Brief Answer: Low Fat Morderate Protein Diet Detailed Answer: Hi, Thank You for using HealthcareMagic. The only reason for the lingering weight is mainly the lack of balanced diet and activity. The idea behind weight loss is actually losing the excess fat from the body. And to achieve the same, it is important to cut down on the total calorie and unnecessary fat intake. Doing so would discourage the conversion of calories to fat. Further a wholesome activity plan, with a blend of cardio and strength training would aid in burning the fat that is already present. Together, these changes would bring the lipid profile and liver hormone levels under control. The following considerations might be helpful: • Include more fruits and vegetables in the diet- Add salads and fruits in daily meals. Avoid the salad dressings Coconut, fried vegetables, canned fruits and preserved vegetables and try to take whole fruits instead of juices. • Measure portions - Try not to overload the plate. Eat just as much you need. Include different varities of foods, like dal, vegetable, curd, chapatti and salad. Ensure that the amount is appropriate and a keep a track of the portions that you have had. • Divide meals - take small portions of food at frequent intervals. This would allow the liver to metabolize the food properly and save you from conditions like bloating, heart burn and acidity. For example: 1. Early Morning: Plain water-1glass and Presoaked almonds-4 2. Breakfast: Wheat flakes/Oats/Cornflakes 1 bowl (Can add fresh fruits) with skimmed milk – 1 cup + Boiled egg white-2 Or Veg Sandwich [Whole wheat bread / Multigrain bread ] - 2 pieces + Sprouts- 1⁄2 cup (Avoid jam, butter, mayo and ghee) Or Skimmed milk (sugarless)-1glass + boiled channa/ green gram/ sprouts- 1cup Or Idlis (2) / Dosa (2) +green chutney /tomato chutney-1katori + Sambar -1cup (Avoid coconut / Peanut chutney) Or 1-cup of Dhaliya Upma / Vermicelli Upma / Rava Upma/ poha with vegetables added in it + skimmed curd- 1⁄2 cup +++ Tea ( 1⁄2 tsp sugar) 3. Mid Morning: Fruit- 1 number ( In case of cut fruits take I cup) 4. Lunch: Salad-1 cup Dal / legumes or Non –veg ( maximum thrice a week )– 1⁄2 cup Phulkas - 2 no / Boiled rice – 1 cup / Phulka-1 + Rice -1⁄2 cup Skimmed Curd / Buttermilk- 1katori / 1glass 5. EVENING SNACK: Green tea (sugarless) / Tea ( 1⁄2 tsp sugar) -1glass High fiber biscuit-2 6. Late Evening: Tender coconut water / Lime juice (sugarless) / Clear vegetable soup-1glass / 1cup 7. Dinner: Salad-1 cup Phulkas- 2 Vegetable sabji – ½ cup Skimmed buttermilk - 1glass (Avoid non veg for dinner) • Fat Alert - Limit the intake of the saturated fats like ghee, cream and butter. Include the healthy fats like vegetable oils in the diet. Restrict the fat intake to 3-4tsp. per day and avoid the deep-fried preparations. Cream and butter preparations, like puffs, cakes and cookies are also to be avoided. Nuts and Dry fruits may be included in the diet, while keeping a check on their quantities. Choose from the leaner portions of non-veg. Avoid egg yolk, use the white portion only. Red meats and organ meats are rich in saturated and Trans fats, therefore best avoided. Avoid: Butter, Cream sauce, Hydrogenated fat, Cocoa butter, Coconut fat, pure Ghee, processed cheese and cream and other commercially baked food items. Choose: Olive oil, Canola oil, Margarine that's free of trans fats and Vegetable Oils • Include Whole grains and pulses – like wheat, Bajra, Ragi etc. Do not sieve the flour while preparing the dough. Include oats, broken wheat and muesli in the diet. Make way for a variety of legumes and pulses, to ensure sufficient protein supply. • Watch the sodium- taking excessive sodium increases the risk of elevated blood pressure. Foods that contain salt and sodium based preservatives should be avoided. Consider the following:  Read the labels to check the sodium content of the food item.  Stop adding table salt in the food.  Avoid salted salads, pickles and papads.  Packaged and preserved foods have the sodium based preservatives. The intake of these should be avoided as far as possible.  Avoid taking the ready to eat snacks. These are generally from bakery, and thus contain sodium. Best food to maintain liver health includes:  Raw vegetables and fruits.  Cruciferous vegetable like, broccoli, cabbage, Brussels sprouts and cauliflower  All dark green leafy vegetables.  Variety of sprouts and other protein sources. Especially if you do some heavy activity.  Seeds like flax seeds, sunflower and sesame seeds. These can be added to the salads.  Consume plenty of water and include nonalcoholic drinks in your routine.  Take smaller but regularly placed meals through the day.  Avoid: Deep fried and other fatty foods, foods made with hydrogenated fat, excess of packed and preserved foods, diet foods and artificial sweetener. Start regular exercises, brisk walk for 45 min is considered ideal for weight loss. You may start with 15 min and gradually add 2-4 minutes every day to reach 45 minutes. Try sit ups and abdominal crunches to tone up the abdominal muscles. It is important to be active as much as possible. And maintain at-least 250 minutes of activity / exercise in a week. Also make small lifestyle modifications like, eating food on time, avoiding activities like reading and watching TV while eating. Also, it is important to avoid unnecessary visits to restaurant and supermarkets. Sleeping on time and taking sufficient sleep helps in maintaining the metabolic rate. Remember that weight loss is a slow process and requires patience with focus. Set realistic goals and work towards achieving them. If you wish to get a detailed diet consultation and plan , kindly opt for "Ask A Dietitian" service through our website. Meenakshi