1. Stay away from fructose corn syrup: Fructose corn syrup should be avoided for two reasons:

1. It will make you gain weight. Fructose-corn syrup blocks the receptors that tell your brain whether you are full or not. When you eat foods that are rich in fructose-corn syrup, you are very likely to overeat and gain some extra pounds!

2. Secondly, they spike up your blood sugar level! Even if you don\\\\’t suffer from diabetes, you will soon, if you continue to eat foods rich in fructose corn syrup, that is!

Foods such as chips, candies, soda, etc, contain fructose corn syrup. For this reason, hence, these foods should be avoided as much as possible!

2. Small meals are the way to go: People these days devote the least amount of time possible to eating. Most people only have three meals per day, while some even wrap up the day with only two! This is a great way of gaining in inches and pounds. In order to lose weight, you need to eat six small meals per day, instead of three large ones. You can simply split each of your meal into two, and eat each small meal at the regular interval of 3-4 hours.

Eating smaller meals has three major advantages:

1. Since you are eating frequently, you won\\\\’t feel hungry at odd times. When you don\\\\’t feel hungry, there is no reason behind eating junk foods!

2. Since you are eating frequently, your body will keep your metabolic rate high at all times!

3. Since you are eating small meals, your blood sugar levels won\\\\’t spike up to abnormal levels. Thus eating small meals is also good for diabetics!

As you can see, eating small and frequent meals has many advantages!

If you follow the above two instructions, you will soon be on your way to permanent weight loss! There are more to weight loss such as eating right foods, incorporating some physical activities in your lifestyle, etc, but the above two weight loss tips are seldom preached by the so-called \\\\’weight loss experts\\\\’!

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One of the problems associated with recognizing diabetes symptoms is that the Type I version of the disease builds gradually. The first thing you may notice is the tiredness. While precious few of us don’t experience occasional bouts of fatigue, diabetes-related tiredness tends to be more noticeable. For one thing, the tiredness isn’t occasional; it lingers on and on. Even so, it may be very easy to ignore the severity of the fatigue and fail to associate it with diabetes.

Very often, a diabetes patient won’t begin to question his health until subsequent symptoms appear. The extreme fatigue begins to be accompanied by frequent thirst. Not just the usual kind of thirst where you may finish off a 20 ounce bottle in less than an hour, but an unusual thirst where you may go through two or more 20 ounce bottles in an hour.

But even a sudden spike in thirst can often be attributed to something else, such as perhaps the heat. Less likely to be so casually ignored, however, is one of the more extreme diabetes symptoms. Many patients experience feelings of intense hunger while they are losing weight. This is a symptom that is not typical of normalcy. Most people who are not on a diet and who are eating regularly don’t feel continually hungry while also losing weight. At this point, most people who have been ignoring other symptoms sit up and take notice. Additional diabetes symptoms that people tend to take notice of include blurred vision, frequent infections and sores that either take a long time to heal or don’t heal at all.

One of the problems in diagnosing diabetes is that not everybody experiences the same symptoms. Another problem is that symptoms can vary depending on whether you are suffering from Type I or Type II diabetes. Although both types share certain symptoms such as frequent urination, dry mouth and increased thirst, there are other symptoms that are usually unique to each type. For instance, weight loss with continued hunger is primarily associated with Type I. On the other hand, leg pain and yeast infections are common symptoms of Type II.

In diagnosing diabetes, physicians primarily depend upon the results of specific glucose tests. However, test results are just part of the information that goes into the diagnosis of diabetes. Doctors also take into account your physical exam, presence or absence of symptoms, and medical history. Some people who are significantly ill will have transient problems with elevated blood sugars which will then return to normal after the illness has resolved. Also, some medications may alter your blood glucose levels (most commonly steroids and certain diuretics (water pills)).

The TWO main tests used to measure the presence of blood sugar problems are:

1. Direct measurement of glucose levels in the blood during an overnight fast
2. Measurement of the body’s ability to appropriately handle the excess sugar presented after drinking a high glucose drink.

Self Testing Methods
Regular self-testing of your blood sugar tells you how well your combination of diet, exercise, and medication are working. Tests are usually done before meals and at bedtime. More frequent testing may be needed when you are sick or under stress.

A device called a Glucometer can provide an exact blood sugar reading. There are different types of devices. Usually, you prick your finger with a small needle called a lancet, which gives you a tiny drop of blood. You place the blood on a test strip, and put the strip into the device. Results are available within 30 to 45 seconds.

A health care provider or diabetes educator will help set up an appropriate testing schedule for you. You will also be taught how to respond to different ranges of glucose values obtained when you self-test.

The results of the test can be used to adjust meals, activity, or medications to keep blood sugar levels in an appropriate range. Testing provides valuable information for the health care provider and identifies high and low blood sugar levels before serious problems develop. Accurate record keeping of test results will help you and your health care provide plan how to best control your diabetes. There are 20.8 million children and adults in the US with diabetes, and nearly one-third of them (or 6.2 million people) do not know it!