Hi XXXXXXX

Thanks for posting the query.

Weight loss is actually nothing but bringing the physical activities and calorie (through food) intake, to an equilibrium. To achieve the same you need to work on the dietary changes and do regular exercises to achieve the healthy weight loss without compromising on the nutrition levels of the body. Also, you are required to remember that with diabetes, it is very important that you maintain a healthy body weight to avoid any kind of complications in future.

Consider the following guidelines to manage Diabetes and weight management:

Foods to avoid: Simple sugars like glucose, honey, candies, sugar, chocolates, ice creams, fried food and refined food like white bread. Excessive intake of dry fruits and nuts like almond, apricot, resins and cashew and Fatty dairy products like cheese, cream. Mayonnaise and butter are best avoided. Fatty and oily food should be eliminated completely. However you are required to maintain a fat intake of 3-4 tsp. per day.

Foods to be restricted: Intake of Fruits XXXXXXX in carbohydrates like mango, sapota, grapes, banana, custard XXXXXXX and avocado and vegetables like potato, colocasia, yam, pumpkin and tapioca should be restricted in the diet. Eat the allowed fruits along with the skin, as the skin is XXXXXXX in fiber. Also, coconut products are to be avoided.

Fiber is important: Ensure that there is sufficient intake of raw vegetables and salads in the diet. Raw vegetables, salads and fruits add the much needed fiber to the diet. It delays the absorption of sugar and helps in maintaining the blood sugar levels. Promotes regular bowl movements and support weight maintenance by regulating the calorie intake. Also include the cooked beans and peas and whole grain products in the diet.
Avoid Bakery products like white bread and buns, cakes and cookies as these are mostly made with refined flour and contain Trans or Saturated fat and sugar.
Include the plant fat in the diet. Vegetable oils like soybean, mustard, canola, safflower, rice XXXXXXX olive and corn oil are good sources of unsaturated fat. The intake of these should be limited to 5-6 tsp. per day.

Take more Proteins: Add legumes and pulses in the diet to ensure sufficient protein supply. Low fat milk and its products are also good sources. Taking a protein supplement twice daily is recommended if you are doing the physical activities on regular basis. Any protein supplement that is especially formulated for people with diabetes can be included. Some examples are Resource High protein, Glucerna SR and D- Protein.

Know the Glycemic Index (GI) of your food to manage the glucose levels. GI is a measure that indicates how fast the food would get converted to glucose after digestion. Higher GI value indicates a higher conversion ratio of the diet to glucose. Therefore it is advisable to avoid the foods with high GI values.
High GI foods: potato, banana, grapes, custard XXXXXXX sugar and foods that contain sugar, refined cereals and its products like white bread and corn bread, white rice, corn and its products. Also the drinks like boot, XXXXXXX etc. has high GI values as they contain added sugar.
Low GI foods: Low fat dairy, vegetables and fruits (except those mentioned in the high GI list), whole grains and cereals, salads, oats, barley, pulses and non-sugary peanut butter.

Chicken, fish and egg white are safe non veg options. Avoid the red meats and organs completely as these are XXXXXXX in cholesterol and other fats. Take non veg for lunch preferably and ensure that the preparations demand less oil.
Fluid intake: Intake of fluids should be maintained to approximately 3-4 L per day to avoid dehydration, as this helps in better regulation of blood glucose levels.

Carbonated and alcoholic beverages should be avoided as they contain high percentages of sugar and its derivatives.

Exercise: It is very important to consider the timings and frequency of exercise and the same is to be done while keeping the meal timings in mind to avoid the exercise risks like hypoglycemia. Also keep quick bites like chocolate and candies with you while you are exercising, you may need it in an episode of sudden hypoglycemia.

Consider some changes in the activity pattern throughout the week:

•     Every day: go for walk, take stairs, walk instead of riding and add extra steps by taking longer route to grocery store.
•     3-5 times a week: indulge in recreational sports and aerobic exercises like swimming, brisk walking and bicycling.
•     2-3 times a week: weight training, sit/curl up, stretch/strengthening exercises. Also. Leisure activities like golf, bowling, softball and gardening.
•     Cut down on watching T.V., playing computer games, net surfing and sitting for more than 45 min at a time.

Remember that weight loss is a slow process and requires patience with focus. Set realistic goals and work towards achieving them.

Hope I was able to Help.

Meenakshi

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