Tips For Manage Weight Loss In Diabetes Life

Weight Management for People with Diabetes

If you are overweight with type 2 diabetes, weight loss is an extremely effective treatment plan. A weight loss of 10 percent of your current body weight can greatly reduce your risk of getting diabetes, or improve your glucose control.

Just to convince you, here is a list of the benefits of weight loss for a person with diabetes:

Health Benefits 

1. Reduce glucose and the need for medication
2. Reduce insulin resistance and improve insulin sensitivity
3. Reduce blood pressure and perhaps medication
4. Reduce blood lipids (cholesterol and triglycerides)
5. Reduce risk of heart attack, stroke, cancers, orthopedic problems (bones and joints)
6. Improve sleep problems (such as sleep apnea)

How to Lose Weight

With diabetes, you need to lose weight in a gradual, healthy manner. Crash diets could play havoc with your blood sugar, and may not be balanced in protein, carbohydrate and fat. Some people with diabetes use a low-carbohydrate diet to lose weight. Research shows that many drop off the program because it is unrealistic to follow forever. A very low carbohydrate diet may be lacking in the nutrients from fruits, vegetables and whole grains. You need to establish healthy eating habits that will serve you well over time, and keep your weight off.

A pound of body fat is 3,500 calories. In order to lose a pound a week, you can take 500 calories a day from your diet, or a combination of increased calorie expenditure (exercise) and less calorie intake. Take 1,000 calories a day out, and you lose two pounds a week.

Use DiabetesCare.net’s BMI Calculator to assess your need to lose weight. Use our Nutrition Tracker to calculate a calorie level for weight loss, and then track your food intake each day.

Volumes of advice on how to lose weight have been written, yet there is no single easy way. Obesity is a complex problem, and many people struggle to control their weight. The following are the primary changes that can be effective.

Ten Basic Tactics to Lose Weight

1. Portion control: If you have a diabetic meal plan from a registered dietitian, you already know about serving sizes. Use smaller plates and glasses, refrain from taking seconds, serve yourself less meat and starch and more vegetables, and share restaurant meals.
2. Plate Diet: Fill half your plate with low-calorie vegetables (limit the butter, oil or cheese). Divide the other half into half, pacing four-ounces or so of low-fat meat in one section, and about one cup of low-fat starch/whole grain food in the other. You have a full plate, lots to eat, but fewer calories.
3. Watch the Junk: Although you’ve learned that people with diabetes can work a little added sugar into their diet, junk foods, with sugar, salt and fat, should be rare in your diet. Select healthy snacks in the fruit, dairy or vegetable group to carry you over to balanced meals.
4. Keep Food Records: Research shows that people who keep food records lose twice as much weight. Recording your intake, and counting calories and/or carbs, can teach you to make better food choices. Use the DiabetesCare.net MyCare Tracker to self-monitor.
5. Manage Your Hunger: If you allow yourself to get too hungry, you will naturally overeat. Hunger management is a key element to weight control. Eat three balanced meals and low-calorie snacks if more than four-five hours pass between meals. If you get too hungry, you will grab the first food available, eat it fast, and eat too much. Learn to be aware of your hunger approaching and eat when hungry and stop when satisfied, not full.
6. Be a Mindful Eater: Research shows we mindlessly consume 200-500 calories a day doing things such as nibbling while cooking, munching in front of the TV, or eating while playing on the computer. Keep food consumption enjoyable: eat at the table, chew food thoroughly, and slow down your eating speed.
7. Manage Your Environment: Don’t tempt yourself by buying treats and keeping them in sight. Food cues such as the cookies in the jar can trigger extra calorie intake. 
8. Plan, Shop and Prepare: Take control of your food choices by menu planning, shopping regularly (not when hungry), and cook simple meals at home. Pack lunches more often. You will eat healthier and lose weight when you can limit the fats and control the portions.
9. Eat Breakfast: Studies show that people who eat a nutritional breakfast have more success at weight loss and keeping it off. 
10. Diet Plans: Increase the fiber in your diet, eat 30-35 percent of calories from mostly healthy fat, and increase whole grains, fruits and vegetables. Get three servings of dairy a day or take a calcium supplement with Vitamin D. Consider using meal replacements—portion-controlled and calorie-controlled food (bars, soups, packaged entrees) and drinks (shakes) for one or two meals a day. Meal replacements can help minimize your food choices and decisions about food, offer better alternatives than what is available, give your diet plan structure and are very convenient.

Don’t forget that exercise is effective in weight loss. People who watch less than 10 hours of TV a week are more likely to lose weight and keep it off. Even if you aren’t ready for a formal exercise routine with cardio and strength training, consider using a pedometer to track your steps. You wear it on your waist, set at zero in the morning and wear it all day. Record your daily steps. Set a goal to slowly increase your steps each week. The recommendation is about 10,000 steps a day, or four miles of motion on your body. Pedometer use can be a fun way to motivate you to be more active in daily life. And, being more active will lower your blood glucose. Use DiabetesCare.net’s Exercise Tracker to help with your exercise program.

Benefits of Weight Loss

Pre-Diabetes

Research has shown that if you are pre-diabetic and overweight the most effective way to reduce your risk of developing type 2 diabetes is to lose weight. Even small decreases in weight through diet and exercise can have a big impact as it reduces your risk for developing diabetes by a whopping 58 percent!

Recently Diagnosed

We realize that having just been diagnosed, some good news goes a long way. The good news is that the research indicates that when a person loses weight when they are first diagnosed they have fewer negative health effects, live longer and enjoy a higher quality of life!

Uncontrolled Type 2 Diabetes

When diabetes goes uncontrolled you may not feel well. Since many people with type 2 diabetes are overweight, losing weight and maintaining that new weight will help you control your blood sugar and help you feel better.

Persons with Diabetes and other Medical Conditions

Weight loss helps individuals better control their blood sugar, cholesterol and blood pressure. And, when a person with diabetes controls these levels, it helps to reduce their risk of kidney disease, eye disease, nervous system disease, heart attack, and stroke.

Other Medical Conditions:

High Blood Pressure: About 70 percent of people with diabetes have high blood pressure. Adults with diabetes are two to four times more likely than people without diabetes to die of heart disease or experience a stroke. Controlling your weight helps you control your blood pressure.

High Cholesterol: Cholesterol is affected by weight, blood pressure and blood sugar. If your blood sugar and blood pressure are high, your cholesterol numbers may be high which could place you at risk for heart disease. Controlling your weight helps you control your cholesterol!

Choosing the Best Weight Loss Program

What to Look For in a Weight Loss Program:

• A focus on reduced caloric intake to achieve weight loss, in addition to carbohydrate counting and healthy eating.
• Data for both short term and long term results.
• Program materials that are Diabetes Specific – need clear information on maintaining healthy blood sugar levels and adjusting medication as needs will change with weight loss.
• Provides good support and responsiveness if you get stuck or have questions.
• Clear information on cost – upfront and ongoing.
• Provides easy to follow information for reduced calorie diet and physical activity.
• Does not make promises that weight loss is "easy" or "permanent."
• Provides specific skills for maintaining weight loss – acknowledging there must be different than motivation and skills to lose weight.
• Promotes lifestyle changes you can embrace long term including the critical importance of regular physical activity.

Weight Loss Program Options

Medically Supervised Weight Loss Plans - supervised by a Physician

Medical weight management programs provide comprehensive support and lifestyle change education to support individualized weight loss needs. These programs can utilize proven high protein products and techniques to address medical conditions that can be successfully managed or resolved with weight loss. Your doctor can help identify an effective program.

Benefits:

• Medical staff monitors your progress at each visit and monitors important medical indicators including blood pressure and lab tests for A1C and electrolyte balance.
• The physician will adjust medications that can be reduced or eliminated as requirements frequently change with weight loss and improved health status.
• Provides appropriate Medical Supervision for use of nutritionally complete Very Low Calorie Diets (VLCD). These diets provide significant weight loss in 8-12 weeks with follow by transition to continued Low Calorie and Weight Loss Maintenance Programs to support long-term weight management.
• The physician can prescribe weight loss medications, if appropriate.
• Office visits may be covered by your medical insurance plan.

Tip: Search for a program that specializes in an overall care plan for people with diabetes.

Source: http://www.diabetescare.net/nutrition-and-fitness/lose-weight