Lose Weight Permanently

Many of us who read this article have lost weight many times and have also gained it back. The battle therefore is not about finding a fantastic weight loss diet or going to a great dietitian or enrolling ourselves in a fancy weight loss centre or gym but in changing our lives.

To change our life we first need to understand what is wrong and what we need to change. Obesity or excess kilograms of fat in my body has formed due to the following factors.

1. Consuming foods, choosing to eat foods or liking to eat foods loaded with lots of fat like Deep fried foods, Nuts, Sweets and Desserts,Pastries, Puffs, Pies and Pizza, Red Meat, etc.

2. Consuming much larger quantities of food than is required for a normal meal (comfort eating).

3. Having a genetic back ground of diabetes or thyroid problem which can slow down our metabolism and also make us sluggish people who prefers a sedentary lifestyle. Even children, who normally run about, tend to choose to sit and watch T.V or read books. They would prefer to even lie down and watch the TV or read the book rather than sit up.

The first step is to know you can change your life whatever your present condition is, there is hope. The next step is to follow the rules and reach your target weight and the third step is to decide to keep off the weight for the rest of your life by making the life style changes we give you.

1. Walk – 25-30 minutes all 7 days.
2. Water – 2.5 -3 liters to be consumed daily.
3. Diet – Avoid all the fatty foods listed above.
4. Eat 3 regular meals made up of a balance of carbohydrate and protein foods.
5. Eat plenty of fiber - whole wheat bread or cereals or wheat roties instead of white bread and avoid sooji and rice. Eat at least two fruits daily, one at 11am and one at 6pm and 2 servings of salads daily one with lunch and one with dinner.

After you reach your ideal weight, from the above 5 points only point 3 changes in that you are allowed to eat any one item of the fatty foods listed, once in a week. This must be in only one normal serving and not a binge eating pattern. (e.g. A small bar of chocolate, 1-2 scoops of ice cream, one pastry, 1-2 gulab jamuns, 1cup biriyani with 2 pieces of chicken,2 slices of pizza, 1 packet of chips, etc).

The important part is that walking 25-30 minutes, drinking 2.5-3 liters water, eating all 3 carbohydrate and protein balanced meals and eating fruits, salads and rotis at night must continue for the rest of your life. All these four rules help to keep your metabolism up and prevent the lost weight from returning. When you eat your fatty food enjoy it and eat it for pleasure not for comfort. When you eat your meals concentrate on the food and eat the right amounts. Don’t over eat to relieve stress or tension. Food is meant for nourishing our body and fatty foods are meant to give us pleasure occasionally, but we must not use food for comfort.

You need to talk to a friend or counsellor for comfort or guidance when you have a problem. You need to pray to God for help, but not turn to food. When we use food for comfort it’s the same as turning to a cigarette or alcohol!!!