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First step into "Diabetes Weight Loss"

You can do a lot for your diet by eliminating foods that have mascots.

-- Ted Spiker

Well, it's time to begin our journey through the book Diabetes Weight Loss Week by Week. Are you ready?

I received an email from author Jill Weisenberger after my last column. She's excited to follow our progress too.

Weisenberger is a registered dietitian and diabetes educator in Virginia. For more information, check out her website at jillweisenberger.com.

If you are at all like me, you often jump into things with both feet, even if you are not prepared. It's like novice swimmers who decide to learn to dive by leaping off the highest board at the pool. When they hit the water and almost drown, they decide they've had quite enough and will never do that again.

I do not want that to be me and this book. I will start out at the bottom of the ladder to that high dive, and every week I'll go one rung higher until I find myself at the top with all the information in hand.

Week 1

Anyone who has ever counted calories is probably aware that a calorie is a unit of energy. Our bodies use them like a car uses fuel. But if we take in too much "fuel," our bodies will store it as fat. The number of calories we need depends on things like our weight, amount of muscle and fat, genetics and activity level.

If you need information on caloric intake, go to ChooseMyPlate.gov, a site created by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. It offers information about how much and what to eat, and there's a SuperTracker section to chart progress, food and recipes.

Generally, the book suggests, women need 1,200 to 1,800 calories a day to lose weight, and men need 1,600 to 2,400. And if you are diabetic, no more than 45 grams of carbohydrates per meal is suggested.

The author recommends recording our daily food intake. And we shouldn't wait until the end of the day to do so because it's easy to forget all we've put in our mouths.

Various eating plans will do, but make sure the one you choose is not a fad, unhealthy or downright dangerous.

Exercise is another thing to consider -- and it's integral to losing weight. The main things to ensure are that it's safe, we can tolerate it, and we don't get burned out or injured.

When in doubt, consult your doctor.

Week 2

Once we have chosen an eating plan, figured out our caloric needs, and decided on an exercise plan, it's time to set a weight goal. Our doctor can help here, too.

To get healthier, we don't have to lose lots of weight. Dropping as little as 5 percent to 10 percent of our starting weight can help lower cholesterol, reduce the risk for certain cancers, lower blood pressure and possibly help control our blood glucose. But we should keep our expectations and goals realistic.

It's also time to work on eating healthfully. Weisenberger's tips include:

• Spread food out over the day and eat at least three meals daily.

• Choose foods as close to their natural state as possible.

• Aim for three or more food groups per meal. Eat from a variety of food groups, and have a variety within each group.

• Limit added sugars, solid and animal fats, and excess sodium.

The American Diabetes Association offers information on the "Plate Method," a way of healthful eating that doesn't require special tools or counting. There's not enough room here to explain it, so go to diabetes.org and click on Food and Fitness at the top of the page, then find Create Your Plate.

Practice reading food labels. Just because you buy one of something doesn't mean it's one serving. Plus it will help us accurately record the calories and carbohydrates we eat. Calorie-counting books, measuring cups and a food scale can help here, too.

And if you're diabetic, practice monitoring blood glucose regularly. That's something I really have to work on.

Email me at:

rboggs@arkansasonline.com

ActiveStyle on 08/17/2015

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