Medically reviewed by Ashwathy V. Pillai, Postgraduate Degree in Dietetics & Applied Nutrition

Indian Diet plans for weight loss can be overwhelming and curating one, can definitely be exhausting. This involves a lot of research and is quite time consuming. Hardly anyone wants to go through the struggle of finding a right diet.

When on a ‘diet’, a number of us look out for recipes that are not native and taste like nothing and also something raw. But what if we tell you this can be done differently? You can eat foods that are wholesome, delicious and also native?

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Indian foods are linked to excess amounts of rice (carbohydrates). This gives an impression that Indian foods are unhealthy.

But the truth is, we have simply forgotten our staple foods and become too dependent on rice. Adding to this, we have started consuming all kinds of junk food.

In this article, we will give you insights on what is making you fat, the ratio of exercise and diet control you need to have.

Below, we have also provided a month-long weight loss diet chart recommended by experts. These charts are curated to suit Indians and are Indian diet for weight loss.

Expert recommended Indian Diet Plan for Weight Loss in 4 Weeks*

Week 1: Weight Loss Diet Plan Early morning: 1 fruit of your choice + 3-4 mixed seeds such as watermelon, flax, sesame, melon to name a few Breakfast: Open paneer sandwich with mint chutney / 2 idlis with sambhar / Akki roti with dill leaves and sambhar / 2 egg omelet with 2 whole grain bread slices / 2 multigrain mixed vegetable parathas + 1 glass of vegetable juice of your choice.

Mid-morning: 4 walnuts and 2 dates / Fruit of your choice/tender coconut water with malai Pre-lunch: 1 plate of preferred salad with vinegar dressing. Recipe suggestion from blog Lunch: 2 multigrain roti + 1 bowl vegetable subji / non-veg subji + 1 bowl boiled pulse chaat (rajma, chana, black chana, green moong etc) / 1 bowl red or brown rice + 1 bowl mixed vegetable subji + 1 vegetable egg omlette. Snack: 2 multigrain flour khakras / 1 fruit of your choice + 1 cup green tea / Trail mix with mixed seeds. Dinner: 1 bowl vegetable brown rice basmati chicken biryani/ vegetable pulao + 1 bowl vegetable raita + 1 bowl vegetable or chicken salad of choice / 1 bowl steamed red rice + 1 bowl mixed vegetable sambhar + 1 bowl non-veg / vegetable subji + 1 bowl salad of choice / 2 multigrain roti + 1 bowl mixed spiced dals / fish curry + 1 bowl curd. Post-dinner (if you are up late): 1 glass of whey protein shake if missed during snack or simply a glass of warm milk.

Week 2 Weight Loss Diet Plan Early morning: 10 ml wheatgrass juice + 5 to 6 almonds and walnuts Breakfast: 2 medium vegetable uthappam with sambhar / 1 bowl vegetable dalia upma + chutney / 2 medium paneer, oats and ragi dosa with sambhar / 1 bowl fruit, flaxseed and oats porridge / 1 bowl red rice or brown rice pulse-mixed pongal + 1 bowl sambhar / 1 sprouted red rice poha + 1 glass vegetable juice of choice Mid-morning: 1 glass Whey protein shake with milk / assorted fruit platter / Trail mix/Tender coconut juice with the malai. Pre-lunch: 1 bowl minestrone soup with more veggies and less of pasta. Lunch: 2 multigrain roti + 1 bowl vegetable subji / non-veg subji + 1 bowl boiled pulse chaat (rajma, chana, black chana, green moong etc) / 1 bowl red or brown rice + 1 bowl mixed vegetable subji + 1 vegetable egg omlette. Snack: 2 multigrain flour khakras / 1 fruit of your choice + 1 cup green tea / Trail mix with mixed seeds. Dinner: bowl vegetable brown rice basmati chicken biryani/ vegetable pulao + 1 bowl vegetable raita + 1 bowl vegetable or chicken salad of choice / 1 bowl steamed red rice + 1 bowl mixed vegetable sambhar + 1 bowl non-veg / vegetable subji + 1 bowl salad of choice / 2 multigrain roti + 1 bowl mixed spiced dals / fish curry + 1 bowl curd. Post-dinner (if you are up late): 1 glass of whey protein shake if missed during snack or simply a glass of warm milk.

Week 3 Weight Loss Diet Plan Early morning: 10 Spirulina or green leafy veggie juice + 1 fruit of your choice Breakfast: 1 bowl vegetable sprout poha with chutney / 3-4 dal paddu with sambhar / 2 oats idli + sambhar / 2 methi parantha with low-fat curd / 2 mixed vegetable adai uttapams + 1 bowl mixed veg sambhar. Mid-morning: 1 fruit of your choice/fistful of Assorted nuts / 2 tbsp of trail mix Pre-lunch: 1 bowl sprout salad of choice / 1 bowl mixed veggies chunky soup. Lunch: 2 multigrain roti + 1 bowl veg or non-veg (seafood, fish, chicken) subji of choice + 1 bowl of thick dal / 1 bowl red rice + 1 bowl mixed vegetable sambhar + 1 bowl subji + 1 bowl low-fat curd Snack: Til or peanut chikki with 1 cup spirulina and mixed veggie juice. Dinner: 1 bowl fruit and veggie mixed salad of choice + 2 bran rotis (wheat roti or oat bran) + 1 bowl of non-veg subji / 1 bowl red rice or brown rice + 1 bowl dal + 1 bowl curd Post-dinner (if you are up late): 1 glass of whey protein shake

Week 4 Weight Loss Diet Plan Early morning: 10 ml Amla juice + 3-4 walnuts and almonds mix. Breakfast: 2 medium dal paranthas (made from leftover dal if any) + 1 bowl low-fat curd / 2 Ragi veggies paddus with peanut chutney / 2 small and fluffy vegetable pancakes / 2 paranthas + 1 bowl vegetables raita / Paneer and vegetable rice bath (from leftover rice) + 1 bowl curd / 2 idlis with sambhar Mid-morning: Amaranth seeds chikki / 3-4 dry fruits / 1 bowl cut fresh fruits of choice Pre-lunch: 1 bowl sprout salad / 1 bowl grilled chicken or fish salad Lunch: 1 bowl millet and dal khichdi + 1 bowl mixed vegetable kadhai / 2 multigrain roti + 1 bowl non-veg subji or egg bhurji +1 glass of spiced buttermilk / 2 vegetable millet uttapams + 1 bowl sambhar. Snack: 1 cup spiced boiled corn or 1 corn on the cob + 1 cup coffee, tea or green tea/ 1 Fruit of choice / 1 glass whey protein drink Dinner: 1 bowl vegetable and mixed seeds salad + 2 multigrain roti + 1 non-veg subji or dal of your choice / 1 bowl red or brown rice + 1 bowl mix veg sambhar + 1 egg bhurji. Post-dinner (if you are up late): 1 glass warm milk.

*Disclaimer: This is a general diet plan and should not be confused for a specific weight loss recommendation for people with complex health conditions. We suggest you visit a nutritionist for in-depth health analysis and a weight loss plan. Everyone differs in terms of their metabolism and hence may react differently to this diet too.

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Weight loss tips to consider while following the above diet chart

Superfoods are the biggest key to quick and healthy weight loss. Superfoods are nothing but regular foods that have concentrated with nutrients. They could be millets , seeds, certain grass varieties or even fiber-rich foods. Consume them in measured amounts every day and see your weight melting.

Always drink enough water. Many times thirst is masked as hunger. So when you are hungry, try drinking water first. It is a proven natural way to fill up the stomach and preventing yourself from gorging later.

Always preclude lunch with salads or chewy soups. You will be tempted to eat less rice or roti or whatever is for lunch.

Ensure all your meals have a protein source. If any meal is lacking in it, throw in an egg or dal to ensure protein.

One day in the week can be designated as a cheat day. It will help you to manage cravings and get back on your Indian diet chart for weight loss.

On a cheat day, do not overindulge on sweets or fried items. If you feel like it, have a small bite-sized portion to simply curb the craving.

Never at any point during the diet, starve yourself. There is evidence that starvation, in fact, leads to overeating.

Remember, the short-term goal is not going to yield results. Hence, always focus on clean, healthy eating that promotes weight loss and at the same time can be adopted throughout your life.

5 Reasons Why You Are Not Losing Weight Even After Following A Diet Plan

Our nutritionists after research have debunked the most common couch-potato-no-exercise-hence-obese myth right there!

Below are the five common reasons for weight gain that most of us overlook.

1. Hormones

Remember when you are hungry but actually angry? There is a term for that, and it is called hangry! The anger is an emotional or mood specific response to hunger, something controlled by hormones.

It is proven that hormones can either make you fat or even result in weight loss. They form a complex hormonal cocktail that greatly influences hunger, feeling of fullness, even fat storage pattern and the places it gets stored.

Any Indian weight loss diet plan cashes in on this and makes you eat often to prevent hormone and enzyme spikes.

2. Vitamins and minerals

Miss them and you miss weight loss goals!

So you thought that burger hurts your waistline by only helping you pile on the calories? Well, there is more to your food than just calories!

Studies have established that nutrients such as vitamin D, calcium and B-complex can influence your weight [1].

This reinforces the fact that it is important to look at food in a more wholesome manner (like a healthy Indian diet plan) than just calories, cheese, butter, oil, fat, etc!

3. Toxins

What are toxins? Everything around us; be it the pollution, smoke, food colours, food additives, plastics etc are all toxins and these have the potential to cause obesity.

Research finds that excess exposure to toxins make our body store toxins in small fat pockets. Also, toxins reduce the pace of metabolism that eventually, slow down the process of weight loss. That’s why it is very important to detox the body once in a while.

4. Sleep

If you do not get enough sleep, then your body tries to cope up with the related exhaustion in multiple ways. And one such coping mechanism is the increased secretion of stress hormones. This makes you susceptible to infections among other things.

Also, according to the American Journal of Epidemiology, sleep deprivation also results in disturbed levels of hunger hormones like Ghrelin and Leptin. This results in overeating [2].

5. Stress

Stress is like an enemy that weakens your body from all angles. Not only does it release fat-storing hormones, but you also tend to reach out to sugar and salt-laden foods to cope with the stress.

Have you checked your immunity levels? Check Your Immunity Level Now

10 Habit Changes That Will Do Miracle In Your Weight Loss Journey

Weight loss is not so difficult and by following the below weight loss diet tips, one can lose weight effortlessly. The key is to follow the below tips diligently.

1. Don’t skip meals

Now that’s the key point! Skipping meals is never going to helps reduce weight. In fact, it will make you starve and you will end up eating something unhealthy that will further hamper your weight loss process [3].

2. Eat more frequently

Have small meals frequently and regularly. The aim is to never let your stomach hungry. Be it healthy snacks or fruits, try to eat more frequently.

It’s been observed that people who are maintaining their weight post-weight loss and people with normal weight are inclined to eating frequent meals on uniform time when compared to people who are overweight and obese [4].

18 Mistake you might be making by following a DIY weight loss Diet FREE BOOK Download Now

3. Have home-made food

Cook food at home so that you can be more attentive towards the ingredients and find healthy alternatives to cook. For example, you can use less oil or bake the chicken instead of frying.

Also, home-cooked food helps in better planning of food preparations, for days in advance. This provides better options to plan and encourage healthy grocery shopping.

4. Increase the stock of healthy foods

Always make sure that you have enough healthy foods in store so that whenever your hunger pangs strike, you eat something healthy instead of store-bought pastries or the leftover pizzas.

5. Add all the food groups into your diet plan

Whenever you are planning a meal, make sure you have included all the important food groups like proteins, carbohydrates, and good fats with micronutrients. The goal is to follow a well-balanced fat loss diet plan.

This helps in providing all essential nutrients to the body which promotes a healthy metabolism. This, in turn, helps in weight loss.

6. Choose smaller plates and bowls

Though this is psychological, choosing smaller plates and bowls really works.

According to new research published in the Journal of the Association for Consumer Research, decreasing the plate sizes can help in reducing the amount of food consumed. This is proven to be a smart and easy trick to eat less and lose weight.[5]

7. Don’t go to parties with an empty stomach

Heading towards a party? Eat something healthy and then go. This will let you be half-filled and hence you will not gorge the party food. This can help you have fewer alcoholic drinks too.

If you are a party animal, below tips can come handy.

3 Weight Loss Thumb rules for party hoppers:

Don’t skip meals before the party, you will end up eating more.

To survive dehydration due to alcohol, keep yourself hydrated throughout the day and even in between your drinks.

Prepare your body for the party by eating fresh and raw fruits throughout the day.

8. Limit the usage of sugar and salt

Ditch the salt shaker and those additional spoons of sugar for your tea. Both sugar and salt should be taken in moderation.

While excess sugar may affect blood sugar levels, excess salt may cause water retention and these contribute to weight gain.

9. Eat more fruits & vegetables

In order to make your meals more filling, you can add fruits and vegetables to them. This gives a healthy twist to your dishes.

The complex carbs or fiber present in fruits and vegetables satiates your stomach and prevents overeating. Also, it absorbs the extra blood cholesterol. This ultimately helps in shedding the extra body weight.

10. Avoid zero carbs/restricted diet plans

Don’t fall into the traps of restricted diet plans such as zero carb diet. Our body needs nutrients from every food group. So cutting any of them out will only stop us from enjoying their benefits.

Most of the weight loss diet plans provided online or by certain nutritionists look at curing the symptoms and not treating the root cause of weight issues.

Hence it is highly advised that you consult a trained professional on how to lose weight. To start with, you can consult one of Truweight’s nutritionists, absolutely FREE! Ask your doubts and get solutions.

Get FREE Diet Consultation Today!

Get FREE Diet Consultation Today!

Common Indian Foods That Induces Weight Loss

If losing weight is your primary goal, then you should cut down on junk, processed food, sugary beverages, and unhealthy fats.

Indian cuisine is undoubtedly delicious. But we cannot ignore the fact that some foods are laden with grease, sweet and butter. The good news is, there are plenty of dishes that are low in calories and full of proteins.

Here are some of the weight loss foods you can eat without feeling guilty.

1. Tandoori Chicken

One of the most familiar Indian dishes, it’s red and charred. All the goodness of the fat comes from the meat and marinade and not from oils and unhealthy fats. They are a good source of protein and will aid you in weight loss.

2. Rajma

A North India dish made of red kidney beans in thick gravy with a healthy amount of herbs and spices. Serve it with hot chapatis and your taste buds will dance with joy.

3. Buttermilk

Despite the name, we presume it is high in fat but buttermilk generally holds no butter and is actually low in fat.

Preparing buttermilk from low-fat milk contains 15-20 calories /100 ml. Savor this delicious treat to keep your body hydrated and active.

4. Idli

South India’s staple breakfast is a best diet for weight loss. Since idli is steamed and not fried, it is not laden with many calories. Idli is also good for the gut and digestion. If you want to cut down on carbs, you can also opt for healthier alternatives like ragi or millet idli.

5. Bhindi (Okra) Curry

This simple dish tastes great with hot rotis and is a perfect meal for vegetarians. You can have this for dinner or lunch and it will not only satisfy your hunger but will also help you with weight loss.

When included alongside healthy eating, certain beverages are more effective than others promoting weight loss.

Below are some healthy drinks to include in your diet if you want to lose weight.

1. Green Tea

This tea is a favorite among health gurus. Green tea is packed with antioxidants and other powerful nutrients. It is also known to burn fat efficiently.



2. Black Coffee

Black Coffee is used by people to boost energy and lift the mood. It contains caffeine which acts as a stimulant in the body and promotes weight loss.

3. Black Tea

Just like green tea, black tea also has compounds which help in weight loss.

Black tea is high in polyphenols called flavonoids, a powerful antioxidant which helps in weight loss.

4. Water

Water is simply the best beverage anyone can drink. It is the simplest way to improve overall health! Drinking plenty of water will benefit your waistline and keep you full in between meals. It will also increase the number of calories you burn.

5. Apple Cider Vinegar

ACV contains acetic acid, a compound which promotes weight loss by decreasing the insulin levels, improves metabolism, suppresses the appetite and burn fat.

These are only a handful. There are many other superfoods and drinks that will help you on your journey.

Advantages of an Indian diet vs. Conventional diet

A classic Indian diet for weight loss is way better than a conventional diet in terms of taste as well as making it a habit. Living in India makes you accustomed to the spices and certain food habits which upon renovating could bring a lot of healthy changes.

A balanced diet chart for weight loss that includes most of the commonly prepared Indian food for weight loss is like a cherry on the cake. You can have those spicy dal chawal, chole, rajma, buttermilk and many more of your favourites, but in limit.

It is true that we are always attracted to western diet foods because of their neat looks, also you might actually find a quick result on your body while you follow a conventional diet. But can you have that food throughout your life? I leave that answer to you!

Below are some benefits of the Indian diet.

1. Healthy Spices

Almost every Indian cuisine uses various kinds of spices. Turmeric is one such standard spice that not only adds colour to the food but also helps us in treating stomach pain, bloating, gas, heartburn, and diarrhoea.

Cardamom is another useful spice used tremendously in the Indian cuisine that helps in treating stomach and intestinal ailments.

2. Fresh Vegetables

Fresh produce is always used in Indian diets and fresh vegetables are most. This fresh food diet will vitalise your body and keep your organs healthy.

3. Less fattening meals

Indian diet plan consists of foods such as dals, salads, and curries made using vegetables and pulses. Most of these recipes do not use calorie-rich ingredients like cheese or cream, unlike Western cuisines.

4. Satiating flavors

Most Indian foods are filled with distinct flavour and spice that can easily satiate your taste buds. This will cause you to indulge in smaller portions thus keeping a check on your calories.

It is true that Indian diet plans for weight loss have too many options or varieties when compared to that of conventional diets. With so much to choose from, one can never get bored with this diet.

Traditional Indian food for weight loss always uses fresh produce and involves making dishes from starch, which means fewer preservatives and overall healthier food.

Another important ingredient we use is curd, which is made from fermented milk which keeps the digestive tract healthy, thanks to the good bacteria it contains.

Still not convinced? Read more about the benefits of the Indian Diet

Unhealthy Indian Snacks to Avoid

Indian snacks are creamy, sugary and so delicious that thinking about them makes us salivate but if you are serious about losing weight, then there are some snacks which you need to avoid.

Now, jot down the no-no snacks listed below!

Vada Pav: Loved by all Mumbaikars and the rest of India, Vada Pav is easily accessible and tasty, but really unhealthy. A single Vada Pav can have as many as 286 calories.

Parathas : They are favorites of North India. Stuffed with creamy potatoes and pan-fried, they make the perfect food but aren’t good for the body. The addition of butter makes it fatty and unhealthy.

Toast Butter : Being a quick breakfast dish, toast butter isn’t a typical Indian dish but loved by the entire country. However, toast butter has no nutritional value. The white bread is full of maida and butter which is packaged, contains extra salt, colour, and preservatives.

Puri Bhaji: Puri Bhaji is extremely unhealthy as they are fried and potatoes aren’t the best vegetables to eat in the morning.

There are countless snacks that you need to avoid or consume less if your goal is to lose weight. To know more about these snacks, Read here.

Healthy Filling Indian Snack Alternatives



DO NOT FRET! Better options are always around the corner.

There are many other healthy Indian snacks which are as tasty as the unhealthy ones. Not only are these delicious but good for your health as well. Read on to know more!

Baked snacks: Stay away from fried potato chips and opt for baked snacks like Khakra or baked soya chips.

Masala Corn: Very easy to prepare, boil some corn and add spices to it for a healthy yummy snack.

Sprouts: Sprouts actually tastes very good if you cook them well. Here are some sprout recipes.

Tilgul: Sesame seed and jaggery ladoos are loaded with vitamins, calcium, and iron. When you crave something sweet after a meal, pop these in your mouth.

There are so many healthy snacks that you can prepare from the comfort of your kitchen. Remember to control your cravings and stay away from processed, unhealthy food if you want to achieve your goals.

How to lose weight if you are behind pills and potions? Just a Weight Loss Notion

Please do not tell us that in your search for a weight loss diet plan you fell for all those gimmicks out there.

Did you buy yourself those shiny ‘No-Fat / Lose-Fat’ pills? If weight loss is still eluding you, then you should gauge the effectiveness of these so-called magic pills.

Did you know none of these companies selling these weight loss products has done serious long-term studies on how to lose weight naturally?

Additionally, the limited research there is about these overnight weight loss ingredients finds subjects losing at best only a kilogram. With no follow-up, those people would have fast regained that lost kilogram making this a lost cause.

Get FREE Diet Consultation Today!

Get FREE Diet Consultation Today!

We don’t blame you; the weight loss industry would be one of the biggest con industries. With so many myths and lies floating around, weight loss has become a marketing battleground.

We tried enlisting some common myths. Read all about the common weight loss myths and why they are so!

Tried everything and now tired of it?



Are you blaming your lazy lifestyle and lack of exercise? Planning to run or jog to burn the weekend indulgence?

Or have you scheduled an hour-long yoga session to work off the guilt from eating unhealthy foods?

Well, we have a surprise for you; research is out about how exercise is not everything for weight loss.

“Turns out, you can’t outrun a bad diet! It will exact revenge on your belly and hips eventually.”

You may scoff at this wisdom, but take the instance of beauty pageant winner Mrs Sheuli Bhatia.

Her asthma made it difficult for her to work out hard but she was already enrolled in the Miss India International pageant.

Even she had thought that she could burn off a bad diet by light exercise. That is until she realised diet is what contributes to 70% of weight loss! Read her full weight loss story here.

Numerous studies on how to lose weight have now lifted the curtains on how much contribution does running on the treadmill has on weight loss versus diet chart to lose weight! Ok here’s how it works.

Weight loss is believed to happen when energy spent (calories burned) is more than the energy consumed (in the form of food).

However, there are 3 components of energy expenditure

Basal metabolic rate (BMR)

Energy used for digestion of food or thermogenic effect of food

Physical activity

Research finds that BMR is responsible for 60 to 80% of energy expenditure, another 10% by digestion which leaves only 10 – 30% of energy or calorie burn by physical activity.

Hence exercise which has been revered as ‘the solution for weight loss’, only accounts for small changes in weight.

We are not negating the effect of exercise on health. Research finds that exercise helps reduce the risk of type-2 diabetes, stroke, cardiovascular conditions, blood pressure, and other lifestyle ailments. So keep exercising. It will benefit you in the long run.

Weight loss for female

Apart from following the above-generalised diet chart, here are a few bonus tips for women.

Why women in particular? Because a woman’s body and mind go through a number of changes and hence, weight loss can be challenging for them when compared to men.

Since women are more prone to stress, try to calm down before undertaking any diet plan.

Hormonal issues like PCOS, hypothyroidism in women bring weight gain. So, keep a check on your hormonal influences.

Shop smartly while buying groceries.

Take up exercises while watching your favorite serials.

Find ‘me’ time and try to keep yourself happy.

Always remember, a well-balanced diet is not just for weight loss but it can also be a way to retain your health and beauty.

The healthy food that we eat is also a source of vitamins and minerals that are essential for better skin and hair wellness.

So when you are looking for a diet chart for women, you must know that it will be an added advantage for fixing different skin and hair issues. A healthy diet chart for weight loss for female is hence the key to over wellness both inside and outside.



Planning to Join a Weight Loss Establishment?

We applaud your commitment but don’t get robbed. If weight loss is your goal, first look for a good weight loss diet and then an establishment.

“Exercise or physical activity only brings about SMALL changes in weight. Do not gloss or obsess or tailor a weight loss plan solely around exercise. In fact exercising has its own line of benefits on lifestyle conditions and hence important too! Rather get a diet chart for weight loss and stick to it”

If you wish to choose a weight a loss program, then we strongly suggest you ask these 5 important questions before you join any weight loss clinic.

So there you go, a detailed Indian diet plan for weight loss, for all weight loss and weight management. We hope your search for the right answer and perfect body ends here!

Here’s a free consultation on how to lose weight from one of Truweight’s nutritionists, all for free!