Reaching and maintaining a healthy weight is important for overall health and can help prevent and control many diseases and conditions. A high amount of body fat may lead to weight related diseases and other health issues. Being underweight Is also a health risk. Medicircle presents the National Healthy Weight Awareness Series with experts in the field of health and fitness to give out relevant information to people.

Sabiha Siddiqui is the Head Clinical Dietician & Nutritionist. She has 10 years of experience in this field. She had worked with many reputed Multispecialty Hospital. Currently, she is associated with Apollo Clinic as Head Clinical Dietician. Her areas of interest are Diabetologist & Cardiologist. She has pursued Graduation & Post Graduation in Nutrition & Dietetics from SNDT University. She is a Certified Diabetes Educator & completed 1-year Diploma in Naturopathy & Yoga Science.

Living healthy means treating the body in the right way

Sabiha expresses, “Weight loss is most often observed on the scale, in the mirror & by how your clothing fits. While those factors may increase your motivation and boost your willpower, but it is also important to remember that how you look in the mirror or the number on the scale should not be your only incentive. A desire to lose weight should be first & foremost motivated by the need to be healthy.”

Sabiha adds, “There are many people who may look thin from outside but are unhealthy inside, that is called unhealthy thin. So being healthy fat is better than unhealthy thin. Living healthy is about more than shedding pounds. It is about treating your body in the right way, strengthening muscles & feeding it with all the nutrients. An individual’s diet should not only consist junk food, processed food and lack the nutrient rich diet of fruits, vegetables & healthy fats.”

You are what you eat

Sabiha talks, “Many people use low body weight to excuse unhealthy eating & physical inactivity. But body weight is not the best indicator of internal wellbeing. A much better indicator is your healthy diet. When it comes to your health, it is what’s inside that counts. You really are what you eat. So, maintaining a healthy weight is a long-term construct. Build your success slowly, slow progress is good. A crash diet, keto diet & calorie deficit diet may help you. Don’t be too hard on yourself. Love yourself as tomorrow is another day to get it right.”

Challenges

Sabiha listed down some of the challenges 

Increase budget allocations - India’s spending on healthcare less than 1.5 percent of the GDP. It has been among the lowest in the world while in other developed countries it is somewhere between 10–18%. This has invariably led to poor public health infrastructure in the country forcing people to spend more on medical expenses.

Infrastructure development - The Indian healthcare sector lacks the basic and necessary infrastructure. Due to this not, we are not able to address a colossal crisis like Covid-19.

Manpower crisis - According to the WHO study, lack of trained health professionals was obviously a major constraint on India’s ability to achieve health delivery.

Adoption of new technologies - lack of digital technologies. 

Role of public health sector - expenditure on public health sector should be regular which is largely unregulated currently.”

Tips to Lose Weight

Sabiha discussed some of the ways to lose weight

Modification in your daily routine will be helpful 

Sabiha shares some of the easy steps to be incorporated into daily routine

(Edited by - Renu Gupta)