Obesity & Diabetes Specialist

Living with obesity can be difficult even on your best days. Having a support system of people who understand you and can help you cope with the difficulties can be a lifesaver, regarding both day-to-day situations and mental and emotional wellbeing. Life coaching can be a good idea if you are dealing with depression, social phobias, or anxiety. If you’re not ready to talk face to face, online groups, forums, and mailing lists can help you get through. If you are relying on friends, make sure you have more than one person to go to, so they don’t feel overwhelmed at any point.

Although the term morbid obesity is a technical one, it also aptly describes the extent of discomfort and depression a person who is severely overweight often experiences. Morbid obesity interferes with basic functions such as breathing or walking.

There are many small steps you can take in your everyday life to begin to fight morbid obesity. If you have recently had a health scare or have just decided you want to make a change in your life, you can change your quality of life through a combination of eating healthier and increasing your activity level. Beginning with small steps and working your way into a lifestyle that will promote weight loss and increased strength is the best way to deal with morbid obesity.

‘The root causes of morbid obesity are multiple and complex. Despite today’s conventional wisdom, it is not simply a result of overeating. Research has shown that often the underlying causes of morbid obesity are genetic, environmental, and social’.

If you are dealing with severe obesity, chances are you have difficulty moving around or performing some of the most basic home tasks. By identifying the risks and trouble-spots in each room, you can adapt your surroundings to best suit your lifestyle and physical capabilities. An easy example is to bring everything within arms-reach, so you don’t need to step on ladders or stools to reach above your head. Other things you can do is secure rugs to avoid slipping, install rails to help you get in and out of the shower, and set up lower handles on doors and windows so you can open them more easily.

Obesity is not an excuse to completely abandon exercise. In fact, even people suffering from morbid obesity are able to take short walks or to engage in some type of physical activity. Besides the obvious benefits of helping you lose weight, exercise can also improve lung capacity and benefit the circulatory system. 

Supervision is especially important if you haven’t exercised in a while or if you have a medical condition that can be aggravated by physical activity. If you want to exercise on your own, swimming and water aerobics are the gentlest type of exercise you can try.

People with diabetes are often shocked to learn they are at risk of developing long-term complication and may feel there is no hope for the future. It is quite normal to think the worst.

Diabetes is a serious disease that can affect different parts of your body through its complications. Diabetes can damage your eyes, heart and blood vessels, kidneys, nerves, teeth, and gums.

Uncontrolled diabetes can lead to:

• Heart Attack
• Stroke
• Toe, foot, or leg infections requiring amputation
• Blindness
• Kidney failure
• Tooth & Gum Disease
• Pregnancy complications

The good news is that research shows many people can prevent or delay these complications.

Type 1 diabetes develops when no insulin is produced by the body at all because the body’s immune system attacks and destroys the cells that produce insulin, destroying the insulin-producing cells in the pancreas. As a result, the body is unable to produce insulin and this leads to increased blood glucose levels, which in turn can cause serious damage to all organ systems in the body.

The body is unable to produce any insulin, the key that unlocks the door to the body’s cells. Once the door is unlocked, glucose can enter the cells where it is used as fuel. In Type 1 diabetes, the body is unable to produce any insulin, so there is no key to unlock the door and the glucose builds up in the blood.

Nobody knows for sure why these cells have been damaged but the most likely cause is the body having an abnormal reaction to the cells. There is nothing that you can do to prevent Type 1 diabetes. This type of diabetes is always treated with insulin injections.

Type 1 diabetes may be triggered by a virus or infection, can develop at any age but usually appears before the age of 40, and especially in childhood. It accounts for between 5 – 15% of all people with diabetes and is treated by daily insulin injections, a healthy diet, and regular physical activity.

The stress of a daily diabetes routine can also cause resentment. There are no days off for some and they often feel that their diabetes has completely taken over their lives. People often experience feelings of loss – the loss of their usual life that didn’t include taking medication, injecting insulin, testing blood glucose levels, and having a more structured lifestyle.

Type 2 Diabetes develops when the body does not produce enough insulin to maintain a normal blood glucose level, or when the body is unable to effectively use the insulin that is being produced (Insulin Resistance).

Insulin Resistance is when the body can still make some insulin, but not enough, or when the insulin that is produced does not work properly.

Insulin acts as a key to unlocking the body’s cells, so if there is not enough insulin, or it is not working properly, the cells are only partially unlocked (or not at all) and glucose builds up in the blood.

Type 2 diabetes usually appears in people over the age of 40, though in South Asian and black people, who are at greater risk, it often appears from the age of 25. It is also increasingly becoming more common in children, adolescents, and young people of all ethnicities. It accounts for between 85 – 95% of all people with diabetes and is treated with a healthy diet and increased physical activity. In addition to this, medication and/or insulin is often required.

Type 1 Diabetes

• Exceptional thirst
• Dry mouth
• Frequent urination
• Loss of weight
• Weakness or fatigue
• Blurred vision

Having history of Type 1 diabetes in your family increases the chances of developing Type 1 diabetes

If you are worried you may have Diabetes, the first step is to visit your GP or healthcare professional and be screened for Diabetes

Type 2 Diabetes

• Blurred vision
• Cuts or sores that take a long time to heal
• Itching skin or yeast infections
• Excessive thirst
• Dry mouth
• Frequent urination
• Leg pain

Type 2 diabetes symptoms may be very minor for a long time, and suddenly become more serious. This is why Type 2 Diabetes often goes unnoticed for many years.

If you are worried you may have Diabetes, the first step is to visit your GP or healthcare professional and be screened for Diabetes.

• Don’t isolate yourself because of your diabetes – it is a condition, not a contagious infection!
• Don’t be hard on yourself for having Diabetes, or for how you are feeling becuse of the Diabetes
• Continue doing things that you enjoy. Having Diabetes does not mean you have to stop having a life!
• Set yourself small, realistic and attainable goal
• Build a support team; friends, family, colleagues – let them know how you are feeling – they won’t know unless you tell them!
• Eat a healthy balanced diet for good nutrition and keep active on a daily basis

You may feel cheated if you have done all the right things and have been working hard to get your diabetes under control and yet you still develop complications. Having good diabetes control reduces your risk of developing long-term complications but does not always remove the risk entirely.