How Many Calories Can a Diabetic Person Have a Day?

When you are diagnosed with diabetes, your entire life changes. Foods you used to eat without thinking twice are now time bombs that could go off at any moment and cause horrible health problems. As a result, as a diabetic, you are instructed to eat a very specific amount of daily calories depending on your body type and which type of diabetes you've been diagnosed with.

Type 1 Diabetes

• A person with Type 1 diabetes is generally instructed to maintain a diet that allows them around 16 calories per pound per day. For someone who weighs 200 pounds, this means they can have 3200 calories per day. For someone who weights 125 pounds, that means 2000 calories. However, each person should consult a doctor for a more accurate number.

Type 2 Diabetes

• A person with Type 2 diabetes is generally instructed to maintain a diet consisting of somewhere between 1500 to1800 calories daily. This is meant to promote weight loss and bring them to an ideal body weight. Once again, however, make sure to consult a physician to find out the specific calorie count you should maintain.

Types of Calories

• More important than simple caloric numbers is the type of calories the diabetic person is ingesting. For a Type 1 diabetic, just because you have a certain number of calories to use (say, 3200 for a 200-pound person) that doesn't mean they can all be junk food. The same goes for a Type 2 diabetic and their 1500 to1800 calorie diet. Make sure to discuss with your doctor what types of foods should make up that calorie number, no matter what type of diabetes you have.