The Nutritional Diary

Margarine vs Butter
Q: I am a 30-year-old lady with height 5 feet 8 inches and weight 80kgs. I want to lose weight. Can you please tell me the difference between margarine and butter? Can I take margarine at breakfast when I want to lose weight? I have heard brown bread and white bread have the same calories it's just the fibre content that's high in bran. I have also heard the calories of two breads are same as one roti, is it really so? Shumaila Pervez, Lahore
A: The information you have mentioned is quite true. If you want to go for weight reduction, which is more than 15kg in your case, it would be better not to go for margarine and butter rather you should take just half tea spoon of low calorie jam on one slice of brown bread. You should go for small frequent meals. You won't feel dizzy by taking low calorie meal with short intervals. Appetite is different from hunger. It's appetite that forces a person to have chocolates despite the fact that they have taken their dinner. If you finished a whole bowl of peanuts while chatting with your friend then that was the fault of your appetite again. Try to control your appetite. It makes you eat out of boredom, frustration or anger. Eating for emotional reasons is not a good thing so try to control this habit.

Weight Loss
Q: I am an 18-year-old girl with weight 61kg and height 5 feet 7 inches. Could you please tell me how much weight I should lose and suggest a diet plan for it? I have started a diet for a week in which I have cut down sugar intake (except from fruits) and carbohydrates completely and consume only boiled vegetables for lunch and dinner and fruits as snacks. I have also started brisk walk twice a day for an hour 7 days a week. Do you think it would help me to lose weight? I have planned to continue with this diet plan and workout for 3 months. Can you please tell me how much weight I would lose by doing this? Sadia
A: Dear you are really making some good efforts for weight loss. Continue with all of them as you have to reduce just 5 to 6kg which is quite possible in one and a half month. Drink plenty of water before every meal, avoid taking oily food and take steamed vegetables and chicken for lunch and dinner. There are at least six body chemicals that have a profound effect on your life and weight.  They include cortisol and serotinin.  These substances relay messages to your fat cells, blood, brain and intestines. They play a role in regulating body weight, appetite and eating behaviours and even the way we think about food. Since the whole issue of eating is so complex it is very difficult for us to tell you why someone can resist the temptation of taking breads one day but helplessly take a chocolate cake the next day! So you need to listen to your body requirements. It's good that you have cut down bad fats from your diet but try to understand why you eat food at a particular time. It's very important to be in touch with that desire and most dieters have learned to do this.

Post Baby Weight
Q: I am a 25-year-old working lady with height 5 feet 4 inches and weight 68kg. I want to lose my post baby weight up to 56kg. I workout 20 minutes a day other than stomach exercises for 10 minutes and roping for 5 minutes. Please suggest a diet plan for me that can help me to reduce weight. Mariam Nadeem, Sharjah
A: It's good that you are already working on the right track for weight loss. I don't advice you to follow a strict diet plan as you are a lactating mother. Eat a reduced fat diet rich in fruits and vegetables, lean proteins and whole grains. As you are a working woman so you must need a lot of energy to perform personal and professional chores effectively. Make a habit to drink two glasses of milk daily. It is a fact that the body of some people have a tendency to gain weight very easily, if you are one of them then you have to be very selective in diet. Completely avoid junk food and eat only when you feel hungry. Control your portion size and limit your caloric intake. Take a sandwich for breakfast with tea, soups in mid morning and salads with whole wheat pasta for lunch. Take milk in the evening and steamed vegetables for dinner.

Confused Lady
Q: I am a 30 year-old girl, with height 5 feet 3 inches and weight 42kg. I want to know about my ideal weight according to my height and age? My lower body is really heavy, can you please suggest some good exercises for it? Saadiya
A: Well it will be interesting for you to know that you are not overweight at all in fact you are underweight and need to put on 10kg. Your ideal body weight should be around 52- 55kg. As you are underweight so I am sure that your lower body can't be heavy, it's just that a few women have a craze of being extra slim. A person gains weight when they overeat even they are full. The body need food to generate energy that helps in growth and performing other body functions. When a person overeats, the excess food gets stored in the body as fats and makes them heavy. Most of the fat cells are located in the trouble spots like bellies, hips, thighs, buttocks and all the other areas that have fat holding cells. The best exercise for lower body is sit ups, a person can get excellent results by doing ten sit ups in the morning, ten in afternoon and ten at night.

Height Problem
Q: I am a 15-year-old girl with height 5 feet and weight 34kg. I want to increase my height. Please suggest a good diet plan according to my age that can help me increase my height? Maha Malik
A: Dear little girl you are also under weight! Try to get your blood tests done which should include your haemoglobin levels. You should gain weight to look healthy and when you improve your diet it will have good results on your height also. You should have a separate and comfortable bed to have a good deep sleep as the release of growth hormones is at peak during deep sleeping. Use monkey bars daily for 5 minutes and involve yourself in sports like swimming and running. Take milk twice a day and use dairy products frequently with all your meals. Completely avoid the intake of bad fats rather take fruits and vegetables after your meals. Girls can gain height till the proper start of their menstrual cycles so you have to keep that in mind too. Boys can gain their height up to the age of 19. Take some multivitamins after consulting your physician or family dietitian.

Busy Schedule
Q: I am a 29-year-old girl with weight 70kg height 4 feet 11 inches. My office schedule hardly allows me to do any exercise. I am really worried please suggest a diet plan and a workout schedule for weight loss? Sadia, Karachi
A: You need to reduce 20kg. Take brown breads with a boiled egg for breakfast and one bran chappati for lunch and dinner both with steamed vegetables. Just understand the fact that the urge to eat is a need that must be filled. Listen to that urge and make healthy choices while eating. In my clinic I have noticed that overweight individuals have so much anxiety about the urge to eat that their bodies operate defensively. They don't even allow the hunger to come to consciousness.  You may come home from a bakery with a cake. You might say that you have bought it to serve to your family but actually it's your desire to eat the cake. Try to follow a low calorie diet plan religiously and control your emotions!