Almost every person who has type 2 diabetes eventually has a shock at the scales. Maybe it's gaining 2 to 5 pounds (1 to 2.2 kg) in a single day. Maybe it's losing 2 to10 pounds (1 to 4.5 kg) in a single day. Extremely fast weight gain and extremely fast weight loss almost never has anything to do with how you ate but it can everything to do with your blood sugar control.
Let's consider the case of unexpected weight gain: In type 2 diabetics this revelation is usually met with an exclamation along the lines of..."but I only had one piece of cake"!
When you do a good job of following a low-carb diet, your liver does not store quite as much glycogen as when your blood sugars are poorly controlled. Glycogen is the storage form of glucose your liver keeps on hand to give you energy when you are not eating... such as during the night when you sleep... or when you need a quick burst of energy in an emergency situation.
Each molecule of glucose is combined with four molecules of water. That's how a single, large piece of cake can cause you to gain as much as 5 pounds (2.2 kg) overnight. It's not the cake... which you know you shouldn't be eating anyway! It's the water your liver used to store the sugar released from digesting it.
Sudden weight loss is more worrisome: A loss of more that about 2 pounds (1 kg) in 24 hours, usually could be due to relief of irregularity but often is due to dehydration.
Dehydration is dangerous for anyone with type 2 diabetes. If you have less fluid in your system, your blood sugar levels rise. If your blood sugar levels rise high enough you can, paradoxically, become ravenously hungry, increasing blood sugar levels still further. Type 2 diabetics are at risk for a condition called hyperosmolarity, in which blood sugars quite literally get so high your blood turns into a syrup.
Usually this does not happen unless blood sugars are about 500 mg/dlL (27.7mmol/L). Symptoms of this condition include:
weight loss
visual disturbances and
giddiness
Dehydration on this level, usually occurring after an infection, is a medical emergency. You would need to have intravenous rehydration together with insulin or you would risk death.
Slightly elevated blood sugars with weight loss is something you definitely can treat at home. So don't call for an ambulance until you have tested your blood sugar levels.
Would you like more information about alternative ways to handle your type 2 diabetes?
To download your free copy of my E-Book, click here now: Answers to Your Questions ...It's based on questions many diabetics have asked me over recent months.
Beverleigh Piepers is a registered nurse who would like to help you understand how to live easily and happily with your type 2 diabetes.
http://drugfreetype2diabetes.com/blog
Copyright. (c) 2010 Beverleigh H Piepers RN - All Rights Reserved Worldwide
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