Diabetic Diet? 5 Tips for Managing your Weight!
The Start of Something Big
Obesity has become nothing short of a global epidemic, and it is growing each year. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimated that in 2016, more than 1.9 billion overweight adults. Of these over 650 million were obese.
A Sign of the Times
In a world where junk food has never before been as affordable and accessible this problem will only grow. Many meals today offer unnecessary amounts of salt, sugar, and fat, all contributing to obesity. Additionally, the majority of our daily work has changed from physically demanding field work to the sedentary life of the office. Not to mention the advancements of transportation make it easy to move from place to place without exerting much effort. People are moving to cities and giving up on more strenuous lifestyles in favour of easy food and easy living.
Overweight & Diabetes
Being overweight is believed to increase your chances of developing diabetes by a staggering 80 to 85%. Recent studies have found that people who are overweight are 80 times more likely to develop Type 2 Diabetes than individuals with a BMI that is less than 22.
How does Overweight cause Type 2 Diabetes?
Studies have found that abdominal fat makes fat cells release pro-inflammatory chemicals that can make our body less sensitive to the insulin it produces. This condition is called insulin resistance. It is a major cause of Type 2 Diabetes. Having elevated amounts of abdominal fat (a large waistline) also known as abdominal or central obesity (a high-risk type of obesity) can lead to Type 2 Diabetes. Being overweight may also trigger some changes in the body's metabolism, which can cause fat tissue to release molecules into the bloodstream. These fat molecules can affect the insulin-responsive cells thereby leading to decreased insulin sensitivity.
5 Tips for Managing your Weight:
1. Reinvent your Meal Plan
Weight loss begins with what you eat, if you do not prepare with a structured meal plan, you will find yourself going for easier and often unhealthier options. Make sure you are filling your groceries according to your plan, with healthy greens, grains, and fruits to boost your body. Some foods are known to help with weight loss: Whole eggs, leafy greens, Salmon, cruciferous vegetables (broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage and brussels sprouts) and beans.
How can we not speak about the most important meal of the day, Breakfast! When we hear “Breakfast”, we automatically think about eggs. According to the American Diabetes Association, eggs are considered as an excellent choice for people with diabetes.
2. Get Active, Burn those Calories
From grueling full body workouts to taking the stairs and walking instead of easier options, any sort of movement supports weight loss. The belief that exercise has to be exhausting is no longer found true by studies. Even walking on the beach or riding your bike counts toward weight loss. Click here to read 15 exercise tips that are easy to follow and will get you going in no time!
3. Drink lots of Water
Studies show that many people experience the feeling of hunger when in fact their body is merely dehydrated. Don’t make this mistake, just to be safe drink lots of water. You will find that sometimes your craving for a snack is taken care of by a nice cool glass of H2O. Also, sugary drinks are one of the leading causes of weight gain.
4. Play with Portions
Before fad diets, our parents, well most of them, always used the same diet, saying it never failed. they would simply eat half what they usually did, maintaining the same meals. This is not to be exactly recommended as some foods provide no nutritional value and should be cut out entirely, but cutting down is one of the simpler ways to see results.
5. Losing It v. Keeping It Off
Don’t forget that losing weight is only half the battle, keeping it off for most people can be the real struggle. Many find that once lost their body is even more susceptible to weight gain, this is called the “rebound effect.” This can mean that you have to put in extra effort into maintaining your weight, or increasing efforts as you see results.
Being a diabetic doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy a healthy, balanced and tasty meal. Click here to visit the Diabetes UK recipe finder and indulge yourself while keeping healthy!
For all of us at CuraLife, the important thing is that you are happy, and we think people are happiest when they are healthy. Work hard and don’t give up, we know diabetes can be a difficult disease. Let's work together on finding simple, natural and powerful solutions.
We want to know how you are handling your condition, share it with us on the "Winning Type 2 Diabetes Together" Facebook Group!
