ATB BB Series 10: Clickity ?Click?
It has been roughly 7 months since I changed the way I eat. Before this I spent most of my late twenties bigger than I wanted to be.
It was hardly because I wanted to be like that. I really doubt *anyone* wants to be like that. And it certainly wasn't due to lack of trying. But even when I was eating food that was home-made, it was all still imbalanced as it had too many carbs and a huge proportion of it was whole grains. (It is a big myth that there are good carbs & bad carbs. To the body they are all the same.)
It was extremely disappointing to eat well all week and yet lose nothing, at times worse, to gain! It did make abstaining from junk food more difficult too. If after a month of eating well - eating calorie counted rotis & sabzis with no oil plus exercising- you still put on weight, it made little rational sense to abstain from the Chinese food & Death by chocolate pastries.
Part of the fault lay in my own understanding of how the body deals with Carbohydrates. Weaned on the typical Indian diet of carbohydrates, as well media fueled frenzy of "Fat/Non Vegetarian is Bad" it is easy to fall into that trap. Luckily we are the generation that has Google & internet and therefore access to a lot of information. Once I understood how the body works on an hormonal level, it has been a breeze to lose weight.
So, is the "Low Carb / Atkins / Paleo / Primal / Wheat Belly / LCHF" diet difficult to follow?
Yes, initially it is. It does require discipline and determination. But no more than you deciding to follow a regular skin care routine, every single day, come what may. Okay, may be a bit more difficult initially. Although this WOE (way of eating) does allow a lot of yummy treats like cheese, butter, nuts etc it does demand that in a world full of carb-heavy treats you exercise caution & some amount of discipline.
There are plenty of people around me who want to lose weight as well. Some need to and some *really* don't. Regardless I have shared my WOE with all of them in detail. As I do feel that this is a healthier way to eat if you wish to avoid the metabolic diseases of diabetes & cardiovascular systems. Sugar and Carbs do no good for anyone.
It was extremely disappointing to eat well all week and yet lose nothing, at times worse, to gain! It did make abstaining from junk food more difficult too. If after a month of eating well - eating calorie counted rotis & sabzis with no oil plus exercising- you still put on weight, it made little rational sense to abstain from the Chinese food & Death by chocolate pastries.
Part of the fault lay in my own understanding of how the body deals with Carbohydrates. Weaned on the typical Indian diet of carbohydrates, as well media fueled frenzy of "Fat/Non Vegetarian is Bad" it is easy to fall into that trap. Luckily we are the generation that has Google & internet and therefore access to a lot of information. Once I understood how the body works on an hormonal level, it has been a breeze to lose weight.
So, is the "Low Carb / Atkins / Paleo / Primal / Wheat Belly / LCHF" diet difficult to follow?
Yes, initially it is. It does require discipline and determination. But no more than you deciding to follow a regular skin care routine, every single day, come what may. Okay, may be a bit more difficult initially. Although this WOE (way of eating) does allow a lot of yummy treats like cheese, butter, nuts etc it does demand that in a world full of carb-heavy treats you exercise caution & some amount of discipline.
There are plenty of people around me who want to lose weight as well. Some need to and some *really* don't. Regardless I have shared my WOE with all of them in detail. As I do feel that this is a healthier way to eat if you wish to avoid the metabolic diseases of diabetes & cardiovascular systems. Sugar and Carbs do no good for anyone.
All of these people who spoke to me enthusiastically adopted the diet, but quite a few fell off the wagon so to say. Having spent time on that side of the fence, I did have well meaning people (spouses, parents, friends, colleagues, neighbors, relatives and so forth) around me goading me to lose weight. I'm sure the people who start the diet with great gusto, but then drop off the program do as well. So why is it that they can't stay on?
I find it best to quote Al Roker here:
Here’s the thing I say to the person who’s not struggling with their weight: Shut up. We know we’re fat. We know we need to lose weight. Your nagging us and pleading with us doesn’t help. In fact, in ways it makes it worse. We’re not going to change until something clicks within us. Until we say, "I’m tired of living like this; I want a different life for myself and for my family." It’s not that we don’t love you; it’s not that we don’t care. It’s just that right now, we’re not prepared to deal with it for whatever reason, whether it’s emotionally or physically.
And that "something" that clicks within you is what makes this diet so easy to follow. For me it had. I was sick & tired of looking and living like that. Not having the strength and energy to deal with life. That is what lead me to Google in frustration - Why do we get fat?
That's my point of this entire post.
If you are somehow who is dealing with someone who is struggling with their weight - then just "Shut Up!" They know they need to lose weight. As it is research indicates that mixed weight couples (yea, there is a term like that) seem to have more fights compared to other couples.
And if you are the one struggling with weight, it comes from within. You know that well as I do. If you are not ready, you are not ready. Don't beat yourself up about that. Be happy & proud of your body and all the wonderful things it lets you do. And while you are at it, take a look at the video below. A real gutsy lady if I may say so.
And ohh I was at Lakme Fashion Week Spring 2013 over the weekend - Saturday & Sunday. It was awesome fun. And this is what I wore. In total I've now lost 25 kgs :-)
On Sunday!
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