Would you believe that 61 percent of the American population is overweight? It’s true, and it has created a literal epidemic of diabetes. Type 2 diabetes is basically a side effect of obesity — a lifelong side effect that is still present, even if you lose weight!

If you are overweight, and you are diagnosed with diabetes, the first thing that your doctor is going to instruct you to do is to lose weight. He may have instructed you to lose weight before, but now, it has become a life-and-death issue. It is no longer a matter of being overweight, and possibly having a heart attack. You are now diabetic, and if you don’t get the diabetes under control, you are definitely going to suffer from heart disease, kidney failure, blindness, and quite possibly amputation of your feet or lower legs. It isn’t a question of “if.” It is a question of “when.”

The first step to controlling diabetes is losing weight. If you are not grossly overweight, your doctor will most likely prescribe either a low-calorie diet, or a diet that is low in carbohydrates. He may recommend a glycemic index diet as well. He will definitely suggest exercise. You should exercise five days a week, for 30 minutes.

Your doctor may also suggest behavior therapy. This will not only help you to get the weight off, but also to keep the weight off once you have lost it, by learning to make better choices. If for some reason your efforts are not allowing you to lose the weight in a timely manner that contributes to control of your blood sugar level, your doctor may prescribe weight loss medication for you.

In extreme cases, if you are grossly overweight, and you will not be able to lose weight fast enough to enable control of blood sugar levels, your doctor may recommend gastric bypass surgery.

Being overweight is one thing. Being overweight and having diabetes is a deadly combination that needs to be addressed.

Milos Pesic is an expert in the field of Diabetes
and has helped thousands of diabetes sufferers control their blood sugar. For more articles and resources on easy diabetes management, natural diabetes medication, diabetes symptoms and
much more visit his site at: http://diabetes.need-to-know.net/