If you've recently been diagnosed with diabetes and are overweight, it is absolutely critical for your health and well-being that you embark on a diet and exercise program. Losing weight will dramatically improve your health and decrease the severity of many of your diabetes symptoms. If you have type 2 diabetes, losing weight and getting healthy can improve your health so much that you may not even have to take any more medication or, at the very least, you will be able to reduce the amount of medicine you must take on a daily basis. Continue reading to learn some great weight loss tips.
Remove junk food from your daily diet. By eliminating high sugar food, like sweets and soda, along with greasy high fat food, you will improve your diabetes symptoms and lose a lot of weight. Focus on eating healthy, lean sources of protein like chicken breast, turkey breast and tuna fish, instead of indulging in hamburgers or hot dogs. When eating steak, always eat lean cuts. Substitute egg whites for whole eggs. As far as carbohydrates go, you want to focus on eating slow digesting, complex carbohydrates like whole grains and oatmeal. Avoid eating simple carbs such as white bread and sugars.
Adding lots of vegetables to your diet will improve your overall health and also help you to lose weight. Vegetables are jam packed with vitamins, fiber, nutrients and minerals that your body needs to function at its best. As a diabetic it is crucial that you supply your body with all of the nutrients it requires. Veggies are also naturally low in calories, so eating them will help you shed excess fat at the same time that you take in valuable vitamins and minerals. Eat as many vegetables you want, but be careful when it comes to fruits. Fruits naturally contain sugar, which can be problematic for diabetics.
Exercise aerobically for thirty minutes every single day. Aerobic exercise is great for your heart and will help you to burn off extra calories. Start slow. You don't have to run marathons. Simply going for a half hour walk around the block can do wonders for your overall health and will help you to lose weight. As you progress in your weight loss program, you can begin to engage in more difficult forms of aerobic exercise.
Lift weights twice per week. Lifting weights will increase your muscle mass, shape your body, and help you to lose a lot of extra weight. Muscle burns off more calories than fat, so added muscle will allow you to eat more food without gaining weight. Strength training is a part of any good exercise plan, and this is especially true for diabetics.
Drink water as your only beverage. Alcohol, sugary juices and soda pop are extremely unhealthy for diabetics. By replacing these drinks with ice cold water you will improve your health and lose a lot of extra weight. Drink up!
The exercise and diet tips contained in this article will help you to lose weight. It is possible to live a healthy, positive life, in spite of a diabetes diagnosis. Good luck!