Last week, I talked about the first three rules to follow in our effort to lose weight. Rule #1: Accept that diets don’t help you in the long run; Rule #2: Focus on fitness and not thinness; and Rule #3: Concentrate on commitment more than intensity. Hope you have gotten a good start with these three rules as this week, I have three more rules for you to follow to help you with your weight-loss efforts, rather than hinder them.
Rule No. 4: Make friends with food.
Losing weight should not mean eating bland, flavourless and too little food. And it definitely should not entail being hungry all the time. Think about food as nourishment, and make it as delicious as possible. In fact, if you do it right, you can eat just as much, if not more than before. I'm a big believer in eating great food, but it's also about caloric density. If you're going to take in fewer calories, those calories should be much larger portions. For example: If you absolutely have to eat your fish curry, make it with the same ingredients, but use less coconut and eat more of the fish and less of the curry. You’ll consume fewer overall calories, but more food, and still feel satisfied. Also stack your plate with more vegetables at mealtimes. They are high in fibre and assist in making you feel full. Try baking a whole bunch of different vegetables (sweet potato, pumpkin, carrots, eggplants, mushrooms, onions, garlic, broccoli, cauliflower, etc) in the oven (at 220 degrees centigrade for 35 minutes) with olive oil, salt and pepper and watch your taste buds come alive with the different flavours of the vegetables. When we feel satisfied, our brain sends signals to our stomach that we are full and we stop eating.
Rule No. 5: Start small and build slowly.
One of the biggest mistakes people make when trying to lose weight is going to extremes. Be aware of how physically fit you are, and respect your limits. With this in mind, start at a basic level and build slowly. For example if you have finally resolved to be fit or shed those extra kilos, start first with walking regularly three times a week; then slowly increase the walks to five times per week. Once you are comfortable with that, add some incline “ a hill to your walk. Then concentrate on increasing your walking pace and finally think about stepping into a gym. At the gym, start with lower impact and then move on to higher-impact exercises once you have built your strength. People don't know how to get started. Instead of starting slow, people will go out and join an intense weight-loss program at a gym and injure themselves and they'll get put off and be back to square one. So starting low-impact, and building up slowly and carefully is the number-one key with exercise. I have people who come to my gym who have not been physically active for a long time and want to join high impact fitness classes or take a fitness class five times a week. Even though I hate to burst their bubble of enthusiasm, I have to advise them against it as they will be more prone to injury and eventually be further away from their goal than they are today.
Rule No. 6: Stop obsessing about your weight.
The fastest way to misery is to obsess over dieting and weight loss. It’s not only bad for your self-esteem, but it will sabotage your weight-loss efforts too. The worst thing you can do for yourself is to weigh yourself regularly. Don’t go by the numbers on the scale. Go by the way you feel and the way your clothes feel on you. Weight loss is not the only indicator (and definitely not the best indicator) that your exercise program is working for you. There are other more relevant indicators such as more muscle mass, lower body fat, a toned body, loss in inches, greater energy levels, glowing skin, an overall good feeling, etc. So, stop stressing about the weighing scale. There is a huge correlation between stress and the body - you store fat when you’re stressed. With this in mind, focus on long-term goals rather than micro-managing your life “and the numbers in it. Health is not a 30-day thing, a 60- or a 90-day thing. It is not a three-month or six-month or even an annual membership at the gym.
Take the advice, live by these six golden rules, use what you already know and do it every day. Success will follow. Be Fit. Be Healthy. Be Happy.
