Preventing type 2 diabetes – tips and information
Your lifestyle choices can prevent or delay the onset of type 2 diabetes.
Talk to your doctor and consider a Life! course, shown to prevent type 2 diabetes.
Tips for visiting your doctor
Tips for making lifestyle changes
Tips for a healthy eating plan
Tips for increasing your activity levels
Research on lifestyle courses
Tips for visiting your doctor
- Make a list of things that you want to discuss. Below are some suggestions.
- Take your list to your doctor with your waist measurement and results for the diabetes risk test. Give this information to your doctor at the start of your consultation. Your doctor may want to check your results.
- Ask to be checked for type 2 diabetes and also request checks for blood pressure and, if necessary cholesterol. Then ask your doctor when you need to come back for the results - they are usually available 2 or 3 days after having the tests.
- When you come back for the results, ask your doctor for a copy - you will be able to compare them to results of any further tests you have in the future. Ask what the results mean in terms of your risk of developing type 2 diabetes or heart disease.
- Ask what you need to do to reduce your risk and who can provide the support and advice you need. Your doctor may refer you to people with specific expertise such as dieticians, exercise physiologists, personal trainers, your practice nurse or even a diabetes educator.
- Ask when you should come back and when you should have the tests repeated.
What do I say to my doctor?
Possible questions to ask and points to discuss with your doctor might include the following. Don't limit yourself to these - you may think of others.
- My waist measurement is: _____ (ask your doctor to confirm the measurement you obtained)
- What is my weight? ____kg. What is my Body Mass Index (BMI)?
- If I am overweight, how much weight do I need to lose? Over what time period should I try to lose it?
- I have/do not have a family history of diabetes. Members of my family I know to be affected are: _________________
- What is my BP? Is that appropriate for my age?
- I have/do not have heart disease (or I have had a heart attack).
- What does all of this mean in terms of my risk of developing type 2 diabetes? My general health?
- Do I need a check for:
- Type 2 diabetes?
- Cholesterol?
- Kidney function?
- Anything else?
- When should I come back for the results of my tests?
- Can I have a copy of the test results to keep?
- Can I start a physical activity program?
- What kind of physical activity would you recommend?
- Is there any kind of physical activity I should avoid?
- What precautions (if any) do I need to take when I increase my activity levels?
- If I need to make changes to my diet, where do I start? What changes do you recommend?
- Who can help me? Do I need to see a:
- Dietitian?
- Exercise physiologist?
- Gym instructor?
- Practice Nurse?
- Other health professional(s)?
- Do I need a referral? If so, would you please provide one?
- When should I come back for another check up?
- What should I do in the meantime (that has not already been discussed)?
Maintaining a healthy weight, being physically active and following a healthy eating plan can reduce a person's risk of developing type 2 diabetes by up to 58 per cent.
To lose weight, you need to consistently use more energy (kilojoules or calories) than you eat and drink over a period of time.
This means both reducing your energy intake (by changing what and how much you eat and drink) and increasing how much energy you use (by increasing your level of physical activity).
The time taken to achieve this depends on how much weight you need to lose and other factors such as how much you can safely reduce your intake and increase your output. The most effective and safest way to lose weight is gradually - it is also more likely to result in you keeping that weight off.
If you have tried before and found losing weight difficult, or you regained the weight you tried so hard to lose, maybe it is time to seek the assistance of a dietitian. Accredited Praciticing Dietitians (APDs) are usually available at your local Community Health Centre or in private practice. The Dietitians Association of Australia provides details of APDs in your area.
Try to develop a plan and make a few small changes to your lifestyle, one or two at a time. Be realistic - too many changes, too suddenly will result in a lifestyle that you will find difficult to keep up, and you could end up back where you started.
Remember that to keep off any weight you lose you will need to maintain your healthy lifestyle for the rest of your life.
Always seek the advice of your doctor before making significant changes to your lifestyle particularly if you have other health problems.
Look at your current diet - some small changes in both the types and amount of food you eat can help to reduce your energy intake.
Some suggestions include:
Try using smaller plates - you can fit less food on the plate and it looks like a larger amount of food if the plate is full.
- Eat fewer energy dense foods
Cakes, biscuits, snack foods, processed breads and cereals, and lollies, have a large amount of energy (lots of kilojoules or calories) for a given weight (check out the energy content per 100g). Try and replace these foods with fruits, vegetables, legumes and wholegrain cereals. These are less energy dense and you will tend to feel satisfied for longer.
- Drink plenty of water and reduce soft drinks, flavoured mineral waters and fruit juices
- Choose low fat dairy products
Check that the fat has not been replaced with sugar - energy content per 100 g is a good indicator
- Choose fish, lean meats and chicken.
Avoid processed meats and replace some meat in mixed dishes with legumes, such as beans, lentils or chick peas.
There are two main kinds of physical activity - incidental activity, the kind you do as you go about your daily tasks, and planned activity (or exercise).
Tips to increase your incidental activity
- Try using fewer time ('energy') saving gadgets and devices around the house such as ride-on mowers, electric beaters/blenders and remote controls.
- Walk or ride a bike to the shops instead of using the car
- Leave the car an extra stop (or more) from where you catch public transport and walk instead - you may save on parking costs. You may even be able to leave the car at home and cycle to the station
- If you drive to work and you can take public transport, do so. You will probably have to walk some of the way at each end of your trip.
- Walk or ride to school with the kids instead of driving - this helps you and your kids as well as reducing the traffic around the school.
Tips in increase planned activity
- Find an activity you enjoy - walking is usually the easiest and requires no special equipment other than a good comfortable set of shoes - but it doesn't suit everyone. You may enjoy alternatives such as swimming or cycling more
- If you decide to take up walking, a pedometer - a simple gadget that measures the number of steps you take - can help you set goals and work out whether you are achieving them. You can use it to measure both planned and incidental activity, but be careful - it is amazing how many 'steps' you can apparently do sitting in your car, especially on a rough road.
- Start by measuring how many steps you do in a normal day Decide on one or two simple strategies to increase your activity - both planned and incidental.
- Measure the number of extra steps you take when you incorporate those strategies into your usual routine.
- Use what you have learnt to set a new goals for your daily steps when you are ready.
- Reward yourself when you achieve your goals - you will be surprised how quickly you can increase your activity levels.
- Get family, friends and pets to help keep you motivated - they will benefit too if they join in.
- If you enjoy group activities, consider enrolling in one of the wide variety of group classes and programs offered by community health centres, fitness centres and other facilities - even dance studios. Visit Kinect Australia for more information about what is available in your local area.
Don't focus too much on weight loss - this will take time.
Even if you are not losing weight, you may still be reducing your risk of developing type 2 diabetes and other health problems.
Think about the other benefits of the extra activity: being able to do more, better mental health, even saving money on petrol and parking and helping to contribute to reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
For more information to assist you in becoming more physically active, look for help centres in your state or territory.
Detailed studies in America, Finland and China have consistently shown that prevention programs which actively support behavioural change (improved nutrition and physical activity) in people with pre-diabetes, can prevent more than half of the expected people to develop type 2 diabetes **
For more information visit the International Diabetes Federation or the National Diabetes Action Program.
**(Tuomilehto J, Lindstrom J, Eriksson J, et al. 2001. Prevention of Type 2 diabetesMellitus by Changes in Lifestyle Among Subjects with Impaired GlucoseTolerance. New England Journal of Medicine, 344 (18): 1343-1350.)