Diabetes What To Eat and How To Lose Weight: Foods, Tips and 7 Day Diet
Obesity is a serious worldwide problem and is associated with the risk of developing Type 2 diabetes.
Obesity combined with a genetic predisposition are high risk factors for type 2 diabetes to develop.
Today, more than 1.1 billion adults worldwide are overweight, and 312 million of them are obese.
In the past 20 years, the rates of obesity have tripled in developing countries that have adopted a Western lifestyle, with the Middle East, Pacific Islands, Southeast Asia, India, and China facing the greatest increase.
Consequently, the number of people with diabetes in these countries is expected to increase from 84 million in 2000 to 228 million by 2030.
Thus, preventing obesity is a high priority for the prevention of diabetes and other chronic diseases.
If you’ve recently been diagnosed with diabetes and you’re overweight, you should get started as soon as possible on a weight loss plan.
It is important to work with a registered dietitian to help you figure out a plan that will work for you—a healthy meal plan, physical activity, and realistic goals will help you reach a healthy weight.
As you may already know, losing weight can be a challenge, but don’t let that stop you. Do whatever you need to in order to stay motivated.
It is the amount of calories we eat that contributes to weight gain.
Make small changes. Learn portion sizes and reduce the amount of snacks in your day to reduce the total amount of calories you consume each day.
It’s no secret that losing weight and keeping it off isn’t easy. But it is possible, and the benefits for those with diabetes are great.
1.Weight Loss and Glucose Control
Learning how to regulate your blood sugar is really crucial in losing weight.
So the way your body normally regulates blood sugar, is your body always has to have a certain amount of sugar in your bloodstream at all times to provide energy for your brain and for your muscles and for your liver, and just for basic functioning.
If you have too much sugar in your bloodstream, it’s going to cause problems.
It can cause nerve damage ,eye damage,kidney and heart problems so it is extremely detrimental.
And if you have too little sugar in your blood, it’s going to make you tired and you’re not going to have enough energy for your brain.
So your body always has to keep a certain amount of sugar in your bloodstream at all times, not too much, and not too little.
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2.Glycemic Index Diet
The glycemic diet is formed from the glycemic index (GI).
If you’re not diabetic or have normal blood-sugar numbers, you may be unfamiliar with the glycemic index.
For those of us who have to constantly measure or be vigilant with our blood-sugar levels, the glycemic index is an important tool.
The glycemic index was created in the 1980s to help people manage and prevent diabetes.
It ranks food based on the amount of time it takes glucose to get into the bloodstream.
Those foods which release glucose rapidly have a higher GI; those that release glucose more gradually generally have a lower GI.
Lower GI scores are better because foods that release glucose quickly can cause spikes in blood-sugar.
This diet contains a mix of proteins, fats and carbohydrates.
It focuses on carbohydrates that are lower on the glycemic scale.
The diet is built upon the belief that too many carbohydrates from the wrong sources can cause the body to produce too much insulin.
Excess insulin can cause side effects like dizziness, low energy levels, and intense hunger.
On this diet, 40 percent of your total calories come from unrefined carbs like whole-grains, fruits, and vegetables.
Thirty percent of your calories will come from lean protein sources like chicken, beef, and eggs.
The remaining 30 percent of your diet will consist of healthy fats like avocados, olive oil, and nuts.
The goal of the meal plan is to include each type of food in every meal so you create balance and prevent wild swings in blood sugar levels.
This diet is proven to be an effective way to lose weight in the long term.
No, it doesn’t promise rapid weight loss like some diet plans.
Yet, precisely because you don’t remove any food groups and maintain a good ratio for each, you can expect the weight to stay off.
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3.Vitamins, Minerals And Natural Supplements That Help Lose Weight
The Essential Guide to Vitamins, Minerals and Herbal Supplements
Your body needs a certain amount of essential vitamins and minerals to function properly.
Taking vitamin and mineral supplements in addition to a balanced daily diet can give your body the nutritional support it needs for optimal metabolism.
There are specific vitamins, minerals, and all-natural supplements that can help you lose weight.
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4.Diabetes Medications
Choosing medications for people with diabetes involves consideration of a number of factors, including effects on weight.
Improvements in glucose control are often linked to weight gain, but this does not have to be the inevitable result of diabetes treatment.
Adding a drug that either promotes weight-loss or is weight neutral to one that promotes weight gain should be considered.
The current approach to the treatment of both type 1 and type 2 diabetes is to achieve the best possible glucose control.
During the past 20 years, a number of new medications to control blood glucose have been introduced, and new approaches to the use of older medications have been developed.
Weight and diabetes, especially type 2 diabetes, are closely related.
Obesity is a major risk factor for the development of type 2 diabetes, and the current increase in obesity in our society has fueled a major increase in this disease.
The choice of treatment for patients depends on the degree of progression of their diabetes.
Insulin is always the first choice for the treatment of type 1 diabetes, but there are multiple treatment choices for patients with type 2 diabetes.
It’s commonly known that people often gain weight when they start insulin .
But the same rules of exercise and good food habits apply to stay at a healthy weight.
It’s dangerous to fall into the temptation to skip insulin doses in order to lose weight.
It’s never the insulin alone that is causing people to gain weight, or prevents them from losing it.
And while taking less than the correct amount of insulin will lead to rapid weight loss, the weight lost will be mostly water and muscle being broken down, and not all fat… And losing weight that quickly is unhealthy not to mention the fact that keeping your blood glucose high makes you increasingly prone to long-term diabetes complications.
Although diabetes medications such as basal insulin, sulfonylurea and thiazolidinedione are associated with variable weight gain in some diabetics.
The newer drugs, such as pramlitide, extenatide, sitaglitin, or inhaled insulin appear to have a neutral effect on weight gain or to actually cause weight loss.
Pramlitide has been studied both in type 1 and type 2 diabetes and has been associated with modest weight loss.
Extenatide has been shown to cause weight loss in patients along with sustained decrease in HbA1C.
Less weight gain has been seen with inhaled insulin in diabetics on basal-bolus therapy, and the DPP-IVs have been associated with weight neutrality.
Exenatide (Byetta, Bydureon) and liraglutide (Victoza) are taken by injection, similar to insulin, but they’re not insulin.
These medications are in a class of drugs called incretin mimetics, which improve blood sugar control by mimicking the action of a hormone called glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1).
Among other things, these drugs stimulate insulin secretion in response to rising blood sugar levels after a meal, which results in lowering of the blood sugar.
Byetta, Bydureon and Victoza not only improve blood sugar control, but may also lead to weight loss.
There are many proposed ways in which these medications cause weight loss.
They appear to help suppress appetite. But the most prominent effect of these drugs is that they delay the movement of food from the stomach into the small intestine.
As a result, you may feel “full” faster and longer, so you eat less.
Byetta is injected twice daily, and Victoza is injected once a day. Bydureon, a newer formulation, is injected once a week.
In some people with type 2 diabetes, bariatric surgery has been found to effectively reverse their diabetes. Their blood sugar levels become normal, and they no longer need to take drugs to lower blood sugar levels.
Also known as weight-loss surgery, bariatric surgery either restricts the amount of food that can be eaten and/or changes the way in which nutrients are absorbed in the digestive tract. The result is usually significant weight loss.
Often, the normalization of blood sugar levels happens before a person has lost much weight.
The diabetes-reversing effects of bariatric surgery can last for many years, but it’s still important for people who once had type 2 diabetes to be monitored for its recurrence.
5.Physical Activity
Walking for Weight Loss: Get Fit, Feel Great, and Look Amazing: Volume 1 (Weight Loss, Exercise)
Regular physical activity is important for good health, and it’s especially important if you’re trying to lose weight or to maintain a healthy weight.
When losing weight, more physical activity increases the number of calories your body uses for energy or “burns off.”
The burning of calories through physical activity, combined with reducing the number of calories you eat, creates a “calorie deficit” that results in weight loss.
Most weight loss occurs because of decreased caloric intake. However, evidence shows the only way to maintain weight loss is to be engaged in regular physical activity.
This can be achieved a number of ways and the way I achieve it is through exercise and diet!
People who love gardening like myself and Brendan are always active that’s because it is a lot of hard work especially in the Summertime!
Gardening really is enjoyable especially when you get to eat some lovely fresh produce like the courgette and beetroot in the picture below!
Most importantly, physical activity reduces risks of cardiovascular disease and diabetes beyond that produced by weight reduction alone.
When it comes to weight management, people vary greatly in how much physical activity they need.
To maintain your weight
Work your way up to 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity, 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity aerobic activity, or an equivalent mix of the two each week.
Strong scientific evidence shows that physical activity can help you maintain your weight over time.
However, the exact amount of physical activity needed to do this is not clear since it varies greatly from person to person.
It’s possible that you may need to do more than the equivalent of 150 minutes of moderate-intensity activity a week to maintain your weight.
To lose weight and keep it off
You will need a high amount of physical activity unless you also adjust your diet and reduce the amount of calories you’re eating and drinking.
INFOGRAPHIC – Calculating Protein Intake for Weight Loss And Reduced Risk of Type 2 Diabetes
While the exact cause of Type 2 diabetes is still not fully understood, it is known that being overweight or obese (having a body mass index – BMI – of 30 or greater) has a significant impact.
In fact, recent research suggests that obese people are up to 80 times more likely to develop type 2 diabetes than those with a BMI of less than 22.
So losing weight and bringing your BMI below this value is one of the most important, and controllable, ways to reduce your risk of Type 2 diabetes. And according to research, simply optimizing your protein intake can help you achieve rapid weight loss results – even with light-to-moderate exercising.
Thanks to Thinner You Centers, the following infographic on protein for weight loss contains science-based information about the effects of protein intake on body composition, and how to calculate your optimal protein intake for maximum weight loss potential!
Click here to view YOUR SECRET WEAPON WEIGHT LOSS INFOGRAPHIC!
Getting to and staying at a healthy weight requires both regular physical activity and a healthy eating plan.
The following table shows calories used in common physical activities at both moderate and vigorous levels.
Calories Used per Hour in Common Physical Activities |
||
|---|---|---|
| Moderate Physical Activity |
Approximate Calories/30 Minutes for a 154 lb Person1
|
Approximate Calories/Hr for a 154 lb Person1
|
| Hiking |
185
|
370
|
| Light gardening/yard work |
165
|
330
|
| Dancing |
165
|
330
|
| Golf (walking and carrying clubs) |
165
|
330
|
| Bicycling (<10 mph) |
145
|
290
|
| Walking (3.5 mph) |
140
|
280
|
| Weight lifting (general light workout) |
110
|
220
|
| Stretching |
90
|
180
|
| Vigorous Physical Activity |
Approximate Calories/30 Minutes for a 154 lb Person1
|
Approximate Calories/Hr for a 154 lb Person1
|
| Running/jogging (5 mph) |
295
|
590
|
| Bicycling (>10 mph) |
295
|
590
|
| Swimming (slow freestyle laps) |
255
|
510
|
| Aerobics |
240
|
480
|
| Walking (4.5 mph) |
230
|
460
|
| Heavy yard work (chopping wood) |
220
|
440
|
| Weight lifting (vigorous effort) |
220
|
440
|
| Basketball (vigorous) |
220
|
440
|
| 1 Calories burned per hour will be higher for persons who weigh more than 154 lbs (70 kg) and lower for persons who weigh less. | ||
For more great Health and Nutrition Tips refer to the website positivehealthwellness.com.
If you have any information,questions, or feedback you would like to include in this post.
Please email momo19@diabetessupportsite.com or leave your comments below.
Great post! I lost 30 pounds the past year by doing smaller portions during the day when I work. I eat nuts and fruit to keep me going till I get home. I still need to improve my dinners. I eat processed food at night. I need to cook evening meals more, but when I get home, the last thing I feel like doing is cooking. One step at a time.
Hi Kevin,
Well done in losing weight by eating smaller portions and keeping your blood sugar levels in balance.
Once you learn the concept of portion control is when you realize no food is truly off limits.
Everything in moderation is the key to sustainable weight loss.
I recommend you check out this book for quick,easy, low GI meals GI High Energy Cookbook: Low-GI Recipes for Weight Loss, Health and Vitality
”
Hi momo19,
Thanks for this great article.
I was diagnosed with Type II diabetes in 1994. I take oral medication. I have been able to keep good A1C levels under 7, but more recently they have been about 6.2.
For the most part, I try to watch what I eat, but sometimes if I really have a taste for something I don’t deprive myself of whatever it is in a small quantity and then I adjust for it in my remaining meals for the day.
Weight is a problem for me. Seems as I get older and have been less active I find I have been gaining. I have to really start a diet, but I think more importantly than that, I need to get moving more. I have been having problems because I get a lot of knee , leg and back pain that keeps me from exercising like I want to.
I see you recommend the CO-Q10. I have been taking it now for a couple of months. I also added Omega-XL.
Thanks for all the information you gave. It;s definitely things that people newly diagnosed could benefit from having. It also reminded me of some things I had forgotten after all these years.
Thanks again for sharing.
Verna
Hi Verna,
It sounds like you are doing a good job in managing your diabetes as your HBAIC level is well controlled.
As you are having back pain , knee and leg problems, you shouldnt begin an exercise program without guidance.
I can recommend a simple, safe stretch that can help alleviate pain in the back and other joints however check with your doctor first as he/she will know what is appropriate for you to do given your condition.
Lie on your back on a carpeted floor or mat.
Rest your legs on a couch, chair, or ottoman, so that your legs from the heels to the back of the knees are completely supported.
Youre in the same position you would be if you were sitting in a chair, but now the pressure on your spine is completely displaced,
Lie with your belly side down on a stability ball and let your body mold to the sides of the ball.
Lie on your back and hold your knees in to your chest.
The key is finding a workout that doesnt produce your pain during the exercise.
Try aquatic exercise either swimming laps or participate in an organized aqua-aerobics class.
Being in the water is great for someone with joint pain,it gives you a cardio workout and resistance, without putting any weight on the joints.
Find a physical therapist who will teach you exercises that can help you alleviate pain in the back and other joints.
With chronic pain comes a reduced quality of life,exercise can dramatically improve that quality of life again!