You can calculate your body mass index (BMI), based on your height and weight.

Use the HealthHub BMI calculator here.

A healthy BMI is between 18 – 23 for Asians. If your BMI is more than 23, you are at a moderately increased risk of weight-related complications. If your BMI is more than 27.5, you are at a high risk of weight-related complications.

• Decrease in HbA1C

• Decrease in blood pressure

• Decrease in cholesterol levels

• Improve diabetes control

• Improve mobility

• Improve quality of life

To lose excess weight and fat, you will need to use more energy than you consume from your food and drinks. Energy is measured using calories. Thus, to lose weight, the calories you burn through your daily activities need to be more than the calories you consume from food and drinks.

Weight loss can be achieved through:

• Healthy eating

• Increasing physical activity

Also, speak to your doctor about diabetes medication options which do not cause further weight gain. Depending on your condition, your doctor will be able to advise whether you may benefit from anti-obesity medication or bariatric surgery.

The best diet is one that you can sustain for long-term. To achieve weight loss, your diet needs to have an energy deficit. You may try to reduce your calorie intake by 500kcal per day to reduce approximately 0.5 kg per week.

One method is to reduce portion size. This means to reduce the amount of food you take. It requires understanding what the right serving size is for the types of food you eat.

Another method is to reduce or avoid foods that are high in calories. This includes foods with high fat content or processed carbohydrates with high glycemic index. Foods with high glycemic index may also cause large spikes in your blood sugar. By reducing your intake of foods with high glycaemic index, you will also reduce fluctuations in your blood sugar level and improve your diabetes control.

Read more about glycaemic index here.

Read more about My Healthy Plate to understand portion size and the types of foods for a healthy diet here. 

You can also learn more about healthy eating for weight and diabetes management from our dietitians.

If you wish to try alternative diets such as the ketogenic diet or intermittent fasting, please speak to your doctor first to assess if such a diet is suitable for your condition before starting.

Our dietitians have created the nBuddy Diabetes app, which is a useful tool for helping people with diabetes to management both their diabetes and their weight. You may try this app for free.

There are also other apps for weight management such as MyFitnessPal or Healthy365 for food tracking.

There are also recipes to get you started on your healthy eating journey at Health Hub. There are healthy Asian, Indian, International and Western recipes available.

Physical activity can help with weight loss and improve your overall health. Physical activity has multiple benefits including:

• Improved diabetes control

• Weight loss and weight maintenance after weight loss

• Lower risk of early death, coronary heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and some cancers

• Improved mood and function

Increasing physical activity does not need to be difficult. It can be achieved through exercise or non-exercise activity.

One way of increasing physical activity is increasing the number of steps. Here are some tips on steps:

• Walking or taking public transport instead of driving or taking a taxi

• Taking the stairs instead of the lift or escalator

• Take frequent walking breaks during your workday

Monitor your steps per day with your smartphone or activity tracker, then gradually increase the number of steps per week.

The main types of exercise are:

• Aerobic or cardiovascular: brisk walking, jogging, cycling, swimming

• Resistance or strength training

• Flexibility and balance
  
  (Note: Some activities are a combination of these types of exercises)

All these are important for your health. Aerobic exercises help to burn calories and improve your cardiorespiratory fitness. Resistance training is also important to build or maintain muscle which is also important for your health and metabolism.

If you plan to start on an exercise program, we advise that you start slowly and gradually build up the frequency, duration or intensity of your physical activity. If you were previously not active, we suggest you start with low intensity activity, such as brisk walking, 3 to 5 times a week for 10 mins each time. Then gradually increase the duration of the activity or increasing the frequency.

Depending on your activity, diabetes control and risk of hypoglycaemia, your diabetes medications may need to be adjusted.

If you intend to participate in exercise that is moderate to vigorous in intensity (or any exercise more vigorous than brisk walking), we suggest you speak to your doctor first to assess your risk and suitability for moderate to vigorous exercise. After reviewing your medical history and performing a clinical examination, your doctor may suggest further tests to evaluate your cardiovascular health before you begin your exercise program.

You can check out ActiveHealth, which has different ActiveHealth labs located around Singapore. They have health coaches and workshops that will be able to guide you in improving your health. If you have diabetes, heart, or kidney disease, you will require a referral letter from your doctor for a health assessment prior to attending the exercise sessions.