@A DiabetesTeam Member the point I was trying to make is there seems to be some idea out there that you can lose weight with exercise alone and not restricting what you eat.

If you need to lose weight - and I don't mean 2 or 3 pounds but 30 plus pounds to get you where you "should be" it is nearly impossible to "exercise away" that weight if you don't restrict what you eat.

Study after study in a controlled/monitored group has shown that to lose that kind of weight, in a controlled and safe manner, you need to cut your calorie intake to 1500 to 1700 calories a day (average person).

Most assume they are "eating healthy enough" but would be surprised to find that they are probably eating way over 2000 calories a day and most closer to 2500/day.

Jogging at 5 mph for 30 minutes, which is beyond what I suggest most of us could do, burns about 240 calories. Walking for a mile (1.6 kms) at a "brisk pace" burns about 100 calories.

Even if you were eating 2000 calories a day (but not losing weight - just stable) you would have to Jog at 5 mph for 1 hour per day to get your calories into the "weight loss range" or Walk upwards of 5 miles.

And you would have to sustain that "every single day" until you hit target weight.

For most of us it would easier and we would be "more successful in our weight loss goal" if we simply cut back on the calories equivalent to what we would have to exercise.

Cutting 2 slices of Whole Wheat bread each day would be the equivalent of walking for over 2 hours. Skipping that apple a day would equal walking for an hour.

Could exercise "help", absolutely. If you combined reduced calories with regular exercise you would achieve your results quicker.

But when most people who don't count their calories, eating 2200 or 2300 calories a day believe they can "exercise it off", they fail. Because most of us just couldn't exercise enough, long enough, at the pace required, every single day, to make the difference simply cutting back on portion size would make.

Mentioned Users

A Diabete...

@A DiabetesTeam Member yes they have and it does apply maybe a little to the general, otherwise healthy population.

Likewise the Diabetes experts are re-evaluating using A1C as "the" diagnostic test because it actually provides very limited information.

But the fact is for every extra pound we carry our insulin resistance suffers - someone without diabetes (and little risk of developing it) may be able to carry 20, 30 or 40 extra pounds - but once we need to improve insulin resistance still the absolute best way is to lose weight.

This is why I almost loathe blanket statements about health. When you are talking about what is good for a younger, healthy adult with zero conditions it's tough to say what is good for them is "exactly the same" as someone over 50 with Type 2.

Consider that the same health experts recommend getting 40 to 60% of your daily calories from carbs - might be sound advice for a fit, non-diabetic member of society. But you need not be a scientist or a doctor to know that if any of us consumed 40 to 60% of our daily calories from carbs out blood sugar would be so far out of control we couldn't likely medicate enough to get a handle on it.

(if it is the Healthline article you refer to it makes the point that BMI is a "poor predictor" of whether you will develop a given disease because of weight, but if you do develop a disease it is most certainly a result of being overweight - might sound like splitting hairs but doesn't mean that your BMI didn't cause your Diabetes, simply that based on BMI alone it was not a foregone conclusion that you "would" develop diabetes)

Mentioned Users

A Diabete...

Hi Sunflower Libby
Your weight loss achievement is fantastic! For many years I underestimated the importance of homemade food. The chemicals used for preservation and other reasons in processed foods, are bad. Apart from that, how can a takeaway in any way be compared to the taste of homemade food! A homemade bread with homemade jam can be compared to nothing on the store racks!
Have a wonderful Sunday

@A DiabetesTeam Member yes I have been feeling quite well lately and I decided after my 80th birthday on 1st November last year to get fit and eat healthy meals and less fattening snacks between meals like chips and dips and it’s working too and I have lost 6 kg and kept my weight around 60kg and my blood sugar levels are lower too at around 5s

I have enjoyed walking more often and further too for regular low impact exercise and I have gotten my Vitamin B12 back to normal readings too.

Have a great week Graham

RegardsJudy

I am enjoying my regular walks around Maroochydore and to the Maroochdore Plaza and I love the Maroochy River bridge and the River flows under the Plaza

Mentioned Users

A Diabete...

High protein diet, burn off more than you consume. By eating a high protein diet with lots of veg, you won't lose muscle you will burn fat 🥳