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How to remain fit through a Desi diet?

CricFan2012

CricFan2012

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Since uni it's become difficult to keep in top shape because of time and budget constraints, but home now with mum doing most of the cooking and am looking to shed some pounds and build muscle.

I usually run 5 kms everyday for 30 mins and spend 15 mins on weights, looking to consume no more than 1600 calories a day.

I've noticed that our Desi foods like parathas, curries, and biryanis contain too much oil, and these are staple Desi foods, so it becomes increasingly hard to lose some pounds.

I have also heard that our vegetable curries are not that nutritious because it is often overcooked, is this myth or fact? Is Desi ghee actually good for you? Should one avoid parathas at all times? How many rotis is it safe to consume in one sitting?

Thank you for your time and advice :babar
 
Step 1: Learn to cook for yourself. If you remain dependent on your parents you'll get nowhere as far as fitness is concerned unless they're also into working out because generally, the older people don't know much about proper dieting.

Avoid whatever you can. It's tough when you're a South Asian because you also have to convince your parents. I have not eaten roti in god knows how long.

Secondly, if you're looking to build muscle (as you stated) then doing weights for 15 minutes only won't do you much for you.
 
Tbh I know a lot of people who are fit and in good shape despite having desi diet. If you can limit the amount of oil in it, it won't have that much affect (although far less tasty!)
 
Become a daalkhor. My doctor who was an English lady married to an Indian recommended to eat plenty of pulses like daal, but it's very boring, I don't like lentils so I didn't take this advice.
 
You can be fit and healthy on a desi diet.
Just use your own masala’s and not from packets.

Like someone said above, cook the meals yourself.
 
I like grilled food and that is generally quite healthy if you eat it with salad. So if you want a desi touch why not tandoori chicken?
 
1600 calories? Assuming you're an average height, average weight male that is quite a severe caloric deficit given your activity level. You won't be building any muscle with such few calories. And your cardio-intense routine could lead you to end up being skinny-fat.

If you want to build muscle I would suggest consuming at least maintenance-level calories and increasing your weight training (1 - 1.5 hours, 4 days a week).

Once you feel like you have put on enough muscle then lower your calories to create a deficit and you will start shedding fat.
 
Dios said:
1600 calories? Assuming you're an average height, average weight male that is quite a severe caloric deficit given your activity level. You won't be building any muscle with such few calories. And your cardio-intense routine could lead you to end up being skinny-fat.

If you want to build muscle I would suggest consuming at least maintenance-level calories and increasing your weight training (1 - 1.5 hours, 4 days a week).

Once you feel like you have put on enough muscle then lower your calories to create a deficit and you will start shedding fat.
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That’s a very very good point. 1500 calories per day with all that running etc is absolutely a no go...
 
We usually eat whole wheat rotis and parathas, but am going to start cooking properly next year.

Thanks for the advice so far. Keep them coming!
 
1. Cut down on parathas, chapatis and rice.

2. Have white meat. I eat a lot of grilled chicken (without skin) marinated in Indian spices

3. Have lots of pulses/dal

4. Have green veggies - ideally roasted or shallow fried with some spices.

5. Avoid Sweets

Some examples to mix 2 and 4. Cut chicken into thin pieces. Cut onions and pepper in long thin slices. Wok fry and add garam masala.
 
It is impossible to stay fit in a Desi diet..Because its all Carbs and gluten,which will make u bloat...
 
Not possible. Look at the diet of celebrities, they all have taken up western diets
 
Its possible...but you have to do away with all the rice and rotis.

Make your own food, and learn to love the tandoor. Its your friend, along with daal and salads.

I have grilled chicken and fish, along with some grilled marinated veg. Use hardly any oil - marinade made with hung yoghurt and a tiny bit of oil, along with fresh masalas (i.e. not pre packeted shaan). Daal is also a nice side accompaniment from time to time. Otherwise generally have with salads (with masala sprinkled over the top and raita). Kidney beans also a decent option sometimes.

Asking a desi mother to try and cook things a different way is generally a thankless task. You should try and do this yourself, and it honestly does not take long. You can pre-prepare a marinade which will last 5 days. All you have to do is rub it on the night before, and put it on the grill when you come home.

Try to mix things up though, otherwise you will get bored and crash. Easier to succeed if you don't limit yourself to desi food.
 
I make chicken Karahi and sometimes lamb karahi (both on the bone of course) a couple of times a month.
I substitute Vegetable oil with rapeseed oil which is the healthier option. Even organic butter or Ghee is better then Vegetable oil.

Fresh tomatoes, plenty of fresh ginger and garlic, onions, ground black pepper, ground coriander, ground cumin and fresh green chilly's, and as little salt as possible, are the only ingredients you need. All healthy ingredients.

Now this is where it gets tricky. You can't eat it with rice of normal bread. So I usually toast sour dough bread which digests more easily. However, recently I've been trying out out with couliflower rice. Not great but does the job and is so healthy for you.

If you cook the food yourself you can eat desi and stay healthy.
 
I just eat less desi food, a couple of times a week is enough for me, but then I want it to taste good, not healthy. My problem is, even the western food I like is unhealthy, like pizzas, chips, pastries etc. The Med foods are the best if you want to cut out the fats, grilled food tastes good, just leave out the naans or have smaller portions of rice. Not perfect, but it's not bad either. I love fish as well so am happy to eat that with veg, you don't even need rice with it.
 
Our main Carbs are roti/paratha/naan + potato + rice. Eliminate that, big boost to healthy diet.

Frequent meal, not pet bharke khaya meal. Not have heavy dinner at all cost. 30 min work out daily. In between meal have some kind of fruits or raw vegetable (could be steamed).

(And I am a hypocrite, it's very hard to follow my own advice :facepalm: )
 
[MENTION=99648]cricketworm[/MENTION] [MENTION=48620]Cpt. Rishwat[/MENTION] [MENTION=491]IMMY69[/MENTION] [MENTION=2501]Savak[/MENTION] [MENTION=134408]Sidilicious[/MENTION] [MENTION=139288]Abdul[/MENTION] [MENTION=137485]Dios[/MENTION]

How do you feel about whole wheat roti/bread and brown rice?
 
CricFan2012 said:
[MENTION=99648]cricketworm[/MENTION] [MENTION=48620]Cpt. Rishwat[/MENTION] [MENTION=491]IMMY69[/MENTION] [MENTION=2501]Savak[/MENTION] [MENTION=134408]Sidilicious[/MENTION] [MENTION=139288]Abdul[/MENTION] [MENTION=137485]Dios[/MENTION]

How do you feel about whole wheat roti/bread and brown rice?
Click to expand...

Brown rice is actually quite good, it's low in density, rich in fiber, has slow sugar release etc. Had a diet of just brown rice boiled with chicken breast and vegetables (with some masala of course) before and lost more than 4 kilos in a month.
 
Starting to train after Ramadan is hard. Pakistani food has too many calories and not enough nutrition.
 
CricFan2012 said:
[MENTION=99648]cricketworm[/MENTION] [MENTION=48620]Cpt. Rishwat[/MENTION] [MENTION=491]IMMY69[/MENTION] [MENTION=2501]Savak[/MENTION] [MENTION=134408]Sidilicious[/MENTION] [MENTION=139288]Abdul[/MENTION] [MENTION=137485]Dios[/MENTION]

How do you feel about whole wheat roti/bread and brown rice?
Click to expand...

Brown rice is what I've been eating everyday for the last 2 years now. It's one of the healthiest options out there.
 
DeadBall said:
Brown rice is actually quite good, it's low in density, rich in fiber, has slow sugar release etc. Had a diet of just brown rice boiled with chicken breast and vegetables (with some masala of course) before and lost more than 4 kilos in a month.
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Does Brown basmati rice exist? All the Brown rice I eat is Mexican and isn't as higj quality as desi rice which is some of the finest in the world.
 
Desi kitchen is the best in World. It drepends om how you cook. Get rid of the oil, make homemade desi ghee and use it. Rice are good too, but should fill only a quarter of the plate. Roti, use whole wheat flour, not Asli atta, haathi atta etc.

I have been in UK a few times and was surprised to see desi people ordering daily food from restaurants. Should make it home. And why are there so many white breads in UK, it is so unhealthy. I think Norway have probably the best variety of healthy breads in Europe.
 
CricFan2012 said:
[MENTION=99648]cricketworm[/MENTION] [MENTION=48620]Cpt. Rishwat[/MENTION] [MENTION=491]IMMY69[/MENTION] [MENTION=2501]Savak[/MENTION] [MENTION=134408]Sidilicious[/MENTION] [MENTION=139288]Abdul[/MENTION] [MENTION=137485]Dios[/MENTION]

How do you feel about whole wheat roti/bread and brown rice?
Click to expand...

Brown rice is good, any bread brought from outside will be bad.
Forget the flour, the amount of sugar that goes into it is bad enough.

Ideally you would want to restrict your carb intake to max one or two days a week, even if you’re not doing for fitness.
 
Why would you consume only 1600 calories? Especially with the workout you are saying?

Remaining fit with a desi diet is not too hard

1 - Do not have moti roti, instead have chapati. Per meal 1

2 - Daal is great. It is high in protein as well as being high in fibre. Fibre is great and will help in digstion

3 - Grilled food like tandoori chicken, tikka, kebabs with minimal oil

4 - Reduce oil in curries

These are things you can do tho only if you cook at home tho.
 
CricFan2012 said:
[MENTION=99648]cricketworm[/MENTION] [MENTION=48620]Cpt. Rishwat[/MENTION] [MENTION=491]IMMY69[/MENTION] [MENTION=2501]Savak[/MENTION] [MENTION=134408]Sidilicious[/MENTION] [MENTION=139288]Abdul[/MENTION] [MENTION=137485]Dios[/MENTION]

How do you feel about whole wheat roti/bread and brown rice?
Click to expand...

I don't like whole wheat roti, would rather not eat it, although surprisingly wholewheat pittas are not too bad. We use 50/50 atta at home, it's fine although still 50% white so can't really be described as healthy. Still, all things considered, when you consider the food is mostly made of fresh ingredients, it's still probably a lot better quality diet than most people have, especially those where both partners work.
 
CricFan2012 said:
[MENTION=99648]cricketworm[/MENTION] [MENTION=48620]Cpt. Rishwat[/MENTION] [MENTION=491]IMMY69[/MENTION] [MENTION=2501]Savak[/MENTION] [MENTION=134408]Sidilicious[/MENTION] [MENTION=139288]Abdul[/MENTION] [MENTION=137485]Dios[/MENTION]

How do you feel about whole wheat roti/bread and brown rice?
Click to expand...

helps a lot as having lots of fibers in them. Also if I am not mistaking it is more iron rich. Brown rice taste better with many food, takes longer to cook.

But they are very high in carbs as well. so reducing those will help a lot. If you have uncontrolled diabetes, I would avoid them too.
 
Incorporating and maximizing fruits into your diet, minimizing oil and training for atleast 1.5-2 hours a day goes a long way in keeping fit and healthy
 
Avoid having a meal after 7pm. Don’t stuff yourself. Cut out junk food completely. Continue the regular exercise.

My routine: a light breakfast and one main meal before 7pm. Snack on fruit rather than crisps & chocolates. Avoid biscuits.
 
To remain fit you on a desi diet you probably have to remain in Pakistan/India. Due to the climate over there and if you're work is physical you will not store sugar so wont get fat.

In the UK we have a very high rate of diabetes amongst Asians due to their desi diet. If you can't give it up, then cut down on the amount you consume.
 
Follow the Shahid Afridi, Imran Khan school of thought where you eat whole heartedly and then train your *** off
 
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