Pradnya Padhye - Balcal Nutrefy, Hiranandani Estate

Diabetes Program Review

Objective of Article: This article is a review of Diabetes Management Program offered by Nutrition / Diet Expert Ms. Pradnya Padhye of Balcal Nutrefy.

My Goal: I had kept goal of bringing HBA1C to the range of 5.6/5.7 from 8.5 and get rid of diabetes tablets while maintaining body weight and BMI in healthy range.

Program Review: Firstly, Ms. Pradnya explained the science of diabetes, role of insulin, how body reacts to various scenarios of food intakes, etc. This has helped me to understand the basic concept of blood sugar management.

Initial program phase was designed to identify how my body reacts to various food items including carbohydrates, proteins, fibre and their ratio in my diet. This phase was very crucial as each individual is unique and diet has to be designed to suit the need.

After initial phase, Ms. Pradnya designed appropriate diet for me which was balanced in nature, consisting of carbohydrates, proteins and fibres in right ratio, supplemented by right physical exercise.

Result of Program: At the end of program, my HBA1C has come to 5.7 within 6 to 8 months timeline. My doctor has even stopped diabetes tablets since last 3-4 months and I am able to maintain my HBA1C at 5.7 just by following diet designed by Ms. Pradnya.

Weekly counselling sessions were conducted by Ms. Pradnya and Ms. Tanvi to discuss how my sugar levels varied according to variation of food items in my diet. It gave me insights on my body managing sugar levels and boost my confidence about managing diabetes henceforth.

My Observations: It is like there is no single master key to open all types of locks, there is no single diet plan to manage diabetes in all individuals. It is up to diet specialist to identify what suits well for an individual. Ms. Pradnya has this expertise very well. She quickly understands this part in initial phase of program and adjust diet plan accordingly.

Secondly, her focus is not to stop particular nutrient such as carbohydrates altogether to manage sugar levels because when you deprive body from something, it creates psychological want and such diet doesn’t sustain in long term. Instead, Ms. Pradnya creates right balance of all essential nutrients in diet so that at any point of time person doesn’t feel like starving for some food items.

And third important point is encouraging individual to stay on track to achieve goal. It is not that once she gives diet plan her part is over. She monitors sugar levels throughout the week and then discusses findings during weekly session.

These points make program very unique in my opinion.

Acknowledgment: I thank both Ms. Pradnya and Ms. Tanvi of Balcal Nutrefy for helping me achieving my goal of managing diabetes without medication.

I was planning to run the Tata Mumbai Full Marathon in January 2023. I have been relatively active and fit . My marathon journey started in 2012 and I graduated to full marathons in 2016.

Although I kept improving, during each of my marathons I had issues with cramping . Somewhere my nutrition was not proper and I could sense that . Hence upon a recommendation of a close friend who also had taken consultation from Pradnya, I decided to see them .

They promptly fixed and appointment and gave a reminder. Upon payment of the initial fees , I saw Pradnya and Mrudulla who was assigned as my mentor. The wait to meet was barely anything. The first meeting was productive . They listened to me and asked pertinent questions to know what I needed . I simply told them to help me with a diet plan which I could sustain to lead a healthy lifestyle and something which my family could manage without inconvenience.

They carefully noted my needs and then talked about what I required. I quickly realised that despite being lean and seemingly thinking I was fit , there was so much in my body which was wrongfully going in . Fuelling the body is so important I had read but their talks came as a powerful reinforcement. One thing she mentioned was that small things lead to a big change . One such example was starting the pre workout meal of banana or peanut butter bread or likewise .. this change boosted my energy levels very high . Almost all my practice runs after the pre workout meal helped me with sustained levels of energy and immediately showed on my performance. I just couldn’t believe that such a small change could make such a huge difference.

They carefully guided me on how to intake my protein, carbs and fibre and helped me with the ratio . Being a vegetarian and an athlete, their guidance with various alternative protein sources were a boon . Although now a days much knowledge is available in the open domain , when someone customises this for your needs it’s a whole different thing . Over the next few weeks , I saw a change in my levels of alertness, agility and performance.

One thing very special about the team is that they remain fully invested in you . They give their 110% . Phone calls happen weekly for updates and those supposed to last for 20 mins invariably end up crossing half an hour . Besides this they make a watsapp group with Pradnya and Mrudulla both and keep answering any doubts or questions. Whenever you give any updates they’re more than encouraging pushing you to go even further and stick to the plan .

Another big thing that happened is that my blood haemoglobin levels shot from 12.5( borderline for donating blood ) to 13.9 . I was smiling when I saw this as I prefer donating blood every 3 months and now I won’t have fear of rejection due to low count . It was only the diet which accentuated the HB levels . I followed their advice almost 85-90% and results were miraculous.

For anyone who’s planning to take consultation from the Balcal team I recommend you be as invested as them and then see magical results. They offer very good advice and are not commercia or time conscious . I would go and visit them again if needed and shall recommend the team to all my runner friends and others . It’s a small investment for insuring and insulating your health.

Hi I’m Sonu Sahani; I lead a normal active life of a housewife;I was careful about my exercise, eating habits n the like; I was putting on weight in spite of my active lifestyle, which was worrying; In the course of my exercise class at Joints n Motion, I kept on hearing the name of Dr Pradnya n how she was instrumental in shaping many of our members health n weight issues; These people were right in front of me: part of my daily life; I decided to visit her; was a bit apprehensive initially as I had heard tales of how some nutritionists change the entire diet n introduce new fads; I was completely wrong;Dr Padhye sat me down n first explained about weight, fats, n the body n areas it affects; I was put at ease; I was in my menopausal age n perfectly understood the fact that the metabolism slows down;I wasn’t overambitious of going back to the weight of my 30 year old self; this was explained to me very well by the Dr.I took a sesdion of 3 months first; I was completely at ease since the diet plan wasn’t something that required too much planning, it was the daily Indian food but tweaked a bit; ;I felt the difference in 3 months n later decided to extend it by another 3 months; I religiously followed the diet, exercised regularly; n felt lighter n more active;I needed to eat the right things at the right time which Dr Pradnya initiated;I yet follow the pattern of healthy eating along with exercises;I’ve got back into my old trousers; I am maintaining my weight between 56-57 kgs n keep fit; Dr Pradnya is always there at a phone call when I need n happily keep on recommending her; My only advice to all is - Follow her diligently n U will feel n see the difference!

My weight loss journey started with a health scare I am asthamatic and had major slip disc some years ago,so any weight gain puts me in trouble.I was 20 kgs overweight wen i started seeking guidance frm Pradnya coz i was detected with multiple health issues and deficiencies.Pradnya won me over with her calm demeanour( m a ball of nervous energy).she went into great detail about how my body works thinks and does things. I had tried lossing weight some 2 yrs ago where i ended up horribly wreacking myself up with bad hair loss and palpatations..and this is all from mindless dieting and copying some one elses diet(she was a diabetic).\nPradnya always coxed me into taking up some form of exercise( i hate tht word and m a lazy bum).listening to her abt her running,motivated me enough to take up running and today i run for 10 kms..and m still working on it but i enjoy it so much that i would not trade it for anything else. Weight loss came as a side effect of me eating well,on time and exercising..basically leading a healthier life than i was.I have now starting taking n enjoying my bowl of fruits.Sipping in on water(i was always a shy drinker).My weight loss journey is not just cleansing of my body but of my mind as well.I ended up losing 20 kgs of my body weight,now my body age corresponds to my actual age..yay!! and i m as active as anyone can be.M in a very happy state of mind and intent to keep it this way always.Much gratitude to the awesum threesome(Pradnya,Mridula,Manick). For who ever reads this and gets a little motivated \n\"Start where you are,\nUse what you have\nBe what you can.\