How Do I Lose Weight-Diet

        A successful weight loss programme must consist of the following, which will not only keep you in losing weight but also in maintaining weight and optimal health.

1.      Proper diet

2.      Adequate exercise

3.      Regulated daily routine & changes in life style

4.      Positive mental attitude

5.      Supporting therapies & supplements

1.PROPER DIET:

        These days there is lot of appreciation for the benefit of proper diet in the medical world. Diet when taken properly cures and prevents lot of ailments we suffer from. When you don't have a proper diet, even the supplements and medications don’t digest and assimilate properly in the body. There is saying in Sanskrit, "you are what you eat". Natural and healthy diet itself detoxes the body. Before I write down a diet chart for an effective weight loss, I would like to pen down a few guidelines regarding:

        A) What to eat

        B) How to eat

        C) How much to eat

       

The above said principles are not just for weight loss and detoxifying the body, these are for every individual who wish to live a healthy life.

A)WHAT TO EAT?

        Human body is a highly complicated structure and we are gifted to have our bodies in this life. One cannot afford to eat whatever his senses direct to him to and indulge in whichever food one likes. Just to note a few of the astonishing facts of organs in our bodies

        Eg:

• 126 billion cells of WBC (each life span of only 9-12 days); constantly circulate in our body to protect us from infections.
• Our heart pumps 1 million litres of blood to the body in a life span of 70 years through 60 mile long blood vessels.
• Human nervous system functions with the help of about 50 billion neurons.
• Air spaces in our lungs can cover a tennis court , when spread out etc.,

Isn't it amazing? Our body is a living wonder and we need to protect our body physically and mentally through sustained and conscious efforts.

Criteria of a good diet:

●      Pleasant to look at - not burnt, not deep fried, not over boiled.

●      Smell good- one should not feel the dominant smell of one particular ingredient.

●      Taste good- all the tastes like spice, sweet, pungent, salty, bitter etc should be balanced in a whole day meal

●      Nutritious. 

In general

a) EAT PREDOMINANTLY VEGETARIAN DIET

        Based on history and human evolution, since man has evolved from being a predominant meat eater, human gastrointestinal tract can accommodate both animal and plant based foods. According to me, plant based diet is much easy on digestion. Unlike our ancestors, we don't get meat from wild animals (which has lesser fat) in comparison to domestic animals. The animal feeds, medications, vaccines which we are giving to our chicken and lamb etc are synthetically made, artificially grown and genetically manipulated. One should completely avoid animal source protein in few Allergic conditions and autoimmune diseases, Kidney failures etc.

There are a number of evidences to show that predominantly animal based diet is playing a major role in developing of obesity, heart diseases, cancers and many other chronic diseases.

Most of my patients question that do they have to avoid non-vegetarian forever? How can they meet their protein requirements of the body? Vit b12 requirements..?

Most of the world population lives on non-vegetarian diet. Till a person reaches 20 yrs of age, there is lot of requirement of the protein and some amount of good fat for the proper growth of muscles, bones and neurons in the brain. Till you are 20 -25yrs one can continue eating non-vegetarian food provided the meat is hygienic, safe and cooked with great care and with minimal salt, oil and spices. After that age, one can limit eating to twice a week.

Few advantages of Vegetarian foods

●      High content of Dietary fibre which helps in losing weight and promotes easy bowel movements and reduces hunger.

●      2-3 servings of fruits & 4-5 servings of vegetables a day reduces the risk of heart diseases and colon cancers. Fruits and vegetables contain lots of antioxidants and flavonoids which reduce the signs of ageing, degenerative diseases and boost immunity to great extent.

b) REDUCE THE CONSUMPTIONS OF SALT, SUGAR, REFINED FLOURS, WAX COATED FRUITS, FOODS EXCESSIVELY EXPOSED TO HERBICIDES, PESTICIDES

        Excessive salt intake when combined with low potassium overloads the kidney resulting in water retention (bloating) or circulatory disturbances like high blood pressure etc.

Excessive use of sugar in the form of sweetened drinks, energy drinks, puddings, sweets (direct sugars) maintains blood glucose at higher levels. 

c) REDUCE THE INTAKE OF FAT

        I am stating to reduce the amount of fat intake to a greater extent and not to completely stop eating as you require few of essential fatty acids to maintain a balance in bodily functions.
Fats are on top of the food pyramid which should occupy the smallest percentage of our day to day diet.

Fats to be reduced which are in the form of 

●      Deep fried vegetables, snacks or meat

●      Lots of dairy like whole fat milk more than 200 ml per day

●      Cheese, Butter, more than 1 tsp of Ghee etc.

Moderation is the key

d) DRINK PLENTY OF WATER

        This is given the least importance by lots of people. It not only makes you eat less but also reduces the unnecessary urge to eat. Most of the times one confuses hunger with thirst. Recommended doses of water helps in fat metabolism and elimination of toxins through the eliminative organs. One must keep drinking water throughout the day and not wait till you start feeling thirsty. Most of my patients complain that they are occupied with work that they forget drinking. I tell them to keep a bottle on their table and grab water every now and then instead of grabbing a cup of tea or coffee. One can put few lemon drops or Mint or Basil leaves in bottle for that extra fragrance.

I see few people drinking water more than required amounts, which leads to fluid and mineral imbalance, water retention and also puts strain on kidneys.

On an average, healthy individuals require 30-40 ml of water/kg body weight... roughly about 2.5 to 3 litres, with exceptions in few kidney disorders where one need to restrict fluid according to their physicians reference.

Start your day with half a litre of water at room temperature as it helps in bowel movement , boosting up your metabolism for the rest of the day and balancing your fluid for the rest of the day as people complain hat they cant drink much water during office hours.

e) CALORIE RESTRICTION

If you want to lose weight you should stick on to 

LOW CARBOHYDRATE DIET / 

LOW GLYCEMIC INDEX DIET 

LESS FAT

MODERATE PROTEIN 

        I don't recommend complete protein diets as its quite difficult to stick on to ketone diets and also there are reported side effects which I have seen in few of my patients.Many of the world population depends on carbohydrates as base of their diet (Potatoes, Rice,Wheat etc.)

You can find hundreds of weight loss diets on Internet...But not all suit everyone. One should get the proper advice before they start any kind of diet to get maximum results.

You can look for varieties of sample menu,foods to be eaten,few recipes which have been tried and tested by weight loss individuals in next few posts 

B)HOW TO EAT & HOW MUCH

EAT THE LIQUIDS AND DRINK THE SOLIDS..

Eat slowly and with calm mind.

        The thought of food, look and smell itself signals the brain to release Digestive Juices and enzymes in the stomach. Eating with a calm mind is more effective, which safeguards your digestion.When a person is stressful, depressed brain tricks you eat to satisfy and make you feel happy for a moment.

Your digestion starts from your mouth. You have salivary enzymes which are necessary for the digestion. One should chew food properly for about 10-20 times depending the consistency of the food eg: Meat needs to be chewed more to make it softer. Your food should get the liquid consistency in your mouth before you swallow. 

●      Makes you feel full faster hence reduces the calorie intake

●      Easy digestion and absorption.

●      Helps in hydrating the body.

●      Brings the feeling of satisfaction in the brain.

Don't drink water before, during and after your main meal.

One can sip water but not drink 1 glass of water before 15 minutes, during and after 30 minutes of meal as water interferes with the gastric juices, Ph levels, bile acids etc which are essential in killing germs in the food to help in proper digestion and absorption of nutrients into the blood stream.

Eat only 3/4 the of your stomach

One should not indulge in eating till one burps. Leave some space for the movement of food inside the stomach, your stomach has capacity to increase in size in the long run if you forcibly eat more which in turns leads to overeating, hyper acidity, indigestion etc.

Leave a gap of 3-4 hours between meals and maintain fairly fixed timings

If your delayed your meal by more than 45 minutes, it is better to better skip the meal and manage with fruits and liquids(exceptions in diabetes)

You may compensate for the nutrients (not the quantity) in your next meal

There is a saying in Sanskrit that says “Untimely meal is a poison”

How many times one should have cooked meal?

According to yoga philosophy: 

Children and adults below 25 years and pregnant - 3 times/day

Above 25 years - 2 times

Above 60 years - Once

But again there are many exceptions according to the place you live, disease of the sufferer and the psychology of the individual.

ROLE OF FASTING IN WEIGHT LOSS

        Fasting is abstinence from all kinds of solid and liquid foods. Fasting can be of various types ranging from Water fasting, Juice fasting, Fruit fasting etc. Fasting is one of the best tools to detox and give a kick start to weight loss.

Healthy individuals who are willing to detox the body and also lose few pounds can take 1-3 days liquid fast without any supervision.

One should take the fasting under the supervision or with consent, if a person is suffering with hyperacidity, ulcers, severe constipation etc. Psychologically weak individuals also need proper guidance.

Fasting shouldn’t be done by individuals who are suffering from severe diabetes or any other metabolic syndromes, chronic diseases, hyperthyroidism, TB, severe anaemia, terminal illness etc.

You can check for 3 days detox programme in next few posts.