Correct Eating Habits

Question
I eat 1 cup of branflakes for breakfast, 1 apple and 1/4 pineapple for my mid morning snack, for lunch Low GI whole wheat bread with a slice of ham, lettuce, cucumber and low fat cheese. For supper I eat 2 serving spoons of white rice thigh(chicken) and vegetables. I also do light exercises like jog for 30 mins 3 times a week. I have type 2 diabetes and am taking metformin 500mg once a day. Am I eating right because I am not losing weight I am currently weighing 88kg and I am 29 years old 1.57m tall

Answer
Hi Rachel, thanks for writing in.
The main concern I see with your diet as it relates to your weight and diabetes is carbs. It seems rather heavy on simple carbs. A secondary consideration would be calories which seem low.
For breakfast the branflakes are ok, just check out the box for the sugar content, you'd be surprised how much sugar they can sneak into stuff. Do you like oatmeal? If so that would be a great choice of a good slow digesting carb that will keep you feeling full. Just avoid the microwave flavor versions because they're loaded up with sugar. The one exception being Quaker's Weight Control instant.
Now the thing is your breakfast lacks protein. A few eggs or some no sugar added greek yogurt will go a long way to make a more complete breakfast.

Your snack is also sugar heavy. Even though it is fruit and has fiber, fruit is effectively sugar. A better choice may be to pick one of those 2 choices and pair it up with some low fat cheese or nuts.
Also consider adding another snack after lunch and before dinner. This will help your metabolism and even out your blood sugar.

Lunch sounds ok. Ham is not an optimal choice, you can stick with it but consider a lean poultry like chicken or turkey. roast beef is also ok. The thing to be careful of with deli meats are to avoid ones that are highly processed and contain fillers. Not sure about where you live but in the U.S. we have a brand called Boar's Head that is free from fillers and all that other crap. You pay a little extra but its worth it in the long run.
As for your bread be sure that it is 100% whole wheat and the ingredient list states whole wheat flour. You don't want any bleached flour. Again in the US there is a great brand called Orowheat that makes a good whole wheat bread.
I'd also suggest maybe limiting the bread at lunch to 3 days a week and replacing the other days with a chicken salad or something of the sort. Even good carbs in excess can cause issues with diabetes.

Dinner is good except for that white rice. In reality skipping the starch all together at dinner is the best choice but if you must than opt for a brown rice and maybe just one spoon serving. Also up your vegetables at dinner to fill you up better and get more fiber to regulate your blood sugar.

Finally for your exercise thats not bad but consider some light weight lifting in there. This will help you burn more calories and muscle does burn calories so while you don't need to be a bodybuilder, a decent toned muscle will help you out.

I can't comment on the metformin as I'm not a doctor but I can tell you I've known people who have been on it and rest assured that if you can improve your diet and reduce your weight you may just find the doctor can lower your dose or eventually take you off the meds, which is what I hope you can achieve. Nobody should have to live needing pills right?

Feel free to write back in with any other concerns. And check out my site as www.bestfitnessnow.com where I have a lot of great articles. Check out the nutrition section.

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