[Amrik Singh]

If overeating is the root cause of obesity, I would congratulate the public of India to attain the status from being hungry to belly full.
If sitting idle and not doing any physical activity causes obesity, kudos to Indians for getting lazier.
I never stepped in any Gym, yet at 70 now, I used to be around 72 kg/163 cm. Means, on the higher side of BMI.
Though not strictly vegetarian as my wife is, the diet at home is vegetarian. I would go for non-veg whenever at parties. Some months before, I had a bit more of it and I was hit by obesity and on Lipid profiles.
Immediately resorted to simple diet and my hobby of walking. In a month, I was walking 10 km in 1 hour 45 minutes besides other chores.
By April, I was OK on Lipids and dropped to 67 kg. Though stlll tipping a bit high on BMI, I am feeling much better.

[Nikhil Beke]

We do need to remember
1. Initial weight loss will be very rapid, as it's mostly water loss.
2. If one tries to lose the weight just by eating less of what one has been eating (e.g. caloric restriction/ fasting/ eating only fibrous veggies etc), it would definitely lead to weight loss, but a large part of it would be inevitably lean tissue loss (muscle loss)- and it would further complicate the matters- something one doesn't want at an advanced age as 1. It plays foul with overall metabolism, muscle being a very important metabolic organ 2. It would be relatively very difficult to recoup and 3. it would likely lead to rebound weight gain as one loses the motivation. So if one does choose to lose weight, it can't be indiscriminate but requires a science backed plan.
3. The latter involves a diet with higher protein percentage (without necessarily increasing ones daily protein intake significantly) and a structured exercise programme that involves resistance exercise, not just cardio e.g. walking.
May I suggest:
1.https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/...at-loss-habits
2. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/...ke-the-animals
3. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/...98-the-pe-diet

[Raghu2284]

In 2012, we conducted a clinical study on a newly developed drug, which has since become a blockbuster in the United States and globally over the past couple of years. This study significantly expanded our understanding of obesity, a condition we had already identified as a precursor to various other lifestyle diseases.

Initially, our efforts resulted in a modest weight reduction of approximately 9% in patients in India, whereas the global weight reduction was about 12%.

Despite these encouraging outcomes, we noticed that patients frequently experienced weight relapse, particularly during festive periods and holidays. This observation underscored the challenges of maintaining long-term weight loss and highlighted the influence of social and environmental factors on obesity.

The insights gained from this study have been instrumental in shaping our approach to obesity treatment and management, emphasizing the necessity for comprehensive strategies that address both the physiological and behavioral aspects of weight loss.

[Hells Bells]

Originally Posted by Mystic

Maintaining consistent BMI for decades is the key to discipline in life. My wife and myself are both Normal as per BMI calculator since marriage.

Kudos for remaining healthy. However, a reminder that BMI is no longer the metric of being fit as it does not account for imbalance in the form of visceral fat etc. The measure of health needs to more holistic than just the BMI metric.

[1.6S10]

Adding on to the enlightening points above from Raghu, weight loss/gain is not just about attaining your ideal weight by whatever means, and being done with it. However difficult it is, it's just half the battle won. The rest of the battle, most certainly more difficult, is maintaining that state. It's a lifestyle that needs to be adhered to lifelong.

Of course, that does not mean completely cutting out carbs/sugars/junk food, etc. As much as I consider myself to be an avid fitness enthusiast, I just have to indulge in these treats sometimes (keyword - sometimes). And I see no wrong in that! As they say, everything in moderation. The first image below also illustrates my typical weekly cheat day

Next, motivation can play an immense role in providing that little spark to ignite that raging fire, but discipline is what keeps that fire burning. Brilliantly illustrated in the second image below.

In one's fitness journey (and applies to life, in general), one WILL have bad days. It's simply inevitable. There WILL be times when you feel like you've taken two (or even more) steps back. And that's fine, too! It is persistence that will keep you afloat and keep you going.

Of course, I'll be the first to admit it's all easier said than done. In fact, I think it's practically impossible to consistently have moderation, discipline, persistence, etc. But one must try their best. In any case, if it were easy, where's the fun in that, eh?

Sorry, I don't mean to come across as preachy; just sharing what seems to work for me. Your mileage may vary!

[notme]

At the age of 35, due to daily heavy partying, socializing, and a sedentary lifestyle, my weight nearly reached 100 kg.

A medical checkup for persistent tiredness revealed I had an advanced stage of fatty liver.

The doctor warned me that if I didn’t change my habits, I’d need to start counting my remaining years.

That moment became a turning point, I immediately gave up alcohol and non-vegetarian food.

I joined a classical yoga institute and committed to a disciplined routine.

Within 6 months, I reduced my weight to 85 kg.

For the past 15 years, I’ve maintained my weight below 80 kg, most of it being bone weight.

My daily routine includes:

Only 2 meals a day.

No food after sunset.

Fasting every Saturday.

One hour of yoga every day.

[hisham2k9]

Originally Posted by Mystic

I proudly tell my colleagues that I don’t eat non vegetarian food, donot smoke and has never consumed alcohol in my life. I would live for 5 years more than others. The question is why live more years if one does not enjoy life with alcohol, smoke and non veg food? (This is the legacy I inherited from my father). Being a strict vegetarian without even eggs is not easy especially for a person who is travelling abroad for the last 6 decades since as a child with my father. But somehow, we all survived and luckily it is becoming easy these days of vegan getting popular abroad for whatever reasons (The sensitivity is being respected these days when vegetarian Pizza is being cut by a knife not used for non vegetarian pizzas).

I agree with you on a lot of things. However, I have long moved away from the insistance on "veg" (even no eggs!!!). I, for one, somehow, love only veg and have found it very difficult myself to maintain healthy in terms of keeping healthy level of muscle mass. When it comes to protein, nothing in vegeterian beats the likes of chicken or egg.

Nutrition depends a lot more on having whole foods and avoiding processed food to a large extend. Infact, being purely vegetarian, and with no other protein sources to match the requirements of my body weight have lead to overdoing of carbs.

I believe, our country being a diabetes capital has a lot to do with having minimal amount of protein (read non veg) in our regular diet( plus a lot of carbs) .

I am not an expert on nutrition. But from what i have lesrned so far, Diet plays a fundamental role in maintaining a healthy lifestyle. "You cannot outrun a bad diet", they say. And the good diets are not usually pure vegetarian which is primarily just carbs.

Depending on your lifestyle, keeping a healthy ratio of carbs, protein and fat is neccessary.

[antz.bin]

I was well on my path to lifelong obesity if not for the learnings from https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/shift...ss-thread.html (The Weight Loss Thread)

Thanks to the knowledge gained here, at least I have the know-how to avoid becoming part of the obese 33%. Though becoming part of the fit 33% will take more efforts than what I have been taking.

[amitoj]

Originally Posted by laxmin

Indians are so different from Westerners and we have this issue of being Skinny Fat.

You will see a lot of middle aged Indians, particularly Men with thin legs and hands, almost no buttocks, but a jutting pauch.

That is an unhealthy body shape overall compared to an overall obese person.

Why? because of Visceral Fat.

Let's not single out Indians here as I see Americans exhibiting similar symptoms as well. It is rare to spot any middle aged man here, regardless of race, without a tummy. There's a reason why Dad Bod t shirts are in huge demand. And I am in the New England region where people are relatively more physically active.

Also, you are confusing belly fat with visceral fat. Visceral fat does not show up outwardly and can be detected only through scans like Dexa Scans. But I agree that neither fat is good, however belly fat does not indicate visceral fat.

Originally Posted by Mystic

We are strict vegetarians.

Being a strict vegetarian without even eggs is not easy especially for a person who is travelling abroad for the last 6 decades since as a child with my father. But somehow, we all survived and luckily it is becoming easy these days of vegan getting popular abroad for whatever reasons (The sensitivity is being respected these days when vegetarian Pizza is being cut by a knife not used for non vegetarian pizzas).

You are right that there are now more vegan options although still as an aside. Many restaurants simply remove the meat and/or dairy component from the dish and call it vegan. Very few actually substitute the meat/dairy elements with plant based options.

Originally Posted by Hells Bells

Kudos for remaining healthy. However, a reminder that BMI is no longer the metric of being fit as it does not account for imbalance in the form of visceral fat etc. The measure of health needs to more holistic than just the BMI metric.

Agreed that it is not very accurate but BMI is still a pretty good, cheap and easily available measure that works for a vast majority of the population. In the absence of any other measure, BMI can still provide valuable information, specially if it shows you being deep into the overweight category and you are not jacked up like Schwarzenegger.