Weight loss Series- Woeful weight-based musings of a 'happy go lucky' Indian

 Chapter 2: Food habits- Before Diet Plan

The dietician sends a form with multiple questions which needs to be filled out with answers that reflect your current eating pattern. I remembered my exam days when I first saw it. So many questions that awaited my answers! Geez! No multiple choice questions. Just subjective ones. It's akin to baring your soul to a stranger. Eating is such a private activity if you think about it. You have your likes and dislikes and it's not similar to anyone else's habits. It's unique to you. Don't want to go on musing on this part for long. 

Sharing the main queries that was in the form.

1) Medical History- ( if any): Diabetes/ BP/ Thyroid. Any recent episode of malaria/ jaundice / surgery

Response: Doesn't it make you nervous when this question comes up on doc's forms? I don't get some of the titles on the medical form for diseases. Guess I am thankful that I don't recognize them. My answer here was limited to just my BP condition as it was borderline figures at that point of time. 

2) Current Problems: Acidity/ Hairfall/ constipation/ heart burn/ indigestion/ Allergies/irregular MC(for female)

Response: I proudly announced that I had a shrimp allergy. It made me feel good for some reason. If you can't eat something, flaunt it.😁 I also whined a bit about the Carpel Tunnel issue that I was facing. That's an occupational hazard as I have to type a lot as part of my work responsibilities. 

3) Treatment Undertaken: herbal/ allopathic/medicines/ vitamin supplements( pl. give name of medicine)

Response: With god's grace, that got a 'none' response from my end

4) Exercise Regime: what kind of exercise and which time of the day you do it, duration :

Response: I kind of twisted the words to indicate that my exercise patterns were seasonal. So in winter, I am not into walking but come summer, I'd walk around 2.5 miles. Guess I felt like that student who didn't want to admit his mistake but twisted it to give it a more positive vibe. Sigh!😓

5) Food Preference: Vegetarian/Jain/ Ovo-vegetarian/ Mixed  Diet

Response: This one was easy. I am an occasional meat eater. 

6) Food Allergies/Aversions/ Cravings: if any- 

Response:  I didn't' want to sound like a glutton here. But I honestly mentioned my cravings for ice-cream and French fries. 

7) Daily Diet

Response: This was a tough one! I had to give specifics. Now she'll know exactly as to how much I am stuffing on a daily basis. Oh well! I decided to be honest in this area and gave her my list. 

Dairy Products: milk/ curd/paneer- Daily.  I have low fat yoghurt with my meals. Either I make it thinner with water or I make 'khadi' with it. I drink a cup of milk occasionally. My milk intake daily is mostly adding a small quantity to my coffee. I use 1% fat-based milk here. 

Tea/ coffee/ other beverages: I drink 2 mugs of coffee everyday. One in the morning and one in the evening

Meat/ Eggs/ Fish: Occasionally. I don’t cook red meat. I eat mutton only when I go out for dinner and it's occasional craving. Mostly fish & chicken. I eat an egg daily. 

Fruits: I eat a banana in the morning. I also like apples and sometimes I snack on them at night when I get a bit hungry

Nuts & Dry Fruits: I eat some nuts in the morning once I get up. Mostly almonds and raisins. If no nuts, I eat 2 Glucose biscuits or 2-3 small Rava (Semolina) rusks. 

oil & high fat foods( how much oil & ghee is being consumed per month for family ) – I use olive oil or coconut oil. I use 2-3 tbsp of oil when I do stir fry veggies. Ghee is used rarely. Normally for tempering.  

8) How many members in family

Response: This was an easy answer to provide. 

9) Sweets / Ready to eat/ Beverages:( eg.cakes, cookies, biscuits, sev, bhujia,soft drinks, juices, liquor)

I don’t drink soda. 

Cakes- very very rarely. Not fond of cakes 

Cookies- No. I do eat an Indian glucose biscuit and Marie digestive biscuits once in a while

Sev ( a fried lentil mix):  If in mixture, I do have but it’s not a habit

Juices- not really

Liquor- Occasional. I drink white wine or red, sometimes Vodka with Orange juice.

Water Intake( glasses or liters)- 3-4 glasses. I forget to drink more water. 

Eating Out/ Junk Foods- Occasionally & only when I go out with friends. I try to avoid junk food as much as possible. Not fond of pizzas and burgers.

10) Usual Daily Diet ( items & amount): please mention timings of the meals & general menu which it consist of

1.Breakfast

By around 8 am, I eat some nuts and drink a cup of coffee. Sometimes I eat 2 glucose biscuits and 1 Marie biscuit with coffee. I put jaggery in my coffee to sweeten it a bit. I stopped using sugar around 2 months back. I melt jaggery and use that for my coffee. At around 10 am, I eat a banana

2.Lunch

I am into Indian food mostly. I cook. Lunch is mostly at 11.30-12 pm, unless hindered by work schedule. But by 1 pm, I normally finish my lunch. Mostly rice, lentils daal and sautéed veggies. Sometimes I have chicken which I put in an air fryer. Sometimes chicken curry. If no time, I eat an egg and 2 roti or I eat a whole wheat/grain bread sandwich with deli meat (chicken) a slice of cheese and tomato. Brush some mayo and mustard sauce on the bread. If still hungry, I also have a bowl of organic low sodium tomato soup. 

3.Evening snacks

I drink coffee by around 3 pm. Snacks is depending on mood. I may have some multigrain crackers or some frozen Indian Keralite food like stuffed pancake or whatever I can find at home. 

4.Dinner

I have dinner after work by around 5.45-6 pm. It can be some Indian type of breakfast item. Mostly dosa, upma, rotis etc. If I have eaten rice once, I don’t eat it again for the next meal.

5.Any mid meals/ tea/ coffee/ munching:

I munch once in a while depending on my mood. Mostly Indian mixture or multigrain crackers, sometimes 2 glucose biscuits and 1 Marie biscuit. At night, I sometimes snack on a apple slice or two if I get hungry by 9 pm. Sometimes I drink a glass of milk. If really hungry, I do go heat some rice and curry in a bowl and eat that. 

Form ends here

Now the next step is to await the diet plan that I needed to follow for controlling the weight gain in the last two years. I think Covid also had a role to play in weight gain. The lifestyle was more sedentary and comfort was found in food that cheered up your mood. It was so depressing to look out of the window and see no one walking on the streets. The climate was also dreary and cold. Summer came and went without any hoopla. It's the Covid to blame. Not me or my eating. Ha! 😜

When you start listing the food that you consume on a daily basis, it really does seem like a lot. Maybe some of it can be avoided. But not consuming food items in the fear of carbs, sugar etc. also may not be the right approach. I believe that all food items can be eaten in moderation. You don't have to always eat a salad. Sometimes a slice of bread also helps to reduce the cravings. But each to himself! We should always follow practices that we can keep doing consistently! Again, not a medical advice. Private musings of an ordinary individual. 

Next chapter is where I'll share the plan that I needed to follow.