These Tips By Celebrity Nutritionist Rujuta Diwekar Will Help You Lose Weight Sustainably

Losing weight is hard. What is even harder is not gaining it back this festive and wedding season. Many individuals experiment with latest fads, crash diets and unsupervised medicines to shed those extra kilos. However, as research shows, mindless dieting might help you lose weight in the short term, but could pose major issues in the long term. It is here that tips by Rujuta Diwekar, celebrity nutritionist and fitness expert, help you out.

These tips will help you achieve your desired weight, with time and effort, in a sustainable manner.

Skipping breakfast is never a good idea. She writes, “It invariably leads to eating a lot later in the day. Not to mention more caffeine (more cigarettes in case of smokers), more cravings and more crankiness. Not good for your health, nor does it magically help to knock off more weight. Simply, eat sensibly.”

According to Diwekar, kickstarting your day with a combination of fresh fruit, nuts, and raisins offers numerous health benefits. While many opt for tea or coffee, incorporating the versatile banana into your morning routine can contribute to advantages such as increased fibre intake, weight management, alleviation of constipation, and improved blood sugar levels. For those facing low energy levels and dealing with PMS, a recommended option is 7-8 soaked raisins paired with 1-2 strands of saffron.

One of the core principles that Rujuta promotes is embracing locally sourced and seasonal foods. These foods are perfect for a region and its people because they are in sync with what your body needs according to the climate. Additionally, eating local food adds a wealth of essential nutrients to your body.

No matter what you eat, unless you’re mindful about it, it won’t work. Rujuta suggests giving your complete attention to the food, including its taste, aroma and texture, instead of being engaged in other distracting activities. This lets you consume food at a slower pace, and realise when you are full sooner. It also helps you have more insight into what and how much food your body needs.

Gaining lean body weight is crucial for weight loss. As we age, fat impacts our anabolic response. It is here that strength training comes into play to reverse this process, according to the expert. Add at least 150 minutes of total workout time in the week with a 2-day gap between two weight training sessions. Don’t forget to build in rest days and schedule cardio a day after weight training, suggests Diwekar in her audiobook ‘The 12-Week Fitness Project’.

While people who are dieting shy away from ghee, Rujuta believes in incorporating small quantities of ghee, or clarified butter, to your diet to aid in weight loss. Adding a tbsp of ghee to lunch or dinner helps with energy, sweet cravings, constipation, and irritable bowel syndrome. Ghee is a source of healthy fats, including essential fatty acids and fat-soluble vitamins which enhance absorption of fat-soluble vitamins. Ghee is lipolytic, which means it helps break down stubborn fat, and is in fact rich in antioxidants, and can help reduce glycaemic index to aid the regulation of blood sugar.

Rujuta believes for a sustainable and consistent weight loss that doesn’t come back, we should aim for a weight loss of 5 to 10% over a period of one year. So, if your weight is 80kgs, you should try to lose only 4kgs to 8kgs in the period of one year. This way, your weight loss will be healthy and it will not return very easily even after you give up your diet.