Nutritionally Rich Diet

Weight Loss Plan
Q: I am a 28-year-old married woman with weight 75kg and height 5 feet 5 inches. I am a lactating mother of a 5-month-old baby. Can you please suggest a diet plan for me which I can follow to lose weight? Ayesha Nadeem
A: You need to reduce 15kg to be in proper shape. As you have mentioned that you breastfeed your child, this practice along with proper intake of a balanced diet will eventually help you in weight reduction. I suggest you consume all the major five food groups, i.e. appropriate intake of carbohydrate, proteins, fats, vitamins and minerals. Drink lots of water as it will allow you to consume limited amounts of fats, oils and discretionary calories from fats or sugars that remain after you have eaten the correct number of servings from basic food groups. When you eat a variety of healthy foods in moderate amounts from all food groups, you will get vitamins, minerals and other nutrients your body needs. It will be very good to make a practice of having a glass of skimmed milk before lunch and dinner. Take dairy products like cheese and yogurt in breakfast. Make salads a compulsory meal item. Increase your physical activity as it would make you lose weight very fast.

Calories Burn
Q: I am a 33-year-old woman with weight 55kg and height 4 feet 9 inches. I want to know how many calories I should burn daily to lose 1kg weight per week. Kiran
A: It's not only the matter of burning calories but it is a balance between intake and burning calories. You need to reduce only 5kg which you can easily lose in a month by reducing your daily caloric intake. You will have to reduce 100 calories per day initially. A calorie is the amount of energy that food provides. Healthy breakfast in the morning helps kick your body into gear by supplying it with energy. Eating a smart breakfast can also help in regulating your appetite throughout the day so you don't overeat at lunch and dinner. Also your body needs to be constantly energised throughout the day to keep you going. You don't necessarily have to eat standard three square meals. In fact go for six mini meals. Do whatever works best according to your schedule and eating style. You can get wonderful result by exercising daily for around 60-90 minutes. Try to consume certain food groups like vegetables, fruits, whole grains and low fat dairy.

Good Body & Mind
Q: I am a 23-year-old girl with height 5 feet 3 inches and weight 65kg. I am a student, please tell me what diet should I follow to reduce my weight and to be in shape? Rabia
A: You need to reduce 10-12kg. As you are very young you will get your results very easily with a little hard work. Make a habit of having coloured vegetables as well as legumes several times a week. Consume one cup of fat free milk, low fat milk or equivalent milk per day. Choose the right fats. Keep fats intake around 20-25 per cent of daily calories only. Try to go for poly or monounsaturated fats when selecting meat, poultry and milk products. During the whole day choose healthy carbohydrates for yourself. Choose fibre rich fruits, vegetables and whole grains often and try to avoid packaged products that have lots of added sugars. These days a lot of citrus fruits are available in the market so you can consume them as much as you want. In this way you will not only get very good amount of vitamin C but also fibre. Also consume less sodium and more potassium rich foods. Your daily sodium intake should be 1tsp salt. A lot of sodium is consumed from processed foods so it is better to avoid them as it results in weight gain.

Healthy Meal vs Junk Food
Q: I am a 32-year-old man with height 6 feet and weight 90kg. I want to reduce my weight. Can you please guide me on how can I take healthy meals instead of junk foods? My waist is 38 inches which used to be 32 inches three years ago. Please suggest me some exercises and kindly tell me how much pace (speed) is effective for running or walking on a treadmill for weight reduction? Zahid Hussain Bhatti
A: You are 15kgs over weight. When a person becomes around 5kg overweight even then the tummy starts becoming visible. It's good for you to choose low fats and non-dairy products whenever possible. Prepare your foods by roasting, baking, steaming, lightly stir frying or grilling. Remove all skin from poultry items. Also make a habit of using non fats cooking sprays or non-stick frying pans. Limit your intake of red meats. Instead of using butter and oily sauces, flavour your vegetables with herbs and seasonings. Also try lemon juice and flavoured vinegars. It is very important for you to know that all types of fat when eaten in excess amount can cause variety of health problems including weight gain. If you are involved in light work throughout the day then you need to consume 2200 calories, medium work would be 2800 and heavy work would be 3400 calories. You can burn calories around 350 calories daily through one hour aerobic exercises. Brisk walking will make you burn more around 400 calories per hour. Start walking 30 minutes per day and gradually increase 5 minutes per day.

Need Help!
Q: I am a 32-year-old woman with weight 72kg and height 5 feet 5 inches. I want to be in shape. Please suggest a diet plan for me. Bushra
A: According to your age, weight and height you need to reduce 12 to15kg. You will be able to achieve your goal within a couple of months but for this purpose you have to workout very hard. In your diet you will have to make certain changes. Try to buy reduced versions of margarine, butter, mayonnaise and cream cheese. Buy low fats salad dressings or make your own. Instead of using butter and oily sauces, flavour your vegetables with herbs and seasonings and use these salads and vegetables for your lunch and dinner. Have an egg white omelette rather than whole eggs with yolk for your breakfast. Avoid ice-creams and cookies and take wheat biscuits or chick peas for evenings and mid mornings. Eat fibre rich foods as they make you feel full as they absorb water and swell inside you. One thing very important to mention is that you should increase your fibre gradually because your body needs time to adjust. Extra fluids taken along with fibre will prevent you from being dehydrated and most important it will help that bulk to move merrily on its way.

Weight Reduction
Q: I am a 27-year-old woman with weight 68kg and my height is 5 feet 6 inches. I am getting married in two months. Can you please give me some tips on how to reduce excess body fat and to be in good shape. Anonymous
A: According to details you need to reduce 10kg. I never advise crash diet plans as they are not long lasting and have lot of side effects. As you just have a time period of two months so you will have to be very careful in these two months. Avoid roti, rice, sugar and junk food completely for two months. Add a few table spoons of wheat bran to your cereal, cottage cheese, yogurt and salads and have it for your lunch, dinner and break fast. Have plenty of fresh or frozen vegetable soups daily for your hunger pangs. Try to add a fruit to your cereal whether hot or cold. These days you must be busy with your shopping for your wedding naturally so as you prepare a shopping list for every thing it will be good if you also prepare a daily list of vegetables, fruits, dairy products and grains for your daily consumption. When you go shopping, wear comfortable joggers and walk a lot. This way along with consumption of very less calories you will also burn calories and lose weight faster. Whenever you feel hungry instead of going for a pizza or samosa, choose popcorns, a guava or an apple. Drink lots of water before every meal, it will improve your complexion further and make your skin glowing.