Have you seen the movie School Of Rock ? There’s a scene where a kid asks Jack Black why he won’t lose weight and Jack Black says, “I like to eat! Is that such a big crime?” Well, not at all. I love to eat too and so do so many others. But not everyone who likes to eat walks around with bulging bellies and elevated blood sugar. There are ways to enjoy food while still staying fit and that’s precisely what you’re going to learn about today.
So, here is the situation - you like to eat. You want to stuff your face as often as possible. But you don’t want to get fat. Is that possible? Technically, yes. You’ll have to make some changes to your lifestyle and be smart about it, but it is possible. Here are a few options for you to try out.
Option 1 : Skip a meal. Like me, if you have a big appetite and enjoy eating big meals it is important to eat infrequently. That is, forget the multiple small meals a day mantra and start eating fewer meals. For every big meal you eat, skip a meal. If you stuff your face at dinner on Tuesday, skip breakfast on Wednesday. The energy and nutrients from your feast on Tuesday will be more than sufficient to keep you going till (early) lunch on Wednesday. Bad nutrition advice you think? This concept of not eating for a controlled period of time is called ‘intermittent fasting’ and is one of the most effective health, weight loss and anti-aging strategies. Google it and learn more about the science behind this approach. But prepare to be surprised.
Option 2 : Alternate between being a king and a peasant. If one of your meals is elaborate, keep the other meals of the day very simple. For example, if breakfast and lunch are rushed and dinner is the only meal you get to eat in peace and hence is an elaborate affair, that’s totally fine. Ensure that the rushed meals are simple, light and clean. Eat less and eat something that you’re not too fond of. A couple of cups of vegetables with some protein (grilled meat, eggs, paneer or a cup of thick yogurt) are a good option here. Reward yourself at dinner by eating a big meal. Just so we’re clear, this doesn’t give you the license to eat as much junk food as you want. Sorry, such a license doesn’t exist.
Option 3 : Make life harder for yourself. If you will not watch what you eat AND will not accept the chub, your only option is to expend more energy. While exercising more seems like a perfectly good option, it promotes bad eating habits by introducing a temporary and unsustainable surge in activity level. In addition to that, doing too much exercise has its own set of negatives ranging from exhaustion to joint issues to adrenal fatigue. So your best, and only, option here is to learn to lead a very active lifestyle. One way to do that is to move as often as possible - take the stairs, carry your own groceries, drive less and walk more, take the trash out etc. Another way is to start playing a sport. And no, you’re not too old to play. You feel old because you stop playing.
