7 Reasons Why Many People Fail to Manage Type 2 Diabetes and Prediabetes

When you think about the word “diet,” does anything good ever come to mind?

You’re probably thinking about restriction, undereating, and foods you would never go for otherwise. Simply put – a living hell.

And blood sugar levels may keep spiking, despite following a rigid diet!

You might be following all the rules to a T, but you still don’t end up feeling better, nor have your diabetes be easier on you.

There’s good news, though – it may not be your fault. Most people’s understanding of how to treat diabetes is flawed. And the contradictions in the information on how to manage it might be confusing!

We’ve found 7 main mistakes most people make that turn their diabetes management worse. Take a look, at least one of them might be stopping you from taking care of your condition easier and maybe even losing a little weight!

Mistake #1. Restricting your calories without thinking about quality

Ever had an app or an article tell you that you have to eat less than a child to lose weight?

Focusing directly on where your calories are coming from is far more important than restricting your intake. You need to make sure you’re maintaining a balanced diet.

Some carbs are good for your body, and some carbs are bad – the same can be said for fats. The main difference is refining and processing.

To have a chance at reversing diabetes, first, you need to start choosing whole, unprocessed foods and THEN adjust your portion sizes according to the calories that these wholesome, nutritious foods contain.

Besides, whole foods help you become fuller and more satisfied for longer!

Instead of restricting calories, you should get a professional, custom plan based on your condition, age, and eating preferences.

Mistake #2. Thinking all carbs are the same

At school, people were shown a food pyramid with various breads and cereals at the bottom. This is what we were taught a healthy diet looks like. Which sounds daft now.

After all, those are the exact foods that cause the greatest increase in blood glucose!

To reverse diabetes, you need to follow a diet that eliminates all these unnecessary carbohydrates – such as bread, pasta, or white rice – and replaces them with whole, unprocessed carbs (whole grains, legumes) and healthy fats.

Many people don’t even realize how many carbs they’re having on a day-to-day basis! And one of the best ways to take the guesswork out of counting carbs is to have a personalized meal plan that has the right amount of carbs from the get-go.

Mistake #3. Skipping fats

Most people try to lose fat when losing weight. But when it comes to food, fats are not always bad. In fact, fat is essential to a healthy diet!

As we mentioned before, there are good fats and bad fats. Good, natural fats found in foods like avocados, eggs, nuts, or fish, are essential to a healthy, balanced diet.

“We need to realize that of all macronutrients, dietary fat stimulates insulin the least. Replacing those refined carbohydrates with natural fats is a simple, effective method of reducing insulin,” says health and wellness expert Dr. Kameron H. Wyatt.

There is an easy way to have enough healthy fats in your diet – keep reading to find out.

Mistake #4. Relying too much on exercise

Exercising is insanely beneficial to your health. It improves your strength, blood pressure, cholesterol, blood glucose levels, insulin sensitivity, among others. We all know that it’s good for us.

However, when it comes to reversing type 2 diabetes or prediabetes, we need to understand that exercise alone is not enough.

Maintaining good nutrition should remain your number one priority. Diabetes is not a result of lack of exercise – but instead, poor diet.

Finding a diabetes program that combines the two (such as Klinio) is what really gives you a fighting chance at a healthier life.

Mistake #5. Starting over and over again

Maintaining a diet may start seeming too difficult with time, but it is more likely that you are using a plan you found online that is over-complicated.

What you should be looking out for is the guilt you feel when you quit a diet or a weight loss program. And you should be dreading starting a new one (yes, you will have to start a new one either way).  

So, choosing the right diabetes management plan is key!

As your needs are unique, consider choosing a personalized diabetes management plan, such as Klinio. It’s really simple to use and offers a fully customizable meal plan with lots of new features, home workouts, diabetes tips, and more.

If you’re interested, go ahead and give it a try here.

Mistake #6. Leaving small gaps in-between meals

When you don’t eat, your blood glucose levels drop, and your body starts burning fat for energy. To achieve this state, you need to practice intermittent fasting.

When combined with a proper diet, intermittent fasting can make a major contribution to your weight loss and diabetes management journey.

The simple explanation is this – you need to stop consuming sugar and then burn the remaining sugar off.

A low-carb, healthy-fat diet will help you reduce the sugar you consume, and fasting will help you burn it off. That’s something you can get with Klinio.

Mistake #7. Believing that you “know best”

Everyone knows their own body to some degree. But when you think about your food choices, can you be sure that you can work this out alone?

There’s a reason why doctors spend years researching diabetes (and even they turn out to be wrong every once in a while). So, be open to new knowledge, consult with your doctor regularly, and educate yourself.

Relying solely on yourself means choosing a longer, more complicated path towards reversing your condition. And who wants to wait longer for a healthy, happy, and effortless life? Well, you definitely know the answer to that.

So, how do you successfully lose weight?

Everyone is different, and our bodies will all react differently. So it is best to try and stick with one plan that is personalized to YOUR needs.

Understanding which habits and which foods work best with your body will take some trial and error, but in the end, it’s worth it!