Simple Tips For A Diabetic Weight loss diet
December 30, 2009 by admin
Filed under special medical diets
When your doctor tells you that you need to go on a diabetic weight loss diet you may feel stressed and overwhelmed, but you don’t need to. The fact is, there are no specific diabetic weight loss diets for you to engage in. However, a qualified dietician and your physician can provide support and guide you in the right direction. This article will give you some tips on what to discuss with your doctor or dietician.
Many people who suffer type 2 diabetes (otherwise known as ‘onset’ diabetes) are also overweight. This is at least partially because their body has been converting the excess glucose in the blood to fat cells. This in itself can create a snowball effect because the more fat that builds up around the pancreas the harder it is for insulin to get out into the bloodstream
It can take quite some time adjusting to the knowledge of having diabetes. After the initial shock has worn off speak your physician and request information on what steps you should take to monitor your diabetes and maintain healthy blood glucose levels. Since there are no specific diabetic weight loss diets you can adapt your existing diet to fill your requirements. One thing to consider is that as a diabetic you don’t need to stop eating all the foods you are accustomed to eating. You just need to eat them differently.
There are many things you can do to change your eating habits including:
- Controlling your portions (How much you eat)
- What times of day you eat
- Methods used to prepare food
- Reduce sugar intake
- Monitor carbohydrate consumption (as they contribute to your blood glucose levels also)
- Increase consumption of:
- Fruit
- Vegetables
- Whole grains
- Reduce the amount of fat in your diet
- Moderate alcohol consumption (if you are a drinker)
While adjusting to a Diabetic weight loss diet, monitor how much you usually eat at each meal and whether you snack during the day. If your eating habits are irregular, then you’ll need to create an eating schedule. You need to ensure that you eat breakfast, morning tea, lunch, afternoon tea and dinner. The essense of a diabetic diet is to eat small amounts frequently to avoid large fluctuations in blood glucose levels. It is important to maintain a daily diet of at least a 1600 calories.
If you tend to eat large portions then you need to reduce those portions per meal. Adding regular small snacks will assist in reducing hunger pangs. This will be good for you. It will help stabilize your blood glucose level. Control your appetite. And prevent you from bingeing when you have your regular meals.
One excellent aspect of eating like this, is that along with exercise, it will assist you to lose weight. Not only in the short term, but once you are accustomed to it, you will find the weight stays off. Many people also note an increase in overall physical health.
As always (whether you are diabetic or not) make sure you eat breakfast every day as this increases your metabolism and gives you energy for the day. Try to include some fruit. Fruit tastes great and is a good source of energy and it makes a great, healthy snack. It’s also crucial that you eat lunch and dinner daily to maintain steady energy levels throughout the day no matter what you’re doing. If you usually skips meals start out by eating crackers or a salad for lunch to provide a light meal.
It’s crucial to eat regularly every day to allow your body to adjust and process food before bedtime. Try not to eat too early. If you eat too early then you might be tempted to snack before bedtime.
One last tip regarding your diabetic weight loss diets. And this concerns meal preparation. You should broil broil or bake your meats rather than frying in fat. When you do have to fry, use extra Virgin Olive Oil rather than butter or other Tran’s fat laden foods.
I hope this post has helped you see that a diabetic weight loss diet isn’t the end of the world. In fact, when correctly followed, it will stop your diabetes getting worse, as well as helping you lose weight and improve your overall health.
