Why it is Important to Lose Weight

It is even more urgent to lose weight now.

More and more young people are becoming obese and the Malaysian newspaper Star has reported that children as young as ten years of age have developed Type 2 Diabetes or Diabetes Mellitus, a disease that is usually found in middle-aged people of 50 years and above. Diabetes and obesity are linked.

Our diet which contains a lot of carbohydrates is one of the major factors that cause us to develop diabetes. This is because carbohydrates convert into sugar which is used to give us energy. Our blood sugar levels spike after we eat a heavy meal of rice and the accompanying dishes. Three hours later, our blood sugar levels drop and we begin to feel hungry, craving for food. That’s when we take teh tarik ( very sweet pulled tea ) , cakes and pastries which translates into loads of sugar. A lot of insulin is secreted to bring the sugar levels down and over time we develop insulin resistance which means our blood sugar levels remain high. Whatever sugar cannot be used as energy becomes stored as fat and this fat is deposited around our abdomen. This is visceral fat which is deadly as it puts us at high health risks for diseases that will shorten our lives, one of which is diabetes.

Having diabetes means that you have to cut out sugar from your diet and to watch what you eat. Gone are the times when you can indulge in ice-cream, cakes, all kinds of fruit, noodles, etc. Once you cut out sugar your weight will drop. However there is sugar hidden in food which you may not realize. You may ask where the joy of living is, if you cannot eat the food that you enjoy so much. Let’s see what happens.

If your blood sugar levels are not under control your diabetes will develop to such a stage that you can become blind and your injuries, especially wounds, will not heal but fester and you get gangrene and your legs will have to be amputated to save your life. Your kidneys will fail and you have to undergo dialysis ( connected to a machine for 4 hours, 3 times weekly, to cleanse your blood of toxins ) in order to keep on living.

So, do you think losing weight is important?