Now that I had a better understanding of what diabetes is, I wanted to know how to treat it. (And by treat it, I mean beat it into submission.)
Understand this. I was obese. I didn't become obese because of a thyroid or other medical condition. The two things that caused my obesity were food and lack of exercise. Period. Of course, at the time, I didn't really consider myself obese. I knew I was overweight, I knew I wasn't chiseled from marble, but I certainly didn't consider myself obese. When I look back at pictures from only a year ago, I could vomit. I'm not sure obese is a strong enough word. 'Tub of lard' comes to mind. I'm actually embarrassed that I was so fat, but thankful that I allowed myself (on rare occasions) to be photographed. Quite the motivator. I promise you now - I will NEVER look like that again!
I tell you this to show you my state of mind at the time. Losing weight was not my top priority. I just wanted to take care of this diabetes thing.
We were given a meal plan in class. It is a very simple plan, and I have been following it for 11 months now. Diabetic or not, you should follow it too. It was titled, "The 2000 Calorie Basic Meal Plan". Here's the gist of it. The plan (notice I didn't say diet) breaks your intake into three groups: carbs, protein, and fat. You are permitted 225 grams of carbs, 125 grams of protein, and 67 grams of fat per day. Don't panic. There are no scales necessary.
I'll make it simple for you. Cut and paste this. This is the secret.
Breakfast: 3 carb choices (45 grams), 2 servings of protein (2 ounces), and 1 serving of fat.
Lunch: 2-3 carb choices (30-45 grams), 3 servings of protein (3 ounces), and 1 serving of fat.
Dinner: 2-3 carb choices (30-45 grams), 3 servings protein (3 ounces), and 1 serving of fat.
Between breakfast and lunch, between lunch and dinner, and between dinner and bedtime, you should have a snack. The snack should consist of 1 carb choice, and 1 protein.
Now - what does that mean? Examples:
A carb choice is 15 grams of carbohydrate. To give you an idea, a slice of bread has ~15 grams of carbs. One-half of a hamburger bun has ~15 grams of carbs. White, wheat, rye, whole grain - doesn't make a difference. You should, of course, opt for whole grains as they are easier for your body to process, and better for your heart, but for carb purposes, they are all equal.
A protein serving is 1 ounce. A slice of lunch meat, a slice of bacon, and a tablespoon of peanut butter are all 1 ounce.
A fat choice could be the oil on your salad, or the butter on your bread.
These are just examples. Most all foods have nutritional labels. You do have to read the labels, and believe me, you'll be a pro at this in no time.
For illustrative purposes, your closed fist is about 1 cup. Your palm is about 3 ounces. Your thumb is about 2 tablespoons. Your thumb tip is about 1 teaspoon. A handful is about 1/4 cup.
Now, here is a sample meal plan for a typical day:
Breakfast: 2 slices of toast (30 g carbs), 1 teaspoon of margarine (1 fat), 2 scrambled eggs (protein).
Snack: 4 Triscuits (30 g carbs), 1 tablespoon peanut butter (protein).
Lunch: 2 slices bread (30 g carbs), 3 slices lean lunch meat (protein), salad with vinaigrette.
Snack: 4 cups of popcorn (30 g carbs).
Dinner: 3/4 cup mashed white potatoes, 1 cup steamed carrots (30 g carbs) 3 ounces roast turkey (protein), 1 teaspoon margarine (fat).
Snack: 1 small apple (30 g carbs) and 2 tablespoons peanut butter (protein)
Are you kidding me? That's more food than I ate, when I ate like it was my job!
This is just a sample meal plan. I'll get more in depth in the near future, but for now just use the guide and read the labels. You'll be surprised how easy and interesting this can be. And in two weeks, it'll be second nature. If I can do it - ANYONE can do it!
P.S. - Did anyone watch 'The Event' on Monday night? I'm not sure if I liked it or hated it. I was on the edge of my seat until the last 15 seconds, and then...
What did you think?
