Carbohydrates help you release energy to burn fat: Pooja Makhija

I joined a gym in January as part of my new year resolution to stay fit. I am 5’1” and weigh 54 kg. My ideal weight is 48 kg. I run the treadmill, do some functional workouts and lift small weights. I work out five days a week. What and when should I eat to supplement my fitness regime?
—Neha Chawla

Start your day right with a wholesome breakfast — a healthy mix of carbohydrates, fibre, proteins, and healthy fats — to kickstart your metabolism. Oatmeal, dalhia, egg whites, cereal, and poha are good options. Ensure that your body is fueled through the day so you stay energised and lose fat instead of muscle when you workout. Starvation causes the body to switch into survival mode and draw energy from muscles instead of fat. This loss in muscle mass eventually slows down your metabolism; making it harder for you to lose weight.

Also, carbohydrates are the key. Contrary to popular belief, they don’t make you fat but instead help you release energy to burn off the fat. Include bread, pasta, rice, beans, peas, veggies, and fruits like apples and strawberries in your diet to get a healthy heap of essential carbs along with vitamins and minerals. Protein-rich foods like eggs, fish, chicken, paneer, dals, yoghurt, and quinoa will help you restore muscle balance and carry adequate oxygen to your muscles so you get all the nutrients from the food you eat. Drink plenty of water – sweating it out in the gym will lead to loss of water and dehydration. An adjusted new lifestyle with good eating habits, supplemented with the essential exercise is the best route to attain the new healthy body and weight you are looking for and to sustain it too. Keep at it!

It’s said that the metabolic rate is the highest in the mornings. I have a sweet tooth. Can I eat muffins, pancakes, and waffles for breakfast? Nutella and cheese spreads are my other weaknesses. Is it best to eat them in the morning and have the rest of the day to burn it off?
—Shristi Parekh

It is important that first we understand what is metabolism. It is the process by which your body converts what you eat and drink into energy. Energy is required to perform all bodily functions such as breathing, digestion. Other than the body’s basic needs, the energy used to carry out every physical activity adds to this pool of calorie burn and thus increases your metabolism. The time of the day does not dictate when the rate is at its highest, the level of physical activity does. Having said that, yes most of us are most active in the first half of the day and thus our calorie burn will be highest then. If you are looking for a cheat window, your metabolic rate is highest when you’re exercising and immediately thereafter. This could be a time to peck a little on that food that you so badly crave. I say ‘peck’ because it wouldn’t be wise to wash out all your effort, sweat and toil at the gym with that giant upsized muffin, doughnut or Nutella jar. Always remember that every calorie ‘in’ has to have an equivalent calorie ‘out’ (irrespective of the time of the day) else these find pockets in body and soon we find a cupboard of fat that we don’t like.

Pooja Makhija
Consulting Nutritionist and Clinical Dietitian

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Mail your queries at: dnahealthpage@gmail.com; you can contact Pooja at: pooja@nourishgenie.com