Lower fat, salt, and sugar ~ The meal plan to lose weight

The first objective of this plan is to lower the fat, salt, and sugar intake without sacrificing taste or the foods you love. Your taste buds will have to adjust a little to the natural flavor of food again without the additions of so much butter, margarine, salt, and sugar.  Using other seasonings like Mrs. Dash and a light spray of Olive Oil will help though.

Do not use sugar substitutes and stay away from products labeled Diet, Light, or Low Sugar.

The second objective is to eat smaller portions.  This is imperative to losing that extra weight, but also to lower that A1C.  You have to re-train your stomach to what “full” really is.  It will be stubborn and constantly try to send signals that you need more food, but ignore those feelings.

You should not ignore symptoms of being light headed, shakes, sweating, and/or blurry vision. If this occurs check your blood immediately.  If it is low grab a snack; some orange juice or a cookie are great for those sugar lows without getting you off track.  Do not skip meals or snacks.  Your stomach will get used to the timing and stop sending hunger signals once it knows something is coming soon.

This meal plan is very compatible for men and women that are active and exercising at least 30 to 60 minutes a day. The more weight you lose the less calories you typically need. Women can lower their caloric intake to 1200 to 1500 per day. You should be able to lower it if you are not as active. Men may want to increase the portions slightly for more calories. You should talk to your doctor or dietitian for the correct calories for you.

One of the major changes I made was to switch to Smart Balance products. They are adding new products to their line every year. From margarine and cooking oil to peanut butter and popcorn. They are offering healthier options for us to choose from. You can go to http://smartbalance.com/ to see all of their product line.

They also offer a 14 day food plan, coupons, and recipes, but beware their focus is on lowering cholesterol only. With diabetes you need to be aware of the triple threat; fat, salt, and sugar. Sometimes companies have higher content of salt when making a product "light", and most sugar substitutes are not always good for you. My mother complained of headaches and diarrhea when using sugar substitutes. The more "natural" you can make your meals the better off you are. Stick with honey or agave for sweeteners.

So here is the Meal Plan:

Sunday Total Calories - 1,550
Monday Total Calories - 1,477
Tuesday Total Calories - 1,697
Wednesday Total Calories - 1,698
Thursday Total Calories - 1,755
Friday Total Calories - 1,743
Saturday Total Calories - 1,567

* The Total Calories listed are just close estimates. These are not based on scientific findings, just my research. I should not be held responsible for any discrepancies. I am not a licensed dietitian, and you should always check with your doctor before starting any new meal plan. If you need further assistance you should check out the Quality Health website.

{This only as an example of the meal plan I created to help my mother. You can create your own free personalized Meal Plan here.  Please read my disclosure if you decide to follow my plan.}

photo credit: rofi