Every year ends with an uninterrupted supply of heavily fattened food, and you get a bulge even if you've been extremely careful with your diet. As a result, most of us start the New Year with our weight control prayers answered as soon as possible. There is a chance that you will feel bloated and miserable.
What should I do? No matter how much you want to lose weight, self-abuse in the name of weight loss is not acceptable! If you lose weight at the expense of your health and well-being, you will not be satisfied with the result. Conversely, if your focus is on improving your health and shedding some weight, you'll find your own realistic magic number on the scale, and your measurements can be refined with subtle changes in your diet and exercise pattern.
Exercise: It is virtually impossible to be healthy and strong if you are not physically active. Start a brisk morning walk for 40 minutes at least four days a week. When does this walk start to dent your belly fat that you are trying to lose? It depends on the length, frequency and intensity of your walk. Build all three gradually within the first fifteen days.
- What to eat
Eat a diet that contains 50% raw and 50% cooked vegetables along with whole grains and legumes. - Finish your dinner at 7pm. After that, avoid eating anything until 7 a.m. the next morning.
- Increase your fiber intake by consuming flax seeds (alsi seeds), raw almonds, and raw vegetable juices.
- According to Ayurveda, bitter foods (lettuce leaves, spinach, methi, karela, cucumber) help remove toxins from the body, improve digestion and strengthen tissue. They also help normalize excessive hunger. Include these in your diet.
- Drink hot water all day. Warm water is the best detox agent
Most of all, you need to redefine your attitude towards your body and your scale. Try to be realistic about your weight. Stop feeling fat if you are not overweight. Avoid this skeleton look. Remember, it is more important to be healthy, to reach an ideal body weight, than to be too thin and fall prey to disease!
ANJALI MUKERJEE, nutritionist, founding director of Health Total, with health centers
in Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore, Pune – manages obesity and other health disorders.
Contact numbers: 1800 8918131 / + 91 86575 61727
Further information can be found at www.health-total.com
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