As former chef shares the ‘most important’ way to lose weight, a nutritionist expresses objections

Highlighting that diet is the key to 90 per cent of weight loss, Menon said that the ultimate mechanism to lose weight is via calorie restriction. “Whether that is counting calories, intermittent fasting, whatever,” he said.

He said that restaurants have no incentive to make lower-calorie food. “They want to make food taste good. Fat and sugar make things taste good. Imagine how much butter and other fats are used in restaurant food. Multiply that by 3 and you’re closer to the real number. Even a simple salad that looks like it’s got a ton of veggies may have a simple vinaigrette dressing that’s 3:1 oil to vinegar. 3 tbsp of oil is 360 calories. That’s half of all the calories that your typical lunch or dinner should have. And who typically orders just a salad?”

Menon added that if you are ordering roasted/sautéed veggies, they have been roasted in oil/butter. “If you are ordering a curry, it’s probably swimming in fat that’s been emulsified into the sauce. 4-5 tbsp min oil to sauté plus extra cream sometimes or nut pastes. And that’s before the carbs,” he tweeted, adding that as with fat, sugar also finds its way everywhere.

“What I’m trying to say is that you may order restaurant food thinking it’s a substitute for one meal, but the calories in that could be twice as much as you would or should eat in a single meal. Instead of 600-700 calories, you might be ingesting 1200-1500. That’s fine as an occasional indulgence, but if you do it often enough, not only are you not getting the calorie deficit you need, but you might have a caloric excess, undoing previous hard work,” Menon added.

Agreeing with him, functional nutritionist Mugdha Pradhan, CEO and Founder, iThrive said that avoiding food from outside and cooking your own meals is perhaps the single most important thing you can do to lose fat and improve your health. “However, that said, the purported mechanisms by which restaurant foods make you fat, which he goes on at length about in his thread are inaccurate,” she added.

The expert highlighted that while calorie intake is definitely a factor in fat gain, it’s only one among the many factors and it’s far from being the most important one. “What is of primary importance when it comes to the role of diet in fat loss is the quality of food you’re eating. This has been explicitly proven over and over again in isocaloric studies — those where two groups ate the same number of calories but with varying food contents. The group eating healthier, less processed foods always has greater weight loss. And while these studies are short-term, the long-term effects of the quality of food intake are even more pronounced,” she said.

Practice mindful eating, savour every bite, and avoid overeating (Source: Getty Images/Thinkstock)

Addressing Menon’s claims about restaurant food being loaded with calories, Pradhan added: “But if these calories come from healthy sources, it wouldn’t be an issue. Your salad is supposed to be covered in a fat-heavy dressing because vegetables and meat by themselves don’t provide any caloric value. But the quality of fat used is what matters. The chef talks about restaurants using too much butter — but most restaurants these days substitute butter with cheaper refined seed oils like soybean oil which are extremely unhealthy and known to be inflammatory. The use of these oils is one of the biggest problems with restaurant food today,” she explained.

Here are some techniques to effectively lose weight through a combination of sustainable lifestyle changes, according to Ushakiran Sisodia, Registered Dietician and Clinical Nutritionist, Diet and Nutrition, Nanavati Max Super Speciality Hospital, Mumbai.

Balanced Diet: Consume a diet rich in whole grains, lean proteins, fruits, vegetables, and healthy fats, while minimising processed and sugary foods. Include fibre-rich options like millets, oats, and whole wheat to promote satiety and better digestion.

Portion Control: Practice mindful eating, savour every bite, and avoid overeating. Use smaller plates and follow the ‘half-plate rule,’ filling half your plate with vegetables, a quarter with protein, and the remaining quarter with carbohydrates.

Stay Hydrated: Drink 2-3 litres of water daily, as hydration aids metabolism and helps manage hunger. Substitute sugary beverages with water, green tea, or herbal infusions.

Regular Exercise: Engage in at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise or 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity activity per week, along with strength training twice a week.

Manage Stress: Practice stress management techniques such as meditation, yoga, and deep breathing exercises to prevent stress-induced binge eating.

Adequate Sleep: Ensure 7-8 hours of quality sleep every night, as sleep deprivation can lead to weight gain by disrupting hunger hormones.

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