Facts in.
Myths out.
Heard it from your khala, your gym friend or the family WhatsApp group? Here are 24 things people say about weight loss in Pakistan, India and the Middle East. Some are true, some are half true and many are false. Make your guess first, then see what the research says.
Answers are shown below each saying.
Stop roti and rice fully, only then the weight will go.
Weight goes down when total calories go down, not because one food is gone.
In large trials, people lost about the same weight on low-carb and on low-fat diets. What mattered was eating less overall and keeping it up. Smaller portions of roti and rice work fine, and cutting them out fully is hard to keep up for long.
Read more: How many calories in a roti, chapati and paratha? →Source [1], [2]
Rice makes you fat, roti doesn't.
Both are mostly carbs. How much you eat matters more than which one.
A plate of rice and a pile of rotis can carry very similar calories. The difference is that rice is easy to over-serve. Choose whole wheat roti or brown rice for more fibre, and keep an eye on the portion.
Read more: Calories in biryani, pulao and plain rice →Source [3], [4]
Gur, shakkar and honey are fine. Only white sugar is bad.
For your body, all of these are sugar and all of them add calories.
The WHO counts honey, syrups and other added sweeteners as "free sugars", the same as white sugar. Gur has small traces of minerals, but not enough to make a real difference. Use less of all of them.
Read more: Chai with sugar: how much it adds to your weight →Source [5]
Cold drinks and packet juices are a big reason for weight gain.
Sugary drinks add many calories but don't fill you up.
Studies that follow people over years link sugary drinks with weight gain. Liquid calories don't make you eat less later, so they simply add on top. Plain water, lassi without sugar or tea with less sugar are easy swaps.
Read more: Zero calorie soft drinks: are diet colas a healthy swap? →Source [6], [5]
Desi ghee makes you fat.
Ghee itself is not the problem. Too much of it is.
Ghee, oil and butter are pure fat, and fat has more than double the calories of carbs or protein per gram. A small spoon on your daal is fine, but extra spoons in the salan add up fast. Ghee is also high in saturated fat, so keep it small.
Read more: Desi ghee: healthy or harmful? How much is okay →Source [7], [3]
Mango and banana make you fat.
No single fruit makes you fat. Whole fruit is healthy in normal portions.
People who eat more fruit tend to gain less weight over the years, not more. The problem is mango shakes, banana milkshakes and fruit juice, which are easy to drink in large amounts and often have added sugar.
Read more: Healthy swaps for samosa, pakora and other fried snacks →Source [8], [9]
Khajoor (dates) are healthy, so eat as many as you like.
Dates are healthy, but they are also very sweet.
Dates give fibre, potassium and quick energy, which is why they are a great way to open a fast. But they are rich in natural sugar, so a few at a time is good while a full plate is a lot of calories.
Read more: Ramadan diet plan: healthy sehri and iftar →Source [3], [9]
Diet namkeen and sugar-free mithai can be eaten freely.
"Diet" and "sugar-free" do not mean calorie-free.
Sugar-free mithai can still be full of khoya, ghee and nuts. "Diet" or baked namkeen still has flour and oil. Always look at the calories on the pack, not only the words on the front.
Read more: Processed vs homemade food: what is the real difference? →Source [3], [10]
Daal, chana and eggs keep you full for longer.
Protein and fibre help you feel full, so you eat less overall.
Research shows that meals with more protein keep hunger away for longer and help protect muscle while you lose weight. Daal, chana, eggs, yoghurt, chicken and fish are all good desi sources.
Read more: Daal, chana and lobia: cheap protein for desi homes →Source [11]
Eating after 8 pm makes you fat.
The total food in the day matters most, but late heavy dinners often add extra.
There is no magic hour when food turns into fat. Still, some studies found people lost more weight when they ate a bigger breakfast and a smaller dinner. Late nights also bring snacking. An earlier, lighter dinner helps many people.
Read more: Why you are not losing weight: 7 common mistakes →Source [12], [2]
Skipping meals helps you lose weight faster.
Planned fasting works for some people. Random skipping often backfires.
Trials of intermittent fasting show it works about as well as normal calorie cutting, because people end up eating less in total. But skipping meals without a plan often leads to big hunger and overeating later in the day.
Read more: How many calories do I need in a day? (TDEE made simple) →Source [13]
Drinking water with food makes belly fat.
There is no good proof of this. Water has zero calories.
Water does not turn food into fat. In one study, adults who drank two glasses of water before meals lost a little more weight than those who didn't, because they felt fuller.
Read more: Water: how much to drink in hot Pakistani and Indian summers →Source [14]
A short walk after khana is good for you.
A light walk after a meal helps control the rise in blood sugar.
Studies show that even light walking after sitting or eating lowers the blood sugar rise that follows a meal. It also adds steps to your day. The old habit of chehal qadmi after dinner is backed by science.
Read more: Walking for weight loss: how many steps a day really help →Source [15]
Eat very little for a few weeks and you're done.
Crash diets cause muscle loss, and the weight usually comes back.
When you eat far too little, your body loses muscle and starts using less energy. Most people can't keep it up and gain the weight back. Losing slowly with a small, steady cut in calories lasts much longer.
Read more: Why you are not losing weight: 7 common mistakes →Source [16], [17]
Less sleep makes weight loss harder.
Poor sleep raises hunger and cravings for sugary, oily food.
In a sleep study, men who slept only 4 hours had more of the hunger hormone and less of the fullness hormone, and they felt hungrier. Tired people also tend to move less. Good sleep is part of a good diet.
Read more: Why you are not losing weight: 7 common mistakes →Source [18]
Ramadan fasting will automatically make me lose weight.
Many people lose a little, but most of it comes back after Eid.
A review of many studies found a small weight loss during Ramadan that mostly returned within weeks. Fried pakoras and samosas at iftar and a heavy sehri can even cause weight gain. Fasting helps only if the meals are balanced.
Read more: Ramadan diet plan: healthy sehri and iftar →Source [19]
Crunches will burn my belly fat.
You cannot burn fat from one spot. Belly fat goes when overall fat goes.
In a trial, people who did tummy exercises for six weeks did not lose belly fat compared with those who didn't. Crunches make the muscles stronger, but the fat on top only goes down with diet and overall activity.
Read more: Belly fat and waist size: the hidden risk for desi people →Source [20]
Belly fat is more dangerous than fat on other parts.
Fat around the belly is linked to more diabetes and heart disease.
Fat deep inside the belly sits around the liver and other organs and is linked with higher health risks. South Asians tend to store more fat here even at a normal weight, so waist size is a useful check.
Read more: Belly fat and waist size: the hidden risk for desi people →Source [21], [22]
More sweat means more fat burned.
Sweat is water, not fat. That weight comes back when you drink.
Sweating is how your body cools down. Exercising in plastic suits or in the heat only makes you lose water, which can be dangerous. The scale goes down for a few hours and comes back as soon as you drink.
Read more: Water: how much to drink in hot Pakistani and Indian summers →Source [23]
Walking is useless, only gym works.
Regular brisk walking is real exercise.
The WHO advises 150 to 300 minutes of moderate activity a week, and brisk walking counts fully. It helps with weight, blood sugar, blood pressure and mood, and it costs nothing.
Read more: Walking for weight loss: how many steps a day really help →Source [24]
Lifting weights will make women bulky.
Women don't build big muscles easily. Strength training tones and protects bones.
Big muscles take years of special training and eating. For most women, lifting weights gives a firmer shape, stronger bones and more strength for daily life. The WHO advises muscle training at least twice a week for everyone.
Read more: Healthy weight gain for thin people →Source [24], [25]
A chubby person is a healthy person (khaata peeta ghar).
South Asians face health risks at a lower weight than many others.
Research shows South Asians get type 2 diabetes at a lower BMI than white Europeans. That is why lower BMI cut-offs are used for Asians. A "healthy-looking" round face or tummy can already carry real risk.
Read more: BMI for South Asians: why 23 is the warning line, not 25 →Source [26], [27]
Hakeem churan, slimming teas and hot belts melt fat because they are natural.
Belts only make you sweat, and some slimming products hide medicines.
Hot belts only cause water loss under the belt. The US FDA has found many "natural" weight loss products with hidden laxatives and medicines that can harm the heart. "Natural" does not always mean safe.
Read more: How to lose weight eating normal Pakistani and Indian food →Source [28], [23]
Green tea helps you lose weight.
Green tea without sugar is a good drink, but its fat-burning effect is very small.
A large review of trials found green tea gave only a very small weight loss that was probably not important. Its real benefit is as a swap for doodh patti with sugar.
Read more: Chai with sugar: how much it adds to your weight →Source [29]
Answer all 24 to see your final score.
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