How to Count Calories as a Diabetic
Calories are units of energy present in food. While many people associate counting calories with trying to lose weight, the truth is that a diabetic can seriously benefit from doing the same thing, whether or not he needs to start a weight-loss program. As a diabetic person counts calories, he can decide to cut down calories from carbohydrates or general ones, depending on his needs and goals.
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Instructions
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Establish how many calories you need to consume a day to maintain or lose weight. If you are seeing a dietitian, you should be able to get this number from your doctor. Otherwise, you can count the approximate number of calories you should consume by calculating 16 calories per pound of body weight.
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Cut down on calories if you need to lose weight. This is especially important for people who suffer from Type 2 diabetes. For them, a diet of about 1500 calories a day (1800 for men) can help them stay stabilized as they lose weight.
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Use The Daily Plate to count calories (see Resources below). The website covers pretty much any food group (from cereal grains and pasta to baked products, alcoholic beverages and fast food. It also provides a clear breakdown of foods, including their caloric content, variations (if the food can be found canned, fresh, frozen) and a sample label if appropriate.
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Pay particular attention to limiting calories from carbohydrates. Because carbs have an immediate and significant effect on blood sugar, this becomes a serious issue for diabetic people. One gram of carbohydrate contains 4 calories, the same as one gram of protein (fat contains 9 calories per gram).
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Look at the labels and stay aware of serving sizes. Calories listed on labels are per serving portion, not for the whole package. For example, if a serving size is 8 ounces but the package is 16, it means you need to multiply everything by two to get the real number of calories in the whole package.
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Tips & Warnings
Estimate calories consumed in prepared foods. While you may not be able to count calories in foods that come with no label or those served in restaurants, you still need to count those calories if you are following a diabetic diet. To do so, estimate the size and weight of the different foods in your plate and then multiply by either 4 (for carbs and protein) or 9 (for fat).
