Losing weight is an effective way of managing diabetes itself. It can even ease you off insulin and other medication. No matter how heavy you are, you will benefit from losing weight in terms of diabetes. A study conducted by the National Institutes of Health, USA, has shown that diet and exercise together reduce the chance of developing diabetes by 58%.
Weight loss plans for those who have diabetes should be drawn up carefully. Your diet should not cause too many fluctuations in the blood sugar level. Seek your doctor and nutritionist’s help in drawing up a weight loss regime.
1- Don’t skip breakfast
Breakfast is a very important meal of the day. Do not skip breakfast as it is the first morsel of food your body is getting after a whole night of fast. If you don’t have breakfast, your body goes into ‘starvation mode’ and starts storing whatever you eat after this as fat. For those who have diabetes, it could also dangerously lower their blood sugar level.
2- Consume fewer calories
It doesn’t matter whether you are a diabetic or not, the main equation of weight loss is burning off more calories than you consume. Therefore, you cannot afford to consume lots of calories that you know you won’t be able to burn up. For those with diabetes, the calorie intake should be 1200 to 1800 for women and 1400 to 2000 for men, depending on their body size and level of activity,
3- Eat more fiber
Lots of fiber helps in keeping your blood sugar in check, so this is a must for all diabetics. Consuming fiber also helps in cleansing your digestive system, which in turn leads to faster weight loss. Fiber rich fruits, vegetables and whole grains do a lot of good to your digestive system. Even legumes like black beans and chickpeas are loaded with fiber and should be consumed more.
4- Exercise
There is no alternative of exercise when it comes to losing weight and keeping it off. Apart from the limited intake of calories, exercise further helps you burn off fat that has accumulated in the body. In the National Weight Control Registry, out of 4,000 people who lost 30 pounds (and kept it off), only 9% were able to do it without exercise.
5- Frequent smaller meals
This is another very good way of reducing how much calories are stored in the body. Calories are either spent quickly or stored as fat. If you eat smaller meals, you will be able to burn most of it off in the consequent hour and have another small meal after that. But, if you have a larger meal instead, it will more likely not be burnt off in time and will be stored as fat.
Some more tips
6- Drink lots of water that will help digestion.
7- Use smaller plates in parties and buffets.
8- Take up a hobby that is physically demanding, like gardening.
9- Fill up on low calorie foods first, so that you have less room for the high calorie foods.
10- Set small weight loss goals.
More from Alex Jordon:
6 Best Detox Foods You Should Start Eating
Three Guidelines for Managing Diabetes
7 Wonderful Benefits of Methi
Visit my website: www.seekingfit.com for more healthy living tricks.
