Reaching and maintaining a healthy weight is important for overall health and can help to 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 Healthy Weight Awareness Series with experts in the field of health and fitness to give out relevant information to people.

Dr. Sabiha Siddiqui is the Head Clinical Dietician & Nutritionist. She has over one decade of experience in this field. She had worked with many reputed Multispecialty Hospital. Currently, she is associated with Apollo Clinic as Head Clinical Dietician. She is attached as Consultant Dietitian with Diabetologist & Cardiologist in Mumbai. 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 is treating the body in the right way

Dr. 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.”

Dr. 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 of a diet rich in fruits, vegetables & healthy fats.”

You are what you eat

Dr. Sabiha talks, “Many people use low body weight to excuse unhealthy eating & physical inactivity. But bodyweight 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. Crash diet, keto diet & calorie deficit diet are not the solution to lose weight. Don’t be too hard on yourself. Love yourself as tomorrow is another day to get it right.”

Challenges faced by the health and wellness industry in India

Dr. 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 grappled with the lack of basic and necessary infrastructure, due to this we are not able to equipped 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

Dr. Sabiha discussed some of the ways to lose weight

Firstly, it should be a self-inner call to lose weight not forced by others.

Make your food journal ready.

Avoid long gaps between meals.

Stop eating just before you feel full. 

Finish your dinner 2 – 3 hours before going to sleep.

Avoid table salt.

Get quality sleep, minimum 8 hours.

Add millets to your diet as it helps to reduce blood sugar.

Hydrate yourself regularly & consume 2.5 – 3 liters of water per day. (General & basic guideline, not related to any particular disease)

Quit smoking

The most important thing, customized your diet chart with qualified Dietician 

Modification in your daily routine will be helpful 

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

Start your day with warm water as it helps to boost your BMR. The most important thing to keep in mind not to skip your breakfast. This is totally a myth that skipping breakfast will help in losing weight. Eat small & frequent meal. Use a smaller plate to control portioning.  Consume whole fruit rather than fruit juice. Consume a good amount of fiber in terms of veg salad/veg soup/veg juice. Cut down on alcohol & aerated drinks. Add vinegar to your diet as it reduces the absorption of carbohydrates. Adding 2 tbsp cumin seeds powder during the day helps to increase fat burn. Be active, 90 mins brisk walking is essential for weight loss. Swimming doesn’t help you losing weight. Running, jumping, weight training & jogging are the best activities to lose weight. Most importantly, Be happy & stress free. It is very important & essential marker of positive growth in our body.

Details:

Dr. Sabiha Siddiqui, Dietitian and Nutritionist

Mobile Number – 9321714174

Insta Id – hubofgroomingbydr.sabiha 

(Edited by - Renu Gupta)