If you have diabetes, one of the best things you can do to lower your blood glucose levels is to lose weight. Losing weight helps your body be more responsive to insulin, which in turn makes it easier for you to keep your diabetes under control. Losing weight can be difficult, however, as dieting can slow your body's metabolism, which can make it harder for you to burn calories. In order to keep your metabolism high, you can make a few modifications to your lifestyle to make it easier to lose weight.
Step 1
Exercise on a regular basis. When you exercise, your body burns more calories and increases its metabolism. This boost in metabolism continues even when you are done exercising, so you should try to stay as active and work exercise into your daily routine three to five times each week at a minimum. The time of day when you exercise does not affect the boost in metabolism, Dietitian.com notes, so exercise whenever it is convenient for you.
Step 2
Increase your muscle mass. Lifting weights or doing other strength-training activities will increase the amount of muscle mass your body contains. Muscle tissue needs more calories to maintain itself than fat tissue, so by adding muscle mass, you will burn more calories, the Diet Channel explains.
Step 3
Don't skip meals. When you don't eat for a long time, your metabolism slows down as your body enters "starvation" mode. Your body does this to conserve energy, but it also can make it harder for you to lose weight, Women's Health notes. Instead, focus on limiting the amount of calories you consume in each meal. If possible, try to eat many small meals throughout the day to keep your metabolism high.
Step 4
Drink cold water. According to Women's Health, when you drink very cold water, your body expends some energy heating the water up. While this does not generate a significant boost in your metabolism, over time you can use this trick to burn more calories.
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