“Get rid of that stubborn fat” “Easy ways to lose weight” “Are you not losing weight?” These are some headlines screaming out for your attention. You will find these on your FB feed, in a magazine, or a newspaper. Everyday. And like me, you may most likely read it thoroughly because this may just be that secret answer. But alas! They all talk similar stuff, without giving any names of secret pills.
I may have read some 200-300 such articles. They may have helped me in bits and pieces. But my weight loss journey has been entirely mine. My own experience has been so fulfilling and satisfying. I say that because I feel proud that I didn’t fall prey to get-thin-fast procedures like crash dieting or liposuction, etc. I did it little by little, bit by bit.
I will have to disappoint you here. If you were expecting that I lost 10/15/20 kgs and became fat to thin. No. I lost about 7 kgs. Over a period of a year. Gradually but long-lasting.
There have been a lot of learnings in the process. They may be mine but I am almost certain that they should work for most. Some of them are:
1. I choose between good food and bad. Not high and low-calorie foods. Good foods for me are fruits, vegetables, nuts, nut butter, buttermilk, tea and coffee in moderation (I am vegetarian). Bad foods are white sugar, too much bread ( white or brown), pasta, samosas, cakes, cookies, canned fruit juices, packaged foods. I don’t mind drinking sugarcane juices, eating bananas, mangoes, the so-called high-calorie foods. As long as they are natural foods. I have seen people eating biscuits and they claim these are healthy ones since they are made of atta. I stay away. It’s processed in all its glory.
2. Intermittent fasting works. 8 hours of eating. 16 hours of fasting. I stop eating at 4 pm. And have my next meal at 8 am. I follow this pattern since Ayurveda suggests not eating post sunset. So the timing I have chosen is healthy. Some people eat dinner at 12 am and fast like till 4 pm the next day. I don’t subscribe to that. Our digestive process slows down post evening. I use that period to fast. Not to eat.
3. The day I have to eat a heavy meal, let’s say a buffet spread, that’s my only meal for the day. if it’s lunch, it’s great, heavy meals eaten in the afternoon are easier on the digestive system. And that one meal, I will have EVERYTHING UNDER THE SUN. No scrimping. I eat heavy so that I don’t feel hungry later on. Buffet dinners are never a great idea. Avoid.
4. Once a week, I do only fruit and vegetable diet. Everything in raw form day. But as much fruit and fruit juice ( fresh) and vegetables as I want to fill my stomach. I also add nuts. And nut butter.
5. I go out in the morning sun. I don’t avoid it thinking it will make me dark or give me cancer. I feel it nourishes me. After 14 hours of fasting, I go out for a walk and I absolutely feel that the sun adds me with more vigor and energy to go on for the next 2 hours to complete my 16-hour fasting cycle. It works wonders for me. Sun is not a villain. It’s absolute nourishment.
6. I have 6-7 glasses of water throughout the day.
7. I exercise every day. Not 3 days or 4. Everyday. All 7 days. But if I am tired because of a late night, I take a break without feeling guilty. My exercises are yoga and walking. There are a lot of great yoga videos on YouTube. They have been very helpful.
8. I cut down alcohol from 2-3 times a week to 1-2 times. I stick to 1 glass of red wine. Maximum 2.
9. I weigh myself almost every day. I do that so that I know what contributes to my weight gain. Also, measure belly fat regularly.
10. I kind of believe that belly fat is completely detached from other fat on my body. No amount of exercise will help you reduce it. Only cutting down on food will.
11. We don’t need the amount of food that we eat every day. Small portions are good enough. Once we reduce the portions we don’t need more. If I was eating a full plate, I reduced to half. And I stopped needing the higher quantity after some time.
12. Stress apparently adds to weight gain. I keep that at bay by thinking only positive thoughts. That is a discussion for another day.
13. I have been patient. Weight gain has happened over years of excessive eating. Don’t expect results in weeks. It’s a consistent effort. Keep at it.
These are the most basic things that I followed to lose some stubborn fat. These are all the things I adopted. You may or may not agree with my methods. So, use these at your discretion.
My biggest reward is moving from a size Medium to X-Small. It’s exhilarating to see yourself fit in all those beautiful clothes meant for thin people.
Happy losing!
