Eating out

I have started working since a year and have to eat out in restaurants 3 times a day and I am gaining weight. I mostly eat butter paneer and other such stuff because nothing else is available. Can you suggest what to do to control my weight?

Weight control or weight reduction is all about making correct and healthy choices with your food. Butter paneer is one of the most fattening things you can eat so here are some suggestions for those eating out of restaurants.

Breakfast is best eaten in a South Indian restaurant and you could order idli or set dosa and sambar. Do not touch coconut chutney if you want to lose weight. Rava items are heavy in calories so avoid. Masala dosa and poori are too oily so avoid this too. Also buying some cornflakes and skimmed milk powder and keeping it in your room and eating it for breakfast is a good idea. Put 1 cup of flakes in a bowl, add 2 tablespoons of milk powder to it, 1 teaspoon of sugar and pour 1 cup hot water on to this and your breakfast is ready. So you can avoid the restaurant at least once a day. Eat a fruit like an apple or orange at 11a.m so that you are not too hungry by lunchtime.

At lunch you may eat a South Indian meal of rice, sambar, rasam, curds and vegetables. Avoid the ghee, fried papad, vada, pickle, sweet and payasam that may be served with the meal. If North Indian, order Tandoori roti, dhal, dry sabji, curd and salad. If you are in a Continental restaurant, Pasta, vegetables, some beans like chickpeas, double beans, or sprouts, with a vegetable soup and plenty of salad is the ideal choice (avoid cheese). You may have tea/coffee at 4p.m and at 6 p.m. try to have a fruit or fruit juice, but not tiffin items like bajji, vada, masala dosa or chaat etc. at tea time. At tea time if you feel like eating something it is best to have a couple of biscuits like Marie or Digestive or a veg sandwich.

For dinner I would suggest you avoid rice and order the Tandoori roti or phulka (dry chapathi), dhal and a raita. Avoid the vegetable sabji or pallya at night and do a veg.soup before the meal instead. The sabji vegetable is usually oily and oily food gets stored as fat while you sleep at night. Please avoid sweets and desserts after your meals. Fruit juices and fruit salads are good choices for an in between meal snack as well as desserts after a meal. Cold coffee and milk shakes should be avoided as a lot of cream is added to it. Regular coffee and tea are allowed 2-3 cups in a day (not more).

If you are a non-vegetarian you may eat a chicken or fish with your lunch. This should not be deep fried. Try to order a chicken/fish curry and eat only the pieces along with roti and dhal. Avoid the gravy as gravies contain a lot of fat. You may also order Tandoori chicken/fish. Those trying to lose weight must strictly avoid eating the non-veg at night as if takes 4-8 hours get digested and will be stored as fat while you sleep.