Best diabetes weight loss meal plans, approved by a dietitian

Key Points

• Maintaining a healthy weight can help manage blood sugar levels and may aid in reversing diabetes.
• Typically, a diabetes meal plan includes fiber-rich foods, whole grains, lean protein, and healthy fats.
• Losing weight on a diabetes diet involves balancing your meals to avoid blood sugar spikes.
• A registered dietitian or diabetes nutritionist can simplify diabetes meal planning with personalized plans.

Shedding even a few pounds can help improve blood sugar levels. Losing even 5% to 10% of your body weight is a great start. Although we may want to eat healthier, changing daily routines can be challenging and uncomfortable and often comes with a learning curve.

Ultimately, the best diabetes weight loss meal plan is one that's made just for you. However, there are some general guidelines that can kickstart your weight loss journey.

Why is losing weight important for diabetes or prediabetes??

Experienced Registered Dietitian Rita Faycurry, RD, notes, "Diabetes and weight loss are often locked in a challenging cycle. Being overweight, particularly carrying excess belly fat, can increase your risk of type 2 diabetes. But, having diabetes can make it harder for you to lose weight."

If high blood glucose is left unchecked, it can lead to serious complications, including blood vessel damage, vision loss, nerve damage, and poor gut health. Having diabetes puts you at a 2-4 times higher risk of heart disease and stroke.

However, with the right diet, diabetes may be reversed.

Note: Reversing diabetes means blood sugar control over a long period without medication. It's not a cure; instead, diabetes reversal indicates remission.

What is a healthy weight goal?

If you're looking to reverse diabetes with diet, start with a realistic and healthy goal. Here are some guidelines to help you determine the healthy weight range for you:

1. BMI (Body Mass Index)

Your BMI compares your height to your weight. It's a useful overview tool to estimate if you are in a healthy range. BMI is calculated by dividing your weight in kilograms by your height in meters squared.

Tip: The simplest way to calculate your BMI is to use an online calculator.

Once you have your BMI, check if you're in a healthy weight range using the information below:

• Underweight: Less than 18.5
• Normal: 18.5–24.9
• Overweight: 25–29.9
• Obesity: 30 or greater.

Note: BMI is an estimate and may not always be accurate. It also does not measure body fat distribution or belly fat, which are key risk factors for diabetes and heart disease.

2. Waist-to-height ratio

The waist-to-height ratio is an alternative way to determine a healthy waist size for your height. Measure your waist circumference at the level of your belly button in inches. A waist-to-height ratio of 0.4 to 0.49 is considered healthy.

The more excess fat around your waist, the higher your waist-to-height ratio and your health risks.

If your numbers are not in a healthy range, don’t stress. These numbers provide a useful starting point for your weight loss journey.

Let's learn how to lose weight and reverse diabetes using your diet.

What to eat on a diabetes weight loss meal plan?

A healthy diabetes weight loss plan emphasizes fiber-rich foods like non-starchy vegetables, whole grains, lean proteins, and healthy fats.

What to eat

• Lots of non-starchy vegetables like broccoli, green beans, asparagus, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, cabbage, carrots, cucumber, mushrooms, okra, onions, garlic, tomatoes, and green leafy vegetables like spinach, kale, lettuce, bok choy, and more.
• Lean protein like chicken breast, turkey breast, fish, lentils, tofu, mung bean sprouts, and eggs.
• Whole grains like brown rice, whole wheat bread, quinoa, and steel-cut oats.
• Healthy fats such as nuts, seeds, avocados, and extra-virgin olive oil in small amounts.
• Low-fat dairy (if you're not vegan).

What to limit (you don't have to give them up entirely if you don't want to!)

• Starchy vegetables like potatoes, peas, corn, and butternut squash.
• Processed meat like sausages, salami, pepperoni, and bacon.
• Foods rich in saturated fats like red meat, cheese, butter, egg yolks, and organ meat like liver.
• Excess alcohol.
• Ultraprocessed foods (UPFs) like chips, soda, candy, and frozen pizza- essentially any foods preserved and packaged in a bag or box.

If you meet with a diabetes nutritionist, they usually structure your diet with three meals and two snacks in between. Your personalized diet plan can include coffee, tea, your food preferences, and accommodations for allergies or sensitivities.

Find a diabetes nutritionist near you, covered by insurance.

Best diabetes-friendly diets for weight loss

Many diet plans can help support weight loss and stabilize blood sugar levels. If you're having trouble selecting one, you may start with the 'Diabetes plate' method, recommended by the American Diabetes Association (ADA).

The Diabetes plate method

The ADA recommends the Diabetes Plate Method, which suggests:

• 50% of a 9-inch plate should be filled with non-starchy vegetables.
• 25% with lean protein sources.
• 25% with whole grains, starchy vegetables, whole fruit, and milk.
• Healthy fats are recommended in small amounts.

The Diabetes plate is an excellent way to balance your meals with healthy foods without counting, measuring, or weighing your food.

Faycurry, RD, says, "The diabetes plate is one that everyone should follow even if you don't have diabetes. It's more of a lifestyle plan than a diet”.

DASH diet

The DASH diet was created to lower high blood pressure, but it does help lower blood sugar levels as well. DASH stands for Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension.

A DASH healthy eating plan includes plenty of whole veggies, lean proteins, and whole grains. It also includes low-fat or fat-free dairy, beans, and nuts.

DASH meal plans are typically based on a 2,000-calorie daily intake to reduce sodium. Plus, recommended foods are rich in potassium and magnesium and help lower high blood pressure.

Here are some typical DASH meal planning ideas to get your creative juices flowing:

Breakfast

• 3/4 cup whole-grain cereal with a medium-sized fruit and a fried egg.
• A slice of whole-grain toast with avocado and an egg or salmon.
• A 'kitchen sink' omelet with a mix of fresh veggies.
• Steel-cut overnight oats with nuts, seeds, and high-fiber fruit.

Lunch or dinner

• A tofu scramble with sauteed mixed veggies on the side.
• A sandwich with sourdough or Ezekiel bread, hummus, lettuce, tomatoes, and chicken breast.
• A burrito bowl with brown rice or quinoa, grilled chicken, and veggies.
• A chicken stew with mixed greens and lentils.
• Salmon with sauteed veggies and a low-fat sauce.

Snacks

• Apple slices with peanut butter.
• Greek yogurt with berries.
• A handful of nuts.
• Unsalted or low-salt popcorn.
• Hummus and celery sticks.

Mediterranean Diet

Filled with whole foods, it's the Mediterranean diet is largely plant-based with moderate quantities of seafood, lean meats, and dairy. It's easy to follow because there’s no measuring, counting calories, or tracking everything you eat.

Research shows that the Mediterranean diet helps lower the risk of heart disease and stroke and may help prevent type 2 diabetes.

When combined with physical activity, this diabetes diet can help you lose weight and keep it off over a prolonged period.

Sample Mediterranean diet meals include:

• Salmon with roasted, non-starchy veggies.
• Lentil soup with mixed veggies.
• Pasta with lots of spinach and a sauteed chicken breast.
• Pita sandwich with cucumbers, tomatoes, lettuce, and seafood or lean meat.
• Greek salad with onions, cucumbers, peppers, a few olives, and feta cheese. The dressing is olive oil and a dash of vinegar.
• Shakshuka - poached eggs in a tomato and mixed bell pepper sauce. Season the sauce with paprika, cumin, or any Mediterranean spices you prefer.
• Baked veggies with an olive oil, salt, and pepper dressing.

Intermittent Fasting

Intermittent fasting (IF) is a lifestyle change that recommends varying periods of fasting between meals. People with diabetes have been known to lose weight fast on intermittent fasting, but the diet may not work for everyone.

Popular IF plans include:

• 14:10, where you fast for 14 hours at a stretch and eat your meals within a 10-hour window.
• 16:8, a schedule that involves fasting for 16 hours and eating meals within an 8-hour window.
• 5:2 is a highly aggressive plan where you fast two days a week and eat regular meals on the other five.

If these do not appeal to you, do not worry. Some studies show that you can lose the same amount of weight on standard lower-calorie diets.

Faycurry RD notes, "Intermittent fasting can help you lose weight and lower blood sugar levels fast. It has been proven to put diabetes into remission. Some people with diabetes like it because it gives you a time constraint for meals but doesn't restrict specific foods. It may also help with meal planning when you're busy. However, it can be hard to keep it up in the long run."

Keto diet

The 'keto' or ketogenic diet is a low-carb, high-fat diet. This diet aims to reduce the body's reliance on carbohydrates for energy and burn fat instead. Typically, less than 10% of your calories come from carbohydrates.

Here are foods you may see a lot of on a keto diet:

• Eggs
• Cottage cheese
• Olive oil
• Nuts and seeds
• Fish
• Chicken, beef, and pork
• Avocados
• Dairy
• Low-carbohydrate vegetables like mushrooms, broccoli, spinach, and fruit like berries and grapefruit.

So, does a keto diet help you lose weight?

Faycurry, RD, says, "The keto diet can help you with weight management and lower your blood sugar. However, it is highly restrictive and has certain limitations. I would advise talking to a healthcare provider or a registered dietitian before starting a keto diet. While people may lose weight fast on keto, it's hard to stay on it, and the dropout rate is quite high."

Although we've covered several weight loss diet plans, this list is far from exhaustive.

Ultimately, the best diabetes diet provides sustainable weight loss that's best achieved through supervised and personalized nutrition plans. Small, manageable changes to diet and physical activity can support weight loss without a sense of restriction that may lead to rebound overeating.

Why are personalized diabetes weight loss plans more effective than generic ones?

Weight loss depends on many factors, and each person's body responds differently to foods, routines, and lifestyle choices. That's why generic diets rarely work long-term.

Working with a diabetes nutritionist can take the guesswork out of meal planning. They can adjust your healthy eating plan based on how your body responds, preferences, and more.

Fay connects you with diabetes nutritionists who take your insurance.

The views expressed by authors and contributors of such content are not endorsed or approved by Fay and are intended for informational purposes only. The content is reviewed by Fay only to confirm educational value and audience interest. You are encouraged to discuss any questions that you may have about your health with a healthcare provider.