Healthy Habits

Q: I am a 23-year-old girl with height 5'2 inches and weight 68kg. I have a lot of belly fat. Please suggest a diet plan for me. Sana from Karachi
A: You need to lose at-least 12 to 14kgs to get back in shape. You should visit a dietician to get a personalised daily regime of diet and exercise. I can suggest a few useful and helpful dietary tips: Try to reduce your intake of butter, fatty/cream cheese, cream, mayonnaise, chips, nimko, sweets and any fried food that is a part of your diet. Also be careful about your food portions, small portions of food are advised. Eat more fruits and raw salads and avoid adding any creamy dressings to it. Eat home-cooked food and cut down your intake of confectionaries, soft drinks and sweets. Switch to low-fat milk, low-fat cheese and low-fat yogurt and consume an ample amount of water. As far as belly fat is concerned, remember that it is the toughest part to get rid of. One needs determination and persistence to reduce tummy size. If you want to shed off fat from your belly please remember that only doing belly fat reduction exercises are not enough. You need to exercise your whole body so that you can burn calories. In the morning you can begin with aerobics exercise. Aerobics will increase your metabolism and ensure that you keep burning fat throughout the day. Engage in those exercises which will reduce your over-all body fat like jogging, running, brisk walking or swimming. Do weight training or resistance training exercises as these will help build lean muscle. The more lean muscle you have, the more calories you will burn.
Q: I am a 30-year-old man with height 5'6 inches and weight 89kg. I want to reduce my weight but I do not have time to exercise. Please help. Kamran
A: For weight reduction advice, refer to the answer of query # 1. Please remember that you have to 'move it to loose it' – which means that in order to reduce weight in a healthy manner you have to maintain an active lifestyle. Reducing your food intake will not have any effect until you start to exercise/walk. You cannot lose weight in a healthy manner until or unless you exercise.

Q: I am a 17-year-old boy with height 5'1 inches and weight 49kg. I am very slim. Please advise me on how I can change my physique. Asad Ali from Nawabshah
A: Some people, no matter what they eat remain thin and lean; it may be something you may have inherited from your parents. Try increasing your food/meal portions and do not skip breakfast. Add more nutrient based foods in your meals and snacks like eggs, yoghurt, and milk based beverages like lassi and shakes. You can also take ensure supplement once a day. Along with increasing your diet start exercising so that you start building muscle.
Q: I am a 24-year-old man with height 6ft and weight 82kg. I am steadily losing my hair since the last 2 years. I live in Hong Kong and I have gone to many doctors but to no avail. Please help as I am extremely worried. Faraz
A: Hair loss is probably the one thing that causes men more anxiety than anything else in their lives. Irrespective of age, hair may start to disappear from the temples and the crown of the head at any time. For a few men this process starts as early as their late teenage years, but for most it happens in their late 20s and early 30s. A little thinning of the hair may be noticeable first, followed by wider hair loss allowing more of the scalp to become visible. There could be many different reasons for hair loss and your doctor is the best person to make the diagnosis. If you have already seen a doctor and there is no significant diagnosis, then you can opt for alternate treatments like hair transplants.
Q: I am a 23-year-old girl with height 5'1 inches and weight 53kg. I have recently started a diet but I find it really difficult to follow it since I spend the whole day at university. For breakfast I drink a glass of lemonade without sugar and after an hour I have one boiled egg usually with a slice of white bread. I drink plenty of water and have at least 2 cups of green tea every day. If I feel hungry I eat a vegetable or a fruit if it is available and when I come home I have half a chapatti. I keep some candies in my bag for when I have any sugar cravings but I restrict myself to having only two. I am also trying to restrict my rice intake to only twice a week. My target is to lose at least 3kg and I am also planning to start walking for 20-30 minutes on weekends. Is this a healthy diet plan? Also kindly tell me my ideal weight. Saba Chishti
A: Your healthy weight ranges from 47 to 54kgs. I must appreciate the efforts you are doing to keep yourself fit and healthy. However, I would like to request you to please avoid over restricting your diet. As you only have to lose 3kg, do not get too worried. You can easily lose 3kgs in 25 days with the help of a healthy diet and some exercise. Do not skip meals, have more fruits and vegetables, keep your green tea intake to 2 to 3 cups a day and have home cooked meals.
Q: I am a 32-year-old woman with height 5'2 inches and weight 90kgs. Please suggest a diet plan for me. Sofia
A: Your healthy weight ranges from 45kgs to 59kgs. Your current weight is almost 90 kgs so you have a long way to go. It will be better for you to visit a dietician to get a personalised daily regime of diet and exercise. You can also follow the weight reduction tips mentioned in the answer for query # 1.

Q: I am a 16-year-old boy with height 5'9 inches and weight 82kg. I want to lose at least 10 to 15kg in 2 months. I cannot join a gym but I can play badminton. Please guide me. Awais
A: It will be good if you can bring your weight down to 72kgs. Badminton is a very good and healthy sport. It does not matter if you cannot go to a gym as long as you play badminton or any other sport regularly. As far as a diet is concerned please do not follow any crash diet plans and just try to reduce your intake of fried foods, confectionaries and junk food.
Q: I am a 29-year-old woman with height 5'2 inches and weight 59kgs. My arms and legs are very slender while my thighs, upper arms and hips are heavy. kindly tell me some exercises to tone my figure. Also my tummy has bulged out after my C section. I had my last caesarean 2 years ago. Although I go for a brisk walk for 45minutes minutes every day, it has had no effect. Please suggest some exercises which help to flatten the tummy. Shumaila
A: According to your height you are not overweight. A caesarean section can be an agonising experience for any woman, both physically and emotionally. Though not dangerous, a C section can alter the shape of the mother's body to a large extent. Belly fat is stubborn and you need to have both a strategic diet and a regular exercise regime in order to lose belly fat. While the fat on the body after a C section can be reduced by these two methods, it is not possible to remove the lose skin in the same way. The only way to remove any lose skin is to get it done surgically. Continue with your brisk walk and also start aerobic exercises, crunches and stretching. Yoga is another excellent way for reducing belly fat.