One of the important facets of losing weight is diet. What to eat? Ask anyone and the first response is generally that you need to restrict the oil and fats, have plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables and cut down on carbohydrates.
Well, if I say that you can have chocolates, rice, pastries and fries and still lose weight; would it amount to blasphemy?! You can and you should. Most diets fail because it gets monotonous and you can't control the cravings. Let’s face the basic fact- most of us love our food; and in most cases the one's we love are often not the healthiest. Boiled chicken and vegetables are not stuff you can eat day in and out. There is bound to come a time when you give in to your cravings and then the downward spiral starts.
The most practical way to lose weight is then to have all the food you love, but in a controlled and regulated way. For example, if you love your sweets, the best time to have them is either in the morning or immediately after your workout. It is in those times, the body is most likely not going to store them as fat. Of course, there must be a portion control; you can't hog ten gulab jamuns at one go!
The only thing that one should keep in mind before eating- what am I going to do for the next three hours. If you are going to be doing something physically demanding, it is okay to eat the carbohydrates; if you are going to sleep then it’s better to restrict them.
For most people skipping breakfast is easy. If there is one meal that you absolutely must have, it is breakfast; the most important meal of the day. There is an old adage, which says that you breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dine like a pauper. Well, almost. It is imperative to have atleast 5-6 small meals a day; the old theory of three or two square meals does not hold true anymore. Divide the total food that you are going to consume in a day in these 6 meals; add more of the carbs, fries and sweets on the first part of the day; as you approach the later half, try more of lean protein and fibrous carbs.
Drink plenty of water. The importance of adequate hydration cannot be overemphasized. And no; it is not okay to drink when you are thirsty; thirst is not the correct parameter to judge water requirement. By the time you are thirsty, it means that the body is already dehydrated. So it is necessary to keep drinking water at regular intervals; besides losing weight you will have cleaner and healthier skin and a robust digestive system.
Well, if I say that you can have chocolates, rice, pastries and fries and still lose weight; would it amount to blasphemy?! You can and you should. Most diets fail because it gets monotonous and you can't control the cravings. Let’s face the basic fact- most of us love our food; and in most cases the one's we love are often not the healthiest. Boiled chicken and vegetables are not stuff you can eat day in and out. There is bound to come a time when you give in to your cravings and then the downward spiral starts.
The most practical way to lose weight is then to have all the food you love, but in a controlled and regulated way. For example, if you love your sweets, the best time to have them is either in the morning or immediately after your workout. It is in those times, the body is most likely not going to store them as fat. Of course, there must be a portion control; you can't hog ten gulab jamuns at one go!
The only thing that one should keep in mind before eating- what am I going to do for the next three hours. If you are going to be doing something physically demanding, it is okay to eat the carbohydrates; if you are going to sleep then it’s better to restrict them.
For most people skipping breakfast is easy. If there is one meal that you absolutely must have, it is breakfast; the most important meal of the day. There is an old adage, which says that you breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dine like a pauper. Well, almost. It is imperative to have atleast 5-6 small meals a day; the old theory of three or two square meals does not hold true anymore. Divide the total food that you are going to consume in a day in these 6 meals; add more of the carbs, fries and sweets on the first part of the day; as you approach the later half, try more of lean protein and fibrous carbs.
Drink plenty of water. The importance of adequate hydration cannot be overemphasized. And no; it is not okay to drink when you are thirsty; thirst is not the correct parameter to judge water requirement. By the time you are thirsty, it means that the body is already dehydrated. So it is necessary to keep drinking water at regular intervals; besides losing weight you will have cleaner and healthier skin and a robust digestive system.
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