If you or a loved one has been recently diagnosed with diabetes, depending on the type you have, your doctor might suggest weight loss and certain lifestyle changes to help bring your blood sugar levels to a manageable range.
It’s not always a simple task, and you’ll need to do more than just follow a fad diet for a few short weeks. But research shows the right combination of exercise, portion control, and healthy balanced foods are the key to helping you achieve your goals and keeping the weight off in the long run.
Here are some expert dos and don’ts to get you started.
Do Find a Diet That Works for You
If you have type 2 diabetes, you’ll have to pay close attention to insulin resistance and your body’s inability to properly use the hormone insulin to break down blood sugar (glucose) for energy.
The American Diabetes Association typically recommends losing about “5% to 10% of overall body weight” according to Shirisha Avadhanula, MD, an endocrinologist at the Cleveland Clinic.
“As you lose weight, your insulin resistance can actually decrease, and this can improve and potentially even reverse the process of type 2 diabetes,” she says. But to lose weight and keep it off for good, you’ll need to find a diet that’s right for you.
“I tell [patients] that the best diet is the diet that you can stick to.”
No matter how you plan to move your lifestyle toward a more diabetes-friendly diet, Avadhanula says it’s important to pay attention to three core principles:
- Cut down on simple carbohydrates.
- Reduce refined sugars from your diet.
- Get into the habit of reading food labels.
Do Find Healthy Food Swaps
One easy way to get started on a healthier lifestyle is to find nutritious alternatives to the types of foods or snacks you like to eat.
For example, if you routinely eat simple carbs like white bread and pasta, you risk large blood sugar spikes that make your insulin resistance worse. Instead, swap them out for items with complex carbs, like multigrain bread or whole-wheat pasta. They contain more fiber, nutrients, and vitamins that are better for your body.
“I always tell my patients, ‘You know, if you really, really enjoy pizza, the best thing for you to do is to get cauliflower dough rather than the actual dough,’ ” Avadhanula says.
And if white rice or other starchy carbs like yams, yucca, or plantains are part of your day-to-day diet, you don’t have to cut them out entirely, says Sue-Ellen Anderson-Haynes, a registered dietitian nutritionist and certified diabetes care and education specialist.
Instead, she says you should cut your portion in half and add more green leafy veggies or fruits to your meal. Better yet, you can swap them for more fibrous carb alternatives, like brown rice or quinoa.
Don’t Skip Meals
If your goal is to lose a few pounds, don’t skip meals or go too long without eating. It might do more harm than good, especially for your blood sugar levels, says Anderson-Haynes. In fact, it can have the opposite effect.
“[If] you're not eating, your body says, ‘Oh, blood sugar is dropping, energy is going down, we need to make this person survive.’ The liver releases sugar into the bloodstream. And if you have diabetes, that's not necessarily a good thing because you already have insulin resistance problems with sugar in the bloodstream. But your liver [will] say, ‘Well, you're not eating, so I'm just going to keep putting sugar in your bloodstream.’ ”
Don’t Cut Out Carbs Completely
Your body needs carbs, especially since “it’s a major fuel for your brain and red blood cells,” Anderson-Haynes says. “It’s called a macronutrient for a reason.”
But you need to be mindful about how much and what type you eat. To make your meals well-balanced, stack your carbs with proteins and good fats. This will help you avoid large blood sugar spikes after each meal.
There’s no way to tell how many grams of carbs you should eat per day or per meal. That’s because how much you need will depend on your body size and how active you are throughout the day.
But to simplify, Anderson-Haynes says, for each meal, you should fill a quarter of your plate with complex carbohydrates “about the size of your palm.” The same goes for protein. For the remaining half, fill it with fresh fruits and veggies.
If you have type 1 diabetes, your body doesn’t produce insulin. So, you’ll have to take doses of insulin through medications. In such cases, it’s important to know how many grams of carbs you’re exactly consuming to calculate your insulin doses. If this is the case, talk to a registered dietitian or your doctor about how to count carbs for your daily meals according to your body’s needs.
Do Find Ways to Control Stress
When you’re stressed, your body releases a bunch of hormones such as cortisol and adrenaline into your bloodstream. This activates your fight-or-flight response, but it also stops the insulin from working properly.
“You could be eating a healthy meal, but if you're extremely stressed, your blood sugar can go up several points,” Anderson-Haynes says.
This can worsen your insulin resistance and increase your odds of diabetes-related complications. In fact, it can affect your mood and emotional health. This can then affect how you take care of yourself.
It’s important to find ways to relieve your stress. Physical exercise can boost feel-good hormones in your body. You can also try mind-body techniques like deep breathing, meditation, yoga, massage, or tai chi.
If you feel stress is affecting your ability to manage your diabetes, tell your doctor about it. They might recommend or encourage you to speak to a licensed therapist or a counselor.
Do Take Care of Mental Health
“Diabetes burnout is a real thing, and people get so tired of taking care of their diabetes that they just don’t want to do it anymore,” Anderson-Haynes says. In some, burnout can trigger depression or anxious feelings.
If you’re facing this, let your health care team know. Reach out to a mental health specialist such as a psychiatrist or psychologist for help.
If you tend to have an emotional response to food, making lifestyle changes to control your diabetes can be a difficult task.
“Emotional eating kind of comes in, you know, during holidays or at parties. You smell food, you look at the food on TV, and you want to eat. That's a trigger. That's not necessarily hunger. That's more like, ‘I want to eat it because I see it,’ ” Anderson-Haynes says.
To tackle this, she says it’s good get to know your hunger cues.
“A hunger scale is a great way of making sure you actually are truly hungry and to kind of put emotional eating on the back burner,” Anderson-Haynes says.
This can include asking yourself things like: Am I feeling hungry? Did I eat enough? For example, if your stomach is growling within an hour of eating, she says it might just be a cue that you might not have eaten enough.
Do Get Plenty of Sleep
“When you don't sleep, blood pressure goes up. Your blood sugar goes up, too. It all works together,” Anderson-Haynes says.
According to the CDC, if you get less than 7 hours of sleep, it can make it harder for you to keep your blood sugar levels in check. That’s because it can:
- Make you hungrier the next day
- Lower your ability to feel full. This might cause you to eat more calories than necessary.
- Make you more likely to eat unhealthy foods high in carbs and sugar, like junk foods and candies
To get restful sleep, try to go to bed and get up at the same time as much as possible. Avoid naps after 3 p.m., and stay away from caffeinated drinks later in the day. Put away your phone and other electronic devices before getting into bed, and keep your bedroom dark and quiet for better sleep quality.
Do More Physical Exercise
Besides strengthening your muscles and bones, research shows that exercise can help lower blood sugar and improve insulin sensitivity for folks with diabetes. This ultimately improves your insulin resistance and helps you control your body weight.
“Exercise can potentially improve your mood and sleep, too,” Avadhanula says.
All forms of exercise and movement can improve your health. But experts have found that if you pair weight training with cardio workouts, it’s especially helpful in lowering your blood sugar.
One study found that low-impact exercises like walking can help, too. In the study, when people with diabetes walked for 2 hours per week or more, their risk for heart disease dipped.
Don’t Do It Alone
To manage your diabetes and keep your blood sugar levels in check, you’ll need to commit to making big lifestyle changes, pay close attention to what you eat, and learn or remember a lot of new things along the way. For this, consistency is key. But the process might be overwhelming.
“This is a difficult journey,” Avadhanula says. But a good support system can make a big difference.
“Pair up with a friend or a family member that can keep you accountable. This could keep you motivated and positive, because going through this alone is tough.”
You can also reach out to diabetes support groups near you or online. It can be a great way to connect with others who are going through similar issues, and to share tips, advice, and tools to manage your condition and your overall health.
Show Sources
Photo Credit: franckreporter / Getty Images
SOURCES:
Shirisha Avadhanula, MD, endocrinologist, Cleveland Clinic, Ohio.
Sue-Ellen Anderson-Haynes, registered dietitian nutritionist and certified diabetes care and education specialist; founder, 360Girls&Women.
CDC: “Sleep for A Good Cause.”
Harvard Health Publishing: “The Importance of Exercise When You Have Diabetes.”
Diabetes UK: “Stress and Diabetes.”
Mayo Clinic: “Relaxation techniques: Try these steps to reduce stress.”
American Diabetes Association: “Carb Counting and Diabetes,” “Lose Weight for Good.”
