Copyright © 2004 Asir S Vedamuthu
Sunday, January 04, 2004
| Revision History | |
|---|---|
| Revision 1.0 | January 03, 2004 |
| Migrated to DocBook plus some minor substantial changes | |
| Revision 0.5 | October 31, 2003 |
| First draft for review. | |
Abstract
Many folks asked my me how I did it. In response, this note provides additional information on how to loose weight and be healthy.
Table of Contents
First, this is not a quick program. It will take time. Estimated time is 9-12 months. By the way, it is possible to loose your weight in 2 week. But, will that stay? I do not think so. Your weight will shoot back up in 4-5 weeks. We have tried and failed. So, how good is that?
The program that I will suggest has great side effects (plenty): less cooking (one meal a day), less cleaning dirty saucepans, pressure cooker, etc. You will feel confident, will not be depressed, will have lots of time at your disposal, will have lots of bandwidth and energy to accomplish a lot more in life.
This program comprises of three parts: diet, no snacks, and exercise.
There are some ground rules:
If you do not want to loose weight and be healthy, that is fine, please do not bother to read this article
Follow the program and stay on
This is a family program (excluding children below 21 years); if this is not possible, then do not bother to read this article. Why? Because, you will be unable to follow if your partner or one of your household is fully imbibed in bad food.
Weight loss is about getting rid of bad eating habits. That is a fundamental change. It takes time to control your craving for bad food. It takes time to crossover. ou have to reach a point that you will never go back to eating bad food. Watch out, your body will fight back.
While going thru this program, it is normal to shoot up your weight momentarily. And, you got to stay positive thru it. It is very important.
We did experience some difficulties. During the initial days, we gained some weight. Because, when I cut down fat, saturated fat, cholesterol and stuff, my intake of carbohydrates went up. That is, my body attempted to fight against me; this is normal. Occasionally, I cheated to satisfy my cravings; this is normal.
Finally, when my weight started falling, it fell few pounds a week with weeks of resistance and support.
Over to the program, it has are three stages:
Stage one (3-4 months) is the entry point.
Stage two (3 months) is a step up.
Stage three (forever) is the healthiest point and sustainable for years to come.
Is the toughest stage ..
No coconut or coconut milk (forget it); don't buy coconut anymore
No oil fried foods (no fish fry, murukku, athirasam, etc.)
No meat: chicken, lamb, etc.
No shell fish: shrimp, crab, oyster, etc.
Use fat free milk, fat free yogurt (curd) and fat free buttermilk. If fat free products are not readily available, you can make it. How to make fat free milk? Boil milk and remove the cream; repeat this 2-3 times until there is no more cream. How to make fat free yogurt? Use fat free milk to make yogurt and remove the cream. You may substitute butter milk for yogurt.
Do not deep fry fish; go for fish curry, fish grill, fish sauté, fish roast (not fried), etc.
Lots of vegetables
Lots of fruits
Substitute one meal with fruits, any kind, combination of fruits
No snacks, please (or take popcorn with no oil, or rice pori)
No egg yellow yolks
Use little oil for seasoning, sauté, grilling
Use egg whites, just like regular eggs - say egg chapatti, egg omelet, etc. with just egg whites
Reduce sugar, don't add sugar for fruit juices
No nuts, cashew, almond, pista, etc.
Dates, lots of them; a good snack; buy natural ones, unsweetened
IMPORTANT: you got to knock off one of these three meals and substitute with just fruits. My suggestion is give up your break fast and substitute with 2-3 bananas, one apple, plus another fruit (yes, any combination of fruits to fill your tummy).
Start portioning your carbohydrates; say, 2 scoops of rice or 3 chapattis or 2 idlis or 3 dosas
If you eat potatoes, then limit them
Do not eat any more than 3 times a day
Unlimited vegetables
Unlimited fruits
Unlimited fish
Continue everything in stage 1
Do not go for any buffet restaurants or programs, they are killers
If you go to regular restaurants, these rules still apply
Go low on carbohydrates (less than or equal to 5 table spoons) - limited rice, pasta, vermicelli, potatoes, chapattis, cous cous
Switch them; traditionally, we eat rice with 1 or more side dishes; switch them: treat carbohydrates as one of the side dishes and one of your side dish as the main item; example, a plate full of cabbage with a scoop of rice on the side or a plate full of cabbage with 2 chapattis
Add lots of chick peas, thatta payiru, urad dal, etc. this will satisfy your hunger and also give you sufficient energy and protein (ask Caroline or me for some good recipes)
Continue stage 1 and 2
Starter: one cup of coffee; sugar and fat free milk
Breakfast: just fruits - 2-3 small bananas, one big apple or big mango
Lunch
Salad - greens, tomatoes, onions, olive oil, vinegar, lemon and salt
Or, one scoop (one small laddle) rice, lots of vegetables
Evening: one cup of tea; sugar and fat free milk
Dinner
400-500 gms of grilled or sauté fish; a cup of clear veg soup; 5 tables spoons of rice
Or, one chapatti with a bowl of channa
Or, 1 or 2 idlis in a big bowl of sambar or paruppu kolambu
Dessert: an apple or some other fruit
Snacks: NONE or eat fruits
During this venture, you should plan to spend 2 hours per week for exercising - say, 45 minutes on Sunday, 30 minutes on Wednesday and 45 minutes on Friday .. this will tighten all the areas that are loosening up. Suggested activities are run, gym, biking, yoga, aerobics, swimming .. swimming is the best; it melts your tires and tummy.