These are the days of increased disposable incomes, sedentary lifestyles, and large servings. The result is that almost everybody is fighting the battle of the bulge. And often it seems that it’s a losing battle. Obesity is the scourge of millions: it leads to all kinds of medical and psychological complications and it assumes even more alarming proportions when it occurs with diabetes. As the case is, diabetics have to live with the risk of organ damage, and they obviously wouldn’t want obesity to act as the catalyst. So it is imperative that obese diabetics combat their weight problems.

For years, obese diabetics were recommended a low-calorie, low-fat diet, which actually proved to be detrimental to their health. In fact, the best way to tackle obesity is to strike it at its root, and the root is not fat but carbohydrates. Dietary fat is not readily transformed into body fat, so severely limiting it will not solve the problem. Restricting the intake of carbohydrates is the only way out; firstly, because it keeps tabs on blood-sugar levels and secondly, because it keeps obesity at bay.

In a low-carb diet, sugar in its raw form and especially aerated drinks, confectioneries, and white flour should be taken only in minute amounts. These hit the bloodstream instantly and raise the blood-glucose levels. Furthermore, these are instantaneously converted to fat cells. On the other hand, there’s a group of carbohydrates, termed complex carbohydrates, which are not so harmful. They are comprised of food items like bread, pasta, cereal, etc. The body takes a longer time to break them down; as such it takes that much longer to convert them into fat cells.

Lessening the amount of carbohydrates consumed also leads to weight reduction in another way: when one is deprived of carbohydrates, and thus deprived of one source of energy, the body resorts to burning the fat cells when the need for energy arises. Fat cells burned in this manner lead to considerable weight reduction. You will have the lion’s share of fats from vegetable oils, avocados, fish liver oil, sunflower oil, etc., but never butter and margarine, and proteins from nuts, cheese, poultry, legumes, etc.

Thus, one’s weight-loss regime doesn’t mean bypassing fat altogether, unlike other diets. It is as simple as eating heartily with few carbohydrates and considerably larger portions of fats and proteins, so that you remain full and don’t feel the urge to gorge on sugary foods afterwards.