It is very important for diabetics to eat healthy, low calorie, nutritious meals and exercise regularly to help maintain proper blood sugar levels. A diabetic weight loss diet can help you not only eat the right foods but also lose weight and possibly even eliminate the need for taking insulin or other medications. Here are some general tips to help you with your weight loss program:

* Before starting on any diet or exercise program, a doctor or other diabetes specialist should be consulted. Changes in eating habits can affect your blood sugar level as well as the dosage for your insulin and other medications you might be taking. Therefore it is very important to consult with your doctor and possibly a nutritionist or dietitian who specializes in diabetes to make sure that your diabetic weight loss plan is a sound one for your individual situation.

* When trying to lose weight, we are all tempted to cut way back or even skip meals thinking this will help us. For diabetics, then can be very harmful. You need to eat on a regular basis and not skip meals. Cutting calories can be done, but it must be done across all food groups, and you need to eat your meals at consistent times in order to maintain your blood sugar levels.

* The diabetic food pyramid issued by the American Diabetes Association is a good place to start when it comes to meal and diet planning. A recommended ratio of foods to eat is: 50% carbohydrates, 30% fat, 20% protein.

* Exercise is very important to your weight loss plan, but be sure to consult with your doctor or diabetes specialist to make sure that your exercise program takes into account your special needs as a diabetic.

Diabetes produces a number of clinical pictures. The recommendations regarding definitions and classifications are as follows:

1) Recognized onset during growth between ages 0-14 years (Infantile or Childhood Diabetics). These patients usually present with severe initial symptoms of diabetes and rapidly become insulin-dependent.

2) Recognized onset between 15 and 24 years (Young Diabetics). These patients usually have an acute onset of symptoms of diabetes and most may be expected to become insulin-dependent.

3) Recognized onset between 25 and 64 years (Adult Diabetics). Growth onset, insulin-dependent diabetes may occur up to the age 22 or 23 years, but between 20 and 35 years, such cases merge into the adult-onset cases that are much less insulin-dependent. These patients begin with variable symptoms of diabetes and may or may not need insulin.

4) Recognized onset over 65 years of age (Elderly diabetics). These patients frequently present with symptoms of the complications of diabetes and can often be controlled without insulin.

It should be noted that all classifications refer to the age when the diabetes was recognized, not the current age of the patient.

Other types you must know

1) Asymptomatic or Unrecognized diabetes also known as pre-diabetes. It is termed asymptomatic or unrecognized diabetes because it doesn’t show or produce indications of a disease or other medical condition. Lots of people in the universe today are suffering from pre-diabetes and feel healthy because medical tests have not proven them diabetic. The symptoms of diabetes which are associated with pre-diabetes are the ones that are noticeable in case of type 2 diabetes.

Such symptoms as frequent urination and excessive thirst are the most common symptoms of type 2. Other symptoms of type 2 diabetes which may appear during pre diabetes are excessive appetite, unexplained weight loss or weight gain, weakness and fatigue.

Blurred vision can show up as a symptom of type 2 diabetes in some people. Wounds take a longer time to heal and there is low sensitivity in the limbs. Skin and gum infections are also common. Other symptoms of type 2 diabetes that show up are vaginal or bladder infections.

2) Juvenile: This term refers to cases of any age group who require insulin and who are prone to attacks of ketosis.

3) Brittle: It was recommended that this term be used as little as possible. It refers to juvenile cases that prove difficult to stabilize. Genuine brittle diabetics are very uncommon and the brittle state does not necessarily persist.

4) Insulin-resistant: This term should be reserved for patients requiring over 200 units insulin daily.

Millions of people have Type 2 diabetes as a result of sitting around and never exercising. And many more people become at risk as they put on weight and do not get moving. This presents a choice. You can choose to fight Type 2 diabetes. Since it is a lifestyle disease, you have to decide on the best way to fight the disease. The alternatives are medicine, diet and exercise.

Exercise is an effective therapy for Type 2 diabetes, and it lowers complications of the disease. A recent study from the University of Missouri-Columbia found that a focus on exercise gave better results than trying to change exercise, diet and medication all at the same time.

The good news is that “it doesn’t matter how overweight you are or how poor your current blood glucose is at the start of the studies, the improvements from exercise were equal across the board… the studies could mean that it is easier for people to focus on one thing at a time. It is easy for people to get overwhelmed when asked to make too many changes.”

This was a review of over 100 other studies, and it found that in studies that focused on exercise only, blood glucose improved twice as much as compared to other studies that focused on exercise, diet and adherence to medication plans.

Now that we know that exercise helps, what are the specific requirements? Do you have to go to an expensive gym to get your exercise? Not at all. You merely want to add some physical activity to your daily schedule, and remember that some daily exercise will work wonders. Moderate exercise, that is, walking, has a good effect on diabetes. For example, a walk after lunch or before dinner will do you good. For your cardio health, very low levels of exercise work well. But for Type 2 diabetes a higher pace of exercise is significant because it will help even more.

To fight your diabetes, you first want to build up to 30 minutes every day of walking at a reasonably fast pace. You may have to start with only a few minutes at a slow pace, and very gradually build up, but you can get to 30 minutes per day and you will enjoy it while you go for your walks. Please note that the amount of exercise you do (how long you walk) is more important than the speed at which you walk. Even if you have to take three 10-minute walks instead of a single 30-minute walk, you will get a big improvement.

Don’t forget to check in with your physician before you start. Exercise works so well that you have to pay careful attention to prevent over-medicating if you have been taking medicine for your diabetes.

Start with a short and fun walk, do the same distance every day for a few days to make sure you are not overdoing it. If you still feel good, no pain from the walking, then very gradually build up the distance and speed. Maybe a friend would enjoy walking with you, just remember to walk a bit faster for the best exercise.

If you are capable and really want to fight even more aggressively against Type 2 diabetes, you can move up to walking at an few degrees of incline, or move up to running. Having a treadmill at home is super convenient, but does cost more than just getting into your exercise shoes and walking outdoors. The most inexpensive way to start is to just get going with a daily walking program, and as you feel better and get in better shape, increase the activity level. As you start to enjoy you enjoy the 30 minutes a day program, you will have a better life, and you will have a longer life as you take back your health.