Three steps to a slimmer you
Fitting into that pair of jeans you wore when you were 18 or less ambitiously, the brocade sari blouse you had tailored for your sister's wedding. Losing weight—or trying to—is almost a universal resolution with mixed results. You either lose momentum even before you start or get discouraged too quickly. But there's hope, as long as you follow this three-pronged approach. Not only will you fit into those jeans, you'll probably end up buying a pair one size smaller!
Eat well
Losing weight is not synonymous with starving, at least not if you want to keep it off permanently. Healthy eating has to become a way of life. Depriving yourself of healthful carbohydrates, fats and proteins is bound to cause energy dips, irritability, sallow skin and hair fall.
Get your fill of super foods
The trick is to make each meal as wholesome as you can. Start by adding an anti-aging super-food to each meal. Take you pick of tomatoes, spinach, eggplant, sweet potatoes, oats, fish, apples and more (see box). Super foods are a powerhouse of vitamins, healthy fats, minerals and antioxidants. These multitasking foods provide multiple disease-fighting nutrients and fill you up so that you can enjoy plenty of food without going overboard. They also give you the quick energy boost you need to stay active. Add to their health benefits by spicing things up with disease fighting and metabolism boosting herbs like ginger, garlic and basil.
Give maida a miss
Replace refined carbs like maida, white pasta and white rice with whole grains like jowar, bajra, millet, brown rice and whole wheat. Eat lentils and beans, not just as daal but sprouted in salads and cooked with vegetables. It's a misconception that brown rice takes longer to cook. Just soak it for an hour or two and pressure cook. Brown rice is far more nutritious and filling than white rice and doesn't cause bloating and sleepiness after a meal.
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Get moving
Two hundred minutes a week! That's the minimum time everyone trying to shed a few pounds needs to keep moving. Walking is the easiest—and cheapest—way to stay active. Walk your dog (even if you don't have one). Play with your children. Use your building gym or just put on your trainers and walk around your neighborhood park or building compound.
"I can't wake up early in the morning". "I work long hours". These are just excuses for the faint hearted. Exercise stimulates the release of endorphins in the brain. These chemicals trigger positive responses that are proven to reduce stress, ward off anxiety and feelings of depression and boost self-esteem. Combine this with some strength training and you'll soon find yourself building fat-burning lean muscle. Weight training is particularly beneficial because it wards off loss of bone density, a common problem for women in their 40s and 50s.
Get your beauty sleep
Skimping on sleep doesn't make you a super woman. It just makes you feel and look tired and frazzled. What's more getting less than your daily quota of zzzs is proven to cause weight gain. Seep deficit is like credit card debt. The more you tot up on your card, the higher the interest rate you end up paying. Exceed your limit and your account gets closed. If you think you can cruise by on a sleep deficit you're wrong. Not getting adequate sleep causes your hormones to go into overdrive, slowing down your metabolism and piling on the kilos.
Invest in a comfortable, orthopedic mattress. Cut down on socializing and create—and stick to—a night-time routine. Listen to soothing music, read a book, drink a cup of warm milk and wake up, refreshed, rejuvenated and slimmer.
