cholesterol levels. These include:. Diabetes raises your risk of heart disease and stroke by raising the rate at which you develop clogged and hardened arteries.

Foods containing the following can work against your goal of a heart-healthy diet. You may use a few different approaches to create a healthy diet to help you keep your blood sugar level within a typical range.

With a dietitian's help, you may find that one or a combination of the following methods works for you:. The American Diabetes Association offers a simple method of meal planning.

It focuses on eating more vegetables. Follow these steps when preparing your plate:. Because carbohydrates break down into sugar, they have the greatest effect on your blood sugar level.

To help control your blood sugar, you may need to learn to figure out the amount of carbohydrates you are eating with the help of a dietitian. You can then adjust the dose of insulin accordingly.

It's important to keep track of the amount of carbohydrates in each meal or snack. A dietitian can teach you how to measure food portions and become an educated reader of food labels.

You also can learn how to pay special attention to serving size and carbohydrate content. A dietitian may recommend you choose specific foods to help plan meals and snacks. You can choose a number of foods from lists that include categories such as carbohydrates, proteins and fats.

One serving in a category is called a choice. A food choice has about the same amount of carbohydrates, protein, fat and calories — and the same effect on your blood sugar — as a serving of every other food in that same category. For example, the starch, fruits and milk list includes choices that are all between 12 and 15 grams of carbohydrates.

Some people who live with diabetes use the glycemic index to select foods, especially carbohydrates. This method ranks carbohydrate-containing foods based on their effect on blood sugar levels.

Talk with your dietitian about whether this method might work for you. When planning meals, take into account your size and activity level. The following menu is for someone who needs 1, to 1, calories a day.

Embracing a healthy-eating plan is the best way to keep your blood sugar level under control and prevent diabetes complications. And if you need to lose weight, you can tailor the plan to your specific goals. Aside from managing your diabetes, a healthy diet offers other benefits too.

Because this diet recommends generous amounts of fruits, vegetables and fiber, following it is likely to lower your risk of cardiovascular diseases and certain types of cancer.

And eating low-fat dairy products can reduce your risk of low bone mass in the future. If you live with diabetes, it's important that you partner with your health care provider and dietitian to create an eating plan that works for you.

Use healthy foods, portion control and a schedule to manage your blood sugar level. If you don't follow your prescribed diet, you run the risk of blood sugar levels that change often and more-serious complications.

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This content does not have an Arabic version. Appointments at Mayo Clinic Mayo Clinic offers appointments in Arizona, Florida and Minnesota and at Mayo Clinic Health System locations. Request Appointment. Diabetes diet: Create your healthy-eating plan. Products and services. Diabetes diet: Create your healthy-eating plan A diabetes diet is a healthy-eating plan that helps control blood sugar.

By Mayo Clinic Staff. Related information Slide show: Healthy meals start with planning - Related information Slide show: Healthy meals start with planning Slide show: 10 great health foods - Related information Slide show: 10 great health foods.

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Show references Evert AB, et al. Nutrition therapy for adults with diabetes or prediabetes: A consensus report. Diabetes Care. Eating right doesn't have to be boring. American Diabetes Association. Accessed Feb. What is the diabetes plate method? Carb choices. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Traditional American cuisine: 1, calories. National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. Bone health for life: Health information basics for you and your family. NIH Osteoporosis and Related Bone Diseases National Resource Center.

Preventing type 2 diabetes. National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. Department of Health and Human Services and U. Department of Agriculture. Diabetes diet, eating, and physical activity. Facilitating behavior change and well-being to improve health outcomes: Standards of Medical Care in Diabetes — Products and Services The Mayo Clinic Diet Online A Book: The Essential Diabetes Book.

See also Medication-free hypertension control A1C test Alcohol: Does it affect blood pressure? Alpha blockers Amputation and diabetes Angiotensin-converting enzyme ACE inhibitors Angiotensin II receptor blockers Anxiety: A cause of high blood pressure? Artificial sweeteners: Any effect on blood sugar?

Bariatric surgery Beta blockers Beta blockers: Do they cause weight gain? Beta blockers: How do they affect exercise? Blood glucose meters Blood glucose monitors Blood pressure: Can it be higher in one arm? Blood pressure chart Blood pressure cuff: Does size matter? Blood pressure: Does it have a daily pattern?

More common side effects often improve as you continue to take the drug for a while. Low blood sugar levels hypoglycemia are a more serious risk linked to the GLP-1 class of drugs.

But the risk of low blood sugar levels often only goes up if you're also taking another drug known to lower blood sugar at the same time, such as sulfonylureas or insulin. The GLP-1 class of drugs isn't recommended if you have a personal or family history of medullary thyroid cancer or multiple endocrine neoplasia.

Lab studies have linked these drugs with thyroid tumors in rats. But until more long-term studies are done, the risk to humans isn't known. They're also not recommended if you've had pancreatitis.

The drugs already discussed are indicated in people living with type 2 diabetes. There is also a drug that has a higher dose of liraglutide Saxenda that's approved for the treatment of obesity in people who don't have diabetes.

If you have diabetes and wonder if one of these drugs may be helpful for you, talk to your diabetes doctor or health care provider.

There is a problem with information submitted for this request. Sign up for free and stay up to date on research advancements, health tips, current health topics, and expertise on managing health.

Click here for an email preview. Error Email field is required. Error Include a valid email address. To provide you with the most relevant and helpful information, and understand which information is beneficial, we may combine your email and website usage information with other information we have about you.

If you are a Mayo Clinic patient, this could include protected health information. If we combine this information with your protected health information, we will treat all of that information as protected health information and will only use or disclose that information as set forth in our notice of privacy practices.

You may opt-out of email communications at any time by clicking on the unsubscribe link in the e-mail. You'll soon start receiving the latest Mayo Clinic health information you requested in your inbox.

Mayo Clinic does not endorse companies or products. Advertising revenue supports our not-for-profit mission. Check out these best-sellers and special offers on books and newsletters from Mayo Clinic Press. This content does not have an English version. This content does not have an Arabic version.

Appointments at Mayo Clinic Mayo Clinic offers appointments in Arizona, Florida and Minnesota and at Mayo Clinic Health System locations. Request Appointment. GLP-1 agonists: Diabetes drugs and weight loss.

Products and services. Are there any type 2 diabetes drugs that can help people lose weight and lower their blood sugar? Are there side effects? Answer From M. Regina Castro, M. Thank you for subscribing! Sorry something went wrong with your subscription Please, try again in a couple of minutes Retry.

Show references American Diabetes Association. Standards of medical care in diabetes — Diabetes Care. Dungan K, et al. Glucagon-like peptide 1 receptor agonists for the treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus.

Accessed April 10, Goldman L, et al. Diabetes mellitus. In: Goldman-Cecil Medicine. Elsevier; Accessed April 11, Hu M, et al. Effect of hemoglobin A1c reduction or weight reduction on blood pressure in glucagon-like peptide-1receptor agonist and sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 inhibitor treatment in type 2 diabetes mellitus: A meta-analysis.

Journal of the American Heart Association. Boyle JG, et al. Cardiovascular benefits of GLP-1 agonists in type 2 diabetes: A comparative review.

Clinical Science. Bellastella G, et al. Glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists and prevention of stroke systematic review of cardiovascular outcome trials with meta-analysis. Perreault L. Obesity in adults: Drug therapy.

Accessed May 13, Products and Services Assortment of Health Products from Mayo Clinic Store A Book: The Essential Diabetes Book. See also A1C test Acanthosis nigricans Amputation and diabetes Atkins Diet Bariatric surgery Caffeine: Does it affect blood sugar?

Can medicine help prevent diabetic macular edema? CBD safety Diabetes foods: Can I substitute honey for sugar?

Diabetes prevention: 5 tips for taking control Medications for type 2 diabetes Types of diabetic neuropathy Does keeping a proper blood sugar level prevent diabetic macular edema and other eye problems?

If you have diabetes, you may find your blood sugar levels are easier to manage and that you need less diabetes medicine after you lose weight. Many people who lose weight notice that they have more energy and sleep better too.

A healthy weight goal is one thing; dropping the pounds is quite another. If there were an easy way to lose weight and keep it off, everyone would be doing it. With that in mind, you may need to try different things to figure out what works best for you day to day.

Some people cut back on sugar and eat more protein to stay fuller longer. Others focus on filling up with extra fruits and vegetables, which leaves less room for unhealthy food. Still others limit variety for most meals and stick with choices that they know are healthy and filling.

The details will depend on what you like and what fits in best with your life. If you need ideas and support, talk to a registered dietitian or diabetes educator your doctor can give you a referral. Physical activity can make you feel better, function better, and sleep better.

Here are the basic guidelines:. If you have diabetes , physical activity can help you manage the condition along with your weight. Being active makes you more sensitive to insulin the hormone that allows cells in your body to use blood sugar for energy. Lower insulin levels can help prevent fat storage and weight gain.

Learn more about being active when you have diabetes here. While how you lose weight will be highly personalized, these pointers have helped others reach their goal and could help you, too.

Control your environment so temptation is out of the picture and healthy habits are in. Some ideas:. Too little sleep makes dieting much harder because it increases your hunger and appetite, especially for high-calorie, high-carb foods.

Too little sleep also triggers stress hormones, which tell your body to hang onto fat. Outsmart this problem by being physically active, which has been shown to help you fall asleep faster and sleep better. And these tips are tried and true: no screens an hour before bedtime, avoid heavy meals and alcohol before bedtime, and keep your bedroom dark and cool.

Ozempic has lower doses of semaglutide and was developed specifically for type 2 diabetes patients. One other difference is that Ozempic is typically covered by health insurance, while Wegovy is often not covered.

Ozempic can help people lose weight, which can reduce the risk for many other serious health conditions, such as heart problems. Semaglutide treatments can also be used as an alternative to bariatric surgery for some patients who are obese.

The degree of weight loss achieved with surgery is usually much greater and lasts longer than with medications. Experts still recommend that people avoid using Ozempic unless they have type 2 diabetes.

Instead, talk to your health care provider about starting Wegovy for weight loss. Read more from UC Davis Health: What is primary care?

Learn why you should partner with a provider for your health. The FDA warns people of the dangers of using "generic" Ozempic and Wegovy. It says there are no approved generic versions of these drug. However, an off-brand version of the drug has been seen at compounding pharmacies across the U.

The FDA received reports of adverse events after patients used "generic" versions of semaglutide, the active ingredient in Ozempic and Wegovy. There are reports of a drug shortage involving Ozempic and Wegovy, as of July When people use Ozempic off-label for weight loss, type 2 diabetes patients who rely on Ozempic may struggle to find this medication.

Learn about other weight loss medications that are available. menu icon Menu. Cultivating Health. Enter search words search icon Search × Enter search words Your baseline fasting blood sugar is measured after at least eight hours of fasting, and is usually measured in the morning.

With your personal baseline number firmly established, you can drill down and see how our food affects our blood sugar throughout the day. Now, with all this information under your belt, how exactly can optimizing your glucose levels may help you reach your weight loss goal?

CICO and glycemic index scores provide a starting foundation for building healthy eating habits. For sustainable, lasting weight loss, though, and for lifelong health, personalized data is essential. One of the benefits of a CGM is that it gives you a continual stream of data. Even for a non-diabetic , this knowledge is power.

Knowing exactly how much glucose is in your blood tells you approximately how much insulin is in your blood. Knowing how much insulin is in your body indicates how efficiently your candles are burning. Even discounting food, your glucose levels change over the course of the day in response to your body's internal clock.

A CGM gives you that continual stream of data. It tells you your actual blood sugar levels when you're feeling hungry, and collects this data constantly throughout the day.

Imagine a diabetic person who eats well. Looking at the data from their CGM, they see the culprit: snacking. You are more likely to act when you have real-time data at your fingertips. As we stated before, diets and meal plans can be confusing, sometimes deliberately so.

And even when a specific diet is unambiguous, bodies differ in how they digest foods. A CGM gives you clear, actionable data to back your own insights. Discussions around weight loss often have to do with aesthetics. After all, what good is looking good if you feel awful?

The real benefit of watching your weight comes with how it makes you feel. As we mentioned earlier, obesity and elevated blood sugar have been linked to a host of chronic illnesses such as:.

Losing weight over a healthy and realistic timeline can add healthy, productive years to your life. Armed with good, actionable data from a CGM and even better lifestyle habits, you can keep a trained eye on your weight and live your healthiest, happiest life.

Your blood sugar levels can significantly impact how your body feels and functions. When you join the Nutrisense CGM program , our team of credentialed dietitians and nutritionists are available for additional support and guidance to help you reach your goals.

Ready to take the first step? Start with our quiz to see how Nutrisense can support your health. How It Works Nutritionists Journal. What Is A CGM? Get Started. Promo code SPRING will be automatically applied at checkout! Tracking Your Glucose Levels for Weight Loss: A Guide.

Team Nutrisense. Share on Twitter. Share on Facebook. Share via Email. Reviewed by. Kara Collier, RDN, LDN, CNSC. How Do People Gain and Lose Weight in the First Place? Find out how Nutrisense can help you reach your wellness goals.