Your google search bar stands testimonial to your frantic efforts. Your family and friends have seen it all and they keep bombarding you with advice, your gym instructor makes you toil very hard, your nutritionist has chalked out all your favorite delicacies and now you are surviving only on bland food. And all these ardent efforts are being put by you only for one goal- WEIGHT LOSS! You had inspired yourself enough to go to any extent to attain it. But as the saying goes, “Success is 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration”, your body and mind are already weary of such strenuous efforts and they are no longer co-operating with you. And hence your dream of achieving that desired body shape has gone beyond the black stump. Right? But fret not! Because we have come here with a GOOD NEWS! You don’t really have to exert so much, If you just put in some psychological efforts you can fulfill your dreams.  Research shows that taking baby steps –not giant leaps-is the best way to get lasting results.

Follow these magical small steps which can take you a long way:-

Eat slowly: A few years back a client came to me for weight loss advice. He was 29 years old, with a height of 178 cms and weighing 120 kgs. He had a sedentary lifestyle with no physical activity at all. My first advice for him to follow for 2-3 weeks (before making any other changes) was “Put your fork/spoon down after each bite of food and do not even touch the plate before you actually swallow the bite” in other words eat slowly. It takes approximately 20 minutes from the time you start eating for your brain to send out signals of satiety. Eating slowly gives your body time to recognize that you are full. As per a study on the state of the world’s health, for the first time in decades, the number of diseases is increasing and life expectancy is declining as a result of people eating too much than eating too little! Overeating is now a bigger global problem than lack of food.

Eating slowly also gives you a feeling of satisfaction which is much different from just feeling full. Now I will still recommend that you select healthy options, but if you are planning to lose weight, eating slowly should be the first step of your new lifestyle. As the old saying goes, ‘Slow and steady wins the race’.

 

 

 

Focus on your chewing habits: Ever wondered that even an irrelevant thing like chewing properly can go a long way in helping you lose weight? Chewing your food more, works by increasing the satisfaction you get from meals. Studies show that people who chew more, have low levels of Ghrelin, the so called hunger hormone produced in the stomach. The longer you chew, the more time it will take to finish a meal, and we have already seen the wonders of eating your food slowly. Also chewing your food twice as long as you normally would, instantly help you control your portion sizes which naturally decreases calorie consumption. And chewing is a perfect exercise for your jaws!
Fruit at the start of your day: It is believed that if your morning starts on a good note, your entire day goes well. And what’s better than starting your day with colourful and organic fruits? For fruits not only make for a healthier breakfast but also have a small contribution towards your weight loss. Interesting right? The time gap between your dinner and breakfast is used by the body to cleanse the system. Eating fruits like apples, oranges, bananas, berries with low glycemic index enhances the cleansing system and adds nutritional values to your breakfast as well. With this small change you can look fresh enough to beat the morning blues! And never think of skipping breakfast, after all breakfast is the most important meal of the day. So remember to back-up that fruit with a tasty, hearty breakfast of your choice.

Start your meals with salads: Starting your meal with a huge bowl of salad will help you attain weight loss. Now this may not appear as desirable as the other measures, but it’s the most effective one! It is really true, because salads are low in calories, high in fibre and rich in other nutrients. Fibre makes you feel full helping you control the portion sizes of the rest of your meal. The same goes with beans that are amongst the lowest glycemic index (GI) foods and pairing them with other foods reduces the overall GI of the meal

Turn off the TV: In this fast-paced busy life, we indulge in multi-tasking to finish a lot of activities in the limited time period. And one such prominent example of multi-tasking is watching TV while eating! But do you know how much it affects your waistline? Studies show that we eat around 25 percent more when watching TV and we’re more likely to eat junk food while distracted. To lose weight without major sacrifice, power down your TV, computer or smart phone during dinner and concentrate fully only on your meal. Let dinner time be family or me-time instead of TV time.

Fill your (small) plate:  According to Brian Wansink, Ph.D., a behavioural scientist and ‘mindless eating’ expert at the Cornell University Food and Brand Lab. people who fill their plates with everything they plan to eat (including dessert) eat about 14 percent less than those who don’t fill it as much but return for second helpings. So to eat less, load up your plate—but only once. To reduce your intake even more, use a smaller plate. Researches show that subjects who served themselves using smaller dishes ate up to 60 percent less compared to those who ate in larger dishes. Sounds great, isn’t it? Lose your weight by filling your plate!

Brush your teeth straight after dinner: Who could ever imagine that brushing your teeth after dinner has anything to do with weight loss. After dinner most of us grab that remote and lie on the bed watching TV. Usually within an hour of that we feel like snacking on something. It’s not hunger and we don’t need any more food. For times like these brushing your teeth after dinner can come to your rescue.

The cool minty flavour in your mouth actually acts as a reminder to stop when you try to grab a bag of chips or open the refrigerator for a box of ice cream. If you are someone who eats a snack or sweet every night after dinner, then just stopping that habit can help you lose up to 2 kgs in 6 months.

After all, no one ever said that all good things take mammoth efforts! And you all have been procrastinating this weight loss regime for no reason at all.

Following a good diet is a lot easier than it seems – bon happetee is where love of food meets love of math. Yes, you heard that right. We have used math and analytics to help you eat what you love.
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– by Team bon happetee

Rashmi extensively educated herself in the field of nutrition to create awareness amongst people. Being in this field for 9 years, she believes that having the body that you always wanted is to nourish it with love, understanding and care.