Tezzbuzz Health Talk: Bengaluru dietician answers all your burning questions about the right food for weight loss

Intermittent fasting can be safe and effective for someone with a slow metabolism when done in a balanced, consistent way. Still, it may backfire if the person skips too many meals, eats too little, or chooses unhealthy foods during the eating window, because the body may slow down energy use, further leading to fatigue, muscle loss, or overeating later. Hence, it works best when meals are nutritious, protein intake is adequate, hydration is maintained, and fasting periods are not prolonged, especially for people with existing health issues such as diabetes, hypothyroidism, or underweight conditions. It is always better to start gradually and consult a doctor or dietitian to ensure the approach supports overall health rather than causing stress to the body.

2. How do I create a calorie deficit without feeling hungry all the time — what are the most filling foods per calorie?

You can create a calorie deficit without feeling hungry by choosing foods that are high in volume, fibre, and protein but low in calories, because these keep you full for longer, so focus on foods like vegetables (leafy, cucumber), fruits (apple, watermelon, orange), whole grains (oats, brown rice), legumes (lentils, chickpeas), and lean proteins (eggs, chicken, paneer, yogurt), nuts and seeds while also drinking enough water and eating slowly, as this helps your brain register fullness, and avoiding highly processed foods and sugary snacks which are low in satiety and easy to overeat, so by building meals around these filling foods and keeping portions balanced, you can reduce calories comfortably without constant hunger.

3. For belly fat specifically, does strength training work better than cardio? What’s the ideal weekly split?

For belly fat, neither strength training nor cardio alone is ‘better’, because fat loss happens across the whole body, but strength training is very effective as it builds muscle and increases metabolism while cardio helps burn extra calories, so the best approach is to combine both, with an ideal weekly split being 3–4 days of strength training (focusing on full-body or upper/lower splits) and 2–3 days of cardio (like brisk walking, cycling, or short high-intensity sessions), along with 1–2 rest or active recovery days, and adding core exercises can strengthen your abdominal muscles but won’t directly burn belly fat, so consistency, diet control, and good sleep are key to seeing results.

4. I only have 20 minutes a day to exercise. What workout gives the maximum fat-loss return for time spent?

If you only have 20 minutes a day, the best workout for maximum fat loss is a combination of high-intensity interval training (HIIT) and full-body strength exercises, because this burns a lot of calories quickly and keeps your metabolism high even after the workout, so you can do a simple routine like 30–40 seconds of exercises such as squats, push-ups, lunges, burpees, and jumping jacks followed by 15–20 seconds of rest, repeated in circuits for 15–20 minutes, which targets multiple muscle groups and improves both strength and cardio fitness, and doing this 5–6 days a week along with a good diet will give better fat-loss results than long, slow workouts. Consult a physiotherapist for an exercise regimen.

5. With PCOS, my weight seems to stick no matter what I eat. How should diet and workout plans change compared to someone without it?

With polycystic ovary syndrome, weight loss can feel harder because of insulin resistance and hormone imbalance, so diet and workouts need a more focused approach compared to others, by choosing low-glycemic, high-fibre foods like vegetables, whole grains, lentils, and lean protein to keep blood sugar stable, reducing sugar and refined carbs, eating regular balanced meals instead of long gaps, and including strength training 3–4 times a week to improve insulin sensitivity along with light cardio like walking, while also managing stress and sleep since high cortisol can worsen symptoms, so the goal is not just fewer calories but better hormone balance, consistency, and patience for steady results.

6. Do birth control pills or thyroid meds impact weight loss, and how do I work around it?

Yes, some birth control pills and thyroid medicines can affect weight, but not always in the way people think, because most modern birth control pills cause little or no real fat gain and may only lead to temporary water retention or appetite changes, while thyroid medicines usually help normalize metabolism if the dose is correct, so weight loss may be harder only if the thyroid levels are still not well controlled, and the best way to work around this is to focus on a consistent calorie deficit, eat high-protein and high-fibre foods to manage hunger, track progress over weeks not days, stay active with strength training and walking, and regularly check with your doctor to ensure your medication dose is appropriate.

7. Is ‘damaged metabolism’ from yo-yo dieting real, and how do you fix it to start losing again?

‘Damaged metabolism’ is not permanent, but repeated yo-yo dieting can cause metabolic adaptation, where your body burns fewer calories, increases hunger, and holds on to energy more efficiently, so weight loss feels harder, however it can be improved by slowly increasing calorie intake back to a healthy level (reverse dieting), focusing on high-protein and balanced meals, doing regular strength training to rebuild muscle and raise metabolism, staying active through daily movement like walking, improving sleep and stress control, and avoiding extreme calorie cuts again, so with patience and consistency, your metabolism can recover. Fat loss can start again in a steady and sustainable way.

8. After losing 8-10 kg, I’ve hit a plateau for 2 months. What are the top 3 things to tweak before considering supplements?

Before thinking about supplements, focus on three key tweaks, because most plateaus happen due to small changes in habits over time, first, recheck your calorie intake as weight loss lowers your calorie needs, so track food honestly and reduce 100–200 calories if needed, second, increase activity by adding steps, intensity, or strength training to boost calorie burn and preserve muscle, and third, improve consistency in sleep and stress management since poor sleep can affect hunger hormones and slow progress, so by tightening these basics and staying patient, you can usually break the plateau without needing extra products or shortcuts.

9. Can you target belly fat, or is spot reduction a myth? What lifestyle factors matter most for waist size?

You cannot directly target belly fat because spot reduction is a myth, meaning fat loss happens across the whole body based on genetics and overall calorie balance, not from doing specific exercises for one area, so while core workouts can strengthen your abs, they won’t specifically burn belly fat. The most important lifestyle factors for reducing waist size are maintaining a small calorie deficit, eating high-protein and high-fibre foods, reducing sugar and processed foods, staying active with both strength training and cardio, getting good sleep, and managing stress since high stress hormones can increase fat storage around the abdomen, so consistency in these habits leads to gradual and visible changes.

10. Rice vs roti for weight loss — does it matter, or is it just about portions? Same with sugar vs jaggery?

For weight loss, choosing between rice and roti matters less than portion size and overall calories, because both can fit into a healthy diet if you control quantity and pair them with protein, vegetables, and fibre to stay full. However, roti made from whole wheat may keep you satisfied longer than polished white rice. Still, the difference is small if portions are equal, and similarly, between sugar and jaggery, both are forms of sugar and provide similar calories, so jaggery is not a weight loss alternative, and limiting the total intake of both while focusing on balanced meals is what really helps in losing weight.