Try several techniques. After a year, overweight people with type 2 diabetes who used all of these methods lowered their blood sugar and lost an average of 16 pounds:

• Nutrition counseling
• An individualized exercise regimen
• Eating only meal-replacement bars or shakes for one week once every two months
• A prescription weight loss drug

In contrast, participants who only received nutrition counseling and exercise advice lost less than 2 pounds on average.

Diabetes Care, Vol. 26, No. 9