Lifestyle And Weight Loss Drama

“I lied and said I was busy. I was busy, but not in a way most people understand. I was busy taking deeper breaths. I was busy silencing irrational thoughts. I was busy calming a racing heart. I was busy telling myself I am okay. Sometimes this is my busy and I will not apologize for it.” – This way I want my day to start. 

What is life? Each person’s ideas and attitude towards life is different. Those who have achieved something in life have a positive attitude towards life and on the other hand, those who have seen failures have a negative attitude. 

There are many theories about life. Some say life is a game and few say life struggles. Few are also of the opinion that life is a journey and also life is God’s gift to us. Different people have a different approach to life. 

But according to me, life is an opportunity which has been given to us by that supreme power that made this beautiful world. 

In other words, life is an opportunity to do something good for ourselves and to others. 

One’s greatest beauty secret is being happy with themselves. No need to use special cream or treatments, the clue is to use little a bit of everything. It’s a mistake to think you are what you put on yourself. I believe that a lot of how you look is to do with how you feel about yourself and your life. Happiness is the greatest beauty secret. 

Looking good and feeling good go hand in hand. If you have a healthy lifestyle, your diet and nutrition are set, and you are working out, you are going to feel good. 

Through this article, I want to share how dieting or diet is misunderstood. Eating correctly has to be a lifelong commitment and our diet should reflect this commitment, this automatically rules out extreme diet or crash diet. Every diet to work they have to be personalized. 

Food is good. All food contains nutrients which have their own role to play in our body. We need all kinds of nutrients like Carbs, Proteins, Fats, Vitamins and Minerals. If we deprive us any one of them will create an imbalance in our body. 

Diet And Myth –

I strongly believe that our diet has to be a representation of what we will be eating in our entire life. It has to be remaining true to our genes, our likes and dislikes, our work life, level of activity and only then it has a good chance of working.  Can we lead our life where we have Papaya Juice or Bottle gourd Juice all day long? If the answer is no, then don’t go on a diet. Diet is not starvation.

Detox Or Herbal Diet Is Good Or Punishment?

Most diets are impossible to keep at because they always emphasis on something extreme. They are difficult to maintain and harmful for our body physically and mentally. 

If we talk about ‘Detox Diet’, first we will have to agree that everything we eat is toxic, then for a few days, we eat everything which we consider as non-toxic. In other words, we punish ourselves with gulping some yuckiest vegetable juices. 

We all have this notion that everything herbal is SAFE. Well, everything herbal is not necessarily SAFE. While going on anything herbal, we should make sure it matches our body constitution. First, get the advice of Qualified Vaidya or Ayurvedacharya before swallowing syrups or popping pills. We ask questions about Proteins, Vitamins or Minerals but never once doubt the authenticity of herbal products. Everything made in the lab is not dangerous or artificial and everything that is herbal is not safe. 

The Stomach –

The scientific definition of the stomach is- “Stomach is a muscular organ located on the left side of the upper abdomen. The food enters the stomach from the oesophagus. After the food enters the stomach, the stomach muscles mix the food and liquid with digestive juices. On average, food takes 6-8 hours to pass from the stomach and small intestine to large intestine. 

We pay so little attention to the stomach is because it never attacks us like the heart. Although a heart attack is also the result of our eating habits, lack of exercise, etc.

Our stomach also sends us signals like bloating, constipation, burps, farts, nausea etc. For the toned body, we need to establish a good relationship with our stomach, one of mutual love and respect. 

When To Eat?

We cannot control everything in our life but we can definitely control what we put in our body. Eating well and on time is a kind of self-respect. 

The Best Time to Eat –

Breakfast – 

• Eat within 30 minutes of waking up
• The ideal time to have breakfast is 7 am
• Do not delay breakfast later than 10 am 

Lunch – 

• The ideal time to have lunch is 12:45 pm
• Try to keep a gap of 4 hours between your breakfast and lunch
• Do not delay lunch later than 4 pm

Dinner –

• The ideal time to have dinner is before 7 pm
• You should keep a gap of 3 hours between your dinner time and bedtime
• Do not delay dinner later than 10 pm

Train Your Stomach - 

Your life is a result of your choices. If you don’t like your life, it’s time to make some better choices. On this note, think, is it possible to the shrink stomach? Yes, it is, but for that, we will have to learn eating habits. 

We all have that overeating point. The first thing is to understand and identify that point. Now the question is, how do we stop eating before reaching overeating point?

The secret is to have small and frequent meals. We all have seen the pictures of Buddhist and Jain Monks, cupping their hands together for alms and food. Ideally, that is the amount of food our stomach should take at a time. Give the stomach a dose of what it needs. 

When it’s finished digesting, give it some more. You are still giving your stomach plenty of food; you are simply lengthening the process of feeding yourself.

The overeating points are different for different people. And even in the same person, it changes with age, stress, exercise, time of the day, season etc.

Most of us may not be able to stick to the ideal measure of food, well not initially. Also, often we are at restaurants and parties. The key to staying within your overeating point is to be a little attentive while eating. Savour every bit of what you eat slowly and mindfully and you will naturally find your point of overeating. All we need to do is train your stomach and mind.

Eat Right – 

According to Ellie Krieger (Dietician) – “In my food world, there is no fear or guilt, only joy and balance. So no ingredient is ever off-limits. Rather all of the recipes here follow my usually – sometimes- Rarely Philosophy. Notice there is no never. “

Julia Child (Recognized for bringing French cuisine to the American public with her debut cookbook) says – “When it comes to food, think nutrients, not calories. Everybody seems to know what we should not eat (sweets, fried food etc.) but there is confusion about what we should eat.”

Carbohydrates – Are responsible for providing our body with the energy it needs for normal day to day functioning. It also helps in the synthesis of hormones and fatty acids (like cholesterol). It generates powerful antioxidants and protects our cells from damage and ageing. It also helps in regularizing the bowel movements because of their fibre content.

Carbohydrates are found in all plant foods like fruits, vegetables, grains, legumes etc and also in milk and milk products. 

Power of Protein-Protein is an important component of every cell in the body. Hair and Nails are mostly made of Protein. Our body uses protein to build and repair tissues. It also helps in making enzymes, hormones and other body chemicals. Protein is an important building block of bones, muscles, cartilage, skin and blood.

Along with Fats and Carbohydrates, Protein is a Macro Nutrient.  “Meaning that the body needs a relatively large amount of it. Vitamins and Minerals are needed in only small quantities, are called Micro Nutrients.” But unlike Fat and Carbohydrate, the body does not store protein and therefore has no reservoir to draw on when it needs a new supply. 

Protein can be obtained from Fish, Eggs, Milk Products, and Legumes etc. Legumes like Dal, Rajma, Chhole are just not a good source of Protein but also Carbs and Fiber. 

Fats And Myth -  

Have you ever heard, “Eat fat to lose fat?” According to Rujuta Diwekar - we all are perfect just the way we are. But we are too occupied doing too many things imperfect things. Just one of them is banning Fats from our diet. Fat plays a big role in our body. Most importantly, it helps us survive during periods of prolonged mental and physical stresses, sickness and prolonged starvation. Fat is stored as adipose tissue in the body from where energy can be used in these extreme cases. It’s due to this ability that the human species has evolved and survived. So Fat is our body’s answer for bad times. It is the only nutrient that can help us survive through the toughest phase of life. 

Thus your so-called lean time will actually make you fat. Corollary, fat or good times will make you lean.

How To Include Healthy Fat In Diet?

The diets of most Indian people are heavily influenced by religion, particularly Hinduism. The Hindu religion teaches non-violence and that all living things should be valued equally. That’s why a Lacto-vegetarian diet is encouraged and eating meat, poultry, fish and eggs are less popular. Vegetarians do eat dairy products. It emphasizes grains, lentils, vegetables, fruits, healthy fats, dairy and spices.

Healthy fats help in maintaining lean toned body, healthy heart, supple skin and lustrous hair.

Healthy Fat Rich Food-

Coconut milk, full-fat dairy, avocado, coconut oil, mustard oil, olive oil, peanut oil, sesame oil, ghee.

Fat improves our absorption of essential nutrients, helping us feel full and serving as a reserve for energy storage. By signalling our fullness cues, fat can help us stay off the roller-coaster of sugar cravings and settle into a more sustainable way of eating. Misguided recommendations to follow a fat-free diet for weight loss are no longer considered sound nutritional advice. Bringing natural fats back into our meals can be part of the pursuit of a healthier lifestyle. 

Vitamins And Minerals – 

Vitamins and Minerals make people’s bodies work properly. Although we get vitamins and minerals from the food we eat every day. Vitamins fall into two categories-

1. Fat-soluble

2. Water-soluble

The fat-soluble vitamins – A, D, E and K. Dissolve into fat and can be stored in the body.

The water-soluble vitamins – C, B that your body doesn’t use as it passes through your system is lost (mostly when you pee). So you need a fresh supply of these vitamins every day. 

Vitamin ‘A’- It is found in whole and low-fat milk, dark leafy vegetables, all the orange, yellow vegetables, and in liver and kidney. Forms of Vitamin ‘A’ found in plant sources are called carotenes. We need vitamin A to support our immune functions, improving eyesight and are crucial for growth and development. 

Vitamin ‘D’ - Found in our body, which produces vitamin ‘D’ upon exposure to sunlight. We need it because it aids calcium absorption. 

Vitamin ‘E’ – Found in polyunsaturated vegetable oil like corn, soy, sunflower, sunflower oil and seeds, nuts, whole grains, asparagus, green leafy vegetables, berries and tomatoes are a good source of vitamin E.

It protects the heart, keeps the skin young, prevents nerve and muscular weakness and is a powerful oxidant. 

Vitamin ‘K’ – Found in green leafy vegetables, green peas, green tea, oats, whole grains. It is the most neglected vitamin because vitamin ‘K’ deficiencies are very rare. We need it because it plays a very important role in blood clotting, which is why it is a lifesaving vitamin. Excessive menstrual bleeding is often a sign of low vitamin K level. 

Vitamin ‘C’ – Found in most fruits and vegetables. It is water-soluble so our body needs a fresh supply daily. We need it because it is critical to our immunity, helps manufacture hormones, and collagen maintains our respiratory system and lung function and is a powerful anti-oxidant. 

Vitamin ‘B’ – There are many vitamins clubbed together – B1, B2, B3, B5, B6, B7, B9 and B12, all make-up what we call vitamin ‘B’ or B-complex. 

Found in fresh fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, eggs, fish and cheese.

We need it because it takes part in metabolic reactions, helps metabolize carbohydrates, aids digestion, improves nerve function, and prevents depression. 

Minerals – 

Calcium - Found in dairy products, tofu, green leafy vegetables, nuts, seeds, and in almost all wholesome food. We need it because it maintains the health of bones, joints and teeth, is responsible for all muscular contractions, for clotting of blood, and to regulate blood pressure.

 Iron – Found in meat, fish and eggs (all non-veg sources). Veg sources are garden cress seeds, Bajra, Jowar, other whole grains, fresh vegetables and fruits. For iron to be absorbed properly, we need an adequate amount of vitamin ‘C’ and ‘B’ (specifically B12) in our body. 

Selenium, Zinc, Chromium, Magnesium, Manganese, Copper – Found in fish, eggs, whole grains, fresh veggies. These minerals are gaining importance not only because they are essential to prevent deceases but also they are anti-oxidants and promote fat burning in our body.

• Zinc and Chromium are of the importance of good skin and hair growth and to prevent acne and wrinkle. 
• For protection against free radicals, Selenium is vital.
• Copper is required for optimal iron absorption.
• Manganese is responsible for thyroid function and blood sugar control.
• Magnesium helps lower blood pressure, ease PMS (Premenstrual syndrome) symptoms, and lower LDL (Low-Density Lipoprotein) level.

Thomas Edison said – “The doctors of the future will give no medicines, but will involve the patient in the proper use of food, fresh air and exercise.”

Healthy diet and exercise go hand in hand. Regular exercise is an important part of a healthy lifestyle….Not only does it help us manage weight but also reduce the risk of developing deceases. It can help prevent and treat mental health. It can boost our well-being and mood and a great way to unwind from the stresses of life. 

Which exercise we choose is our personal choice. We can go for yoga, weight training, running, swimming etc. It has to suit our temperament. The benefits of exercise go way beyond losing weight or losing inches. It will improve muscle and bone density, heart and lung function, lower blood pressure, stabilize blood sugar, and wake you agile, faster and stronger. 

But this happens only if we eat right and keep the right attitude towards life. 

It’s better to look back on life and say: “I can’t believe, I did that” than to look back and say: “I wish I did that.”

Make a healthy choice, your body is the only place for you to live.