Eighty percent of people with Type 2 diabetes are overweight, notes Harvard's Joslin Diabetes Center. Because weight loss has a direct impact on glucose control, insulin resistance and lowers your risk factors for kidney failure and nerve damage, you may have only one goal -- get that extra weight off as fast as possible. But a fad diet that promises instant results may harm your body more than it helps. If you have diabetes, it's important to focus on your long-term goals and make healthy lifestyle choices that you can sustain for the rest of your life.
How Many Calories Should You Eat in a Day?
The amount of calories you need to consume depends on your age, gender, activity level and current weight. In general, men need more calories than women and younger people need more than seniors. EndocrineWeb suggests that you calculate how many calories you need based on your ideal body weight. Women should start with a baseline of 100 lbs. for 5 feet of height and add 5 lbs. for every additional inch. A woman who is 5-foot 6-inches tall should be about 130 lbs. You can add or subtract 10 percent depending on frame size. Men should start with a baseline of 106 lbs. for 5 feet and add 6 lbs. per inch. A man who is 5-feet 10-inches should weigh approximately 166 lbs., plus or minus 10 percent for frame type.
Once you know how much you'd like to weigh, eat 12 calories per lb. of body weight. A 5-foot-6-inch woman should eat roughly 1,550 calories daily to reach or maintain her goal weight of 130 lbs.
Calorie Break-Down
Now that you know how many calories to eat, it's important to know how many of those calories should come from carbohydrates, fat and protein. The guidelines for people with diabetes differ from the standard USDA guidelines to lower carbohydrates and increase proteins. If you have diabetes, 40 percent of your calories should come from carbs, 30 to 35 percent from fat and 20 to 30 percent from protein. If you have kidney disease, you may need to lower your protein consumption. Using our 1,550 calorie example, 620 calories should come from carbs, 460 to 540 calories from fat and 310 to 460 calories should come from protein.
Low Glycemic Carbohydrates
The glycemic index measures how quickly any carbohydrate causes your blood sugar to rise. The GI was developed specifically to help diabetics choose carbs that stabilize glucose levels and lower insulin resistance in Type 2 diabetics. Low-GI carbs include non-starchy vegetables, most fruits, legumes, nuts and dairy. Use the GI as a guide, but make nutrient-dense choices that are low in calories. Because fat, protein and fiber slow your body's conversion of glucose, high-fat carbohydrates tend to score low on the glycemic index. A candy bar scores lower than an orange -- but that doesn't make it a better choice for you. The glycemic index tells only one part of the story, so read ingredient lists and nutrition fact labels carefully. In general, choose whole foods instead of processed packaged foods with added refined sugars.
Protein and Fat
Choose lean protein that is low in saturated fat, such as white meat poultry, fish and plant-based proteins such as nuts and beans. People with diabetes often have high cholesterol and an elevated risk of heart disease. Choosing mono- and poly- unsaturated fats, such as olive oil, avocado and nuts, rather than the saturated fat found in full-fat dairy, pork and beef, can help lower blood pressure and cholesterol levels. Avoid trans fat, found in processed snack foods, cookies, doughnuts and cakes.
Portion Control
You can't count calories without using portion control. Pay close attention to the serving size listed with packaged foods. You may eat a small bag of chips in a single sitting, but if there was 2.5 servings in that bag, you'll need to multiply the calories, fat and carbohydrates by 2.5 to get an accurate picture of your calorie consumption. Weigh and measure cooked food until you learn what a 4-oz. serving of cooked fish or 1/2 cup of cereal looks like.
