Certain diabetes drugs are eagerly used for weight loss at the suggestion of influencers. Because using it incorrectly is bad for your health, NU.nl asked experts what you can do to feel comfortable in your body again.
In brief
Diabetes medications are used for weight loss, but are not intended for people with a healthy weight. The drugs have side effects and can increase depressive feelings. A more sustainable choice is a healthy lifestyle with a goal, social contacts and good nutrition.
The resources that circulate on TikTok provide a feeling of satiety, says Nicole Hunfeld. She is affiliated with the Royal Dutch Society for the Promotion of Pharmacy (KNMP) as a hospital pharmacist.
“People with obesity or diabetes take these drugs to lower their blood sugar levels,” Hunfeld explains. “But that full feeling can also cause people without these diseases to eat less and therefore lose weight.”
The medicines are not intended for people with a healthy weight or slightly overweight. It has therefore not been investigated what the substances do to you if you just start using them to lose weight, says lifestyle pharmacist Ellen Willemsen.
No drug is without side effects, warns Hunfeld. “You see many mild complaints such as headaches and nausea. But we still know very little about what they do to your kidneys, for example. And we see that they can amplify feelings of depression. That’s because the drugs work on your hormones.”
A healthy lifestyle is more than eating and exercising
A much more sustainable choice is to arrange your life differently, says Marlies Brakels, lifestyle expert and owner of De Leefstijlunie. “When it comes to losing weight, it seems like people are looking for a magic wand,” she says. “Achieving results with little effort.”
Brakels strongly advises against using medication for the rest of your life. Instead, she emphasizes the importance of a healthy lifestyle. “What that looks like is different for everyone. You may quickly think of healthy eating and more exercise, but it is more than that.”
It is important to have a goal. “Large or small: it doesn’t matter. As long as you have something to get out of bed for”, Brakels knows. “And it also helps to have enough social contacts. How many friends you have enough is different for everyone.”
Only when that is in order can you look at nutrition, exercise and sleep, says the lifestyle expert. “My most important tip here is not to go for perfection, because then you know for sure that it will go wrong.”
‘A walk around the block after lunch is also very good’
Because that’s how it often goes, says Brakel: you set yourself a goal and then you tend to either do it all right or leave it at that. “We impose unrealistic demands on ourselves. Then we have to take ten thousand steps, for example, otherwise it doesn’t count. While a walk around the block after lunch is also very good.”
Willemsen also emphasizes the importance of a healthy lifestyle. “The yo-yo effect of losing weight is unhealthy.” Whether you follow a diet or take medicines that are not made for you, but do help you lose weight: as soon as you stop, you will gain weight again.
She calls stress one of the important factors in the development of overweight. “Stress makes you want more fat and sugary food.” The lifestyle pharmacist recommends not eating all day long. “We’re not made for that.”
You get energy from the right food
You get energy from the right food. And the more energy, the easier it is to make healthier choices. “Prefer to eat as unprocessed as possible. So cook as little as possible with packages and bags. Instead, go for saturated fats such as avocados and nuts,” says Willemsen.
It’s not like you can never eat a cookie or a piece of cake again. “But preferably immediately after your lunch or dinner, to limit the number of eating moments as much as possible.”
Ask yourself if that 10 kilos less really makes you happier, says Willemsen. And forget about that magic wand, which the drugs seem to provide, Brakels adds. “It doesn’t exist.”
She recommends building up slowly to find out what works for you. “You may never get there completely or you may have a relapse. But every little bit of health gain is a bonus.”
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2023-08-24 18:10:54
#resort #diabetes #drugs #lose #weight #NU.nl
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