I only drink a glass of orange juice in the morning and only 3-4 chapatis and bhaji during the day and again a glass of orange juice at night but still my weight is not reducing, what should I do?

d

4 weeks ago

I only drink a glass of orange juice in the morning and only 3-4 chapatis and bhaji during the day and again a glass of orange juice at night but still my weight is not reducing, what should I do?

Food

Happy Tummy Expert

4 weeks ago

Dear d, Thank you for the question

As you have mentioned that you consume only orange juice for breakfast & dinner with roti and sabji for lunch. It indicates a very low-calorie diet that lacks both macro & micronutrients which is not recommended as excess fasting or consuming very low-calorie diet can lead to malnutrition, chronic fatigue, affect metabolism etc. It is recommended to consume 3 major meals at regular intervals with healthy snacks in between and avoid skipping of any meals or fasting. A Minimum 2–3-hour gap between the last meal and bedtime is recommended.

For general wellbeing, you can begin by consuming a balanced diet is which provides all the nutrients in required amounts and proper proportions. It can easily be achieved through a blend of the four basic food groups. The quantities of foods needed to meet the nutrient requirements vary with age, gender, physiological status and physical activity. A balanced diet should provide around 50-60% of total calories from carbohydrates, preferably from complex carbohydrates, about 10-15% from proteins and 20-30% from both visible and invisible fat.

As a general dietary guideline, for an apparently healthy individual/ with no specific health or nutrition needs and/or metabolic condition it is recommended to consume 2000kcal/d and for Women, the RDA for protein requirement is 46g/d and for fiber it is 25g/d.

Difficulty to lose weight can happen due to excess intake of high fat foods, hormonal imbalance, stress, lack of physical activity and/or an underlying health condition. Please contact your health care professional for further diagnosis and assistance.

Sustainable weight management requires a holistic approach which involves lifestyle management which includes Dietary modification, Physical activity, hydration, and stress management. With any weight loss plan changes take time to reflect as your body requires sufficient time to adapt to the changes in order to show results.

An ideal weight loss meal plan should include calorie deficit diet with appropriate exercise regime followed under professional guidance.

However here are few objectives to be considered when planning to start with a weight loss program.

Count Your Daily Calories

It is recommended to consume 500kcal less than your average, daily, current dietary intake of calories to target on 2-3kg weight loss per month (ideally 0.5kg per week).
This target is a healthy& sustainable way of reducing and then maintaining the weight loss.
The first step hence is “counting your daily calorie intakes”. Counting your daily calorie intake is proven to be effective when on a weight loss diet. You can use applications/apps freely available, that will help you count your calories to keep a track on your daily calorie intake and physical activity levels.
These apps will also help you to track your hydration & sleep patterns which also impact your weight.
Ideal body weight for an individual can be calculated using the Broca Index (BI) which is: Ideal Standard Weight (kg) = Ht (cm) – 100
WHO has given different BMI (Body mass index) classifications to categorise adults into different weight categories. BMI is a simple index of weight-for-height. It can be considered as a 2nd level indicator of overall health.

It can be calculated using a simple formula of BMI = Weight (kg) / Height (m²)

Following is the WHO BMI Classification

18.5 to 24.9 - Normal

Less than 18.5 - Underweight

25 to 29 - Overweight

Above 30 – Obese

Please note it is recommended that the target body weight must be maintained within the normal BMI & ideal body weight range.

General Dietary Guidelines for weight loss that can be considered:

Eat a well-balanced diet that includes all the 5 food groups (cereals, pulses, fruits, vegetables, milk & milk products).
Do not skip your meals. Have small quantity of meals at regular intervals.
Choose healthy snacking options in between your meals.
Monitor your portion size.
Include protein in your diet. Some of the sources include pulses, lentils, milk, paneer, soybean, eggs, lean meat, nuts & seeds, etc.
Fiber in your meals can potentiate the satiating property, suppress excess hunger and control food intake. All fruits and vegetables, whole grains, multigrains, millets, nuts & seeds etc., are a good source of fiber.
Try switching from saturated fats and trans fats to MUFA (mono-unsaturated fatty acids) & PUFA (polyunsaturated fatty acids) as they are essential fatty acids and are good for your health.
Consume fresh, seasonal fruits as they contain many essential nutrients and are good sources of fiber.
Carbonated
and alcoholic beverages to be limited or preferably avoided.
Deep Fried foods to be restricted. Method of cooking like baking, grilling, boiling, steaming is preferable over deep frying with excess fat/ oil.
Minimum of 8 glasses of water should be consumed to keep yourself hydrated.
Have your last meal at least 2-3 hours before Bed time.
Try to follow a good sleep regimen in terms of both quantity and quality.