Rekha’s dietician reveals the one mistake which is holding you back from losing weight, even if you are trying: ‘It’s not about how much you eat…’

Why are you not losing weight even after being on a diet and working out? While having a proper diet and eating right and clean undoubtedly plays a major role in weight loss, what you eat and when is also equally important. Taking to Instagram, celebrity dietician Anjali Mukherjee explained why timing and content of diet matters.

Late Dinners

Mukherjee explained if you eat your food very late into the night, you will not be able to digest food well. This will inevitably impact weight loss. As per a Healthline report, here’s how poor digestion can cause little to no weight loss:

An unhealthy gut can interfere with the body's natural hormone balance by disrupting the production of key appetite-regulating hormones such as leptin and ghrelin. Leptin signals the brain that the body has had enough food, while ghrelin stimulates hunger. When these hormones are thrown off balance, people may experience constant hunger, overeating, and strong cravings for sugary or high-calorie foods, making weight management much more challenging.

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A post shared by Anjali Mukerjee | Nutritionist (@anjalimukerjee)

Poor gut health can also increase inflammation throughout the body. If the intestinal lining becomes damaged and overly permeable—a condition commonly referred to as "leaky gut"—tiny food particles, bacteria, and other substances may pass into the bloodstream. This activates the immune system, leading to chronic low-grade inflammation. Over time, this inflammatory state can contribute to insulin resistance, reducing the body's ability to regulate blood sugar efficiently and making it harder to burn stored body fat.

An imbalanced gut microbiome may also slow metabolism. Certain harmful gut bacteria are more efficient at extracting calories from food, meaning the body may absorb more energy than it actually needs. At the same time, poor gut health can reduce the absorption and utilization of essential nutrients that support healthy metabolic function. Together, these changes can lower the body's resting metabolic rate, making weight loss more difficult even with diet and exercise.

High Carb Food Is Detrimental For Weight Loss

The more carbohydrate rich the food is, the more detrimental it is for weight loss. She concluded that our bodies are not designed to process heavy meals in the night.

Weight loss journey starts by eating light meals and finishing your meals early.

Mukherjee is a celebrity nutritionist and founder of wellness company Health Total. In 1997, she became the first official nutrition expert for the Femina Miss India pageant, a position she held until 2004. During her seven-year association with the competition, she guided contestants with personalized diet plans and nutritional counseling, helping them achieve peak health and fitness.

Her illustrious client list included Rekha, Zeenat Aman, Simi Garewal as well as future international beauty queens such as Lara Dutta, Priyanka Chopra, Dia Mirza, Neha Dhupia, and Gul Panag, among several other Miss India finalists. Mukerjee's expertise played a key role in preparing contestants for the physical and mental demands of national and international pageants, cementing her reputation as one of India's leading celebrity nutritionists.