Five Steps To A Slimmer Waist

1. Make friends with food: Healthy people feel hungry and sick people lose their appetite. Eat more often and in the right quantities.
2. Include healthy fats in your diet: Switch to filtered oil as it retains nutrients. Try homemade ghee on your roti or rice for a change. Eat peanuts—they are available locally and are rich in both Omega-3 and -9 fatty acids, which keep the heart healthy and reduces the risk of turning diabetic.
3. Eat carbs for dinner: Include rice/ roti/ bhakri in your dinner. Eat dinner at the right time. The value of food is also dependent on time. Carbs are a source of energy and fibre, prevent overeating, accelerate fat-burning and lead to restful sleep.
4. Relax! It decreases waist circumference. Sleep helps you recover from the wear and tear of daily life, both physically and emotionally. Stress or lack of sleep leads to bloating and gas. Take regular breaks—do nothing at least once every three months.
5. Commit yourself to regular exercise: Start out by exercising once a week and gradually work your way up to three times a week. Do a fitness analysis to check your strength, flexibility, cardio-respiratory fitness and body fat levels. Weight training, yoga and cardio all have benefits to offer and lead to fat-burning. Remember, consistency is the key. Be more active—pick the bicycle over cars or bikes. Meet friends for a ride instead of dinner.

(Nutritionist Rujuta Diwekar’s latest book is called Women and the Weight Loss Tamasha.)