Yes, you can do it!

People often come to me with a mindset that their body just cannot lose weight and I tell them that shedding the excess kilos and maintaining a healthy weight is doable. A few easy changes in your eating habits and lifestyle will help you get back into shape. A few of my tried and tested tips that you can follow to regain health:

I always tell people that the first step towards good health comes from within a person. So, if you are aware of the changes in your body, you will be able to take a more conscious effort in shedding off the excess kilos. I always recommend to my clients to maintain an honest food diary. This is one of the best ways to catch your mistakes, making you aware of what food is good for you and what is bad.

I often tell my clients that focusing on changing their food habits will help them achieve their weight loss goals better than focusing on the fact that they are dieting. If you come to terms with making real food a daily part of your meals, once your diet is done, you will not pile on the kilos again.

When you are serving yourself, ensure that the first thing that goes into your plate is plentiful vegetables, in the form of a salad followed by a good helping of seasonal cooked vegetables. You will cover almost half your plate with food that is very low in calories, rich in minerals, vitamins and keeps you full. The brain needs 20 minutes to receive the “full” signal, so no matter how much you eat during that time, your signal won’t come any sooner. Eating veggies make you chew for a longer time.

Follow this with a grain or millet in the form of a roti, bread or rice. Your lentils, pulses chicken or fish should be added on too in small quantities. Add on buttermilk, pickles to get your probiotics.

Fat is a must to give a feeling of satiety and absorb vitamins like ADEK and increase the bioavailability of the spices which enhance the taste and provide add health benefits to your food improving digestion.

When you are eating, notice your serving sizes. I always choose the smaller plates to eat in. I also order for smaller servings, half plates or small plates when I am out.

Always go for quality over quantity. Good quality food will satisfy you faster and keep you satiated for a longer time too.

Do not stock up on any junk food or use it as a treat or as comfort food as it will only make you fall off the bandwagon.

Choose to drive your own car. In that way, you will stay away from your alcohol.
Low-fat foods, sugar-free foods can be misleading. Often, they are high in calories because they have hidden sugars.

When you’re eating, just eat. Don’t watch the TV, read a paper, work on the computer or chat on the mobile. You will land up shovelling more food into your mouth than required.

Choose water to quench your thirst as it is completely calorie free.

Get enough sleep as a lack of it will make you binge on food more.

It is imperative that you do not cut out major groups of foods such as carbs or dairy products or go on zero fat diets in an effort to lose weight. You will definitely see your kilos drop but you can land up with major deficiencies, a feeling of gloom and it will not really be sustainable.