Hello dear readers,

As promised, we are continuing from where we left off. Let’s begin with some valuable tips for Diabetics to avoid gaining weight and some easy solutions to get rid of the excess weight.

Weight gain is a common side effect for people who take insulin — a hormone that regulates the absorption of sugar (glucose) by cells. This can be frustrating because maintaining a healthy weight is an important part of your overall diabetes management plan. The good news is that it is possible to maintain your weight while taking insulin.

The link between insulin and weight gain
When you take insulin, glucose is able to enter your cells, and glucose levels in your blood drop. This is the desired treatment goal.
But if you take in more calories than you need to maintain a healthy weight — given your level of activity — your cells will get more glucose than they need. Glucose that your cells don’t use accumulates as fat.

Avoid weight gain while taking insulin
Eating healthy foods and being physically active most days of the week can help you prevent unwanted weight gain. The following tips can help you keep the pounds off:

• Count calories. Eating and drinking fewer calories helps you prevent weight gain. Stock the refrigerator and pantry with fruits, vegetables and whole grains. Plan for every meal to have the right mix of starches, fruits and vegetables, proteins, and fats. Generally, experts recommend that meals consist of half non starchy vegetable, one-quarter protein and one quarter a starch such as rice or a starchy vegetable such as corn or peas.
  Trim your portion sizes, skip second helpings and drink water instead of high-calorie drinks. Talk to your doctor, nurse or a dietitian about meal-planning strategies and resources.
• Don’t skip meals. Don’t try to cut calories by skipping meals. When you skip a meal, you’re more likely to make poor diet choices at the next mealtime because you’re too hungry. Skipping meals can also cause low blood sugar levels if you don’t adjust your insulin dose.
• Be physically active. Physical activity burns calories. A week of moderately intense aerobic activity — such as walking, bicycling, water aerobics, dancing or gardening — plus muscle-strengthening exercises at least two times a week. Talk with your doctor about activities and exercises that are appropriate for you.

To summarise

Some of the common mistakes people make that lead to weight gain include:

• Not making time for physical activity
• Mindless eating in front of the TV after dinner
• Drinking too much alcohol or sweetened drinks like specialty coffees
• Skipping breakfast
• Eating irregular meals
• Finishing kids’ meals
• Reaching for second helpings
• Eating too many simple carbs (like sugar and white bread) and not enough protein

Hope this proves to be helpful to many of you this festive season. Wishing you all a Happy Diwali!

Shyma,
Founder – Kilobeaters