Upon a diagnosis of Type 2 diabetes, you will begin working to bring your blood sugar down to healthy levels. You will also be controlling your weight, increasing your levels of exercise and eating healthier foods.
Upon Diagnosis
Once you have been diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes, treatment should begin right away. Type 2 diabetes is diagnosed when you still produce insulin but your body does not utilize it to burn the glucose that is building up in your body. In order to prevent other, potentially serious conditions, your goal is to treat your diabetes so that you are able to better control your short- and long-term health problems, minimize your symptoms and have a better chance at a normal life.
As you are learning control your diabetes, you also need to learn to control your weight if you are overweight, your blood lipid (cholesterol) levels and your blood pressure.
Create a Diabetes Management Plan
After your doctor has told you that you are suffering from Type 2 diabetes, you need to work together with your doctor to develop a "diabetes management plan." The components of this plan include monitoring blood sugar regularly with a blood sugar monitor, eating a healthy balanced diet, managing portion control, which will impact your blood sugar, taking your medications as prescribed and exercising regularly. (See Ref. 1, paragraph 6)
It is likely that you were overweight when you were diagnosed with diabetes. If you do not lose the excess weight, you will have a harder time keeping your blood sugar levels stable and under control. If you do not get your blood sugar under control, you are at risk of developing other, even more serious health problems such as blindness or cardiac problems.
Diet and Exercise
Your doctor or a registered dietitian may recommend changes to your diet that take into account your need for carbohydrates throughout the day. Instead of eating your carbohydrate-rich foods all at the same time of the day, these should be spread through each meal and snack so your blood glucose levels will remain more stable. Carbohydrates are the main energy source affecting your blood sugar level the most, so you need to learn count carbohydrates or use exchange lists.
You also need to continue your intake of dairy, whole grains, protein, vitamins, minerals and fats so you obtain all the nutrients your body still needs. If your doctor says you are overweight or that you have high cholesterol, your diet will need to be lower in fats, especially saturated fats.
A regular program of exercise (fun exercise) will help make your muscles more sensitive to insulin, which will lower your body's resistance to the insulin you do make. You should exercise at least 30 minutes a day for three days a week; this exercise should increase your heart rate so you can lose weight and utilize your body's insulin.
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