Many people still believe obesity is mostly linked to junk food, frequent takeaways or unhealthy eating habits. But according to Dr Anju Shah, aesthetic dermatologist and weight-loss expert at DAMOH’S Aesthetic & Lifestyle Clinic, the reality in cities like Mumbai is becoming far more complex.
In her latest observations from clinical practice, Dr Shah says a growing number of patients gaining weight are not necessarily eating poorly. In fact, many of them consume home-cooked meals regularly, avoid alcohol and rarely order fast food. Yet they continue struggling with weight gain, rising insulin levels and early metabolic complications.
Why ‘ghar ka khana’ alone is no longer enough
Dr Shah recalls meeting a 38-year-old finance professional from Andheri who had gained nine kilos despite eating home-cooked food almost every day for four years. The patient’s reports showed rising insulin levels and early fatty liver changes, leaving her confused about what exactly had gone wrong.
According to the expert, the issue often lies not only in food quality but in the broader lifestyle structure of urban cities like Mumbai.
“Mumbai is a city that wears its relentlessness like a badge of honour,” Dr Shah writes, referring to long commutes, late-night dinners, poor sleep and extended work hours becoming normalised parts of everyday life.
She explains that from a metabolic standpoint, this routine quietly pushes the body towards chronic stress, hormonal imbalance and fat storage.
Sleep deprivation may be affecting metabolism more than people realise
One of the biggest hidden contributors to obesity, according to Dr Shah, is poor sleep quality. The article highlights findings showing that nearly half of adults in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region reportedly experience poor sleep quality, while many sleep for fewer than five hours per night. Dr Shah explains that inadequate sleep increases cortisol, the body’s stress hormone, while also affecting hunger-regulating hormones like leptin and ghrelin.
“If you get less than six to seven hours of sleep, your body increases cortisol, the stress hormone that directly promotes fat storage around your midsection,” she explains. According to the expert, this means many people are already metabolically disadvantaged before the day even begins.
Mumbai’s long commute may also be contributing to weight gain
Dr Shah says she often asks patients about their commute before discussing diet because daily travel stress can significantly affect metabolic health. Long hours spent in traffic or crowded public transport not only reduce time available for sleep and exercise but also maintain chronic low-grade stress throughout the day.
“The commute tells me more,” she says, explaining that persistent cortisol elevation is strongly associated with visceral fat accumulation, the dangerous belly fat that surrounds organs and increases metabolic risk.
Why traditional meals may need modern adjustments
The expert stresses that home-cooked food is still healthier than frequent processed or fast food consumption. However, she says many traditional urban Indian meals are now heavily carbohydrate-based while remaining low in protein.
Typical meals consisting largely of:
- Rice
- Rotis
- Dal
- Sabzi with excess oil
may not support metabolic health in people living highly sedentary, high-stress lifestyles with minimal physical activity. “With respect to food, I won’t say increase your protein. I’ll reframe it to — ask yourself at every meal: where’s the protein?” Dr Shah says.
She recommends incorporating foods like:
- Paneer
- Tofu
- Pulses
- Eggs
- Fish
- Chicken
more consistently into meals to improve satiety, energy levels and body composition.
Late dinners may also be quietly affecting health
Another major issue highlighted by the expert is meal timing. According to Dr Shah, eating dinner late at night, often after 9 PM, changes how the body processes glucose and fat. For many working professionals in Mumbai, however, early dinners remain difficult because of work schedules and long travel times.
Obesity in cities is becoming a structural lifestyle issue
Dr Shah argues that obesity in urban India can no longer be viewed simply as an issue of willpower or unhealthy eating habits. “The obesity crisis in Mumbai is not a failure of willpower or diet. This is a structural issue,” she writes.
According to her, long workdays, sleep deprivation, stressful commutes and late-night eating patterns are collectively creating an environment that quietly pushes the body towards metabolic disease, even among people who believe they are eating reasonably healthy diets.
Also read: Rethinking women’s nutrition: Simple food swaps that can improve everyday health
