How to Diet Safely if You Are a Diabetic

Blood sugar spikes and lows can create unique problems for people with diabetes who wish to lose weight through dieting because their bodies treat food differently than non-diabetics bodies do.

With diabetes, when you eat can be every bit as important as what you eat. Making the right choices can help you to feel full for a longer amount of time and help to control your blood sugar. Your doctor is probably the best source of information regarding your target blood sugar level.

Most diabetes educators recommend a diet of 1,200 to 1.600 calories per day for a small to medium sized woman, a diet of 1.600 to 2.000 calories per day for a meduim sized woman who wants to lose weight or a small man and a diet of 2.000 to 2.400 calories for a medium sized man or a large man who wants to lose weight.

Your diabetes teacher can be an amazing source of information and assistance in helping you to come up with a suitable meal plan that will meet your particular weight and fitness level needs.

Safe Dieting for Diabetics

The ultimate goal for diabetics is usually to acheive and maintain an ideal body weight. This weight level will vary for each person based on their height, size of frame and whether they are male or female. Finding your ideal weight is rather simple. Generally, women begin with a weight of 100 pounds and a height of 5 feet.

Then, 5 pounds are added for every inch over 5 feet and 10% is added if you happen to have a large frame. For men, you begin with a weight of 106 pounds and a height of 5 feet. Then, 6 pounds are added for each inch over 5 feet with 10% being added for a large frame.

The role of exercise in maintaintaining a healthy body weight for diabetics cannot be over-stated. Exercise has the benefit of improving your muscle tone and reducing your level of body fat. Along with increasing your energy level, exercise has also been shown to naturally improve your body's use of insulin.

The increased muscle mass acheived in strength training has a profound impact on helping diabetics to control their blood sugar. After just 4 months of strength training, diabetics were able to see blood sugar control levels that were in line with taking diabetes medication. They were also able to lose weight and imporve their self confidence.