New Delhi: There are over 1 billion overweight adults worldwide according to a 2020 study and obesity has reached epidemic proportions globally. At least 2.8 million people die each year as a result of being overweight or obese. Studies also found that about a third of the global population—including adults and children were overweight, of which 10% of people suffered from obesity. Obesity and being overweight can be linked to a number of health complications like Type-2 diabetes, heart disease, depression, respiratory problems, cancer and more.
How do you know that you are overweight or obese?

BMI is an index commonly used for classification of obesity. Overweight is defined as a BMI (or body mass index) greater than or equal to 25.0 & Obesity as a BMI greater than and equal to 30.0.  

Your eating and physical activity habits may raise your chances of becoming overweight and having obesity. If you are overweight or obese, here are things to keep in mind.

1. Yoga – Yogic techniques include practices such as Pranayama, Meditation, Yoga asanas, and Mudras. Yoga not only helps in eradicating the problem of being overweight but also helps you manage your weight safely. Yoga is a tool that focuses on holistic wellness and works better for your body in the long term.
2. Boost Your Mental Health – Practices like yoga, meditation, Tai Chi etc. instil a deep-rooted sense of mental well-being and happiness. Practice writing a journal or a personal diary recording the correlation between your eating habits, and mood or emotions etc. When you enjoy mental well-being, this automatically motivates you to take care of your physical health too.
3. Physical fitness – Running, swimming, walking, stair climbing etc. can be ways to boost your physical fitness. Choose any activity that challenges you without exhausting you. Safe exercises like yoga can help you align your body and mind to your weight management goals. 
4. Build discipline – Weight loss is as much as a mental workout as it is a physical task. Breathing and meditation are all practices that can help you improve your focus and concentration. This means steering away from temptation, keeping your eyes on the goal, staying self-motivated, and following a strict diet and exercise routine regularly. 
5. Get better sleep – Regular physical activity will keep your body and mind active throughout the day. By sweating it out each day, you can balance your energies. This ensures that you enjoy an adequate and restful sleep at night. 
6. Consume whole-grain – Try switching to a vegetarian diet. Whole grains provide the body with the energy to sustain and grow and is also a major source of all essential nutrients. Bajra, Ragi, Maize and Jowar, are some examples of whole grain that you can eat. Instead of white rice, cook your meals with red, black and brown rice. Whole grains taste great for breakfast porridges so start your day on a healthy note. 
7. Get your quota of fruits and vegetables – Ensure that you are including 3 servings of seasonal vegetables and 2 servings of whole fruits per day. Vegetables and fruits provide both soluble and insoluble fibre in addition to vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. Each individual requires about 25-30gms of fibre per day.
8. Limit the use of fatty food- Did you know that 4. 15% of a person’s total calories come from visible Fats? There are also invisible sources of fat that come from fatty meat, butter, ghee, cheese, lard, cream. Stay away from Trans fats that come in fast foods, snack food, fried foods and other processed food. Choose low-fat milk, double toned and use different combinations of oil to get all essential fats. 
9. Cut down on sugar- A normal-weight woman needs 1900Kcal/day and this is about 10 -11 teaspoons of sugar. Keep the intake of sugar to less than 10% of your total calories. If you are overweight or obese, it is recommended that less than 5% would be better for you. 
10. Do not skip meals – It is important that you eat three balanced meals per day. A nutritious and balanced meal looks something like this – Fill half of your plate with vegetables, a third of it with cereal, and another third of it with protein. Add 150 ml of milk/curd/dessert. Keep seasonal fruits aside for you to snack on.

It is vital that your weight loss program is focussed more on well-being and overall health than rapid weight loss. This could be unscientific, unhealthy and cause many harmful side effects. Practices such as yoga lead not only to effective weight loss but also transforms you from the inside out. Let your aim be to lead a more wholesome, and healthy lifestyle if you want to enjoy sustained weight loss.

Grand Master Akshar is a guest contributor. Views expressed are personal.