LOSE WEIGHT DURING THE LOCKDOWN WITHOUT EXERCISE-PART 3

• Scientific Weight Loss
• April 18, 2020
• 1 Comment
• Dr K Jayanth Murali admin

Welcome back to the third edition of the ten-step diet plan. A diet plan to help one lose weight during a lockdown in ten steps with no exercise. To those who have not read the first two parts, this instalment will not make any sense. So please revert to the first two editions either in the Deccan Chronicle newspaper dated March 31, 2020, and April 7, 2020, or check it out on my website  @www.jayanthmurali.com.

In the first two editions of the plan, I had outlined five steps. The first five steps, if fully implemented, would earn one 43 points. This edition lists out the sixth, seventh and the eighth steps which cumulatively helps one score twenty points. Let me do a quick recap before we dive into the steps I have outlined here today. The ten steps which this diet plan envisages has a certain weight-age or reward points. To achieve the weight loss goal of 5 kgs per month, one would have to earn 1800 reward points in 30 days, which would require one to score a minimum of 60 reward points daily.

To start with, Self-hypnosis is the sixth step of this diet plan. Implementing this daily for ten minutes would earn one five reward points. Self-hypnosis is an excellent tool to eat healthy, stay healthy and lose weight as it untangles the underlying biological or metabolic causes of weight gain. It may appear like a wacky approach to weight loss, but self-hypnosis may help us end self-sabotage, turn off cravings and emotional eating and put us on the road to our weight loss goals. Several studies show that subjects who used hypnosis lost more than twice as much weight as those who didn’t. And a 2014 study found that women who used hypnosis improved their weight, BMI, eating behaviour, and even some aspects of body image.

Hypnosis is an excellent way of resolving underlying psychological problems which cause one to experience intense cravings, driving one to eat mindlessly or binge crazily at night. The reason we keep over overeating or choosing unhealthy foods is that we have these automatic behaviours stored in our subconscious minds. These behaviours we cannot access consciously and change as our conditioning has imprinted this into our subconscious.

At the conscious plane, we may want to lose the flab and get back in shape. Consciously we may determine ourselves to eat healthy and get back in form. We may try every trendy diet only to become hopelessly discouraged, sad and depressed in the end. We may try to change our eating habits using our willpower, but we can do so only for a short period depending on the amount of conscious effort we put into it. Despite all the effort, we put into it; we are likely to revert to the default settings.

Self-hypnosis gets to the root of your problem whether it be overeating, craving the wrong foods or emotional eating by overwriting the default settings in our subconscious mind and helps us transition to weight loss and healthy eating a lot easier. As our subconscious mind protects us from losing anything, so it will go to any lengths to protect us from losing weight too, but when we use self-hypnosis for weight loss, we can reprogram our subconscious minds to allow our body to release the extra weight. As a result, our brain automatically adjusts our appetite, metabolic rate, and physical energy by controlling the secretion of various endocrine glands. By giving our brain suggestions, we can change the entrenched programs and automatically change our relationship with food to the extent that we stop feeling the hunger pangs and stop bingeing on unhealthy foods.

A quarter of people can’t get hypnotised as some people’s brains don’t work that way. For such people, meditation or visualisation can be a good substitute as it is capable of delivering similar or equivalent results. It’s not possible to visit a hypnotherapist during a pandemic for therapeutic hypnosis treatments, but you can make use of Apps and self-hypnosis guided sessions or meditations available on the internet. The efficacy of the self-hypnosis will, however, depend on the authenticity of the trainer and the downloaded audio.

My daughter, who is an architect in Mumbai, wanted to know if she could have a coffee while on an intermittent fast. Drinking black coffee is perfectly all right because as a thumb rule body will remain in a fasted state when we drink something with less than 50 calories. One cup (240 ml) of black coffee contains about three calories and minimal amounts of protein, fat, and trace minerals. Drinking coffee moderately won’t significantly disrupt our intermittent fast if we keep it black, with no added ingredients. I advise you to drink plenty of water during the fast as drinking water helps stimulate your metabolism, rinses your body of waste, and acts as an appetite suppressant. Also, drinking more water helps your body stop retaining water, leading you to drop those extra pounds of water weight. Drinking water on an empty stomach first thing in the morning upon waking up will flush out toxins and increase the body’s efficiency to fight against infections. It will also help in preventing kidney stones and bladder infections.

Last week we looked at intermittent fasting, in which we planned to break the overnight fast either at eight or nine in the morning. Now let’s embark on the sixth step of our diet plan in which we aim at extending our intermittent fast longer metabolically but not technically by consuming a cup of coffee with a tablespoon of ghee or pasture-fed butter mixed in it. This step will earn you five reward points. The combination may sound unappealing, but it doesn’t taste bad! Believe me. Every morning, instead of breaking your fast with breakfast, have one cup of coffee mixed with either one tablespoon of ghee or pasture-fed butter. You will not only save time on breakfast but also have a high-energy meal substitute that keeps the hunger pangs at bay till it is time for lunch. The amalgamation of coffee and ghee gives the body an injection of fat instead of carbohydrates. When the body does not have carbs on hand, it uses up the stored fat to create the energy needed by us. It’s an ideal partner to intermittent fasting because fats in the coffee will give you a good energy boost and keep you feeling full for another two or three hours as it will take one into ketosis. The process of using fat as fuel is ketosis and many low-carb diet regimens, like Atkins, are based on it. When the body burns fat, it strips the extra calories, which in turn leads to weight-loss. I have borrowed this idea from the bestselling author and creator of Bulletproof Coffee, Mr Dave Asprey. A carb-filled breakfast, for most of us, is a moment on the lips, forever on the hips. It also comes hand-in-hand with Hypoglycemia. Hypoglycemia or low blood sugar causes lethargy and sleepiness, which is why we feel so sluggish after a substantial carb breakfast!

It’s ten or eleven AM, just two hours after ghee laced coffee when those hunger pangs begin to crop up. What do you do? Instead of binging on unhealthy chips and processed food, we can opt for a nutrient-rich green smoothie, which is the eighth step. This step will earn you ten points.

Green smoothies are a great way to get your daily recommended serving of fruits and veggies. Green smoothies with plenty of green leafy vegetables and fruits deliver us with a powerful upswing of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and other nutrients without bogging down our digestive system. Since we are consuming natural, whole foods in the most optimum form for your digestion and nutrient absorption, we will have more energy to get things done and enjoy your day. A perfect smoothie should have a balanced combination of proteins, good healthy fats, complex carbohydrates, vitamins and nutrients. For proteins, we may mix 20-30 grams of whey/vegan protein powder to get that extra dose of energy or two to three eggs. These smoothies make for perfect low-calorie food items while filled to the brim with healthy ingredients. They will keep us feeling full long after mealtime, making them the most excellent tool to achieve weight-loss. When we make a smoothie, we have absolute control over the ingredients. We can pick and choose the nutrients we need, all the while keeping those dreaded calories out of the picture.

An even better smoothie will be one that includes components that promote weight loss by increasing the metabolic rate. Think about it; a single drink that is not only nutrient-rich and provides kick-ass energy but also enhances weight loss! So, what are these miraculous ingredients that help lose weight? Let me list them down for you.

1. Chia Seeds–Full of protein, fibre, calcium, antioxidants and the wondrous Omega-3 fatty acid, Chia seeds will absorb all those unhealthy toxins from your digestive tract.
2. Cayenne pepper–Add just a pinch of cayenne pepper to your smoothie, and you will feel less hungry throughout the day. As this fiery spice contains capsaicin, a compound that reduces our appetite for fat and carbs!
3. Avocado–Everybody craves fat. It is a universal truth. Avocado is full of healthy fat. Consuming it sustains the craving while giving the body vitamins and minerals too.
4. Greek Yogurt–It has the highest level of proteins as compared to other yoghurts which keep you full for longer! Avoid flavoured versions because they are full of sugar, not an ingredient you want.
5. Coconut Oil–Any MCT (medium-chain triglycerides) oil is a superfood. It has a high ratio of healthy fats that the body readily uses as fuel for energy. This not only keeps the body fit but enhances weight-loss too.

Besides these, any type of berries like raspberry and strawberry are good options for smoothies. They are fibre-rich and boost the levels of antioxidants in the body. For flavour, add a hint of cinnamon to the smoothie. It will keep blood sugar at an optimal level. And stop glucose from being stored as fat in the body. For those who want to get rid of abdominal fat, cinnamon is a must. Fruits and leafy green vegetables are excellent ingredients for smoothies. Last but not least, switch to Stevia. If you feel your smoothie is not sweet enough, add Stevia instead of sugar. This plant-based sweetener is a natural alternative and has zero-calories.

We are now almost at the end of the ten-step plan to weight loss. Getting slimmer is like a leaky faucet; it requires constant maintenance. If you follow the eight steps outlined so far every day, you can be sure you are on the right path. Besides, following the eight steps outlined so far can earn you 63 points. To keep things lively, switch between the steps every week or five days. It will keep boredom at bay. Don’t forget to watch out for the last edition of this series. Be sure to hit the Bull’s Eye for all the steps of the diet plan.

Finally, just as how self-hypnosis helps us to break out of old habits and patterns, we can solve the mystery of life by connecting to the desires and intentions of our soul and find the purpose of our life through Spiritual Hypnosis. Using techniques like Soul Speak and Past Life Regression, we can explore and experience profound transformation and deep meaning at the level of our soul. Spiritual Hypnosis is a vehicle through which we can navigate the unmanifest realm of existence and the nature of reality. It will help us connect to the soul, and enable us to live from purpose during our time on this planet earth.

Source from: epaper/deccanchronicle/chennai/dt:14.04.2020

Dr.K. Jayanth Murali is an IPS Officer belonging to 1991 batch. He is borne on Tamil Nadu cadre. He lives with his family in Chennai, India. He is currently serving the Government of Tamil Nadu as Additional Director General of Police, Law and Order.