Weight gain due to long working hours. What should I do? (Diet query of the day)

Q: Dear dietician, I am a 46-year-old working, unmarried lady. I have a sitting job and long working hours from 10 am to 8 pm. Lately, I have been having irregular periods. I have put on weight especially on my waistline and the hip area. Please suggest a suitable diet plan so that I can reduce my waistline.

Answered by nutritionist Neha Chandna

As you age, your metabolism decreases leading to weight gain. Since you have a sitting job and being a woman, you are prone to put on weight near the stomach and hip areas as a woman is genetically designed to have a pear-shaped body. Also, you might be close to menopause due to which you have irregular periods.

I advise you to join a gym and alternate between weight training and cardio to help build muscle mass and burn fat. Along with this, you need to eat a balanced diet with lots of fibre, greens, veggies, nuts, salads, curd, etc. (Read: 10 awesome fitness workouts for the perfect you!)

Here is a diet plan for you:

Have a healthy breakfast to keep you going for the morning. Include items like oats porridge/ oats upma/ idli/ dosa.

Between breakfast and lunch, have a fruit and a handful of nuts.

In lunch, eat a portion of salad, a jowar/ragi chapatti with veggies, dal and a glass of buttermilk (chhaas).

Keep your dinner light. You can have soup, salad, veggies/grilled chicken or fish. Avoid eating rotis or rice at night.

Along with this, drink two-three cups of green tea every day and sleep well. (Read: Drink green tea for weight loss and to keep heart disease at bay)

You may also like to read:

• Weight loss diet by expert dietician
• Fad is bad: Say no to diets which promise speedy weight loss
• 6 diet tips to lose belly fat
• Tasty recipes for weight loss
• Eat and lose weight: 10 food items for weight loss!
• Why drinking is bad for your weight loss regime
• 10 superfoods for weight loss

For more articles on weight loss, visit our weight loss section. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter for all the latest updates! For daily free health tips, sign up for our newsletter. And to join discussions on health topics of your choice, visit our forum.

1. Prev:Try HIIT to lose 50% more body fat than people who just do cardio!
2. Next:Fitho: Fighting obesity and helping people lose weight online!