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Dieting is dangerous.
Search for weight loss tips and 90% of them are a fad diet asking you to give up carbs, or protein, or carbs and protein, or all fats, or no fats. Fasting is another one - hugely popular in many weight loss circles, but is it a good fit for diabetics? The answers are often contradictory; it can make the decision that much harder.
You get the idea. They’re a mess.
The problem with these diets is that your body needs all the things you eat. You need carbs, protein, and certain types of sugars. Cut one of them out and, yes, maybe it triggers a certain type of response in your body that burns more fat.
But it certainly won’t stay like that.
So, let’s avoid the “D” word.
Good diabetic weight loss is all about maintaining a healthy lifestyle and smart eating. Replacing low value meals with high value meals and rebalancing what you eat and when. Do this by:
Okay, so you have some goals laid out, you’re feeling good and it’s time to get started. What can you do starting right now to lose weight?
Below are 7 tips and tricks you can implement in your life to start realizing healthy, incremental weight loss.
You have to exercise. While what you eat is going to have the biggest impact, exercise helps to improve metabolism, burn excess calories and in general, make you feel better.
But exercise doesn’t necessarily mean training for a marathon. It just means moving your body and being active every day. Over 90% of the people in the National Weight Control Registry (NWCR) database exercised to reach their goals and most of them did it by walking.
Breakfast is an absolute must. Your body needs nutrients when you wake up, whether you feel it or not. Skip it entirely, and your blood sugar will surge when you over-correct later in the day. A good breakfast for diabetics consists of a high fiber grain (like cereal), with no added sugars and a high-protein food like milk or yogurt.
If you’re struggling to find time for breakfast every day, look for ways to prepare in advance. Leave your bowl and and a box of cereal next to your coffee pot every night and wake up 5-10 minutes earlier. It doesn’t take much to set yourself up for success for the day.
Fiber has been shown to help manage blood sugar levels, increase weight loss totals, and even help to prevent future weight gain. So how much fiber should you eat? Current Dietary Guidelines state that women should eat 25 or more grams of fiber a day and men 31 or more grams. These numbers drop once you reach 50, but on average, the typical American only eats half this number.
The easiest two ways to increase fiber intake is to have a healthy breakfast every morning (see above), and to add beans to your existing meals.
Chickpeas and black beans are high in fiber and can go into your soups, salads, and casseroles without changing the recipe. Fiber supplements are also available if you struggle getting enough in your diet, but be sure to avoid the sugary gummies and possibly even check with your doctor first to choose an option that’s safe for you.
This is a big one.
One of the toughest parts about diabetic weight loss is the smaller portion sizes. When you shrink a meal to match the calorie requirements you’ve set for the day, it tends to leave you feeling a bit hungry. Worse, it can cause your blood sugar to yo-yo back and forth throughout the day, especially if you ever “catch up” with a big meal in the evening.
To fight this, aim for more small meals throughout the day. Avoid the big, heaping dinner plate or overindulgent lunch. A sensible breakfast and small mini-meals in the mid-morning and early afternoon can help to keep your blood sugar consistent and your portion sizes under control.
Weight loss is hard.
It takes a long time and there will be weeks when you don’t see any progress (or you might even gain some weight back). This can be devastating. For a lot of people, even a single setback is enough to throw in the towel. After all, why do all this hard work if it’s not getting results?
This is where a support network can really help. Tell everyone what you’re doing and why you’re doing it and make sure you have support all around you. Friends and family, your doctor, and even a nutritionist can help to address nagging doubts or pressing concerns as you work your way towards your initial milestones.
Even if you think you’re doing everything right, it’s easy to get off track. Some foods are deceptively calorie-rich and can sneak their way into your carefully crafted diet plan if you’re not careful. A sugar filled cup of coffee, a glass of beer, a stray cookie – these all represent a huge influx of calories that you probably didn’t plan for.
This is where food logging can come in handy. There are dozens of apps that can help with this as well. Here are some top picks:
MyFitnessPal - It’s free, has a massive database of available foods and connects with other apps to track your activity levels, making it a good place to start, especially on an iOS device.
FatSecret - If you want a simple food diary, this is a great place to start. Also free with easy to use food tracking and weight tracking tools, plus bar-code scanning make this a quick and easy app for logging your meals.
Fooducate - This is an interesting app in that it goes beyond calorie tracking and looks and the quality of those calories, combined with useful insights on your sleep and health conditions.
Set them up, log the foods that you consistently eat every day, and then add in the unique meals and snacks to see if you’re on track. Don’t kill yourself trying to get all the calories entered accurately – if it’s too hard, it’s much easier to fail. But, at the very least write it all down. This will be useful the next time you speak with your doctor or compare notes with someone who you’re working with.
This next one is a little tricky.
It’s not always easy to admit when stress or other negative emotions play a role in your health. But, a fair number of people who are overweight struggle with stress eating.
A therapist can help to address the underlying issues that lead to your impulse to eat. They can help to build new coping mechanisms, suppress those unhealthy urges, and create new, healthy habits that replace them when you’re feeling down.
"Eat less” is the easiest thing in the world to commit to, but actually doing it is another thing entirely. To trick your mind and body into consuming less food, here are a few things you can do right away:
Eat the Veggies First – Big meal in front of you? Eat the low-calorie foods first to fill your stomach. Eat your salad before your entrée when at a restaurant (ideally with little or no dressing) and throw some extra broccoli or celery on your plate at lunch.
Drink More Water – You’re not always hungry. Eight glasses of water a day, distributed evenly can help stave off unnecessary cravings. Having trouble ditching the soda? Try seltzer water, which can be purchased in several flavors.
Start a New Hobby – Sometimes we eat because we’re bored. Sitting down to watch TV? You grab a bag of chips. So, find something else for your hands to do. Knitting. Painting. Drawing. Coloring. Whatever it is, get your hands busy and you’ll think of food less often.
Replacing or Removing Dressings and Dips – Switch to a vinegar-based dressing, or better yet, none at all. It’s shocking how many calories are added by something as simple as dressing or dipping sauces for your food.
Brush Your Teeth – Feeling a craving in the middle of the afternoon? Brush your teeth. Not only does it clear your palate, the taste of mint can make you less hungry.
