Written By: Debjani Arora | Published : November 16, 2017 6:26 PM IST
I don t want to call myself fat and inflict self-body shame. But then I cannot ignore the fact that I don t fit into my M tops anymore. Buying bottoms is life a nightmarish experience for me, I hunt for the plus size stores to buy clothes. Of course, all this happened post-pregnancy so I can blame my hormones and leave things that way they are, but then I look around and see those fittest Bollywood mums who give me a lot of complexes.
I have to admit that I don t have that sheer dedication and determination to lose weight and discipline myself to eat healthy. But over a period of time, I realised why I was failing miserably even in my honest efforts. I realised I was either going to one extreme or the other and this is where I failed. So after a lot of trial and errors here is what I did to help myself eat healthy and lose a few kilos.
Always have groceries in your fridge: This should be your priority. Stock fresh produce in your refrigerator before everything gets over. If you have your vegetables and fruits in store chances are you will cook your own meal and snack on an apple or pear rather than ordering a meal from a joint or binge eating on pizza. Having things in place (read healthy meal options) helps you to cut down on your binging habit and save you from consuming calorie-rich foods.
Spend at least 25 minutes doing a physical activity: This is the tough part but I have realised you have to give a jolt to your body if you really want to eat healthily. Seems like your brain works better in terms of self-control when you exercise. I have always noticed that the days I go for my morning walks I am in a better mood and I actually put my mind to what I eat. Surprisingly, even a 25 minute morning walk makes me choose an apple over a croissant for snacking.
Write what you eat with proper calorie count: This is a clich but it helps. I have gone through phases where I wrote down everything honestly to giving up writing my calorie count (because I was guilty of overeating) to writing things down again. How it helps: Writing down the calories helps you to plan better. If you had 700 calories extra on a particular day you can plan it better the next day and stick to your requirements.
Cut down on hidden sugar: Learn to read the labels of every food. If you are buying packaged food see the sugar content first, even for the savouries that you buy. Don t forget that adding sugar to your tea or coffee also does equal damage. Since I need my fix of six to eight cups of coffee a day where I always added milk and sugar, I have cut down on sugar intake and try to have two cups without sugar.
Don t try to give up on junk in one go: A big step in healthy eating is giving up junk. But this is the hardest part. So follow this rule. When you want to have chocolates or binge on a pack of chips don t control your craving, instead eat a little of it. But be sure that you don t polish off the whole packet. If I want to eat biscuits I do buy myself a pack of it and eat only one and keep the rest away, unlike before where I used to polish off the entire packet.
I haven t reduced too much weight yet (just 2 kilos), but definitely, it feels a lot lighter and I am at peace with a lot of things that used to stress me out.
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