Weight Loss is one of the most searched topic on internet. Obesity is the root cause of majority of lifestyle related diseases & other serious medical conditions. 6 months back, i hit a century (106*) not in cricket but in body weight. It was an alarm bell as i started facing other Health Issues due to obesity. I was a big time foodie contributing to the high profits of Soft Drink, Pizza, Burger & FMCG companies. In my opinion if you eat food like a Medicine at young age than you need not to eat Medicines like Food at old age (Food for thought). At the same time, I strongly recommend not to consult Dietitians. No offence to profession but i consulted 3 dietitians. My observation is that they have nothing different to add & you will get standard advice everywhere.
The mere thought of Weight loss 6 months ago was like climbing Mount Everest or clearing IAS exam for me. Let me admit, I took the challenge of Weight Loss not willingly but considering my aggravating health issues. After thorough search on various diet plans & consulting few doctors, i set a target of 25 Kg Weight Loss in 6 months for myself i.e. to reach 81 kg. Body Mass Index (BMI) Calculator is best way to calculate ideal weight. I did lot of research on weight loss and studied the diet composition very thoroughly before adopting the same. In my opinion, western countries are more scientific & practical in approach. I read various case studies where people lost weight without compromising on fat in the diet though it is biggest culprit. For the benefit of readers, I will divide this post on Weight Loss into 4 parts (a) Do’s and Don’ts of Weight Loss (b) Weight Loss Diet (c) Daily Routine & (d) Weight Loss Exercise
Do’s & Don’ts of Weight Loss
1. WILL Power of an individual play very critical role, if you wish to succeed in this task. Let me be very honest that i myself thought of giving up multiple times during 1st Month. Statistics show that 98% people give up weight loss program within 1 week only. My honest confession, it is not easy to leave your favorite food. The one thing which kept me going was my single minded target of 81 kg.
2. Deferred Planning is another excuse, If you wish to implement change than implement the same from that particular moment. Any deferred planning in weight loss like i will leave cold drinks after 2 weeks and pizza after 1 month or after my birthday will never work. If you wish to leave junk food, make up your mind & cut down immediately. Don’t give 2nd chance to your brain to reconsider.
3. Family Support is must. Weight Loss is a team work, you need team to achieve (Family members) your target. My family supported me by ordering Pizzas / Burgers in my absence. After returning home, i used to see only empty wraps and boxes in dustbin. They also helped me in following my diet schedule as my diet plan was completely different. Sometimes negative motivation also help. Imagine you are being told daily, “its very difficult” & “None of my friend was able to do”. For me it was like clearing IAS exam.
4. No Deviation Please: Initially my wife used to offer me junk food by saying “Anyways you are following strict diet, Have little..Nothing will happen” or “Just have 1 bite”. No means No..Only numerical kept revolving in front of my eyes were 8 & 1 i.e. 81 (Eighty One). I feel in love with weight loss target of 81 Kg.
5. Don’t expect overnight results: Some people have habit of checking weight every 3 hours. Trust me nothing is going to change overnight. 1st signs of success will be visible in 5-6 weeks. The best result will be seen between 2nd to 4th Month. After 4th month, the weight loss ratio will slow down considerably as body need time to adjust with these sudden changes. Just check your weight every 10 days.
6. Don’t overstretch: The weight loss result may vary from person to person but don’t go overboard as it might cause other health issues. If you are following healthy diet and routine strictly than no need to worry & results will follow.
7. Don’t be experimental: If you are following 1 diet pattern, have faith in same. Some people will start drinking 5 litre hot water daily, 5 hour Yoga practice, 3 Litre of Honey & Lime Water, Start brisk walk for 2 hours daily, 5 hour in Gym or 5 kg of Green tea stock at house etc etc. As the baby cannot be delivered in 2 months, nature takes its own course similarly weight loss is a natural cycle which require lot of patience and discipline. Trust me drinking hot water has no co-relation with weight loss. In-fact hot/warm water cause severe de-hydration. Yoga should be done only under expert supervision else it can cause damage to Kidney or Liver.
8. Crash Diet is worst form of Weight Loss. Any weight loss due to crash diet result in weight gain at faster rate once you are back to normal diet. Crash diet can cause several other serious health concerns. Diet quality is more important compared to quantity. Mantra of successful Weight Loss is Eat Right instead of Eat Less. I have not cut down on quantity but started eating right food.
9. Body need all ingredients in right proportion: Some people completely cut down intake of sugar, non-veg or butter etc. It is wrong way of weight loss as our body need all key ingredients. Some are required in low quantity whereas others in high quantity. A good doctor never recommend complete cut down of sugar even to diabetic patient or butter to patient with heart diseases. Right quantity is key to healthy life.
Weight Loss Diet
I will take the Liberty to call this diet as Nitin’s 10/10 Diet (Ten By Ten Diet). You should avoid 10 type of Food items and you can eat 10 type of Food items. Very Simple :)
1. Wheat & Wheat Related Products
2. Rice & Rice Related Products
3. Red Meat like beef, pork, lamb etc
4. Soft Drinks, Coffee & packaged juices
5. Cheese
6. Banana
7. Ice-cream
8. Chocolates, Biscuits, Peanuts, Namkeen etc
9. Junk Food like Pizza, Burger etc. & Sweets
10. Packaged Food / Food with Preservatives
1. Only Brown Bread
2. Ragi & Ragi related products including flour
3. Maize, Jowar & Bajra including flour
4. Chicken (Only Tandoori/Kababs), Fried Fish (Once in a Month) & Daily 1 boiled Egg
5. All vegetables
6. Daily 1 Dal in regular meal
7. Dry Fruits excluding Cashew (1 handful daily)
8. All Fruits
9. Sprouts and Corn
10. Milk & Milk related products like Paneer, Curd etc (Without preservatives)
If you feel like eating sweets than you may go for Jaggery or Gur. You can also have 2-3 pieces of Dates which are healthy & increase body immunity. Trust me above mentioned diet can do wonders for you, if follow it with strict discipline
Daily Routine
Following Right Diet is 1 part but maintaining daily routine is equally critical. As we all know that doctors suggest that rather having 2-3 heavy meals daily, we should have 4 portions of light meal. Following the same philosophy during weight loss period stick to following meal plan
1st Meal at 8 AM: In 1st meal, you can have a Glass of Milk, Dry Fruits and Boiled Egg. If you feel hungry, you can have 1 Brown bread sandwich. Besides these food items, you should not eat anything
2nd Meal at 12 PM: After 4 hour, you can have 2nd portion of meal for the day. In this you can have cut mixed fruits, sprouts, corn or salad.
3rd Meal at 4 PM: In this meal you can have 1 Brown Bread sandwich with the fillings of Paneer/Veg /Omelette etc with Tea.
4th Meal at 8 PM: Last meal of the day will be proper meal with 2 roti’s of Ragi / Maize / Jowar / Bajra along with 1 Vegetable + 1 Dal + 1 portion of curd and Salad. You should have dinner atleast 2 hours before going to sleep.
Weight Loss Exercise
Daily 40 Mins of Brisk walk for 3-4 days in a week is sufficient or 20 mins swimming 3-4 days in a week. A brisk walk, cycling & swimming are considered to be best form of exercise with maximum health benefits. Cycling is not recommended for weight loss as it need slight athletic built up & initial practice. In short, not too much emphasis on exercise but Brisk walk / swimming is must.
With this i have shared my secret of 25 Kg Weight Loss in 6 months. Lastly, i must confess that weight loss is an addiction and now i have set a target of 75 Kg in next 3 months. Hopefully i will write the post on same :) You can share your inputs/feedback/suggestions on following comments section.
Copyright © Nitin Bhatia. All Rights Reserved.
Disclaimer: This post is not a medical advice. The information shared in this post is my personal experience which is Generic in nature and is provided/shared for informational purpose. The advice in this post is not a substitute of any medical advice, attention or treatment. Please consult your Physician for specific medical condition or before following any specific diet. The readers are acting on their free will and consent to contents of this post including comments.