Don'T Lose Your Mind, Lose Your Weight

by Rujuta Diwekar

Eating first thing in the morning will lead to an Increase in blood sugar and energy levels, which will lead to an… Increase in metabolic rate and fat burning, and a… Decrease in acidity and bloating, and will… Reduce chances of overeating later in the day, and… Stabilise blood sugar levels throughout the day, which means… Less chances of getting fat.

When you eat every 2 hours a day, it’s a given that you will eat small. So the number of calories you consume at one time will be very small. When our body gets a regular dose of a small number of calories often, through the day, it feels reassured and loved. Eating is a way of loving our body and providing it with nourishment. Not eating for long hours (more than 3) or starving is an act of punishment, like being angry at ourselves. When our body gets fewer calories at a time, they are utilised better and not stored as fat. Also, because the body is feeling reassured with a regular intake of calories and nutrients, it sees no reason to store body fat. The body loses fear of death due to starvation (which is instilled by a combination of prolonged gaps between meals and eating a lot at one time), and feels encouraged to let go of its fat stores (which it has been holding on to as its means of survival).

So in short, eating after every 2 hours will lead to A conducive environment in the body to burn fat Fewer calories converted to fat Less dependence on stimulants Smarter thinking, because the brain gets a regular flow of sugar Flatter stomach, no need to hold on to fat stores And what happened to Amu?

For all the in between meals, eat only one thing at a time: peanuts, cheese, nuts, milk, yogurt, soy milk or whey protein shakes. These foods are wholesome and are higher in protein content, which we are always in danger of being deficient in. They stabilise blood sugar, help you think faster and support sedentary activities without getting converted to fat, importantly.

Eat more when you are more active and less when you are less active

In fact, I will go to the extent of saying that no food is fattening. You have to just be smart enough to choose the right time to eat it.

Eating more food when you’re more active will make your body an efficient calorie burner… Which will increase the metabolic rate of your body… Which will help you stay energetic through the day…

And will help you lose fat more effectively.

Finish your last meal at least 2 hours prior to sleeping.

To eat 2 hours before bedtime will lead to Most of your food being digested before you go to bed… Which will lead to sound sleep… Which will leave your body free to do its repair work… Which will make your body more effective in burning fat. Bad breath This is clearly a bigger dampener than a pot belly.

Always eat the minute you wake up: never start your day with tea or coffee. Eat every 2 to 3 hours during the day. Eating (quantity of food) should be directly proportionate to your activity levels. There should be a minimum gap of 2 hours between the last meal and bedtime.

Eating food for entertainment is a sure shot way of getting fat. It’s a much better idea to take part in some activity that is comforting. Praying, exercising, painting, singing, anything that suits your temperament. It doesn’t just help you burn calories, it keeps you away from ingesting too many calories. Food is not for entertainment or to deal with boredom.

Exercise is not meant as punishment for the body. Not for getting fat or overeating or anything else. Exercise is a way to improve fitness, blood circulation, and to love the body. If it’s used for anything else, or if it’s abused, it stops working.

So what are the fundamental steps towards adopting a healthier lifestyle? Here goes. Step 1 Wake up closer to sunrise. Ideally: wake up a little before sunrise so that you can witness the peace that every dawn brings. It’s not called ‘awakening’ for nothing. Don’t just leave this activity to when you are at hill stations. Dawn brings hope and energy for not just the day, but for life. Sunrise provides us with the vitamin D that we need to maintain healthy bones, gives us the ‘me time’ to clear our head, and cleanses our body of the tamas or the sloth of the night. Let’s get real: ok, sunrise is great. But if this sounds way out of reach, just wake up an hour before you are used to. If you are waking up post noon, start with waking up 2 hours earlier. Waking up even 30 minutes earlier gives us much needed time to workout, exercise. Step 2 Eat within 10 minutes of waking up. Ideally: eat meal 1 within 10 minutes of waking up. And obviously you can’t start with tea, coffee or a cigarette. If you can’t bring yourself to eat a big meal, start with a fruit. Absolutely any fruit is great. Keep it fresh, not frozen. Don’t add salt, sugar, chaat masala, etc to it. And of course, don’t squeeze it into a juice. Let’s get real: 10 minutes sounds like a big deal? Ok, eat within the first 30 minutes of waking up. But make sure that you are not reading your paper, checking your B-berry, giving instructions on the phone, etc while doing this. If you workout first thing on rising, eat a fr...

(No food is really zero carb, and these will give you small amounts of carbs, protein and fat, stabilising blood sugar and giving you adequate energy.) Step 5 Eat your dinner within 2 hours of sunset Ideal: if the sun has set at 6 pm, eat dinner latest by 8 pm. Better still, have it by 7 pm. We already know that loading the stomach with dinner when it has little or no digestion capacity is a sure shot way to get fat (and to fame and recognition as the ‘fat person in my building, office, college, school’). Let’s get real: ok, so some of you are still in office, or travelling or waiting for others to get back home till 8 or 9 pm. Rethink ‘dinner’. Have a healthy and nutritious meal between 6 to 7 pm; and then go for a token dinner later, ideally no later than 9 pm. You can have this first meal either before you leave from work, or in the car, or before you start preparing and planning for dinner if you are a homemaker. What this will ensure is that you are not ravenous by dinner time, or else you will overload your stomach when it can digest the least. Some options for the early dinner or meal at 6 to 7 pm are (and there are a few other options above): Roti rolls: great for those who eat in transit. Roll what you fancy in the wholewheat roti: veggies, paneer, tofu, chicken, fish, omelette. You would probably need to bring these from home and refrigerate at work. Grilled sandwiches: ask for wholewheat bread, get the butter out, keep the cheese. And always share this. The serv...

the misinformation around sugar runs so deep that it’s also a sad tale of how this ancient nutrient (yep, I wrote nutrient) is now just looked down upon. We just ‘know’ that it’s harmful for ‘normal’ people and a killer for ‘diabetics’. Here’s the truth: Sugar has been celebrated as a panch amrit in our culture along with milk, honey, ghee and curd. The weight-loss industry has brainwashed us to look down upon each of them and it is the reputation of sugar that has taken the maximum beating. Sugar is not the white killer. In fact, ancient Egypt used it as a healer on wounds, way before antibiotics came into existence. What’s harmful is the way we are using sugar now—in biscuits, pastries, cakes, chocolates, etc., where, other than the fact that massive amounts of sugar is used, there is an overload of preservatives, trans fats, salts, emulsifiers and lack of essential fibre and minerals. Of course, we choose to overlook this fact and instead attach all harmful effects of these to sugar. Then, all the weight-loss industry does is to create another market for ‘diet’ foods. The preservatives, trans fats and emulsifiers stay, and sugar gets replaced with a sweetener. And we are told that this mixture will make us thin and prevent diabetes and heart disease. Really? So put that spoon of sugar into your tea or coffee; even if calories haunt you, it’s only 20 calories; you probably burnt that much by just reading this answer. One gulab jamun or peda won’t kill you either. What wi...