Losing weight is not as simple as it may seem. Often times, simply reducing the amount of calories is not enough. There are many diseases that make it difficult to lose weight, and a rational approach to this process should focus not only on losing unnecessary kilograms, but also on improving he alth. Check out 9 tests you should do before you start losing weight.
Before starting to lose weight, it is worth having blood tests . Many professional nutritionists recommend that patients bring up-to-date test results, at least the basic ones, to their first appointment. For what purpose? It would seem that losing weight is simply selecting the right amount of calories for the needs of a given person, and the results of blood tests do not add up to that. However, the human body is not a machine and its functioning cannot be described with a simple mathematical operation.
Why should you do your research before you start losing weight?
In order to develop an optimal weight loss diet, a dietitian needs a lot of information related to the history of body weight over the years, illnesses, treatment used and blood parameters.
Commencing cooperation with the patient, taking into account the results of blood tests, indicates a responsible approach of a dietitian to his work. First of all, in some cases, especially in hormonal and carbohydrate disorders, it is practically impossible to develop the right diet that will work without knowing the patient's he alth condition.
Secondly, the role of diet, even if you are slimming, is to improve your overall he alth. Taking into account comorbidities or existing nutritional deficiencies, the diet will lead to the repair of these parameters, and not to their inadvertent deterioration.
Since you already know that responsible weight loss requires tests before it starts, check which parameters are worth checking.
9 research to be done before starting to lose weight
Morphology
Blood morphology is the most basic test that should be performed on a regular basis, regardless of your he alth and well-being. It is an initial test that allows you to assess whether your body is free from disease processes.
It is true that morphology does not give a straight linedisease-specific information, but gives you a general assessment of your he alth and gives you clues for further diagnosis if something is wrong.
For a dietitian, the following parameters are particularly important:
- hemoglobin,
- erythrocytes,
- hematocrit
- and red blood cell volume.
These allow you to check for anemia. And if so, what is the reason for it:
- iron deficiency
- or vitamin B12 and folate deficiency.
Another indicator that the dietitian analyzes in morphology is leukocytes. Too much of them indicates an infection in the body. You may need to search for the source of this infection.
Fasting glucose
Glucose is a parameter without knowing which you shouldn't start losing weight. Its fasting blood level gives the basic information about the functioning of the carbohydrate metabolism and indicates a possible risk of diabetes or pre-diabetes.
Diabetes mellitus type II is a disease resulting mainly from improper nutrition for many years.
Too high fasting glucose can be easily reduced with a proper diet, and thus avoid the need for pharmacological treatment with metformin.
Glucose control through nutrition actually prevents the development of type II diabetes with the need for insulin, even if early carbohydrate disturbances already exist. Losing weight with a high glucose level without introducing a diet dedicated to this state can be significantly difficult.
Fasting insulin
Fasting insulin is another indicator, apart from glucose, that provides the dietitian with information about the state of the carbohydrate metabolism. It is a hormone produced by the pancreas whose role in the metabolism of carbohydrates is huge.
Often times, fasting glucose levels are within or only slightly above the normal range, while insulin levels soar significantly. This is an indication for the diagnosis of insulin resistance. This is a condition in which the cells of the body decrease their sensitivity to insulin and need more and more insulin to use the energy from food.
Insulin resistance is a serious metabolic disorder. However, drug treatment is not necessary to increase the sensitivity of tissues to insulin. Proper diet implemented quickly, prevents the development of insulin resistance and reverses it.
Does insulin matter when losing weight?Very high. Insulin is the hormone that is responsible for building up, storing. Its large amounts circulate in the blood efficientlymake it difficult to use up fat stored in adipose tissue.
TSH
TSH is the pituitary gland hormone, the secretion of which is closely related to the he alth of the thyroid gland. In the case of hypothyroidism, TSH levels increase, in the case of hyperthyroidism - they decrease.
TSH is the first and basic test performed to diagnose thyroid diseases. Of course, the measurement of this hormone alone is not enough to assess the condition of the thyroid gland, but it is an indicator for further diagnosis.
Why is TSH concentration important in a slimming diet?Weight loss can be very slow and resistant with unregulated thyroid function. In advanced, untreated hypothyroidism, many people complain that they can drink water for days without losing weight.
Hypothyroidism strongly influences metabolism, namely slowing it down. This means that the body uses less energy to function than a he althy person. By metabolism, I mean not only the speed of digestion, but all the vital processes going on in the body.
In hypothyroidism, the whole body works slower:
- lower heart rate,
- lower blood pressure,
- there is a feeling of cold,
- infrequent bowel movements.
Thyroid disorders are very common nowadays, especially among women. Therefore, before starting to lose weight, it is worth checking if the problem does not concern us.
A slimming diet should contain an increased amount of protein and should not be too low in calories, so as not to exacerbate metabolism disorders.
Lipidogram
TV commercials are full of measures to help keep cholesterol normal. This is one of the factors that has led many to believe that, first, cholesterol is bad, and second, it must be lowered at all costs. Neither one nor the other is true. Too low cholesterol is more dangerous to your he alth than too high cholesterol.
To really be able to assess the risk of disease, you need a complete lipid profile, a cxyli test including indicators such as:
- total cholesterol,
- HDL cholesterol,
- LDL cholesterol
- and triglycerides.
These parameters will help the dietitian make a decision about:
- implementation of a diet reducing the risk of atherosclerosis,
- implementation of a diet reducing body fat,
- introducing products that increase HDL levels and lower the level of LDL and triglycerides,
- use a diet that will repair the already existing damage to the blood vessels.
Although these factors do not have a direct impact on weight loss, introducing a slimming diet can be a great opportunity to take care of your he alth also in this aspect.
CRP
CRP or C-reactive protein is an indicator of inflammation in the body. Its concentration increases strongly with infections, e.g. bacterial ones, which are associated with fever. This is one type of inflammation - short-lived and intense.
There is, however, a low-grade inflammation that often goes unnoticed for years and leads to many diseases. Increased CRP level gives information, although very general, whether there is any inflammatory process in the body.
Often his norms are exceeded in obese people. Increased CRP concentration may result from:
- too high LDL level,
- too high glucose level,
- too high triglyceride levels,
- inflammatory bowel diseases
- or autoimmune diseases.
CRP level is used to assess the risk of cardiovascular diseases and can be used by a dietitian as information to implement the so-called diets for the heart or antiatherosclerotic diet.
Blood pressure
Increased blood pressure is a common problem among Poles. Most often it results from overweight and obesity or from chronic stress. Losing weight is a factor in reducing blood pressure and therefore the risk of cardiovascular disease.
It is good to know what level of these parameters are before losing weight and to monitor them as your weight decreases.
The more that the test is very fast, simple and non-invasive. The presence of hypertension is important information for a dietitian and affects the intensity of the slimming diet.
Cortisol
Cortisol is a hormone secreted by the adrenal glands. Its blood level is associated with stress factors in everyday life.
And it is not only about stress at work, but about stressors such as:
- insufficient sleep,
- night work,
- intense workouts,
- evening workouts,
- very low calorie diet.
Studies show that higher cortisol levels are found in overweight and obese people compared to those who are lean.
Cortisol reduces the sensitivity of cells to insulin and, together with insulin, promotes increased fat storage, especially around the waist, collarbones, neck and face.
Cortisol is not a test that everyone should do before losing weight, but it is certainly worth doing by people who have had several weight loss attempts, theirslimming is ineffective, or they are aware of the presence of a chronic stress factor in their lives.
High cortisol levels preclude the introduction of a restrictive diet and intensive training. A dietitian may also suggest supplementation with high cortisol levels.
Vitamin D
Many people associate vitamin D only with strong bones. Its role in the proper functioning of the immune system is more and more common. But in fact, the role of vitamin D is very broad. At the same time, a very large part of the Polish population has its shortages due to too low exposure of the skin to the sun.
Is vitamin D related to weight loss?Yes, its deficiency can make it difficult to burn fat. But it must be emphasized that vitamin D supplementation is not a slimming method. However, compensating for deficiencies helps to normalize the hormonal balance and reduce inflammation that hampers slimming.
Vitamin D levels seem to have the greatest impact on fat loss due to its relationship to cortisol.
Vitamin D reduces the secretion of cortisol, and thus reduces the accumulation of adipose tissue around the abdomen. It also has a positive effect on the perceived energy level and spontaneous physical activity. It is not necessary to test your vitamin D level to start losing weight.
Still, they are worth doing due to widespread shortages. However, in the case of difficult weight loss, the level of vitamin D can be tested together with the level of cortisol.
- Slimming - how to reduce appetite and hunger?
- How to lose weight he althily? 10 rules for he althy and safe weight loss
- Effective weight loss - 10 commandments how to lose weight effectively
