Weight Control

Weight control means reaching and staying at a body weight and body-fat pattern that lowers your risk of disease. For South Asians, waist, not just weight is the key number — and weight-loss goals should be realistic, slow, and sustainable.

What the numbers should be (Indian cut-offs)

• Asian BMI: overweight ≥ 23, obese ≥ 25.
• Waist: men > 90 cm, women > 80 cm = abdominal obesity.
• Aim for 5–10% weight loss as the first goal — this alone improves blood sugar, BP, cholesterol, fatty liver, and sleep apnoea.

What actually works long-term

• Calorie deficit — eat fewer calories than you burn. All diets that work do this, one way or another.
• Whole foods first — vegetables, pulses, whole grains (millets/brown rice), fruit, curd, eggs, fish, chicken, paneer, nuts in portions.
• Cut the biggest high-calorie, low-nutrition items first — sugary drinks, sweets/mithai, namkeens, deep-fried snacks, biscuits, bakery items, refined-flour (maida) foods.
• Protein at every meal — keeps you full, protects muscle during weight loss.
• Strength training 2× a week + 150 min/week brisk walking — essential for long-term fat loss and insulin sensitivity.
• Sleep 7–8 hours, manage stress — poor sleep drives appetite hormones.
• Track weight weekly, waist monthly.

What doesn't work (or back-fires)

• Crash diets, GM diet, juice cleanses, fasting for days.
• "Fat cutter" teas, slimming powders, ayurvedic weight-loss products — many have been caught containing steroids or thyroid hormone.
• Skipping breakfast and binging at dinner.
• Relying only on exercise without diet change.

When to involve a doctor

• BMI ≥ 25 (Asian obese) or waist above cut-offs with other risks — diabetes, high BP, fatty liver, sleep apnoea.
• Prescription weight-loss medicines (including GLP-1 agonists) are available in India — only under a doctor, never from unverified online sellers.
• Bariatric surgery is appropriate at BMI ≥ 37.5 (or ≥ 32.5 with severe diabetes/BP). It is a tool, not a shortcut — long-term follow-up and nutrition support are essential.