weight loss

Paleo Diet works: lost 3kg and 2 inches in 4 weeks

Mush Fitness, Health, Inspiration, Motivation , , ,
Dinner of grilled fish with vegetable salad

In a post last month, I wrote about my introduction to Paleo and the 30-day challenge. Well, 30 days are over and here are the results: lost 3kg and 2 inches from the waist.

If you don’t want to read the book, here’s the summary: The basic theory behind the Paleo Diet is that our bodies are evolutionary and genetically designed to thrive on Paleolithic era. You choose foods that were available during the caveman-era, such as meat, fish, eggs, roots, vegetables, berries and mushrooms. And you give up on all processed foods and everything that came along after agriculture and animal farming were adopted such as sugar, added salt, dairy, grains and all processed or fast foods. You drink water and eliminate all beverages, except green tea and coconut water.

My challenge was to cut down on lentils, yogurt, fruits, home-made roti (bread) and the afternoon latte, while introducing eggs and meat back into my diet. Here’s what my diet looked like: Continue reading →

How I lost 3 kg in 3 weeks!

Mush Health, Motivation , ,

I don’t believe in short-term weight loss programs. Even if you are successful in losing weight through a few weeks or months of a diet or exercise routine, you put it back on as soon you go back to your ‘normal’ lifestyle. That’s why it’s much better to make long-term lifestyle changes that you can live with, for example:

  • Eat more fruits and vegetables; cut unhealthy fats and sugars, reduce processed food; eat slowly and in small portions…
  • Make some exercise part of your routine, whether it’s walking, jogging, swimming or playing your favorite sports a few times every week…
  • Learn to sleep well; reduce stress; maintain good posture…
  • Know your ideal weight, considering your height and structure, and figure out the calories you can consume, considering the amount of exercise you can do. (Tough one!)

Having said all that, there are times when one needs to get rid of a few kilos quickly. I usually maintain my weight at 75 kg. But every once in a while, I find myself guilty of putting on an extra kilo or two. And for such occasions, I have figured out a diet that helps me lose one kilo per week, without starving or Continue reading →

Eat Slowly; Get Slimmer!

Mush Health , ,

0910 saladThe risks of speed eating were recently published in the British Medical Journal:

“Japanese researchers queried nearly 3,300 people about eating habits and discovered that those who reported eating quickly until they felt full were three times as likely to be overweight as slow eaters who stopped before they were full.”

I find it interesting that this study was done in Japan, because in Okinawa, a place known for its healthy and long-lived populace, there is a saying – hara hachi bu – which loosely translates “Eat until 80% full.” If you have a tough time slowing your pace of eating, do what the Okinawans do. There’s no guarantee, but you have nothing to lose but weight.