Dr. Prabhat AryaMBBS, MD (Internal Medicine) · DMC Reg. No. DMC-83759drprabhatarya.com

Reviewed by Dr. Prabhat Arya, MD (Internal Medicine) on 29 September 2026

Diet chart for weight loss

Losing weight does not need special food or starving. Ordinary home food, in smaller portions, with more vegetables and protein and daily walking, brings weight down steadily: about half to one kilo a week.

½ Vegetables and salad ¼ Dal, paneer, curd, egg, fish, chicken ¼ Roti, rice or millet
  1. Fill half the plate with vegetables and salad, a quarter with dal, paneer, egg or chicken, and only a quarter with roti or rice.
  2. Eat three meals at fixed times, with one small snack if hungry. Do not skip meals: it leads to overeating later.
  3. Walk briskly for 30 to 45 minutes a day, five days a week or more. Food and walking work best together.

Eat more

  • Vegetables at every meal: lauki, tori, bhindi, palak, methi, cabbage, cauliflower, beans
  • Salad before meals: cucumber, tomato, onion, carrot, radish
  • Protein at every meal: dal, chana, sprouts, paneer, curd, eggs, fish, chicken
  • Whole fruit, one at a time: guava, apple, orange, papaya, pear
  • Water: a glass before each meal; chaas and lemon water without sugar
  • Whole grains: atta with chokar, bajra, jowar, dalia, oats

Eat less, and measure

  • Roti: two small ones per meal; rice: one small katori
  • Cooking oil and ghee together: 3 to 4 teaspoons per person for the whole day
  • Potato, arbi, shakarkandi: count them as roti or rice
  • Nuts: a small handful a day, not more; they are healthy but heavy
  • Mango, banana, chikoo: a small portion
  • Eating out and at weddings: fill up on salad and dal first

Avoid

  • Sugar in tea, sweets and mithai
  • Cold drinks, packaged juice, fresh fruit juice, sweet lassi
  • Fried snacks: samosa, pakora, namkeen, chips, bhujia
  • Maida and bakery: bread, biscuits, cake, pizza, noodles
  • Eating in front of the TV or phone, and late-night snacking
  • Alcohol: it is full of hidden calories

A sample day

Vegetarian first; the swap is for those who eat eggs, fish or chicken.

On waking
Water. Tea or coffee without sugar
Breakfast
Two besan or moong chilla with vegetables, or one bowl of vegetable dalia or oats, with a katori of curdSwap: Two-egg omelette with vegetables and one roti
Mid-morning
One fruit: guava, apple or orange
Lunch
Salad first. A big katori of sabzi, a katori of dal, two small rotis or one small katori of rice, raitaSwap: Chicken or fish curry (little oil) in place of dal
Evening
Tea without sugar with roasted chana or makhana, or a bowl of sprouts chaatSwap: A boiled egg
Dinner, by 8 pm
A big bowl of sabzi with paneer or dal, one roti. Lighter than lunchSwap: Grilled fish or chicken with sabzi
Bedtime
Nothing more. A cup of warm water if you like

Common myths

Skipping dinner is the fastest way to lose weight.
It leads to overeating the next day. Eat a light early dinner instead.
Warm water with lemon and honey melts fat.
No drink melts fat. Only eating less and moving more does.
Crash diets work.
Weight lost fast comes back fast. Half to one kilo a week lasts.
Ghee-free food means you can eat any amount.
Roti, rice and sugar also add weight. The portion matters.

Dr. Arya’s note for you

This is general advice for adults. If you have diabetes, follow the diabetes chart: both work the same way. Pregnant women, people with kidney or heart disease, and anyone on insulin or sugar tablets like glimepiride need their own plan. No weight-loss pills or injections without a doctor. Ask Dr. Arya.