Weight loss tips for indian women
If you’ve tried and been unsuccessful in your weight loss efforts, it is probably because you did not follow the right diet or were unable to continue it due to the bland taste. We Indians are used to a certain flavour in our food and cannot really give up eating rotis and rice. But did you know you can lose weight on a desi diet too? Celebrity nutritionist Radhika Karle who currently guides Sonam Kapoor about her dietary habits, lists down some rules and charts out a sample meal plan for people looking to lose weight on an Indian diet. You may also read how to stay healthy on a vegetarian diet.
Five golden rules
- Eat every two hours:Don’t wait till you get hungry. It is important to consciously eat at the right time for your body’s metabolism to work optimally.
- Control your portion size: Get your portion size right by charting it out depending on your weight loss goals, etc. Here are some common measures: One serving of fruit equals to a tennis ball sized fruit (you can include more than one fruit if they are smaller in size). One serving of rice is one-third cup cooked rice. Calculate how much weight you can lose in a month here.
- Avoid anything that has saturated fats: Switch to things which are low-fat. Say no to buffalo milk which is full fat. Have only 2 tsp of oil/ghee per day. You might want to know the 6 natural sources of good fat.
- Shun sugar: They just add empty calories to your body. One can get enough natural sugar from seasonal fruits and dry fruits. If you want to sweeten something, add stevia as it a natural sweetener. Though honey and jaggery have other good properties, if you are on a weight loss diet, you should stay away from them as they too add empty calories. Read stevia as it a natural sweetener. Though honey and jaggery have other good properties, if you are on a weight loss diet, you should stay away from them as they too add empty calories. Read 10 common mistakes people make while losing weight.
- Drink enough water: Keep yourself hydrated by drinking enough water every day. A simple way to find this out is by checking the colour of your urine. It should be pale yellow in colour. If it is lighter or darker than that, it may indicate that you are not drinking enough water. Read about
Here is a sample weight loss Indian diet plan
Breakfast
a. Home-made rava idlis with sambar (no coconut chutney)
b. Whole green moong chilla with mint and dhania chutney
c. Oats upma – made with vegetables (try using steel cut oats for added fibre)
Mid-morning snack
a. Chaas made with 1/3 cup low fat dahi – add fresh dhania, rock salt, and jeera powder
b. Mango milkshake – ½ mango + ½ cup (125 ml) low fat milk (NO added sugar)
c. Fruit chaat – 1 cup mixed fruit (use fruits with higher fibre – apple, pineapple, guava, pear. Add chaat masala + a pinch of rock salt)
Lunch
It would be best to incorporate 4 food groups. See the table below and mix and match to ensure a well-balanced lunch meal:
|
STARCH |
VEGETABLE |
PROTEIN |
| Phulkas – 2 | Start with 1 cup salad – all raw vegetables | Dal – ½ cup moong, toor |
| Brown rice – ½ cup cooked | Plus ½ cup cooked sabji | Chowli (black-eyed peas) |
| Lapsi rava (broken wheat) – ½ cup cooked | Focus on green vegetables | Rajma (kidney beans) |
| Jowar rotis (made with 3.5 tbsp atta) | Chole (Chickpeas) | |
| Methi/palak rotis | Low-fat paneer – 50 grams | |
| Aloo/potato – ½ cup cooked | Moong sprouts | |
| Waal (White beans) |
Mid-afternoon snack
a. 1 utapam made with less oil + roasted tomato chutney
b. Home-made Bhel:
- 1 cup murmura
- ½ cup roasted chana
- ¼ cup plain roasted peanuts
- ¼ cup mixed tomato + onion + dhania
- Green chutney made from pudina and dhania
c. Steamed methi muthiya (Gujrati snack):
- Made with combination of bajra, whole wheat, and besan atta
- Use fresh methi
Dinner
It should be the lightest meal of the day. Choose from the following options:
a. Bowl of soup – Rasam/palak/dudhi
b. Bowl of sprouts salad:
- 1 cup cooked sprouts – chana, moong
- 1 cup all raw vegetables – cucumber, tomato, onion, carrot
- Dressing of lemon, salt, and pepper to taste
Image source: Getty Images
Disclaimer text TheHealthSite.com does not guarantee any weight loss through this method as the results may vary from person to person. We recommend you consult your nutritionist and physician before following any of the tips suggested here.
Disclaimer: TheHealthSite.com does not guarantee any specific results as a result of the procedures mentioned here and the results may vary from person to person. The topics in these pages including text, graphics, videos and other material contained on this website are for informational purposes only and not to be substituted for professional medical advice.
