Weight loss: Create a balance between eat and cheat, says nutritionist
Highlights
- A healthy lifestyle can help maintain body weight
- Create a balance between cheat and eat, says the nutritionist
- So, eat a healthy diet and cheat sometimes as per allowance
While embarking on a weight-loss journey, many often completely eliminate several favourite foods. However, it becomes difficult to follow this. Celebrity nutritionist Pooja Makhija shared the secret of weight loss and long-term management in a new Instagram post. In the caption, she wrote, "Healthy weight loss should always be a balance - 80-90% of the time eat right, eat with thought - then 10-20% let the play come in where you (ch)eat with some of your favourite food. That's sanity. That's a lifestyle. That's forever."
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She used white rice (in a tall glass) and red rice (in a small glass) to explain the idea. First, she picks up a large glass full of white rice and starts pouring it on a plate. She says, metaphorically, the white rice here depicts all of one's intentions of staying true to their meal plan - "following a healthy lifestyle, a balanced plate, no omission of any carbs, regular exercise from time to time, and making you healthier day by day".
She then takes a comparatively smaller amount of red rice in a container and starts putting it over the white one. She says the red rice depicts "all those cheats and a little bit of deviation that tends to creep in from time to time". The idea is not to live a life of austerity where it's either all good or all bad, she advises. Therefore, a fair mix of the two is ideal, where most of the time, one eats with thought, and on a few occasions one eats for the sake of the taste buds.
She mixes both and says, "Balance is what keeps us sane. However, depending upon what is predominant, you shall live a life where either you are the boss or sadly people like me and doctors are".
Have a look at the video:
Over a month ago, Pooja had shared tips on training the mind to stay consistent and continue with the weight-loss journey. Her advice was to stop emotional eating before it turns into binge-eating. To know more about what she said about staying consistent on the weight-loss journey, click here.
In a nutshell, the foundations of healthy living are good nutrition and regular exercise. Just don't go overboard with either, and you'll find yourself reaching your fitness goals rather comfortably.
(Pooja Makhija is a nutritionist, dietitian and author)
Disclaimer: This content including advice provides generic information only. It is in no way a substitute for qualified medical opinion. Always consult a specialist or your own doctor for more information. NDTV does not claim responsibility for this information.