But that's the truth. I don't have a fixed meal plan that I follow. I've lost over 20 kilos without completely giving up on anything. Well, just one thing, Fanta and that too I actually haven't given up 100%. And I find that this kind of no-plan plan makes it easier for me to stay healthy. If I were to follow a strict diet plan, then I would very easy falter and lose motivation.
However, there are certain things that I do which I believe aid my weight loss process, and keep my body in check. For starters, I drink a bottle of water as soon as I wake up in the morning. That's tough, you might say. And yes, initially it is. But give it a shot and within a couple of weeks, you will be reaching for a bottle of water as soon as you open your eyes.
Drinking water first thing in the morning kick starts you metabolism besides flushing out toxins from your body. You feel fresh and overtime, your skin starts to glow. Also, I find that when you are full on water you are less likely to feel hungry immediately after waking up. Earlier, when I didn't drink water first thing in the morning, I would make tea and have cookies with it as soon as I woke up. Not anymore. Drinking water has made me forgo that habit and that's a few calories reduced without any effort at all.
Secondly, I make sure I have some fruits every single day. Whether it's a couple of oranges or apples, some diced watermelon, or a bowl of papaya, I think of fruits as medicines and eat some every day. Fruit juices don't count because the fiber content is missing. Eating fruits every day has also lowered my cravings for sweets and chocolates because of the natural sweetness of the fruits. Also the fiber content keeps you full making you less likely to suffer from hunger pangs and binge eat.
Another thing I do is make breakfast or lunch (brunch almost always in my case) the biggest meal of the day. I have a bowl of cornflakes, egg whites, and brown bread (and some fruits) or some rice, daal, vegetable, beans or chicken as my staple diet throughout the week. If I don't eat in the morning, I feel hungry throughout the day. So I make sure I eat a heavy meal before noon which more or less fills me up for the entire day.
But that doesn't mean I don't eat anything throughout the day. I carry snacks with me at all times and dig in my purse every couple of hours. From some almonds and walnuts to cheese and dark chocolates, I make sure I keep nibbling at something. This, I find, works wonders if you are trying to curb your food intake. You are never hungry and no matter what wonderfully and sinfully delicious marvel of food is front of you, you don't end up overeating.
The days I don't nibble on snacks are the days I end up eating so much junk that I feel like an over bloated glutton. So if there's one thing I would like to enforce on weight watchers, it's to eat every two to three hours. Be it a handful of dried fruits or some cheese, have something to keep your hunger in check, and you'll easily shed some kilos.
Other than these things that I have mentioned above, there's nothing else that I do to keep my weight in check. Yes, I exercise but that's a different matter (for a different article) altogether. As far as food and diet are concerned, that's more or less it. I also believe in eating in moderation but the above mentioned pointers make it difficult to overeat. You are never that hungry. So that's not really a problem.
There's a thin line between eating and overeating. You have to make sure you don't over stuff yourself and that's only possible when healthy, and nutritious food become a part of your daily eating habits. It's easy to stuff yourself with packets and packets of crisps when you are hungry. Think of all the empty calories you'll be consuming that way. Instead, fill up on something healthy like daal and vegetables and then feel free to have some chips if you want to. You'll see that a handful will satiate your cravings for salty potato chips when your tummy is full.
Abstinence isn't something I practice and I don't recommend it to anyone either. If you are abstaining from a certain thing, let's say pizza, it's more likely that you will crave for pizza and end up eating it more often. Self restraint never works in your favor, especially where weight loss is concerned. The best you can do is adopt healthy habits, and hope they cover for your anti-weight loss ones and 99 out of 100 times, they surely do.
The writer weighed 74 kilos and has now dropped down to 50 kilos. If you have any questions regarding her experience, write to her at sharmaditi374@gmail.com and she will try her best to guide you in your weight loss journey.
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