Obesity & Overweight

Begin by asking yourself the question: why do I want to lose weight?

It is very important to understand your motivation towards your weight loss. Few reasons I have come across are as follows:

1. I have a wedding to attend/ getting married  in a few months, hence the need to lose weight. 
2. My career requires normal weight, I need to lose before joining. E.g. military, air-hostess etc.
3. My health issues like bone/ heart/ liver related diseases are escalating due to weight, hence the doctor has asked me to lose weight. 
4. My husband/ mother/ wife/ children feel i should lose weight. 
5. I want to lose weight fast as my friend/ colleague has done with the so-n-so method. 
6. I want to get an athletic/ bodybuilder kind body/ zero figure for females.
7. I want to fit in my earlier clothes.
8. I want to lose fat from my body, for good health. 

In case, your idea of weight loss comes from any of the points 1-7, you might or might not lose weight. Even if you do, that weight will come back. 

How to lose weight?

There are several methods popular to lose weight. I am sure you have tried a few and failed.  Let’s discuss them. 

1. Fad diets like keto, Intermittent fasting etc. Your acquaintances swore by fad diets. They lost a lot too. But you are not losing. One can lose by fad diet till a point, but these cause deficiencies. That will make the weight stuck at some point or other. Plus, do not ask how soon they lost weight, check how long they were able to maintain that weight. 

One cannot remain on fad diets for life, the day they leave they are back to square 1. 

2. Eat less, work more. It would work if you were eating more. In today’s world people have weird lifestyles due to work and responsibility pressures, and screen addictions. Their total kcal is not too much, but composition of food intake is poor. Also, their poor lifestyle impacts weight loss a lot. 
3. HIIT There is a higher chance of heart disease/ attack than losing weight. We should never try sudden surge of high activity. 
4. Supplements and medications: Synthetic products have side effects, always. 
5. Fancy & Exotic foods: Let me know how long you were able to follow. 
6. Crash diets, Detox: Similar to fad diets, plus cause huge deficiencies and one feels too low energy even for daily chores, forget exercise. 
7. Crash diet to avoid exercise: Same effect as point 6 with cramps. 

Then how to lose weight?

It is simple to be healthy, but difficult to be simple. Same old, same old:

1. Balanced Diet ~ homemade food ~ local and seasonal preparations
2. Physical Activity ~ start at your own pace, gradually increase stamina
3. Adequate water ~ start sipping throughout the day. 
4. Sleep and eat well, and timely ~ don’t work at night for foreign people, your health is also important
5. De-stress ~ yoga, meditation, music therapy, family and friends time, party (dancing not boozing), travel (in your budget), love, smile, laugh, stay away from screen 

   You don’t have time for these? Well, I can help you with that. See, none of us can be perfect. Some practical methods (ideas which can come from a dietitian) can help us to have an almost healthy lifestyle and diet. I can guide you in the initial weeks. Once habits develop, you can continue on your own. You are always welcome back where you feel you need more guidance. 

I don’t help to lose weight. I help to frame a good lifestyle. Fat loss happens as a result. If you continue to follow the healthy advice, the weight loss will remain permanent. I promise it would be practical, easy to do, something which you will like and most importantly not cause any deficiencies.