Here are a few suggestions:

Create a mini-support group: Talk to someone who has diabetes already if you want an empathetic ear. Maybe you would prefer to join a support group, or log onto a blog site. This will help you to fight the feelings of isolation that sometimes occurs when you first receive your diabetes diagnosis.

Ask your family to support you, not to act as the "food police." Ask them to give you positive feedback during your transition.

Plan out your meals: Getting caught without the healthy foods you need, when you need them, is the surest path to failure. With so many fast food establishments littering the roads it's far too easy to jump in the car and grab your lunch from a window.

Why not dedicate one day, preferably on the weekend, to make meals ahead of time and freeze them in individual servings. That way, it's just a matter of warming your meal up... that takes less time and is much easier than hitting the drive-thru; and considerably healthier!

Fortunately you do not need to start from scratch when developing your diabetes meal plan. There are several types of diabetes meal plans to choose from. The American Diabetes Association does not endorse one meal plan over another. Many Type 2 diabetics have successfully used the following popular meal plan methods:

    * the Plate Method
    * Exchange/Choice Lists
    * Carbohydrate counting
    * Food Pyramid
    * Calorie counting

Each of these methods help you to learn how to make healthy food choices and eat healthy portions.

Why not call your new diabetes meal plan just that? The word diet makes people feel they are doing without their favorite foods. Experiment with new foods and recipes to make changes more appealing.

Schedule snacks: These can be as equally important as your main meals. This is crucial for avoiding those dips in blood sugar between meals. When that happens, it's an invitation to "pig" out at your upcoming meal, which negates the idea of eating right. Keep healthy (key word here) snacks on hand and with you while you are out and about.

White stuff, bad... colors, good: Anything you can consume that is white is a "no-no" for a diabetic. That goes for sugar, bread, flour, shortening, pasta, rice and even potatoes. If it is white it means it has been stripped of most, if not all, of its nutritional value when it was "processed."

The more colored foods you can eat at a meal, the better off you will be. No, M&M's do not count! Colored fruits and vegetables are loaded with vital nutrients, minerals, and all the good stuff our bodies need, and crave. Many of these items are so healthy that you can load up on them, satisfy your hunger and still lose weight. Not bad, huh?

Food is a personal choice, and the choice is up to you.

Get moving: You have to get up and exercise in order to maximize the level of health you can achieve. Aerobics is, by far, the best kind of workout to start with because it is low impact, but burns a great number of calories (or kilojoules), at a time. Plus, it works the heart and gets the blood pumping, which increases circulation. That not only keeps arteries moving precious blood, but also much-needed oxygen.

When you start to lose weight through following a healthy eating plan, the odds are you will lose muscle mass... this is when many diabetics realize they need to start exercising. Resistance training and weight training could be added to your exercise program as you become stronger.

TV off... treadmill on: Sitting in front of the television is a recipe for disaster. If you are watching TV, chances are you aren't moving and you are eating or even drinking. Get up and go walking. Jump on the treadmill. Limited movement? Take a water aerobics class. Take Tai Chi, yoga, or step aerobics. Just get moving!

The time you put into caring for your body will be rewarded with a longer, healthier life.

By Beverleigh H Piepers