Yikes it kind of just dawned on me that in just over a week, I’m going to be in Beirut for my cousin’s wedding. This means that the sarees will make an appearance and inevitably, body on exposure. As you know by now, I turn my nose up at crash diets including cabbage soup, ‘magic’ pills, or shots of apple cider vinegar. Despite how these ‘miracle products’ may be advertised, there is NO quick fix. You didn’t gain the weight overnight, you ain’t gonna lose it overnight.
Although celebrities like Sarah Jessica Parker claim to eat mac ‘n’ cheese and hamburgers on the day of a red carpet event (psshh yeah right!), following a ‘healthy’ crash diet seems more promising..and safe!! By that I mean, safe slim-down fixes that will benefit your waistline without impairing your overall health. Here are a few tips which may help you knock off an extra pound or 2, and make you feel more confident about strutting your stuff.
- Eat scheduled meals and snacks with regular intervals. As well as giving your metabolism a reason to run, this will prevent you from overeating throughout the day. You’re also more likely to refrain from picking on unnecessary stuff like the odd biscuit here and a handful of crisps there.
- Kara Gallagher, a professor of exercise physiology at University of Louisville turns to salads. “…they’re the perfect antidote to a week of no-holds-barred eating,” she says.
- Cut out all desserts and deep- fried foods. If a sugar craving hits, have a bowl of fresh fruit (the sweetness of pineapple, watermelon, and mango are bound to do the trick). If you fall victim to a savory craving, air-popped popcorn is the way forward. And if neither of these options hit the spot, re-think what’s more important to you: a few minutes of pleasure from food OR long-lasting pleasure from your reflection in the mirror
- Caroline Apovian, the director of the Center for Nutrition and Weight Management at Boston Medical Center gives up wine. “A few years ago, I would frequently have one or two glasses of wine at night with dinner, at about 120 calories per glass,” she says. “Not coincidentally, I weighed 10 pounds more than I do now.”
- Oz Garcia cuts back on carbs and eats more seafood.
- If you are a regular exerciser, keep it up. If not, try and go for at least a 45-minute walk every day up until whatever you have coming up.
Three things that I’m really going to try and stick to over the next week are:
- Limit my bread intake as much as possible till then. Though I’m not wheat intolerant, it’s more to do with the psychological aspect. Plus there are so many other carbs to choose from, that I don’t really feel like I’m “missing out”. Bring on the brown rice, oats, quinoa, and potatoes! **please see note below
- Go easy with the salt shaker and soy sauce. Both of these are high in sodium chloride, and hence regularly receive negative press about their bloating effects. Whether true or not, I rather take the precautionary measures. After all, it’s only for a few days.
- Something tells me I may struggle with this one: majorly cut back on fizzy drinks. I am guilty of a diet fizzy drink addiction, and hence am not going to kid myself (and all of you) and say that I will stop having it all together.
Look like bikini body, whoops I mean saree body, here I come! And once that’s over, baklava anyone? 🙂
**Please do not let this affect your consumption of bread. As long as you’re sticking to wholegrain varieties, it is a fantastic source of fibre and other essential vitamins/minerals
Incorporating veggie juices (esp. if you juice them yourself) are great to incorporate too – I swear by them in wedding season(!)
My fave is carrot & cucumber with an apple and some ginger: Yum!
Sodium (as part of salt)…shows to have a major effect on the calcium status of the body…and at the same time also has an increased effect on the risk of renal calculi…..so good goin to cut dwn on the salt and foods high insalt!