After nearly four months, it’s a good time to reflect on your diet and fine-tune your weight-loss plan to include the most nutritious foods with a variety of disease fighters. Additionally, if you are still struggling with some very important goals, asking for help may make all the difference.
It’s easy to forget about balance and focus only on carbohydrates when you are struggling to control blood glucose, or focus only on calories when trying to lose weight, or just on sodium when thinking about blood pressure. Unfortunately, none of us has the luxury of giving all of our attention to such a narrow slice of our diet. The expression “a chain is only as strong as its weakest link” is applicable to diet. Eating lots of vegetables and few desserts is a good thing, but it doesn’t make up for eating large amounts of refined grains and fatty meats, for example. Examine your diet with this quiz to find your weak links.
1. Do you eat fish that is not fried at least twice weekly?
____yes ____no
2. Do you eat at least 2 cups of beans or lentils weekly?
____yes ____no
3. Do you eat at least 1 cup of fruit each day?
____yes ____no
4. Do you eat at least 2 cups of vegetables each day?
____yes ____no
5. Do you eat dark green vegetables at least 4 times each week?
____yes ____no
6. Do you eat red or orange vegetables most days of the week?
____yes ____no
7. Do you limit fried foods to no more than one small serving each week?
____yes ____no
8. When you eat poultry, do you remove the skin?
____yes ____no
9. When you eat beef, do you choose only lean cuts and trim away the visible fat?
____yes ____no
10. When using ground meat (even for poultry), do you use only 90% lean or a higher number?
____yes ____no
11. Most of the time, do you use soft or liquid fats (tub margarine and oil) instead of hard fats (butter, stick margarine, lard, bacon grease, vegetable shortening) for cooking, seasoning, and spreading?
____yes ____no
12. Do you avoid sugary drinks?
____yes ____no
13. Do you limit processed foods with added sugars (such as a granola bar) to no more than one very small serving daily?
____yes ____no
14. Do you limit added sugars (honey, molasses, agave nectar, brown sugar, syrup, etc.) to no more than 1 tablespoon daily?
____yes ____no
15. Do you eat blue/purple fruits and vegetables at least three times weekly?
____yes ____no
16. Do you eat white/brown fruits and vegetables at least three times weekly?
____yes ____no
17. Do you eat yellow/orange fruits and vegetables at least three times weekly?
____yes ____no
18. Do you eat at least three servings of whole grains every day?
____yes ____no
19. Do you limit refined grains to no more than two servings each day?
____yes ____no
20. Do you eat nuts, seeds, and nut butters at least three times per week but limit each occasion to just 1 ounce?
____yes ____no
21. Do you limit alcohol to one drink per day if you are female and to two drinks per day if you are male (saving up to drink extra on some days is NOT acceptable)?
____yes ____no
22. Do you use reduced-sodium products at home whenever possible?
____yes ____no
23. Do you enjoy your food most of the time?
____yes ____no
24. Do you eat only the amount of food to satisfy your hunger most of the time?
____yes ____no
This is not a perfect quiz, but it will help you identify areas that need attention. For every question that you answered no, think about improvements you’re willing to make. Write down your SMART goals and start making better choices today.
More from Michael B.
I’ve lost weight before, but I didn’t keep it off. My problem started when I gave up running because my knees were hurting. My schedule got crazy, and I started eating all the wrong kinds of convenience foods. I gained more and more weight back. This time it’s different in two ways. First, losing weight is all about my life and my health. Before it was cosmetic. Second, this time I rely on healthful, whole foods instead of going without eating. Before, I went to bed hungry and had to fight not to eat a lot. This time I’m eating better foods, and it controls my hunger. I’m about 80% vegetarian. Sometimes I eat chicken, turkey, or fish. I can get lots of protein from beans and other veggies. I love that I did this without a special diet plan. I lost weight by simply eating healthy foods. My blood glucose is controlled. I love that. And I feel better. I usually got sick at least once in the fall and again in the spring. I have not been sick in over a year. That’s cool!
There are few successes in life that one achieves alone. Healthful eating, weight loss, and blood glucose control are not exceptions. Getting help and support from others is critical to achieving success with these goals, just as it is with raising children, learning to drive, woodworking, mastering algebra, and most other skills and goals. Sometimes it seems like asking for support is a weakness, but it’s not. It’s smart to get the help you need. By taking care of you, you’re better able to take care of others. And by investing in yourself today, you’ll be in better shape in your later years. Your health care costs will be less and your ability to work and enjoy life will be greater.
To get the help you need, ask in a way to make yourself understood.
• Be direct. Often it’s tempting to hint, but there are two problems with this. First, your family or friends may not catch your hint and, therefore, not help you appropriately. Second, they may fully understand what you want, but resent that you’re not being honest or clear. If you need someone else to do some chores to allow you time to exercise, just ask in a straightforward way. “Can you clean the supper dishes, so I can take a walk in the evenings?” This is much nicer and more effective than hinting: “If I just didn’t have so much to do in the evenings, I could finally get some exercise.”
• Be specific about what and why. “Stop hassling me about what I eat,” could mean a lot of things. “I’d like it if you wouldn’t comment on my food choices because I think you don’t understand my meal plan,” says everything the other person needs to know.
• Educate your family and friends. A lot of people want to help, but don’t know how. By teaching them about diabetes and your meal plan and by sharing how you feel about diabetes and trying to lose weight, they’ll understand more about what you need to be successful.
• Pass out the Diabetes Etiquette card. When all else fails, download and hand out this brilliant card published by the Behavioral Diabetes Institute (www.behavioraldiabetesinstitute.org). It offers 10 Dos and Don’ts for family and friends of people with diabetes. Many are applicable to your weight-loss efforts, too.
Finding a Diabetes Support Group
Sometimes the best support is not from family and close friends. Rather, it’s from people who struggle with the same issues as you. A diabetes support group is just the place to find such people. There will be people there who understand the challenges of managing a diet for both diabetes and weight control. They’ll know what it’s like to have friends who say the wrong thing when they are trying to say the right thing. And they will know what diet and diabetes burnout feel like. To find a local support group, visit the American Diabetes Association’s In My Community (www.diabetes.org/in-my-community). You should also ask your physician or your diabetes educator for recommendations, and make calls to the local hospitals. If you’re fortunate to have several in your area, visit a few to find the group that feels the most comfortable. Ask about online support groups and communities, too, but use caution. Some that look legitimate are merely unscrupulous people looking to sell you expensive supplements or diet plans. If you have any doubts about the trustworthiness of an online group or program, ask a health professional to help you evaluate it.
WEEK 16 ACTION STEPS
Continue your current goals or rewrite them if necessary. Additionally, select from the following goals or steps, modify them, or create your own. Choose goals from the previous weeks if applicable. This week I will:
Continue the following goals: _____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
Examine my food record for dietary weaknesses.
Eat healthfully prepared fish at least twice.
Find a new recipe for beans.
Call around for a diabetes support group.
Ask my spouse to take a walk with me after dinner at least once.
Other: _____________________________________________________________