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Komal Jethmalani |367 Answers |Ask -Follow

Dietician, Diabetes Expert - Answered on Sep 15, 2022

Komal Jethmalani is a practising dietician and nutritionist with over 26 years of experience.
She specialises in weight loss and diabetes management.
Jethmalani has completed her MSc in food and nutrition from SNDT University and trained at Jaslok Hospital.
She is a NDEP-certified diabetes educator.... more

Question by Barun on Sep 15, 2022Hindi

Hi.
I want to lose 20 kilo in 6 months.
I love to eat rice but avoid eating it for dinner. I try and walk as much as possible.
How many calories should I consume in a day to be able to meet my goals?
How many steps should I take in a day?
Would you recommend I eat small regular meals or stick to three meals a day?
Apart for junk and fried food, is there something that I should totally avoid?
By when should I have my last meal?
Will intermittent fasting help? How should I go about doing it?
Barun

Ans:

Weight loss is a gradual process.

It involves strict adherence to good dietary habits and a fitness schedule.

Eating low carbohydrate foods and more focus on protein and fibre rich foods is ideal for fat loss.

Weight loss management does not mean eating less rice. It is a proper distribution of the nutrients throughout the day.

Depending on your BMI, you can decide your calorie intake.

Your activities, body composition, age and gender will also determine the total macro and micro nutrient requirements. To increase your BMR and lose fat, you can have a calorie deficit diet.

You can have a count of 5,000 -10,000 steps in a day based on your exercise regimen, dietary factors and any health condition.

You can follow a pattern of three regular main meals and two mid-meals in a day.

In addition to avoiding junk and fried foods, avoid white foods like maida preparations, fruit juices, alcohol, sweets, chocolates, savouries and aerated water.

DISCLAIMER: The answer provided by rediffGURUS is for informational and general awareness purposes only. It is not a substitute for professional medical diagnosis or treatment.

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Roopashree Sharma | Answer |Ask -Follow

Yoga, Naturopathy Expert - Answered on Oct 05, 2021

Question by Shalini - Oct 05, 2021Hindi

Dear Roopashree, I have two cases where I need your help. 1. My daughter, who is 16 years old, was a state level swimmer until two years ago.At that time, her diet and exercises were at a very different level.She suddenly decided to quit swimming. This led to weight gain and she became 60 kg; her height is 5.2 feet.She then started some exercises, watching YouTube, etc, and went into self-starvation mode in order to reduce weight.We didn’t realise that she started throwing food. It continued for months while she doubled her exercise to twice a day.As a result she not only lost 15 kg in a year, but it also stopped her periods for a year now.Can you help us with this problem?2. For myself, I am 44 years old, height 5 feet, weight 60 kg and a big belly.I like to eat spicy food so maintaining just soup based diets becomes difficult beyond a day or two.Can you guide me on what diet programme I should follow to reduce 7 kg in next five months?I have a family occasion coming up in Feb 2022, for which I want to be ready.Shalini Shukla

Ans:

Let me tackle this individually.

Let’s look at your daughter first.

We often define health by weight. While it is certainly an important factor, body functions -- whether hormonal, digestive and/or nervous -- are equally, if not more, important.

Given the major shifts in your daughter's routine, both during her swimming days and workout days, her body must be going through a lot. And let’s not forget the hormonal changes happening during this age.

I would suggest that she takes a mental break from thinking about diet and exercise for at least 2-3 months.

This does not mean she should overeat and not do basic physical exercises. Instead, opt for a balanced diet (lots of fruits and less of grains and processed foods).

Include a little physical activity (not workouts) but more playful activities. Light walks or basic jogging, yoga or any other sport of her choice like badminton, etc, will keep the body remain active without stressing the hormones.

She can also start basic pranayama (deep breathing exercises) to balance her energies and lower stress levels.

As far as her menstrual issues are concerned, I would suggest you meet an ayurvedic practitioner. They will identify if there is any possible imbalance of the elements and recommend ayurvedic medicines if required.

Shalini, let’s look at your concerns now.

A big belly can be due to many reasons -- excess fat retention, water retention, bloating, etc.

You should focus on addressing the root cause and not on weight loss through strict dieting.

I suggest you follow some basic principles of food intake, starting with a detox for your stomach.

Have a glass of petha (white pumpkin) juice (recipe here) in the morning. Avoid eating anything else for an hour. Do this for a month.

Avoid fried food and restrict non-veg and heavily processed foods during this period.

You can eat a full meal, but avoid eating after sunset.

Spices can be therapeutic as well as harmful, depending upon consumption.

If you practice yoga, then do Kapalbhati pranayam for 5-10 minutes in the morning.

Half an hour after your meals, go for a stroll.

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Komal Jethmalani |367 Answers |Ask -Follow

Dietician, Diabetes Expert - Answered on Nov 11, 2020

Question by MJ - Nov 11, 2020Hindi

Greetings, I am 173 cm in height and weigh around 100 kg. I intend to lose weight and get into the 80 -85 kg bracket by January 2021. I have already lost 8 kg from September 15th till today 19th October. I walk about 10,000 steps at an average per day. Kindly suggest diet plans and exercises. Regards, MJ

Ans:

It is good to know that you have already made a lot of effort towards losing weight.

But I hope the 8 kg loss has not occurred in a month! As you have not given the exact year, hopefully you have had a gradual weight loss.

A sudden loss of weight in a short period of time is unhealthy and is mainly achieved by starvation diets which results in loss of lean mass.

Aim at fat loss rather than weight loss.

The ideal way to lose fat percentage from your body is by having a balanced diet which should meet all the macro and micro nutrient requirements and include low fat, high protein, high fibre foods to increase your metabolism.

In addition to this, you must incorporate a fitness schedule which can include cardio activities, like the 10,000 steps which you are already accomplishing.

Along with this, strength training exercises will boost your metabolism and increase your muscle mass.

Start doing endurance exercises regularly and build up on them on a gradual basis.

Make sure your diet is in compliance with your exercises.

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