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Effingham, IL-(Effingham Radio)-Losing weight is a common health goal, and with good reason. Maintaining a healthy weight is good for overall health. Weight is also an important factor in diabetes.

"For overweight or obese individuals, weight loss can be an important component of diabetes management," says Tracy Dennis, MS, RDN, LD, registered dietitian with HSHS Medical Group in Effingham. "Weight loss can improve insulin sensitivity. Insulin is the hormone your body makes to manage blood sugars. Improved insulin sensitivity is a natural way to lower blood sugars. In addition to lower blood sugars, weight loss can also improve blood cholesterol and blood pressure, additional components of effective diabetes management. The improved diet that often accompanies weight loss can also lower blood sugars."

In fact, being overweight increases an individual's risk of developing type 2 diabetes. Dennis says, "Excess weight can increase insulin resistance, leading to higher blood sugar. Maintaining a healthy weight can reduce your risk of developing type 2 diabetes. Having an overweight BMI (body mass index) or an elevated waist circumference are both weight-related risk factors. Most adults are considered overweight if they have a BMI of 25 or higher. An elevated waist circumference is at least 40 inches for adult men and 35 inches for adult women."

Losing weight is rarely fast and easy. So it may be tempting to try a product or diet that promises to make the process go quickly or claims you won't have to change how you eat or exercise. Unfortunately, there are no magical solutions to safe and permanent weight loss. Real success means healthy, long-term lifestyle changes to diet and exercise habits.

But with so many advertisers and scammers claiming these extraordinary weight-loss results, how can you sort out fact from fake?

Scam alert

According to the Federal Trade Commission, if you see any of the following in an ad or on a website, the promise is definitely a fake:

What dishonest advertisers really want is for you to spend your money on a product or plan. That could include signing up for a recurring monthly subscription that can be difficult to stop or getting hit with additional fees instead of the advertised rate.

In short, if a weight-loss promise seems too good to be true, it probably is.

Five tips that really work

According to the National Weight Control Registry, 98% of people in the registry who have dropped pounds and kept them off did so by changing their eating habits, and 94% increased their physical activity. Here is how you can do those things too.

For help on managing diabetes, call HSHS Medical Group Diabetes & Endocrinology at 217-391-5460.

Additional sources: Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics; American Heart Association

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About HSHS Medical Group

HSHS Medical Group is the physician organization of Hospital Sisters Health System (HSHS). Launched in 2009, HSHS Medical Group is a critical component of the HSHS Care Integration strategy, which focuses on bringing physicians, technology and patients together to improve the overall health of our communities. Today, HSHS Medical Group is comprised of over 1,300 colleagues in locations throughout Central and Southern Illinois. HSHS Medical Group is powered by the Franciscan history of the Hospital Sisters of St. Francis, and our faith-based identity led us to the single most important tenet of the HSHS Medical Group philosophy — patient-first care. For more information about HSHS Medical Group, visit HSHSMedicalGroup.org.

About Hospital Sisters Health System

Hospital Sisters Health System's (HSHS) mission is to reveal and embody Christ's healing love for all people through our high-quality Franciscan health care ministry. HSHS provides state-of-the-art health care to our patients and is dedicated to serving all people, especially the most vulnerable, at each of our physician practices and 15 local hospitals in two states – Illinois (Breese, Decatur, Effingham, Greenville, Highland, Litchfield, O’Fallon, Shelbyville and Springfield) and Wisconsin (Chippewa Falls, Eau Claire, Oconto Falls, Sheboygan and two in Green Bay). HSHS is sponsored by Hospital Sisters Ministries, and Hospital Sisters of St. Francis is the founding institute. For more information about HSHS, visit www.hshs.org. For more information about Hospital Sisters of St. Francis, visit www.hospitalsisters.org.