Managing diabetes can seem like a careful balancing act as you try to maintain a consistent blood glucose level. Often our focus is on reducing calories in a bid to lose as much weight as possible, but how many calories can you safely skip when you have diabetes? For some diabetics, low blood sugar levels can be just as dangerous as high blood sugar levels, so not eating enough calories can lead to serious problems. Here we take a look at the 1200 calorie diabetic diet and how to determine if it is right for you.

Know Your Calorie Needs

Everyone has different daily calorie needs based on a number of factors, so a diabetic diet plan that works for some people, might not work for everyone. Factors such as your height, weight, gender and how much physical activity you do, all affect how much daily energy your body needs to properly function. On average, people tend to eat about 2000 calories a day, which makes a 1200 calorie diabetic diet sound quite limiting. To work out if a 1200 calorie diabetic diet suits you, the first step is to find out how many calories you as an individual need each day. A dietitian or health practitioner can help you work out what your particular needs are.

Once you know how many calories you need to maintain your current weight, you’re half way to solving the weight loss equation! The basic formula for successful weight loss is to burn more energy then you consume. This means either increasing how much energy you use via exercise, or decreasing how much energy you consume in the form of calories, but usually a combination is recommended.

Unbalance the Calorie Scales

Whereas controlling your blood glucose levels is a balancing act, weight loss is an unbalancing act! You need to unbalance the amount of calories you consume, with the amount of calories you burn during exercise. So to lose 1 pound a week, each day you need to unbalance the ‘calorie scales’ by 500 calories. This could be done by either reducing your daily calorie intake by 500, or increasing your amount of exercise so you burn 500 more calories, or by reducing your intake by 250 and increasing how much you burn by 250. Here you can see that it is the difference in calories that really matters, and not necessarily the total calories. So a 1200 calorie diabetic diet may not be for everyone - it really depends on how much energy your body needs.

Make sure you consult your health care provider before starting a new diet, as it may require changes to any medication you may be taking. There are many different diabetic diet plans available, but you may find that a personalised approach produces the best results.

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