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Looking to lose some weight? Follow these tips to get on the right track and stay there. Ready to start losing?

- Stephanie Osfield

A body of scientific evidence suggests that even a modest amount of weight loss – 5-7 per cent of your starting body weight – can help people with prediabetes prevent or delay progression to type 2 diabetes.

This amount of weight loss has also been shown to help people newly diagnosed with type 2 slow the progression of the disease through control of glucose (blood sugar), lipids (cholesterol), and blood pressure. And the longer you can sustain the weight loss, the better. One key to long-term success is to go about losing weight in a healthy way.

Start with Breakfast

One surefire way to ruin your weight-loss efforts is to skip breakfast. People who eat breakfast regularly tend to have a lower risk of weight gain compared with people who skip breakfast.

In addition, starting your days with a healthy breakfast is associated with maintaining weight loss.

“Breakfast-skippers tend to make up for those saved calories by eating more calories later in the day. The net result isn’t weight loss. In fact, it may be weight gain,” says Jill Weisenberger, author of Diabetes Weight Loss (American Diabetes Association, 2012).

When you eat a healthy breakfast, you may have more willpower to resist those mid morning vending machine raids because your blood glucose levels are more stable and your metabolism responds more favourably.

“Eating a balanced breakfast is a great way to start the day. It says right off the bat, ‘Hey, I’m taking care of myself and I’m starting my day right,’” Weisenberger says.

For a diabetes-friendly breakfast, include servings of whole grains, dairy foods, and fruit, as well as lean protein.

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