Diabetic

moochie110
moochie110 Posts: 1 Member
Hello everyone,
My name is Raquel, I was just introduced to My Fitness about a week ago. I’m enjoying it so far. I am diabetic and I need to find a meal plan that can stay in my desired calorie intake. My doctor says 1500 a day but that doesn’t help, I went down to 1375 a day. Does anyone have a meal plan that I can start? With little to no exercise other than walking.

Thanks
Raquel

Replies

  • MikePTY
    MikePTY Posts: 3,816 Member
    Why do you think 1500 a day is not right for you? 1 week is not enough time to really draw any proper conclusions. I would not go below what your doctor recommended without first speaking to them again.
  • kimny72
    kimny72 Posts: 16,023 Member
    MikePTY wrote: »
    Why do you think 1500 a day is not right for you? 1 week is not enough time to really draw any proper conclusions. I would not go below what your doctor recommended without first speaking to them again.

    This. Dietary changes do not cause dramatic weight loss or fix your BG numbers in one week. It takes time and consistency.

    To lose weight, you need a calorie deficit. You should expect @ 1 lb per week (with some weeks being more and some being less), unless you are very overweight. I have no idea how long it takes to see your BG numbers change. Perhaps you can get a referral to an RD or a Diabetes Educator to give you some idea of what type of progress you should be looking for. Obviously, if your doctor gave you any food restrictions, you should consider those as well.
  • OooohToast
    OooohToast Posts: 257 Member
    Hiya Raquel - are you T1 or T2 ? Did you doctor give you any guidance about sugar/carb intake at all ? And finally, what are your preferences ?
  • concordancia
    concordancia Posts: 5,320 Member
    Look for South Beach or Mediterranean diet books for food plans.

    Both of these focus on proteins, vegetables and healthy fats, while using fruits and whole grains sparingly. This will help you limit carbs.

    Many diabetic education materials focus on counting carbs, to the point of making it seem like it is harmful to limit them. While it is true that an insulin dependent diabetic must match their carb intake and their insulin intake, for the rest of us, it is quite safe to eat lower carb diets. They key is to get plenty of fiber, which can be difficult on ultra low carb diets, like Atkins or Keto.
  • tbright1965
    tbright1965 Posts: 852 Member
    If you can, go see a Joslin Diabetes Center Registered Dietitian. I saw one in Feb 2018 when I was beyond Pre T2D with a fasting BG of 180.

    She took a look at my lifestyle (I was already exercising, just eating junk) and crafted a plan that just gave some basic guidance. The number of calories and the macronutrient mix to get there. Rules like no more than 60g of carbs/meal and 45g carbs / day in snacks. Some information on how to make approximations. I also asked which app she recommended for meal tracking, as I was using one based on WW Points Plus, and she turned me on to MyFitnessPal

    I've lost 50# and keep my fasting BG in check with a small dose of Metformin (500mg/day) and eating the plan.

    Today my fasting BG was 92 mg/dL so well in the normal range. My A1C went from 7.3% to 5.1% by simply making some diet changes.

    You cannot outwork your fork, so the biggest tool in your toolbox is what you eat. My two most valuable tools to keep that in check is a food scale to weigh calorie dense foods such as proteins, cheese, sauces and so on. I don't weigh my spinach or bananas. I kinda figure bananas get averaged out in the 300-400 bananas I eat every year. Spinach isn't calorie dense enough to worry about. The other tool is MFP, as logging lets me know if I have room in my plan for that piece of cheesecake. (I did today.)

    Honest data is how I keep myself accountable and on track.
  • Fuzzipeg
    Fuzzipeg Posts: 2,297 Member
    How about using the MFP guided set up, it is an option. If you put you height, weight objective, gain, loose or maintain, this will give you a calorie allowance and break it down into food groups, protein, carbs, fat, fibre sugar and the like though you may need to choose your preferences.