Most people can lose weight, but unfortunately few can keep it off long-term. Successful losers who keep their excess weight off...
- watched their fat intake,
- would eat breakfast to help them avoid overeating throughout their day,
- exercised for twenty minutes each day on five out of seven days, and
- frequently monitored their weight loss and continued to keep track of what they were eating.
Being overweight is the single biggest factor for developing Type 2 diabetes.
If you are looking to shed a few pounds but don't want to go on a full-blown diet, you may start looking into some of the tweaks you can make to your diabetic eating plan to get yourself on track and looking your best. You do not necessarily have to revamp your diet plan completely to see great results.
Far from it! Sometimes all it takes is a change here or there. Here are four meal planning tips for accelerated weight loss...
1. Harness Spices. As often as you can, start incorporating spices into your cooking routine. Spices are an excellent way to rev up the flavor of your dishes without adding unwanted fat or calories.
Spices will get you eating healthily and have you reaping health benefits because of it. Remember many spices offer more than just flavor: they can boost the overall health benefits of the food as well.
2. Know Your Cooking Techniques. It is also important you understand the cooking techniques you are using. Are you steaming foods? Stir-frying?
Deep frying? Each cooking method will alter the nutrition of the dish you are preparing, so be sure to choose accordingly.
If you are trying to cut back on fat, steaming is likely your best bet, while if you are looking to have more healthy fats in your diet, stir-frying might be wise.
3. Think Lean And Green. As you build your menu, think "lean and green." Focus each meal around a lean protein and combine with salad greens or other vegetables. Then add healthy fats and carbohydrates as needed.
4. Watch The Add-Ons. Also, make sure you watch the add-ons. Are you drizzling on extra sauce? Are you adding condiments that pack on calories? Be highly aware of these because they can turn your meal from great to not so diet-friendly in a hurry.
Avoid add-ons as much as you can unless you know they are very healthy.
If you keep these four tips in mind, you should feel confident you are eating well. Some experimentation may be needed to find the best pattern for you.
Although managing your disease can be very challenging, Type 2 diabetes is not a condition you must just live with. You can make simple changes to your daily routine and lower both your weight and your blood sugar levels. Hang in there, the longer you do it, the easier it gets.