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Komal

Komal Jethmalani  |382 Answers  |Ask -

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
Neelam Question by Neelam on Sep 15, 2022Hindi
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Dear Komal
I am a working professional and the mother of a toddler. I want to lose 10 kg but I don't have the time or energy to exercise.
I wake up at 5.30 am and sleep by 11 pm.
I have my last meal at 7 or 8 pm which is usually something light or a snack.
I skip my dinner but never miss having my breakfast.
I have two cups of coffee in a day with milk and sugar.
How can I control or change my diet and habits to lose weight?
Neelam

Ans:

Being a mother of a toddler and a professional requires of lot of stamina. For this, you need to ensure a healthy dietary regimen with a high content of protein for sustenance.

Make sure you have protein rich food in every meal. Avoid high carb foods like white bread, maida preparations, juices, sweets, fast and fried foods and alcohol.

Include fruits, vegetables, pulses, whole grains, nuts and seeds to include the all-important nutrients in your diet. Two cups coffee or tea in a day is fine but remember to add a minimum amount of sugar only.

Do not skip any meal. Have three regular main meals and two mid-meals; focus on protein and fibre-rich foods.

You must set aside at least 30 minutes to do exercises like stretching or yoga.

Strengthening exercises will help increase your metabolism and thereby result in fat loss.

 

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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Hi Gurus! I am 40 yr old MAN and I have never been regular at gym or exercising. I am 5 kg overweight as per my recent BMI and heart age of 52 yrs (not sure how reliable those results are but they definitely indicate something needs to be fixed) but no other serious health issues 🤞. However, I do perform some form of stretching, push-ups etc once in a couple of weeks which my physiotherapist advised as I had sciatica related pain in past. I do get back pain due to sedimentary lifestyle. Basically, I have not been taking my body and fitness seriously so far in my life. Now, I want to consciously start working out and get more active (my 40th B’day resolution 😊 ) and hence need your help with following (probably silly) situation: - I always wake-up hungry (~ 7:30 AM) and end up having a filling breakfast e.g 2 parathas or 5-6 cookies or 3-4 slices of toast & butter with mug full of chai with enough sugar and hence not able to exercise in the morning. Starting my day with red cross (❌) mark against a task (exercising) doesn’t set a good precedence either. In past I tried starting my day with glass of lukewarm water and lemon / honey etc but in just matter or 20-30 mins, I would feel extremely hungry, and I end up overeating, feeling more guilty ☹. Even after stuffing so much, I am again super hungry by ~13:00 ish for Lunch. TBH, I don’t see people around me eating so much ☹ -I cannot exercise in the evening as there is not fixed time when I would end my day. Also, I want to keep my evenings free for other imp things in my life 😉 Please guide how can I address my above issue so that either I don’t wake up hungry or I can eat something and still exercise. I googled my symptoms, and it says it’s a sign of PMS (?)
Ans: :) It looks like you have identified your problem, now the only thing left is to take steps in the right direction. If you are having dinner by 8PM or so, it is ok to feel hungry in the morning. It is good to take plain lukewarm water in the morning (3-4 glasses is also ok), you can eat if you feel hungry within half hour or so. To find the right time for exercise, start your day early by 06AM, so that you can have water and exercise by 07AM and still have your breakfast at 8AM.
Considering your current lifestyle, start with 15-20 mins of moderate walking, don't start with rigorous exercise as it may lead to muscle cramping. Ideally, you should go out for walking, but if you can't find time then find innovative ways like - spot walking, using your balcony or any free area near you. After a month you can gradually start with slow surya namaskar (if you havent practiced earlier, learn from a professional yoga practitioner and don't follow random online videos. Even 10-11 rounds are enough for the day, you can increase gradually as your stamina increases.
In your diet, replace cookies and biscuits with heathier options - get good quality home made, oats or whole wheat cookies, with jaggery, instead of white sugar and preservatives. Just to rule out any ailments, you can get a full body check-up including 2-3 Echo under prescription from a physician. Hope you can continue with your evening routine with your health routine...

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