Southwest Florida's Health and Wellness Magazine Health and Wellness Articles
Could A New Weight Loss Drug Help Type 2 Diabetics?
By Kara Jacobs –
It’s no secret that obesity and type 2 diabetes go hand and hand, and sadly our communities are seeing a dramatic rise in both areas. To combat the growing health concern local physicians are using a new weight loss program to help patients not only manage their chronic illness, but also to shed the unwanted weight. Could a pregnancy hormone, known as HCG, be the answer to assisting type 2 diabetics in our area?
Dr. Charles Kilo, Diabetologist and primary care physician with Millennium Physician Group in Naples, sees type 2 diabetes rates grow on a daily basis. “Ten years ago you would have never seen a child or young adult with the onset of type 2 diabetes. However today it is more common than rare to find children with type 2 diabetes.”
What’s to blame for the sudden increase in type 2 diabetes in children and adults? Dr. Kilo pinpoints the “Western Diet” as a contributing factor to obesity and diabetes. The western diet refers to processed foods, high sugar content and high carbohydrates in food.
Not only is diet to blame but lifestyles have changed contributing to obesity. “When I was a kid I would spend my entire days outside. With increasing dangers of allowing your children outside unsupervised we turn to activities that keep us indoors. Video games, T.V. and the Internet are all activities that keep us sedentary,” says Dr. Kilo.
Dr. Kilo knows it’s vital to a diabetic to lose weight, however he also knows it’s a struggle for patients to do so. “Losing weight is hard for anyone, not just diabetics. It can be a challenge when the food that is readily available to us is lacking nutrition and is packed with starches and sugar.” What’s the easiest way to lose weight? “It’s simple, just a combination of diet and exercise. Just 45 minutes of heart elevated exercise five times a week is really important for diabetics. Whether it’s a brisk walk or a swim in the pool, it’s important to get your heart rate elevated,” says Kilo.
Some diabetics believe insulin is to blame for their increase in weight as a diabetic. Dr. Kilo, however, states quite the contrary. “It’s a myth that insulin is a factor in weight gain for diabetics. If your sugars are high enough you can easily cut your calories and start exercising.”
Another myth plaguing diabetics is that as a diabetic you need to eat all the time to keep you sugar levels regulated. “Diabetics don’t need to eat all the time to regulate their sugars. Just managing your sugar levels and eating a low carb diet is essential to losing weight and managing diabetes.”
The first recommendation Dr. Kilo gives any diabetic is working with a nutritionist. “A nutritionist is part of the corner stone to managing diabetes along with medication management. A nutritionist will help patients with reading labels and understanding what causes your blood glucose levels to spike which is essential to managing diabetes.”
If patients find themselves struggling to lose weight Dr. Kilo has an alternative to help patients reach their goal weight faster. Dr. Kilo’s office has been providing patients with the prescription HCG to help promote weight loss. HCG is pregnancy hormone that many weight loss companies have been promoting for years. However Dr. Kilo advises against any over-the-counter weight loss product that contains HCG. “It is important to see a physician and receive the HCG hormone prescription and receive supervision from a doctor and a nutritionist.”
So how does the HCG hormone work? “HCG mobilizes fat storage so you are able to lose weight faster than on a traditional diet and helps you from not feeling so hungry. The patient works with me and a nutritionist to help to decide the best caloric intake for the patient. With a combination of protein shakes and protein supplements the patient is losing weight and staying full.”
The program is 6 weeks inclusive and includes HCG in the form of at home small needle injections that are painless. Dr. Kilo does advise patients that the usage of HCG for weight loss is considered an off label usage by the FDA. However all patients are screened and receive a consultation before the program begins including a consult with a dietitian and educational process so patients know what to expect.
“Results vary on every patient however I have seen patients lose 12 pounds in 6 weeks and I’ve seen one patient lose 36 pounds in 6 weeks. It’s important to note that there is no miracle drug for losing weight. But with a combination of diet, exercise, and HCG patients have a better chance of losing weight at a faster pace and keeping it off in the long haul” says Kilo.
The best advice for diabetics and anyone trying to lose weight is, don’t give up. “Persistence is the key to weight loss in the long run. Keep working hard and eventually the results will come.”
Dr. Kilo is currently accepting new patients into this program. Patients can reach him at 239-594-5456 or visit him on the Web at
www.MillenniumPhysician.com.
