The Miracle Formula for Weight Loss

I recommend a miracle formula for weight reduction, of three special words - Walk, Water, and Diet. The great secret is to make sure that you do all the three together. The biggest cause for failure in weight reduction is that though we have all heard that these three words are important, nobody makes them happen together, we have one group of people who are enthusiastically working out in gyms or jogging in a park and believe that they can eat anything and still lose weight because of their heavy workout. We have another group which is going for strange diets like only fruits, only boiled vegetable, only cabbage soups, idli diet, lime juice diet, etc. They don't exercise, of course, they are too busy, don't like getting sweaty and sticky or maybe too weak to exercise. And finally of course 95 % of them don't drink enough water either. Both these groups will initially see some marked weight loss but after a few kilos it stops and they get frustrated and miserable. I have tried all this myself for many years and now in the last 15 years have personally counselled thousands of people and found that there is only one way to lose weight and that is to walk 25-30 minutes daily, drink 2-3 liters water and eat a regular balanced diet with plenty of fiber and no fatty food at all.

The secret is to do them all together. Walking is one of the best exercises as it uses 90% of the muscles of the body at one time. Also it can be done by one and all. However if you enjoy aerobics, swimming, jogging, it is fine but you have to be doing it continuously for 25-30 minutes. In a gym workout, please make sure you are on the treadmill for about 25 minutes continuously. Please note it is not enough to exercise only 3-4 times a week, all 7 days a week is a must for cardio exercise.

Walking has to become a part of your life like brushing your teeth or bathing. Often I hear that people who have been trying to lose weight and walking regularly, suddenly stop their walk and say that they are busy shifting house or tide up with a project so they are not going to walk for 10 days. This is one of the worst things one can do. When a person has walked regularly for about 2-3 months they build up a higher metabolic rate, burning more calories and losing weight and looking trim.

A break in the walking for 7-10 days causes the metabolic rate to go down again and for this to come up, even if you resume the walk, it will take a couple of months again. During this time you will see rapid weight gain. Therefore at any cost make sure you don't miss your walk. If you are used to 45 min. or an hour and you are pressed for time, do at least 25 min, but don't miss the walk. If you are ill take a break for 2-3 days but otherwise give walking top priority in your daily schedule. It is one of the greatest tonics to good health and fitness. Even if you are underweight or trying to gain weight, walking is a must for one and all!

However difficult it may seem, please make sure you are drinking 2-3 liters of water. Even if you are walking and dieting, the weight loss is less if the water is less. The reason is if you are dehydrated all your muscle movements are slow and you burn less calories per day. Also a waste product called ketone is formed when fat breaks down and this has to be flushed out of the body so water is essential in weight reduction. Water is also seen to improve your mental capacities, keeps your body smelling fresh and cleans you of all pollutants and wastes. Water is the second great tonic to health, wealth and happiness.

Finally your diet principles are very important. You have to eat all three meals breakfast, lunch and dinner daily and every meal has to be a balance of both carbohydrate and protein foods. Secondly you have to make a conscious effort and commitment to eat plenty of fiber which helps to raise your metabolism and burn fat. Fiber comes from fresh fruits, raw salads and whole grain cereals like whole wheat bread, atta rotis, ragi, oats and unpolished rice.

Last but not the least is that you make a resolution to give up all fatty foods till you reach your goal weight. E.g. to lose 2-3 kilos you have to give up the goodies for a month or to lose 8-10 kilos you have to avoid all fatty food for 3 months. Fatty foods can be defined as A – all fried foods and all nuts, B- butter, cream, ghee, etc., C- chocolates, icecream, cakes, cookies, desserts and sweets.