Over 50? Keeping Up With Your Healthcare Needs

Lifestyle Changes To Make After A Diabetes Diagnosis

25 July 2019

Nellie Ryan

Having a diagnosis of type 2 diabetes may not come as a surprise to some people, but the number of changes they need to make can be overwhelming. Making deliberate, consistent changes to your lifestyle can reverse type 2 diabetes in some people and will make it easier to stick with your changes.

Work On Carb Reduction

Reducing your carbohydrates will be especially challenging if they are a staple in your diet. Start with finding ways you can reduce your carbohydrate intake without much thought or effort. For example, if you frequently eat sandwiches, opting for an open-face sandwich or swapping your usual bread for a wrap can save you a few carbs without drastically changing anything. Once you are more comfortable making these changes, you may want to experiment with other types of pasta, bread, or grains that have more complex carbs. Typically, this involves trial and error since there are many types of pasta or bread on the market that are made with other ingredients or marketed as high-protein, but they can take some adjustment to become comfortable with the taste and texture.

Focus On Protein

When you reduce carbohydrates, you will need to increase your macronutrient ratio elsewhere. Higher protein diets are generally good for people with diabetes as long as they do not have kidney problems. Protein will feel more satiating and will not contribute to hunger like carbohydrates. Although lean proteins are usually recommended, proteins with a higher fat content are not necessarily bad. Fatty fish is a good option to include in your diet. Even fattier parts of poultry may be acceptable. Generally, people eat less food overall when their dietary intake is not ultra-lean. You should try to focus on protein if you feel hungry throughout the day by including nuts or seeds.

Add On Exercise

Your diet will be the most instrumental factor in regaining control over your blood glucose, but exercise is also important. If all you can do is walk, it is better to take a short walk each day than remain sedentary. Many people believe cardio is essential to improve your health and lose weight if needed, but it is unnecessary to force yourself into an hour of cardio if you genuinely hate it. Strength-training can easily have a cardio aspect, depending on the way you perform sets. Taking minimal rests between sets or doing super-sets quickly increases the cardiovascular part of strength-training. Many people who prefer lifting weights simply dedicate 20 minutes at the end of their workout to some form of cardio, such as walking/running on the treadmill. The key to including any form of exercise is finding something you enjoy and doing it consistently.

Although developing type 2 diabetes can be frustrating, many instances are easily reversible, primarily through diet. Regaining control over your blood glucose now can prevent serious diabetes-related complications later. To learn more, contact a medical office like Vidant Health today.

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