Diabetes Corner

By Lynn Unroe, CDE, RD  

Happy New Year to all the diabetics, caregivers, families and friends of diabetics. When we think about making New Year resolutions, we have a tendency to shoot for the moon. Our good intentions sometimes get lost because we either have too many resolutions or they aren't quick enough to be accomplished in this lifetime. What are some goals that would be valuable and attainable to increase our quality of life?

Probably the first goal on most people's list is to lose weight. We all know that losing extra weight makes our insulin work better, but maybe you would be surprised to know that only a 5% weight loss is all we are talking about. You don't have to get down to that "perfect" size to have better blood sugar numbers.

Does that mean we have to starve ourselves? Absolutely not! In fact, by going on an excessively restrictive diet you will not only lose only a small amount of weight, but will in fact gain more weight faster when you stop the diet. That yo-yo effect has dastardly repercussions. Because if we eat even one calorie more than what our bodies need, it will be changed immediately into fat, no matter if it is an éclair or celery sticks. Sounds hopeless? NO!

The trick is that slow, constant reductions of only 500 calories a day equals 3,500 calories in a week, and that’s one less pound. Now maybe that doesn't sound very exciting, but that one pound lost keeps your body’s rate of burning calories higher. Very restrictive diets tend to slow down the body’s metabolism (rate of burning calories) because in human history we have always had to survive famines. So the fat in our bodies actually is our "savings account" to protect us. And truly, we don't like to have our "savings accounts" depleted! What tells our bodies it is okay to use the fat for energy is exercise. Our bodies are told, "don't burn that muscle for energy, because I'm using them."

Okay, you may be thinking, "I have already tried that, so it doesn't work." More than likely your mind set was, "I want to lose 10 pounds by next month so that I can look great for Aunt Betty's birthday party." The dieting mentality we have gets us into trouble for three reasons.

First, when we achieve that goal, we give ourselves permission to go back to eating for pleasure because we have denied ourselves those goodies for a whole month. Without realizing it, we have been punishing ourselves, and there is always a backlash that goes with it. That feeling of deprivation causes us to get mad at that internal control that tells us "no, you can't have that goodie."

Second, we tend to think, "No wonder I can't lose weight, I inherited my slow metabolism from my heavy grandmother." Actually, the rate of our burning calories depends precisely on the number of muscle cells we have (because muscle cells burn calories). Not our age, not our family genes, but how strong we are. Our muscles truly fit the adage "use them or lose them."

We find that making a life-long decision to improve the way we eat and increase our activity is the key to success. By choosing to eat small portions (one bite of a piece of cake rather than 2 pieces), low fat options (in the market there are always choices of nonfat, low fat, full fat) and planning/monitoring (not obsessing) what we eat rather than eating unconsciously, then we can see results that are positive and permanent. 

In reality, we need to thank all our diabetics, as we have survived as a species due to their "thrifty gene" enabling us to survive all the famines in history. So give your favorite diabetic a hug, and work towards small changes for a lifetime. If you want guidance or support, see your diabetic educators and dietitians, and start seeing results.