I have always wanted that beach-abs that I’ve seen on Instagram posts of fitness models and other crazy fit people. Kept thinking it’s to do with a lot of crunches and avoiding oily food. Read a few articles about how water can help you get them flat abs. I have not yet cracked how people drink 3-4 liters of water in 24 hours looks like a huge task.
I was in this zone, deciding if my workout should be changed or what should I do to just be able to look like that. It wasn’t all aesthetics but, a little bit, it was. I believed my core was strong, not knowing that it can and should have been much stronger, than my imagination. I worked out 6 days a week, had decent the ‘8 glass water’ rule, ate at regular intervals and portion wasn’t too much. What was wrong?
I didn’t want to go to a dietician/nutritionist, just didn’t, so now what? I have read a lot on the Internet about Paleo, Vegan and other kinds of diets to follow, but I don’t want to risk following it without help either. My dad and me had a challenge (we weren’t too serious at first). No sugar, No fry, No spicy. Spicy you can count that out, I don’t think I can survive without my spicy food, but at first stopped everything and it lasted for about 1-2 months and I started having again.
It was an epic fail, then I decided to just forgo sugar. It’s not easy, and till now I haven’t stopped wanting it. Jalebi, gulab jamun, my toughest one is ice cream, and coffee tasted so different (slapping myself in my head). Yes, if you live in India it’s a challenge to leave sugar, especially if you have a big sweet tooth. You have to set your mind on what you want more! It’s all you! No dietician can come and slap the sugar off your hands if you don’t want the fitness then you won’t do it!
So first rule is don’t start any diet if you’re really not interested in the results. Rule 1.
It’s made all the difference in my body, leaving sugar for good! ‘It’s a lifestyle, not a diet’ yeah, that sentence finally bit me too. (I do have a bit of honey/Jaggery rarely)
Then came the fry, a sucker for samosa- pakora, with chai combo, kachori, puri, my homemade delicacies, golgappa(puchka). Can’t, can’t stop this right? And one day decided – ‘stop fried’. Air-fryer is now coming handy but I don’t trust what side effect that machine can have (my head isn’t totally convinced) so using it in rarity.
It’s super duper tough, can not decide what to eat when I’m out at a restaurant. Now Pizza and salad is like a regular, if it’s not a South Indian place.
So far so good, in one month I’ve cheated once with my fav (samosa-chai) combo, and not had fried otherwise. So may be what Crossfit Coach Prashanth had said once is now in handy “One at a time”.
Now talking about the results, there is no one thing that leads to results, there are many factors involved. Have I got my six packs? Not yet. But I’m positive about the journey and it feels a lot less lethargic for starters. It’s not about looks anymore, I could look like anything and not care as long as it felt fit. Feeling fit became a priority than looking magazine ready.
May be it’s also helpful if you have your folks at home also join you in the journey, a lot of trouble is saved; no temptation, no extra cooking, more motivation, and less chances of failing.
While weight loss is important, what’s more important is the quality of food you put in your body – food is information that quickly changes your metabolism and genes.” Mark Hyman
I know now that there is a whole world of information out there and we need to read and understand a lot about it, because we don’t get much information on nutrition in our school education. It’s not safe to start any diet without consulting your doctor, or a specialist, but we can always read and be curious about what we are eating. Ignorance is only going to cost us our health.
So my fitness journey is just getting started here and I have a long way to go. I have to get the water-intake right, next goal. Till then just focusing on ‘why I’m doing what I’m doing’!
Links:
Take the Sugar quiz its worth it: http://eatlocalgrown.com/quiz/14410-which-has-more-sugar.html?ref=sidebar
Super helpful (Total thumbs up): http://www.prevention.com/food/secrets-every-nutritionist-knows
Sugar sugar: http://www.realsimple.com/health/nutrition-diet/healthy-eating/sugar-in-healthy-foods
Healthy eating: http://mobile.nytimes.com/2015/04/21/upshot/simple-rules-for-healthy-eating.html?_r=2&referer=
No sugar is THE toughest . It’s everywhere, a slice of bread to biscuits. I’m almost off gluten , and that hasn’t been tough at all. Switched to millets and quinoa which I love !
And dairy is minimal . But sugar !! Uggghhh
Its just a matter of the experience, I have given up only the refined white sugar so I allow myself the jaggery and honey!
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