Losing Weight with Diabetes - Interview with Andrew Berry

ANDREW
Awesome, yeah: a pound of muscle burns 37 calories while a pound of fat only burns 5 calories an hour.

Ginger: And step 4?

ANDREW
Step 4, when you’re ready to focus on this, is all about reducing carbohydrates. Whether or not you have diabetes, reducing the carbs in your diet will result in your body using body fat for fuel, and you will have less insulin in your body. It doesn’t mean you should never eat carbs, obviously you have to in order to treat lows and the best times for carbohydrates is also at breakfast and before/after exercising…

…but if you can focus on eating fewer carbs in the later part of the time, that’s a good place to start. You (Ginger) have seen the results of this pretty easily, right?

Ginger: Yeah, actually, learning how to keep my blood sugars level while eating really low-carb has pretty much taught me the easiest way to manage my blood sugar. Less carbs, less insulin, less ability for my blood sugars to fluctuate, more energy. Simpler overall life. And I choose one day of the week to eat carbs in the form of ice cream or chocolate, usually.

Okay, this is a long interview, any final words, Mister Berry?

ANDREW
Yeah, don’t give up! Losing weight will increase your insulin sensitive, give you more energy, more confidence, and most importantly for someone with diabetes, you’ll gain a better understanding of how your body works. It doesn’t mean your diabetes will ever be perfect, but you’ll have more knowledge on how to do the best you can.

And definitely talk to your doctor as you go along because as you lose body fat and reduce your carbs, your insulin needs will change, which is great, but you need to be aware of how your body is changing to prevent serious lows or highs.

Ginger: Thanks, Andrew!