Following a 1,200-calorie diet can help prevent hypoglycemia if it promotes weight-loss. Excess fat interferes with the way your body uses insulin; reaching and maintaining your healthy body weight promotes insulin sensitivity, helping to stabilize glucose and insulin levels and avoiding low blood sugar. The types of food you eat, as well as how much, help regulate glucose and insulin while you reach your goal weight.
Calories, Weight Loss and Metabolism
Losing weight is a matter of eating fewer calories than your body needs. When your body doesn't have a fresh supply of glucose -- its preferred energy source -- it will break down stored fat to use as energy. Reduce your calorie consumption and you'll lose weight -- but only up to a certain point. If you cut calories too drastically, your body thinks that food is scarce and a biological survival mechanism kicks-in, slowing your metabolism and stalling weight loss. According to the National Institutes of Health, the threshold is 1,200 calories for women and 1,500 calories for men. To keep your metabolism functioning properly, do not eat less than 1,200 calories.
Hypoglycemic Diet
Losing weight increases insulin sensitivity and allows your body to use both glucose and insulin more effectively. But simple dietary changes can also help prevent hypoglycemia. Space your calories evenly throughout the day, eating every 3 to 4 hours. Limit simple carbohydrates, such as sugar and starch, which have a greater impact on glucose levels than complex carbohydrates such as whole grains. Although it's normal for blood sugar levels to fluctuate during the day, keeping these fluctuations as subtle as possible will help prevent both high and low blood sugar.
1,200-Calorie Hypoglycemic Diet
If you're following a low-calorie hypoglycemic diet, plan to divide your calories among three small meals and 2 to 3 snacks daily. Small frequent meals supply a steady stream of glucose. On a 1,200-calorie diet, you could budget for three 300-calorie meals and two 150-calorie snacks or three 100-calorie snacks. The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases recommends that a 1,200-calorie diet include six servings of starch, three of vegetables, three of fat, two of fruit, two of dairy and up to 6-oz. of protein. Eat one serving of starch at every meal and snack. Combine your starch with protein or fat to slow digestion and the production of glucose.
The Glycemic Index
Because carbohydrates have the greatest impact on blood sugar, choosing the right carbs will help prevent a sudden spike, and equally dramatic drop in glucose levels. The glycemic index is tool that ranks carbohydrates on a scale of 1 to 100 -- the higher the score, the faster the food is converted into glucose. Choosing low-GI carbs, those that score 55 or less on the GI, will help keep glucose and insulin levels stable.
References
- National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney DIseases: What I Need to Know About Eating and Diabetes
- National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases; Hypoglycemia; Vivian A. Fonseca; October 2008
- Medline Plus; Tips for Losing Weight; David Zieve, MD; October 2009
- Glycemic Index: About Glycemic Index
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