I am currently on a diet. I started dieting February this year after countless advise, reminders and appeals that I do, more for health reasons than aesthetic. I never did because again, I’m the type who does not give in to constant nagging. But I started feeling really unhealthy – knees and ankles hurt a lot because I’ve become too heavy for them; weird palpitations. Plus, I started to look really awful even in large, loose clothes.
So I did.
* from Google Images
I didn’t enroll in a gym or fitness class. Didn’t consult a dietitian. Nothing really very extraordinary. I just downloaded an iOS app – My Fitness Pal – to monitor my calorie intake. From a … I don’t even remember how much I used to consume daily, although I’m sure they could pretty well be over 3,000 and on a sedentary lifestyle, too … I needed to cut down to 1,200cals daily. Waaaahhhh! Such a punishment!
But it worked. Four months and I’ve lost 20lbs. Plus, I feel lighter and healthier. I can run up and down staircases and not feel like I’m going to collapse from fatigue and shortness of breath. If I couple this with exercise, I’d stand to lose more. But one at a time. Still too lazy to go out of my lazy routine to move my ass. I will. Eventually.
One valuable thing I learned from this diet regimen, which I’d like to share because this is the most common misconception on dieting… not eating rice is not the answer to a slimmer you. Or generally, avoiding carbs. The key is to eat foodies in moderation. And to eat healthier items. Carbs are not enemies. They’re friendly enough. The unfriendly (note that I didn’t say they are enemies) foodies are chips, sodas, juice concentrate, processed food (noodles, canned meat, etc). Chocolates and other sweets are okay too, but again, in moderation.
The key to dieting is not to deprive your system of certain foods. The more you deprive yourself, the more you will crave and the harder it will be to avoid it. You’ll end up binge-eating. Just know the nutritional and caloric content of any food item and let that guide you.
So now… let’s eat! 😀
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