Do You Have Stubborn Fat? Nutritionist Claudia Ciesla Shares 5 Tips to Lose Extra Kilos Faster

Both types can be stubborn — but for very different reasons. What makes stubborn fat so persistent? A large part of the answer lies in hormones. Cortisol, insulin, estrogen, and testosterone directly affect how and where your body stores fat. These hormones also control how easily that fat can be mobilised and burned during exercise. For instance, high insulin levels (often caused by frequent carbohydrate intake throughout the day) can lock fat cells into “storage mode”. Meanwhile, low estrogen levels during menopause can redistribute fat to the abdominal area. Metabolism plays a crucial role, too. Fat stored in stubborn zones has fewer beta-adrenergic receptors — the kind that respond to fat-burning signals — and more alpha-2 receptors, which do the exact opposite. In simpler terms, this means areas like the belly and thighs are biologically less responsive to fat mobilisation. Then there’s the role of genetics. Some people are predisposed to store fat in specific “problem zones” depending on their body type. Combine this with age-related hormonal changes and a sedentary lifestyle, and the body becomes more resistant to losing fat from certain areas — even when overall weight decreases. Beyond aesthetics, stubborn fat is not a harmless inconvenience. Visceral fat, in particular, is strongly linked to chronic conditions like type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and fatty liver disease. Research published in The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology journal confirms that excess visceral fat correlates with increased insulin resistance and systemic inflammation, both of which are risk factors for metabolic disorders. That said, not all stubborn fat is caused by poor habits alone. Hidden medical conditions — like polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), thyroid imbalances, or insulin resistance — often drive fat accumulation in specific regions. However, strategic changes in diet, movement, and targeted lifestyle interventions can absolutely shift the balance in your favour. So, the real question is — how do you tackle stubborn fat efficiently, especially with a busy lifestyle? Let’s explore five science-backed, practical tips to get those extra kilos moving faster.  

Celebrity Nutritionist’s Insight: 5 Proven Tips to Lose Extra Kilos Faster

Tip 1: Focus on a Caloric Deficit – the Smart Way

Losing extra kilos begins with one fundamental principle: consuming fewer calories than you spend. That’s your calorie deficit. When your body doesn’t get enough energy from food, it turns to stored fat for fuel, resulting in weight loss. But how do you create that deficit without harming your health or going hungry?

Start by calculating your Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE). This figure combines your basal metabolic rate (BMR) with your daily activity level, giving you a solid number of how many calories your body needs to maintain its current weight. Reducing your intake by 10-20% of your TDEE is an effective and sustainable target.

Now, let’s talk practical Indian food swaps:

• Choose steamed idlis over deep-fried vadas.
• Cook with mustard oil or ghee in moderation instead of refined oils.
• Prefer rotis made with multigrain or millet flour to white rice servings twice a day.
• Replace sugary chai with masala tea without sugar.

Avoid extreme dieting. Starvation slows down metabolism, leads to muscle loss, and invites binge-eating later. Instead, focus on building meals that are nourishing, balanced, and calorie-aware.

Tip 2: Boost Your Metabolism with Traditional Indian Herbs and Foods

Your metabolism determines how efficiently your body turns food into energy. By tapping into traditional Indian wisdom, we can naturally nudge metabolism in the right direction.

Start your day with one of these detoxifying concoctions:

• Warm water with a squeeze of lemon and a pinch of turmeric
• Cumin (jeera) water soaked overnight
• Ajwain (carom seeds) water – excellent after heavy meals

Bring your spice box into action. Turmeric, black pepper, ginger, and cinnamon aren’t just for flavour – they activate thermogenesis (the body’s fat-burning process). In one clinical trial published in Metabolism: Clinical and Experimental, subjects consuming capsaicin-rich spices showed increased fat oxidation and reduced appetite.

Skip skipping breakfast. Go for high-protein Indian options that fuel your metabolism and manage cravings later in the day:

• Moong dal chilla with mint chutney
• Scrambled eggs with turmeric and black pepper
• Paneer bhurji with whole wheat toast

Tip 3: Adopt Portion Control Habits Rooted in Indian Culture

You don’t need a calorie-counting app when Indian culinary tradition already teaches portion awareness. Using a thali, you can visually balance your meal: one part protein, one part fibre-rich vegetables, a small portion of carbs, and a spoon of ghee.

Eat with smaller katoris and avoid second helpings unless you’re genuinely hungry. This naturally sets limits without feeling deprived.

Have you ever noticed how our grandparents chewed each bite slowly and ate with full attention? That wasn’t just habit—it’s strategic. Slow eating enhances satiety hormones and optimises nutrient absorption. In fact, a Japanese clinical study found that participants who ate slowly had a 42% lower risk of developing obesity as reported in the BMJ Open.

Switch off the TV while eating. Focus on the food, your company, and how your body is responding. Mindless eating under distraction leads to unnoticed overconsumption. Try it at your next family meal and observe the shift.

Tip 4: Combine Cardiovascular Exercise with Strength Training

You don’t need a fancy gym membership to activate fat burning. The real secret lies in combining cardio and strength training. When you pair both, you increase energy expenditure while building lean muscle mass—which continues burning calories even at rest.

Cardio options that fit well into Indian lifestyles include:

• Brisk morning walks in the neighborhood park
• 30-minute cycling or skipping rope sessions
• High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) at home using stair climbing or jumping jacks

Strength training doesn’t mean lifting heavy weights at the gym. Try bodyweight exercises at home: squats, lunges, push-ups, and planks. Add Surya Namaskar for a holistic blend of strength and flexibility.

Why is strength training crucial for fat loss? Muscle is metabolically active, meaning it burns more calories than fat—even while you’re sitting. Studies in the Journal of Applied Physiology confirm that resistance training significantly increases resting metabolic rate, especially in women over 30.

Tip 5: Make Lifestyle Changes, Not Temporary Fixes

Fat loss isn’t just about food and exercise—it’s a daily lifestyle alignment. Small, consistent habits outperform big, unsustainable efforts.

Sleep isn’t optional. Aim for 7–8 hours of uninterrupted sleep. Poor sleep disturbs hormones like leptin and ghrelin, which regulate hunger, leading to overeating. In a study published in PLOS Medicine, short sleepers showed a 55% higher risk of obesity.

Need to calm your mind? Add 10 minutes of meditation or pranayama (deep breathing) into your morning routine. Journaling your meals and moods can also reveal hidden emotional triggers that lead to bingeing.

Be honest about your sugar intake. Regular sweets, celebratory mithais, and those 4 cups of sugary chai can cumulatively sabotage your calorie deficit. Choose dried fruit in small amounts or jaggery-sweetened treats once a week as alternatives.

Above all, listen to your body’s wisdom. Tune in when it says you’re full, not when the plate is empty. Eat when you’re hungry, not when you’re bored. This simple awareness will naturally guide your weight journey in the right direction.

When to Seek Expert Help: Recognising the Signs Behind Stubborn Fat

You’ve cleaned up your diet, increased your movement, stayed consistent—and yet, the scale refuses to shift. Sound familiar? If you’ve been doing the right things but fat loss has stalled, there’s a good chance your body is signalling something deeper. This is the exact point where consulting a professional isn’t just helpful—it’s necessary.

When Progress Stalls Despite Consistent Effort

Gaining or holding onto weight despite consistent efforts isn’t always about willpower or discipline. When the basics like nutrition, sleep, exercise, and stress management are in place, yet results remain flat, it’s time to zoom out. The human body is complex, and often, internal shifts influence external outcomes more than we realise.

For instance, if after 12 weeks of behaving differently—eating mindfully, moving more, managing stress—your waistline remains exactly the same, that’s a clue worth decoding. A trained nutritionist or physician can help uncover what your body might be telling you.

Medical Conditions Commonly Linked with Stubborn Fat

Certain health conditions can create physiological roadblocks that make fat loss noticeably harder. Here are a few that often go undetected:

• Hypothyroidism: An underactive thyroid slows metabolism and can lead to dry skin, fatigue, and weight gain, especially around the midsection. According to data from the Indian Journal of Endocrinology and Metabolism, up to 11% of the Indian population may be affected by thyroid dysfunction, with higher prevalence in women.
• Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS): A condition impacting 1 in 5 Indian women, PCOS is characterized by insulin resistance, hormonal imbalances, and increased fat storage, particularly visceral fat. It makes weight management more challenging and supplements the vicious cycle of hormonal disruption.
• Insulin Resistance: This condition reduces cells’ ability to absorb glucose effectively, leading the body to store it as fat. Over time, this increases belly fat and leads to chronic inflammation and metabolic dysfunction. Early insulin resistance can go unnoticed until weight gain and energy fluctuations set in.

These aren’t uncommon issues. They’re often the silent contributors to stubborn fat that many people are unaware of until tested properly.

Why Personalised Guidance Makes All the Difference

Every person’s metabolism, hormonal environment, and nutritional needs are different—this is especially true in the Indian context, where food culture, genetics, and lifestyle nuances heavily impact how the body responds to change.

Working with a certified Indian nutritionist means your plan reflects not only your biology but also your food preferences, cooking style, regional habits, and cultural rhythm. This makes a huge difference in compliance and sustainability. For example, a generic weight loss app won’t understand the glycaemic load of a traditional dal + rice meal the way an Indian-trained professional would.

Moreover, expert support includes diagnostic evaluations, symptom tracking, lab test interpretations, and deep knowledge of food-based healing. A qualified nutritionist won’t just suggest fewer calories—they’ll equip you with tailored strategies, functional foods, and lifestyle tweaks that actually move the needle.

So if the number on the scale hasn’t budged despite your sincere effort, don’t just double down on effort. Pause, investigate, and ask questions: Could something else be going on? What deeper conditions are driving this resistance? Reaching out to the right expert might be the most powerful step you take towards transformation.

Realistic Expectations for Sustainable Weight Loss

Trying to shed a few stubborn kilos? It’s tempting to want quick results—especially when social media is filled with dramatic before-and-after shots. But when we talk about long-term fat loss, chasing speed over sustainability almost always backfires. Here’s why adopting realistic expectations can make all the difference in your journey.

Avoid the Shortcut Mindset: No Magic in Crash Diets

Detoxes, juice cleanses, and crash diets promise fast results. What they actually deliver is short-term water loss, muscle depletion, and an eventual metabolic slowdown. Once the body senses calorie restriction without adequate nutrition, it prioritizes survival—not fat burning. You may lose weight, but it won’t be the kind you want. Real fat loss requires consistency, not extremes.

The National Institute of Nutrition in India cautions that overly restrictive diets often lead to nutrient deficiencies, especially in women of childbearing age. Iron, calcium, and B12—critical for energy metabolism—are often the first to drop. This directly impacts how efficiently your body burns fat. The message is clear: less isn’t always more.

The 0.5–1 kg Per Week Rule: Science-Backed and Effective

Fat cells shrink slowly. That’s their nature. Losing 0.5 to 1 kg per week represents an effective and maintainable pace. Research published in the Indian Journal of Endocrinology and Metabolism confirms that a weekly loss within this range supports healthy metabolism, preserves lean muscle mass, and lowers the risk of regaining weight.

This pace might not look dramatic on the scale, but it adds up. In just three months, that’s 6 to 12 kilos gone—with minimal muscle loss and hormonal imbalance. These small weekly shifts reflect deeper, positive changes in your metabolic health, insulin sensitivity, and energy regulation.

Beyond the Scale: Focus on Body Composition

A common mistake is measuring progress only through weight. Fat loss and weight loss aren’t synonymous. Losing weight can include loss of water and muscle, which may create a deceptive illusion of success. Shifting the spotlight to body composition—your ratio of fat to lean muscle—gives more meaningful data.

Take note of how your clothes fit, how you feel when climbing stairs, or the definition appearing along your waistline. These are just as valid—if not more so—than the number blinking back at you from your weighing scale.

Muscle is metabolically active tissue. The more you have, the more calories your body burns at rest. Prioritizing strength training and protein-rich meals enhances fat oxidation while preserving lean mass. A study from the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) indicated that women engaging in strength-based routines burned up to 15% more fat during rest compared to those who only performed cardio.

So, instead of obsessing over rapid results, align your efforts with sustainable practices. Ask yourself: Am I building habits I can maintain long-term? Am I respecting my body’s unique rhythm?

That’s where real transformation begins.

Start Today: Your 5-Step Action Plan to Beat Stubborn Fat

Celebrity Nutritionist Claudia Ciesla says ‘Trying to lose stubborn fat often feels like an uphill battle—but with the right strategy, progress becomes inevitable’. Here’s a practical, no-nonsense 5-step plan rooted in Indian nutrition and supported by metabolic science. Ready to take action?

1. Create a Strategic Calorie Deficit with Mindful Indian Meals

You don’t need to starve your body—but you do need to feed it smartly. A sustainable calorie deficit of just 10–20% from your total daily energy expenditure (TDEE) allows your body to burn fat while preserving lean mass.

• Swap refined carbs like maida for whole grains such as jowar or bajra. These boost satiety and stabilise blood sugar.
• Load your plate with seasonal vegetables cooked in minimal oil—dry sabzis, steamed dishes, and dals are excellent.
• Use cooking methods like steaming, sautéing, and baking to retain nutritional density and control calories.

Planning your meals around nutrient-dense, portion-controlled recipes keeps your body nourished and in a steady fat-burning mode.

2. Boost Your Metabolism Daily with Spices + Movement

Spices do more than elevate flavour—they fire up thermogenesis. For instance, capsaicin in red chillies and piperine from black pepper increase energy expenditure and fat oxidation.

• Add cinnamon (dalchini) to your morning tea or smoothie—it regulates insulin and promotes fat loss.
• Include ginger and turmeric in daily cooking; both reduce inflammation and support digestion.

Pair this with daily movement—aim to move every hour, do household chores vigorously, or take energising morning walks. It’s not only about workouts; it’s about staying metabolically active all day long.

3. Eat Mindfully Using Portion Control

Portion distortion creeps in quietly. Switching to smaller plates, using katoris for curry servings, and slowing down your chewing are research-backed habits that make a difference.

• Studies show mindful eaters consume 10–20% fewer calories per meal without even noticing.
• Practise the Ayurvedic principle of filling the stomach half with food, one-quarter with water, and leaving the rest empty to aid digestion.

Your body listens to signals of fullness—but only when you give it time. Eating patiently recalibrates hunger cues and prevents overeating.

4. Stay Active – Workout Regularly and Mix Routines

When the body adapts to one form of exercise, fat loss slows down. That’s why alternation is key.

• Combine resistance training (like yoga with holding poses or home dumbbell sets) with cardio (brisk walking, cycling, or dancing).
• Include 1–2 sessions of high-intensity interval training (HIIT) per week—studies confirm it mobilises stubborn fat more effectively than steady-state workouts.

The goal is consistency, not intensity. Even 30 minutes a day, consistently done, triggers measurable metabolic shifts.

5. Commit to Long-Term Lifestyle Upgrades

Quick diets give temporary results. Long-term change comes from habit stacking.

• Sleep 7–9 hours nightly—poor sleep disrupts leptin and ghrelin, the hormones that regulate appetite and fat storage.
• Hydrate with water or herbal infusions instead of sugar-loaded drinks. Just replacing 2 daily cups of chai with lemon water saves ~100 kcal.
• De-stress with rituals: deep breathing during your commute, gratitude journaling before bed, or digital detox after 9 PM.

Every consistent choice builds metabolic rhythm and reinforces your efforts. Don’t underestimate the power of these support systems.

Every step you take activates a shift in your body’s fat metabolism. Start with one strategy, build on it weekly, and trust your system to adapt. You’re not just chasing weight loss—you’re building a more resilient foundation for your body and mind.

Your Journey, Your Pace: Rediscovering Balance Beyond the Scale

Fat loss, especially when dealing with the stubborn kind, isn’t about chasing one-size-fits-all solutions. Your body is unique—your metabolism, your hormonal rhythm, your stress levels, your sleep, and your cultural food preferences all play a role. What works wonders for one person can plateau quickly in another. And that doesn’t mean you’re doing anything wrong.

Progress comes in many forms: better sleep, improved digestion, increased energy, clearer skin, and of course, the quiet joy of your clothes fitting differently. While the extra kilos might seem like the biggest hurdle, it’s often the smallest mindset shifts that create lasting change. Celebrate those early morning walks, that extra glass of water, or the moment you chose a fruit over a sweet. These are signs of a body heading in the right direction.

If you feel stuck, don’t second-guess yourself or your efforts. Sometimes, a fresh eye and a plan that respects your lifestyle and heritage is all it takes to realign. Consulting a qualified nutritionist—someone who understands Indian food patterns, metabolic nuances, and hormonal health—can unlock a new layer of clarity and effectiveness in your journey.