Weight loss!
With the new year comes the new year resolutions. One of the top ones for many people is to lose weight. They want to lose weight for many reasons:
- To feel better
- To get healthier
- To reverse an illness
- For a specific upcoming event
- Because they “feel” fat
- Just BECAUSE
There are millions of people who make this resolution and probably just as many reasons for making it. What it all boils down to for me is that I want to “feel” better.
I believe that Type 2 Diabetes can be reversed and I believe that proper nutrition (diet—what I eat), exercise and weight loss are keys to that reversal.
The “Burden” of Eating
Even though making a resolution to lose weight is one of the most “popular” ones, it is also one that is often forsaken. People—especially people like me—feel like it is “too hard” to lose weight and so we give up.
Add to this that we “must” eat to survive and we have a real “burden” on our hands (or on our waists!).
Trust me, our society does not make it easy for us either. (This is not an excuse, just an observational fact.) We are constantly bombarded with advertising which tells us about the newest easy-to-make meals for ourselves and our families.
When something is “good” for you, it is often not easily available or it is costly, and, let’s face it, if you aren’t used to eating “healthy” foods, they don’t taste very good, either.
If I was offered the choice of a salad or a bag of chips, I would probably choose the chips! (See this past article on why chips are so addicting and no good for you!)
The fact that we need to eat and that we have been “conditioned” or “trained” to eat in unhealthy ways makes weight loss difficult. Sometimes it feels downright undoable.
Making Weight Loss A Priority
But losing weight, especially if you have Type 2 Diabetes, is essential in having any hope of reversing the condition. Changing your diet—not just to a weight loss diet, but to a “healthier” diet—is key also.
I have been using a few resources for blood sugar control—insulin shots, Ozempic, Metformin—I used other ones before these, but these medications are the current ones I am on.
I notice that when I eat “properly”—like salads and fresh veggies and beans (kidney and other legumes), my blood sugar readings are nearly perfect (along with medication). In fact, if I don’t eat something sugary at some point during the day, I will have a low blood sugar which is horrible.
I feel certain that if I change my diet and stick with it I will not only lose weight, but will also move ahead in reversing diabetes.
How to Lose Weight
(in 3 “Easy” Steps)
I know you were all looking for this topic that’s why I saved it for last.
The truth is, there is no one way to weight loss. If there were only one way to do it, there would not be so many diet plans out there. There would not be so many companies promoting “health/protein shakes” as a way to lose weight. There would not be so many different diet foods.
If there were 3 easy steps, I would not be overweight any longer. Easy doesn’t always mean, good.
I can tell you about the book that I am reading and will be using for the annual Be A Loser With Karin weight loss contest that I am the leader of.
The book is called Lose It Fast, Lose It Forever. It was written by Pete Thomas, the most successful “loser” on the former television show “The Biggest Loser.”
In his book, Thomas talks about his journey, struggles and what he ultimately does to keep the weight off. You can purchase this book on Amazon at the following link:
If you think you would like to join my contest and you live in Central Minnesota, feel free to join us for the challenge. We always give cash prizes to our top 3 losers. You can learn more about the contest by following the link to the Be A Loser With Karin page! The page currently shows our results from the 2018 contest, but this will be updated very soon!
I am offering a class at which we will discuss the book. There is a fee to join the contest, but you will receive a custom-made “I’m a Loser” t-shirt, a three-month subscription to the Independent News Herald, access to the group and more. Last year I began a series of “Can You Beat Me” mini-contests. In these contests, I would issue a challenge and if you beat me at the challenge, you would win $10.
Closing Thoughts
There is so much to “gain” by “losing” weight! A contest like this could be just the ticket for you.
Remember, we have to eat to live and eating healthy foods is the first step to losing weight in a “healthier” way. Remember, too, there is no one way to lose weight. In upcoming articles I will review some weight loss things I have personally tried or researched.
Thank you for visiting my site. I would love to hear your thoughts on this post. Please leave questions or comments below and I will get back to you very soon!
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About the author
Karin Nauber, is a professional journalist who has worked in the newspaper business for the past 27 years. She is also a grandmother who, along with her spouse, is raising one of their granddaughters. Karin has five grandchildren with whom she enjoys spending as much time as possible. Karin was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes about 11 years ago and has faced many challenges with the disease. If you would like to contact her, please do so at: karin@diabeteshealthnuts.com.
Thanks for sharing this post. It came at the right time of my life. My major resolution for this year is to lose weight but I have been thinking of how to achieve that but I think this contest will help me achieve my goal for this year. Thanks for enlighten me on this. It is now a must for me to join the contest.
Thank you so much for visiting my site. I look forward to connecting with your for the contest!
Best wishes,
Karin 🙂
This is a great review and i am loving the information provided…
I can agree with you a thousand times when you state that type 2 diabetes CAN be reverse by taking a few simple steps everyone should be able to practice.
A lot of people looked at loosing weight as a stepping stone to accomplished, but i would say ‘think again’ on this. losing weight is a principle that takes extreme amount of practice and will power. No matter the supplements, diets and or programs participates, it will demand discipline to accomplished a complete change in losing weight.
To understand the level of changes you body has to go through to reduce in fat size, does takes commitment which ha to become apart of your everyday life, which i would confirm to be a priority.
Losing weight can be done in so many way even ways that are not practice in gym lesson or diet books. Even Water is a huge contributory substance that can cause massive weight loss. Would you agree with me?
I gotta i enjoyed going through your article for the best knowledge.
Thanks Peter! I appreciate you visiting my site and your comments. Discipline is a vital part of the weight loss journey!
Best wishes,
Karin 🙂
Yes, we all need to eat better to have better health and unfortunately we’ve been trained to think that fatty, sugary treats taste better than fresh, healthy foods. Managing foods and weight is particularly difficult for late onset diabetics because it’s usually the long-term unhealthy diet and lifestyle that causes all the problems. Your contests sound like a fun way to manage your health with a supportive group. Good luck!
Thanks for visiting my site, Jenny! You have it right that it is often our long-term unhealthy diet and lifestyle are behind our problems. We hold the contest every year for the last 10 years. This will be our 11th year and I am really looking forward to it! You can learn more about it by visiting the Independent News Herald website at: http://www.inhnews.com and clicking on “Blog.”
Best wishes,
Karin 🙂
Karin,
Loved your post. I’m afraid I know more about Type 2 diabetes than anyone would want to know. My son contracted Diabetes Type 2 at 12 years of age. Think about dieting when you are working with a teen-ager. My son was tall so he really didn’t need to diet because of overweight. He had to diet in order to keep his blood sugar in the right range.
I agree with you about choosing between a salad and chips. I would probably choose the chips, too. And then come back for the salad! You’re also right about our society not making it easy to diet either.
I was interested to see what medications you were using. Those drugs came out too late to help my son. But I’m glad they are helping you and others with diabetes. Wish you luck with your weight loss contest.
Diabetes has been reversed before. A had a friend who reversed it– but it was age=onset and he had a grueling exercise/diet program. Never lose faith that you can reverse it. I pray that you can.
My son lived with it for 48 years. It ruined his heart. He died at 60 .
Diet and exercise are your weapons. And hey, the diet that you try to stay on and the exercise are good for all of us. Excellent post
Barbara,
Thank you so much for visiting my site! I am so sorry to hear about your late son’s struggles. It is so sad when a young person develops this condition. I get frequent checks on my heart. I’ve had a few abnormal readings, so I understand the importance of keeping on top of that. I was diagnosed with it about 11 years ago now.
Best wishes,
Karin 🙂
Hello Karin,
Thank you for this inspirational article on weight loss for the new year! Many people say they are going to get back into shape, but it’s really hard to hit the gym when it’s cold outside and we’re still recovering from all the holiday eating. It takes a gradual process of eating healthier and taking the right all-natural supplements to complete our diet. We need to give ourselves time to recover first and then go into cardio exercise that speed up the fat-burning process.
The hardest part is definitely choosing the right foods to eat and changing our normal routine to adjust for those new ingredients that we need. We have to develop a plan and get some direction on how to stick to the plan. We need alternates or substitutes if we can’t find the ingredients that we want for that healthy dinner we had in mind or saw in a dieting cookbook.
Once you start to really lose the weight, the hard part after that is really keeping it off and adapting your lifestyle to keep it that way. Many people revert back to their old ways after a diet, making the entire process completely worthless or a waste of time. We need to make eating healthy and working out a HABIT and a way of life. It can be grueling and very hard sometimes, but it is absolutely necessary for our health and survival. You have to earn your happiness back and pay it forward by inspiring others to do the same. Thank you for inspiring people in this article to take action and I look forward to your progress.
Thanks for visiting my site, Daniel. It is hard to choose the right foods. I am learning to like and eat more vegetables and trying them in different ways so that even when I reach my goal, I will be able to maintain the loss. My chief goal is to help others know there is a better way!
Best wishes,
Karin 🙂
I enjoyed reading your article and you are right. There are SO MANY different options when it comes to diet and “being healthy” it can get so confusing about what information to follow and trust.
I think it’s great having a contest. It’s always easier to lose when you are doing it with someone. I’m a little far away from Minnesota, but what a smart idea. Hopefully, you can share how the contest ends on your page.
Thanks for visiting my site, Nancy! I am glad you liked the article. There truly are so many ways to lose weight and be healthy. Society today does not make it easier, either, with low cost, but truly unhealthy choices touted as good food. I will be posting concurrent articles along with the Be A Loser With Karin articles I write for our contest, so you and anyone else who is interested can keep track and lose weight along with us!
Best wishes,
Karin 🙂
Hi this is just what I may need to resort to if I don’t manage to shed a little weight soon. I truly do want to lose weight but it is difficult to say the least. My work and family life doesn’t really mean I can find it easy to stick to a diet without snacking. I will look over your site more for other tips and advice. Thanks
Thanks for visiting, Kenny. Losing weight is difficult, but we humans can do pretty much anything we put our minds to, so despite adverse conditions to lose weight, we prevail! 🙂
Best wishes,
Karin 🙂
Hi Karin, it is hard to believe that we are already 25 days into the new year. One of my resolutions this year has been to eat healthier and lose some my unsightly fat deposits. I’m concerned my butt is looking more like the gal in the plaid pants when I dream of looking like the one that is measuring her waist line.
So, I have been trying to read articles like this one to help motivate me. I think yours just may work. I have a nice bag of salad mix in the refrigerator right now – calling my name. I actually like the salads. Yet, the junk food seems to pull me like a magnet. I need to read your chips article. I ate a big bag of chips for lunch. They are so yummy. I think the saltiness is part of the attraction.
If I lived in your area, I would take part of your challenge. Unfortunately, I don’t. It sounds like an awesome way to keep the motivation going.
Hello again, Sondra! I am glad to see you read a couple of articles on my site. Making healthy food choices is hard, but I am glad you like salads. I am not much of a cook, but I am learning new ways to make my salads more interesting! I’ve also been experimenting with different salad dressings like a red wine vinaigrette! I never thought I would like things like that, but they are making my salads much more appealing.
Best wishes,
Karin 🙂
This is an interesting topic to me because months after having my first baby, I added so much weight and that made me feel very bad, so I decided to go for gym as I thought that would be the fastest way for me to loss weight but just like you said there is no one way to weight loss, gym alone never did help me achieved it but with the practice of a healthy food intake alongside, now I have loss some weight and I feel much better
Favour, Thanks again for visiting my site. Weight loss is very important—not only to make us feel better, but also to keep us healthy. Exercise is a part of a healthy lifestyle, so it is good that you added that component in, as well!
Keep up the good work! Glad you are feeling better!
Best wishes,
Karin 🙂