I suffer from polio. How do I lose weight? (Weight loss query)

I am a 37-year-old female. My height is 4’7″ and my weight is 60 kg. I lead a sedentary lifestyle and suffer from polio in my left leg. What kind of exercises can I do to lose weight?

According to Abha Khetrapal, Founder of Cross the Hurdles — an NGO for the physically challenged, ‘You must do stretching exercises but after stretching, weight training is must using dumbbells, but be cautious as polio survivors tend to suffer from post polio syndrome.

‘You should start with 1/2 kg weights. If you are unable to get dumbbells of lesser weights, you can start by holding 500 ml water bottles. Remember to stop before you feel too fatigued as exerting yourself will not be very beneficial. You can control your weight through diet plans as well. If you can swim, that would be the best exercise.’

In case you have further queries, you can contact Abha Khetrapal at [email protected]. Since people with sedentary lifestyles are prone to health problems, you can try these few exercises which can be done sitting.

Here’s a sample weight loss diet plan for you:

Breakfast:  Start your day with milk and cornflakes, or milk and poha/upma. If are a North Indian and must have parathas, avoid alu parathas and make it a mixed veg one with less oil/ghee/butter. If you’re from the South, you can have idlis, dosa, uttappa but avoid medu wada since that is fried. You can even opt for egg omelette or sandwiches. Besides these, here are some more healthy Indian breakfast ideas. 

Lunch: This can consist of a proper meal like rotis/bhakri with vegetables, salads and a source of protein from dal/curd/sprouts/non-veg dishes like eggs, fish, chicken plus a small helping of rice. Avoid pickles and papads. 

Snack: This can be mixed dry fruits, seasonal fruits or any fruit you like or a handful of roasted channa or kurmuras.

Dinner: Preferably opt for an early dinner and it can be just like lunch or it can be a single wholesome meal like khichdi , pulav, biryani.

What is polio?

Polio or poliomyelitis is a communicable viral disease which affects the nerves and can lead to partial or permanent paralysis. It is transmitted through stool or saliva. The global effort to eradicate polio has been very successful and from 350,000 cases in 1988 only 40 cases were reported worldwide in 2012. There is no cure for the diseases though vaccination can prevent the disease for life. India has done remarkably in eradicating polio and from 2011 no new cases were reported.

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• Why drinking is bad for your weight loss regime
• 10 superfoods for weight loss

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