Q: My wife is 35 years old. Her height is 5 feet 3 inches and she weighs 74 kg. She is a vegetarian and has a sedentary lifestyle. She wants to reduce weight. She consulted a web site and found that she has to take 1495 calories every day with protein 20%, carbohydrates 65% and fats 15% five times. She is confused whether all the parts have to be included in every meal or she should have proteins in the morning, carbohydrates and fats in the afternoon diet. Should white rice be totally avoided? Can one chappati and small portion of rice be taken together? What diet plan and exercises should she stick to?

A:It is not essential to include all the three in the same proportion in all the five meals. You can have your meals at a gap of 3 hours. An inclusion of all proteins, carbohydrates and fats should be ensured in your breakfast and lunch whereas the mid-meal snacks and dinner may be just proteins or carbohydrates. Make sure you are not using any saturated fats like ghee, butter and cheese for the preparation of your meals. Margarine and shortenings should also not be taken. Eat small meals slowly. Go for a brisk walk for half an hour everyday. Being active will only make you feel energetic the whole day. Do drink at least 10 glasses of pure water everyday and treat yourself to your favourite foods only once in fifteen days. Do not over restrict yourself otherwise you may not be able to achieve compliance over a longer period which is important to losing weight and maintaining the lost weight. Modify your diet from the family's diet so that you won't feel you are dieting.