The best starter to a practical self-help obesity reduction program is to recognize that controllable obesity reduction [-m = (-dm/dt).∆t] is a direct function of your planned food intake, aerobic activity level and time span of sustaining it. (Ref. post 21, OBESITY AND FOOD – ACCUMULATION OF THE UNUSED: PART I (UNDERSTANDING OBESITY)). Obviously, a large dm/dt and ∆t will enlarge m. This m should be derived from the envisaged reduction in BMI.  It is best to adopt this approach which is simple to understand and follow without relying on complicated dietary advice. (Ref post no. 3, HEALTH, HAPPINESS, LIFE AND FOOD (PART II) : DEFINING ‘FOOD’ AND USING IT SMARTLY.) But first a clarifier on the eternal suspects: oils and fats.

A review of the scary profile of oils and fats: They have high bio-calorific value and a well-designed, spread-out ‘dwelling’ in the body in the form of adipose tissue which, additionally, protect internal organs from shocks. They can, therefore, accumulate in a good quantity even in seemingly slim people and pack a punch as ‘stored calories’ – bulwark against occasional or accidental calamitous deprivation of calories. Also, their multifarious beneficial physiological roles cannot be ignored. (Ref post 19 : THE PHYSIOLOGICAL FUNCTIONS OF EDIBLE OILS – THEY DO A LOT FOR US WITHIN OUR BODY.)  But…..

With their limited ability to influence their own intake they can sneak in large quantities vis-a-vis energy requirement. To compound the matters, they can make food dishes and products irresistible. Obese subjects have been observed to instinctively reach out for high-fat/oily dishes from a spread. (Ref the previous post and Post 18, EDIBLE OILS HAVE MANY ROLES OUTSIDE OUR BODY – THE NON-PHYSIOLOGICAL FUNCTIONALITIES OF EDIBLE OILS). As we have seen, excessive oil/fat consumption vis a vis exercise level can lead to hyperlipidemia (high blood triglyceride and cholesterol levels) as a precursor to and indicator of obesity. PUFA oils which have been oxidatively abused (as in careless frying with refined soybean oil) can be a factor in accelerated coronary plaque formation and cancers as we will see soon.

This completes the negative picture of a food constituent that is ‘designed’ to induce obesity and heart trouble. The last metaphorical ‘nail in the coffin’ is their inefficient and slow retrieval and oxidation when aerobic activity needs them. No wonder, uninformed belief has gained ground that oils are trouble and so the less of them the better. What remains largely unnoticed is that, like everything else in life, discretion and restraint are the key. You want to use them freely without caution or restriction? Not happening.

Learn to exploit edible oils to your advantage: Not surprisingly, calories derived from oils/fats as a fraction of total calorie intake is a strong predictor of obesity. American Heart Association recommends that oil/fat-derived calories not exceed 30% of your calorie requirement which mandates that your food (and oil) intake be a function of your calorie requirement. To do that humungous open source data is available.

Our practical suggestion is to watch your BMI movement vis-a-vis your food intake and activity/exercise level and monitor both smartly for best results. Then the oil intake as a function of your calorie requirement is the next step.  Having so arrived at how much oil is best for you – both as free oil and as part of dishes/products – you can set about qualifying that quantity. We will soon post on doing that formally but, in the meanwhile, ensure that your ‘mix’ has unrefined oils and omega oils like soybean and canola. The ultimate smartness is in using these oils in cooking modes that minimize their toxicity potential; we will come to that soon.

It is known that saturated fatty acids (sfa) have different effect on food intake, oil/fat oxidation, adipose tissue build up and generation of heat for body temperature maintenance than PUFA and MUFA. But in humans, it has not been possible to conclusively show the effect of either class of fatty acids on the fat oxidation rate and hence obesity. However, palmitic acid (present in all oils but abundant in palm oil) is best minimized by ensuring that it comes in only thru your preferred oils, most of which contain this fatty acid in small quantities. Stearic acid, the most abundant saturated fatty acid in nature, is now considered innocuous in people with normal blood cholesterol profiles. A few decades back, a punchy press ad for a supposedly stearic-light oil spoofed a popular and supposedly stearic-heavy oil by showing a paunchy woman with the caption: ‘steer clear of saturated fats’!

PUFA oils carrying essential linoleic and linolenic acids, are not all sugar and spice and all things nice. Being vulnerable to oxidation – even of the atmospheric variety at room temperatures – they can carry dangerous oxidized molecules and ‘free radicals’ into the blood stream. (Ref post 16, OXYGEN, FOOD AND LIFE : PART II (THE DARK SIDE OF OXYGEN)). We will soon dive into smart use of edible oils thru: (i)  selection of matching oils for each usage like deep frying and salad dressing, (ii) practical tracking of each family member’s oil consumption quantities, (iii) ensuring the right ‘composition’ of that quantity in terms of MUFA and PUFA oils and (iv) how oxidized PUFA oils are harmful. For now, don’t allow PUFA oils (refined soybean oil, canola of high linolenic variety and mustard oil) to heat up excessively on iron plates/woks/griddles/pans as in flat dish (dosa, chille) cooking, jhonk/vaghar/tadka and deep and shallow frying.

If all this is a lot of mumbo jumbo, do this: If you are a normal adult male with a reasonable level of physical activity (reflected in a BMI not exceeding 25), limit your oil consumption to about 1.5 kgs/month – practically uniformly distributed. This is oil as free oil or fat as emptied from packs. For deviations from this profile, adjust smartly. Consult your physician if necessary. Search open sources. Include unrefined oils. Include PUFA oils at 10 to 20 % of the total. Minimize bought-out fried namkeens. Keep tracking your BMI and blood lipid and sugar profile. Simple, isn’t it?

And, for God’s sake, stay physically active. It doesn’t have to be gymming. Take stairs whenever you can. Participate in household chores. We, Trivedi’s, have not had domestic help for over ten years and I have been personally responsible for family’s clothes washing – manually – for the last 30 years. After seeing Ananya off to the USA (Ref ‘ABOUT US’) at Mumbai in August 2017 (we were awake all night), we took the immediate early morning flight back home. On reaching home, we plunged into cleaning the house, washing clothes, cooking breakfast and doing the dishes. The rest of the day was rest except for the cooking of two more meals, attendant cleaning and a short need-based trip to the market.

You have the power to keep obesity at bay; exercise it. And, yes, an occasional large serving of piping hot khichadi with two large tablespoonfuls of home-made ghee is fine; note that conventional khichadi is oil-free, so you are within your ‘budget’.  Can’t leave life unlived, can we?! Occasional limited servings of rice-ghee-salt are ok. Frequent large servings? NO!

Overall diet-centric management of obesity:

1. Growth of obesity within a human is the result of a complex interplay between his diet, physical activity level and genetic make-up; the first two interconnected and also connected with the last. The common practice of immediately zeroing on the diet as the cause or remedy of obesity is, therefore, uninformed.
2. Note the following general guidelines and implement them with constant watching of BMI, frequent blood lipid and glucose profile reports and, when confused, consult your physician.
3. Preferably build aerobic exercise into the routine. The act of putting on clothes and shoes and getting out to jog or gym has built-in resistance. I have a largish living room; I regularly brisk-walk right there. I have resistance bands which I use while watching TV or even chatting to burn calories thru bicep and forehand muscles. Another set around my knees while walking helps. I borrow my daughter’s weights often for some ‘movements’. I regularly help with household chores. I indulge in sweets, though bought-out namkeens, fafda and samosa are practically banned. Participating in my children’s professional and educational processes is my hobby. I have no diabetes; my BP stays around 140/82 – not bad at my age. My BMI has never crossed 25.

4. 

   
   

   

   
   There is no way you can live a reckless life and leave it to God to take care. Eat a good breakfast, fair lunch and light dinner, not later than 3 hours before bedtime. Minimize rice, fried stuff, salt and soda. Find ways to eat oats; we make porridges (with milk and fruit) and vegetably breakfast dishes. We have abandoned custard powder; powdered sieved oats are our regular thickeners for soups; slight graininess is better than empty calories of starch.
5. Find ways of eating season’s fruits and vegetables. We will devote an entire post to this but, for now, adopt soups, vegetable juices, stuffed paratha and varied vegetable dishes (subji) to go with roti. Our adaptation of Parsi ‘Dhanshaak’ made from multiple daals, vegetables, oil, onion, garlic, tomatoes and routine dry masala is our favorite single-dish dinner with some curd and fruit. Ditto a dish made with chickpea flour dumplings, string/cluster beans, tomatoes, oil, green and dry masala and water.
6. Never get constipated. We will devote an entire post on how it happens and how to counter it. The transition of the slurry received by the colon from the small intestine to the exit is a mind-boggling opportunity to softly, naturally and safely manipulate it with several game-changing benefits. We have developed a special powdery formulation for over 3 years based on a lifetime’s insights and been using it for about an year to delightful results. A special vegetable-based dish based on this product (ref Preeti’s profile in ‘ABOUT US’) will, some day, be the subject of a separate post.
7. ‘Nothing can happen to me’, ‘I will start food-consciousness after the current project’, ‘I have no time for exercise’ and ‘I don’t want to corrupt my mind with negative thoughts by undergoing path lab analysis or consulting a physician’ must be considered on par with smoking and drinking. Timely corrections are probably the most underrated of all preventive/curative measures.
8. If you do prefer ‘formal’ exercise, start it in consultation with your physician. Invariably go thru ‘warm up’ and ‘cool down’ routines. Never start a new way of exercising (e.g. starting to play cricket) without a physician-recommended analysis. We will soon see how ‘plaque rupture’ in the coronary artery can be precipitated by this and be life-threateningly dangerous.

Some indicative BMI-centered advice:

(Ref post 21, OBESITY AND FOOD – ACCUMULATION OF THE UNUSED: PART I (UNDERSTANDING OBESITY)).

General:

Avoid: Constipation, burnt food, excessive eating, late dinners, rhythm-less living – especially meals, smoking and excessive drinking,  excessive oil/fat intake, hydrogenated fats like vanaspati, fried bought-outs, late night fridge raids, sudden start of physical activity especially the type that you are not used to, sudden shift to heavy egg-red meat diet.

Adopt: Social relationships, hobbies, physical activities, fruits and vegetables, colon health, periodic path lab tests and physician visits, BMI tracking, home-made food, variety in daals (lentils), kathol (legumes), beans, cereals, edible oils, smart eating (meet Geeta in post 11: INDIAN CONSUMER AND PROCESSED FOODS – DIVERSITY MEETS DIVERSITY!), measured and modulated physical exercise with warm-up and cool-down routines as a BMI maintenance measure, balanced diet and cheerful, positive temperament.

 The BMI-based recommendations:

1. BMI in ‘normal’ range: Enjoy the way you are. Be preemptive against BMI increase. As you age, gradually go on reducing food and ‘added sugar’ intake and share of oil-derived calories in it; replace them with fruits, vegetables and their dishes. Increasingly weave physical activity into routine. Sharply follow path lab analyses and physician’s advice following it.
2. BMI indicating ‘overweight’: Careful but don’t panic. Watch BMI sharply. Supplement routine physical activity with formal Yoga and light exercise. Reduce share of oil/fat derived calories even further. Adopt fruits and vegetables and their dishes passionately. Make path lab analyses 6 monthly and have them interpreted. Ruthlessly reduce added sugar and salt. Keep dinners light and early.
3. BMI indicating ‘obese’: Drop everything and prioritize slimming. Limit free oil (i.e. emptied from a package oil) to 0.6 kgs per month with 20 % PUFA oils. Extreme care with use of PUFA oils. (Ref. post 16, OXYGEN, FOOD AND LIFE : PART II (THE DARK SIDE OF OXYGEN). Additional details in the following posts on disease conditions and smart use of edible oils. Emphasize fruits, vegetables and proteins. Drastically reduce added sugar and salt. Light, early dinners. Supervised daily exercise. Patient but sustained reduction in BMI. Quarterly path lab reports and follow ups. If obesity persists, explore surgical procedures recommended by a gastro-enterologist.
4. BMI indicating ‘morbidly obese’: Panic-driven action. Immediate consultation with a gastroenterologist and physician. Make BMI reduction the only priority.

Next Post:

Matters of the heart – Coronary Arterial Disease: Part I

How heart’s already tough job becomes tougher

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