Was recently loafing at Odyssey book store, when I happened to come across this diet book displayed very prominently amongst the Bestsellers section.
I have been on a weight plateau recently (neither gaining nor losing), and thinking that may be I could try out a diet. This is a new experience for me, because I have never dieted in my entire life. I have always managed to maintain a good physique solely through exercise alone.
But time and a kid has caught up with me too and hence the need to browse through diet books 🙁 .
Two reasons why this book caught my attention:
- The writer Rujuta Diwekar is the nutritionist behind Kareena Kapoor’s (size zero) diet. And so, there is living proof that this diet might actually work.
- Just by glancing through the book, you can make out that she is not advocating a diet of salad greens, and moong sprouts.
She gives you detailed eating guidelines without giving you written-in-stone rules such as “no chocolate”. Instead, she urges people to track their nutrition not their calories. For example, eating peanuts is not a bad thing, because it is also very nutritious. However, we should reduce our consumption of empty calories such as colas, and coffee/tea, alcohol, and so on. Also, if you must really eat something very high in calories, do it in the morning. This is the time the body’s metabolism and digestion is at it’s highest.
Summary of the general eating guidelines
- Eat something (a fruit is ideal) within 10 minutes of getting up in the morning.
- Eat your breakfast within one hour (preferably something freshly made such as idli/dosa/upma rather than cereals)
- Eat small quantities of food every 2 hours (something like a cup of dahi, some sprouts, some salad, some nuts, even a sweet if you want)
- Eat your dinner around sunset (ideal) or at most by 7-8 and keep a gap of 2 hours between your dinner and your sleep-time. Your dinner should be very light, and easy to digest.
- Eat slowly. Don’t gulp down your food. When you are eating, focus only on eating, and not checking email or watching TV.
- Eat fresh food rather than instant or frozen foods, as their nutrition levels are lower.
Sounds pretty simple, isn’t it?
The reason why she advocates eating every 2 hours is, that it keeps the body metabolism and energy levels high. And so, you are not starving at the end of the day, and then end up eating everything in sight.
Some Challenges I foresee
- One of the toughest parts of this diet is not being able to have tea/coffee as soon as you get up in the morning. As per Rujuta, this is a complete no-no. I am a complete tea freak, not just morning, I drink tea throughout the day. I tried breaking out my standard pattern yesterday, and pretty surprised to find out that I did not have any withdrawal symptoms (at least physically). But suddenly, just before bed-time, without knowing what I was doing, I had made a cuppa and gulped it down :(. Anyway, I think one cup of tea is more than ok and a big improvement from 6-7 cups a day.
- Not eating a heavy meal at dinner-time will definitely be a challenge. Yesterday, stuffed myself with delicious pasta, even after following this eating pattern all day.
- Difficult to control cravings so that you only eat in the morning. Just goes against everything I have been about food. Who eats puff or chocolate in the mornings? This is something she strongly advocates though, and it means a certain amount of planning and forethought. Whatever happens, the majority of calorie consumption should be in the morning, particularly for me as I also exercise in the morning.
- Making sure that I snack in small quantities. Portion control is very important here.
However, all things said and done, the diet advice seems a lot more practical than any I have heard lately. So, let’s give it a sincere shot and see what happens…easy is one thing, effective is another…
Will keep you posted if the results are good.
Note: This book is extremely local in nature. The foods described are all Indian foods, and the language used is full of desi (Indian) slang. Some sections of the book where she describes some bodily functions are pretty gross. So watch out for that.
Anyone who knows about health and nutrition. What do you think? Does this sound like a reasonable eating plan?
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I blog frequently and I truly thank you for your information. Your article has truly peaked my interest. I will book mark your blog and keep checking for new information about once a week. I opted in for your RSS feed too.
At this moment I am going away to do my breakfast, once
having my breakfast coming again to read more news.
Ok! Now you have got me curious – having a kid has caught up with me too…. 🙂 I will see if I can try this out as I don’t seem to have even a minute for any kinda exercise!! 🙁
@SRS: even I need to follow this program. Every monday, I tell myself I will start this week, and every week, something gets in the way.
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hi
i know this blog last was in 2009, i am wondering how is your dieting now? quit or carry on and how much have you lost so far?
@neelam: Thanks for visiting and commenting. Yes, I lost a lot of weight on this diet. I didn’t really keep it up for more than a year after that as I had a second child 🙂
is it fine if i take proteinex post work out?m realy confused bout which protein should i take post work out.pls suggest me ASAP.thanks in advance
@shreya: sure, you can take protinex post workout. Any kind of protein will do in fact. If you don’t like protinex, eat two egg whites after exercise, that will also do the trick.
but then rujuta asks us to eat about 4 – 5 egg whites!!
I found wearing proper fitness accessories like
good sports bra and heart rate monitor is essential for runners who want to lose weight.
What is the best weight gaining powder under rs.1200? I want to put on some weight quicky
I do not know why everybody is after size zero. Is it really sexy or healthy?
@arindam: Nobody here is really after size 0, just want to be the best we can be 🙂
Hi Nish,
I dont understand how whey protein is better than soy protein. Any protein powder if, is able to give all 9 essential amino acids and has a protein digestibility corrected amino acid score as 1, is the best of all. And the only protein powder which does all this and has a combination of soya, milk and whey is Nutrilite Protein Powder. If you have used any other protein powder than this,than it would not have worked for you. Try this one and you will not have any of the complaints which you have mentioned
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i gain more weight on my legs or on thigh so what should i do
To lose weight on the lower body, you could try jogging. It is a very effective exercise, and you get results very quickly. See this post I wrote that will help you get started:
http://nishitak.com/2009/06/29/treadmill-walkers-this-post-is-for-you/
Thanks for visiting and commenting. All the best in your weight loss efforts 🙂
Hey Guys,
I started off with Rujuta’s diet plan and I had found quite interesting. Biggest challenge for me was to stop using white rice and switch to brown rice, roti/chapathi and whole wheat bread. It took me a week for my body to adjust to eating early dinners and morning fruit. Iam somehow not able to fit my exercise into my routine. I was thinking, first let me get some discipline into my habits and then think about spending for aerobics/gym.
Initially when I had started off, splitting my lunch b/w 11:30 and 1:30 was ok, but I dont know what to have at 3:30pm and 5:30pm. I started off with Soya Milk and whole wheat sandwiches, but I found myself really hungry when I go back home at 7:30…this time I have brown rice. So far so good… I really want to know where I can find Whey protein and Flax seeds in Hyderabad.
Any suggestions is much welcome, Iam 5′ 8” and may weigh arnd 78 and I badly wanna reduce by 10-12 kgs (12 kgs is ideal for me) 🙂
Sowmya
Sowmya, do you have Reliance Wellness in Hyde? they will definitely stock the whey protein. Some chemists also have it.
As for flax seeds, you should get them in any grocery (not Foodworld), but any other normal kiraana store. You might probably want to ask the shopkeepers as it will not be very prominent.
All the best in your weight loss efforts 🙂
heyy
thanx a lot for all your tips.. But i had a few doubts… when you say have dinner by 7-730 p.m are we not supposed to eat anything at all till bed time. According to my lifestyle i usually sleep around 12.30 am. So i feel that 7.30 is too early to stop eating. My stomach growls and desperate to grab some sweet. I recently started to goto the gym..trying for atleast 4 days in a week. Another doubt was can i have badam or pistachio as a snack, but in how much quantity? Is there anything other than whey protiens or other shakes?..Some homemade juices as soon as we finish workout??….waiting for your suggestions.
Regards
If you have such late hours, then you could accommodate your diet accordingly, I guess…I am no expert on this.
There should be at least 2 hours gap between your last meal and your bedtime. Based on that, you could modify your diet.
However, the book strictly recommends an early to bed-early to rise lifestyle. But, of course, that is not possible for all!
All the best 🙂
Thanks a lot for this informative article Namitha.
Thank you very much, and btw, the name is Nishita 🙂
Hi Nish,
I read your blog on Rujuta’s diet plan. I am sure the age factor plays an important role in weight loss. In the gym here, I do a combination of exercises (which includes 15 – 20 minutes of treadmill), meaning, weights and ab workouts. I do this on an empty stomach and by the time I return it’s too late for breakfast, so, I just manage a few biscuits, preferably, Marie. Lunch is usually 3 chapathis with veggies. Teatime again with biscuits or some south indian snacks, like, Murukku, etc. Dinner is, perhaps, upma or idlis or dosas (4 idlis or 2 dosas).
I start the mornings with a mug of warm water laced with lemon juice (like you). After abt half an hour, a glass of coffee.
Do you think, at my age, this kind of comination of diet and exercise is going to help? Pls let me know. I wok out 5 days a week.
From what the diet plan suggests, you should not work out on an empty stomch. Eat a piece of fruit before workout. And eat some protein-rich food immediately after workout.
Everything else sounds ok, I think 🙂
well, i have to say i’m not in agreement with these conclusions, but i like your viewpoint. this subject has too many variables and false info in the market that i do not know what to believe. i guess it’s a matter of being informed. buy acai
hmm dat sounds good..thanks again
hey Nish,
even i am following this kind of diet..every 2 hrs having something..but after havin my fruit nd den breakfast i hav a soy milk at 11..but i feel sooooo hungry that ia m starved till lunch nd get a headache.before i used to hav my breakfast at 9 nd den lunch at 1 nd used to fine.
y do u think its happening..zyada khanay se zyada bhukh lag rahi hai 🙁
Hi Mini,
Maybe you can replace the soya milk with something else. Probably, it is not satisfying enough for you. Why don’t you try a nutrition bar or even a small sandwich, or peanuts?
Then, you may not be that hungry by lunch-time.
hey
how do we check our fat loss percentage?
The folks in the gym do it for me. They have a pincers, which they use to find out fat-inches, and this they convert into a fat percentage.
OK. Whatever suits you. I just had to share the information I had, and I did. I guess it wasn’t appreciated so won’t in the future.
Good luck with it!
-Namita
Hey, don’t take it in any wrong way…I always appreciate feedback and help. We all need to be there for each other, right?
I really am very worried about soya in foods (once in a while Chinese is fine), but taking it on a daily basis has proved very detrimental for me in the past.
If you know of any protein supplements that don’t contain soya, do let me know.
I have heard of something called Threptin biscuits, but yet need to check it out.
And again, no offense meant…
Hi Nish,
Super news. 3 kilos in two weeks is amazing!
I’d like to let you of something very important though. Spinning class and weight training are using a lot of muscles and trust me you need to have whey protein within 10 minutes of your workout to recover them. Over the time you’ll see that you are loosing muscles and not fat, so to prevent that and get a toned body you must have the whey protein.
You can google and read various articles on the goodness of having whey protein post workout. You have to have it with a small piece of fruit, ideally half a banana to dissolve it well in your body.
I just thought I’ll let you know as its critical.
Keep up the good work!
-Namita
The problem with whey protein is that most of these protein shakes contain soya in some form or the other (such as lecithin). I get very adverse reactions from soya, and so I am very hesitant to try out any of these drinks.
Mostly, I try to get my protein from food, eating a lot of dal, rajma, channa, egg, and so on. So far, it is working well. At the gym, I keep checking my fat loss percentage, and it is coming down, so for now, I don’t want to change anything in my routine.
Hi Nish,
can u help me with ur diet schedule…gud to know ur loosing wieght…3 kgs in how much time?
Hi Mini,
I have lost 3 kg in 2 weeks time. Have to admit that I am killing myself exercising, and it is probably a combination of the 2. My exercise routine is spinning classes 3 days a week for the cardio and weights 3 days a week, sunday is rest day 🙂
I am not doing anything massively different from the rest of you guys:
6 am: Fruit (either banana or mango)
Workout
8 am : Cereal
10 am : 1 block of cheese
12pm: Lunch (rice and veggies)
2pm: Buttermilk
4pm: Cucumber slices
6pm: Biscuits/nutrition bar/dahi
8pm: 2 rotis with sabzi
Hope this helps…
Let me know how you get on. All the best with the weight loss 🙂
Hi Mini,
Forgot to mention that I am not having any protein supplements. So far it is working out fine for me. Will wait and see if I actually need it.
hi nish..
can u suggest any other time for workout in between , as i have no time in the morning for a workout. n then i get confused when to excersise becoz of the 2 hour meals.
Nish,
Well done on your 1kilo weight loss – that’s a great start!
You have a great blog going on here – I woder, have you read ‘The Power Of Now’ by Eckhart Tolle? If not, I highly recommend it!
Have a great week – and keep up the great work.
Iain
Thank you…the weight loss is almost 3kilos now, and I am really happy. What is ‘The Power Of Now’ about? Will definitely give it a try, if I see it in the library.
Thanks much for visiting 🙂
what is the link to Rujuta’s blog? m planning to read this book today and follow it as well.hope it works for me also.
Mini, I only have the link to http://mumbaiyummymummy.wordpress.com. This is a blog written by one of Rujuta’s clients. Read the comments for all her blog posts. Some of them are very informative.
All the best in your efforts 🙂 let me know how you fare…
That’s super news!
Good luck – since you’ve lost that kilo, it will go a long way in encouraging you to keep doing more and keep sharing the good news here.
I will be on this diet come monday. I have exams right now and during exams I just can’t diet. I need to binge in order to focus – dumb connection, i know!
I comment on the other blog of Rujuta’s very frequently – that’s where I got to know about your blog from your comment.
Hopefully I get to share some good news with you in a couple of weeks..
Till then keep up the good work!
-Namita
Yeah, that overeating happens because of stress. I do that too when facing project deadlines.
Just make sure you don\’t continue the overeating pattern after the exams.
Wish you all the best in your exams as well as your weight-loss efforts.
Let me know how you fare …
Hi Nishita,
Your blog reads well. I like it.
Are you still following Rujuta’s diet ? How are you going with it ? Are u able to keep up ? Share the news, girl!
You’ve missed to mention an important point in that book i.e. exercise. This diet will only work if its coupled with exercise 3-5 times a week – else, no matter what you eat you won’t subside.
Good luck with it and let us know how you’re going with it so far.
-Namita
Hi Namita,
Yeah, I started the diet last week, and so far it has been really easy to maintain (knock on wood). I have lost one kilo and I am quite happy with that.
I forgot to mention that I do exercise, I work out 6 days a week, but while I was getting stronger and gaining muscle, I was not losing weight beyond a point. I am hoping that this diet will kickstart my metabolism and help me with the last few kilos I still want to lose. And more important, keep the weight off.
Thanks for commenting. It really encourages me in my efforts at weight loss, and also blogging 😀
First timer on your blog.
Though I am no expert, but I can see how this will work. I have heard a lot of good things from people about this book. Goodluck and keep us updated!