Tag: protein

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The Losing Game – Part 3

Disclaimer: I am not a nutritionist. The following account is my journey of weight loss. It is not necessary that this should work for everyone. Please consult your medical professional / nutritionist for specifics regarding what diet would suit you.

Thus came along Jan 20. After a carefully rationalized lunch at Saravanaa and the last minute shopping of chocolates to be delivered to my teams in Colombo and Hyderabad I was back home, to pack for this 2.5 week trip.

After supper, I was ready to leave to the airport. My mind was a smorgasbord of questions on how I was going to manage my weight. I was an Endomorph, waiting to add kilos. I had to conquer this trip, absolutely by conditioning my brain and thereby my body.

As a part of my diet plan, one thing was clear – I had to burn more calories than what I consumed to ensure I lost weight. If there was no opportunity to burn calories, I had to reduce the calories consumed, without compromising on the minimum calories required for a person to be healthy. Also, I had to ensure that my diet was balanced – 25% Carbs, 40% Protein and 35% good Fat.

I had started analyzing the calories in each of the common food items that I consumed, particularly, the East Indian plethora of food. For example 1 normal sized homemade idly packed 40 calories; 1 normal sized homemade dosa had 35 calories; 1 small roti 25 calories. A cup of rice (4 spoonful) had 220 calories; a small bowl of daal 170 calories; 1 large egg white 17 calories; I cup of yogurt 200 calories; 1 aappam 45 calories; vada and poori was a big no-no.

This knowledge of calories had to be combined with how much protein and good fat was in the food for carbohydrates alone did not have any nutritional value.

With this basic information, while in the flight I started charting out a plan for the weeks outside home. Of course, in the flight I had no option but to eat what was served. I ate the fruits, small portion of rice and daal. I avoided the desert. I had to spend 13 hours at the HK airport as a layover before I could board the flight to Colombo. In the lounge, where all food was free, I selected the steamed vegetables and bread made out of whole wheat or multi-grains. I did not have any juices as none of them were fresh and were loaded with sugar.

In Colombo, I had the buffet option for breakfast. I carefully selected my meal – 1 dosa (small), 1 aappam, 1 cup of fresh juice (pineapple, cucumber & carrot with no additional sugar) and 1 small cup of yogurt with nuts (almonds, cashews, walnuts and coconut). This was a real sumptuous breakfast that kept me full for a long time that my intake during lunch was controlled. I continued with the same every morning while in Colombo.

The lunch was served at our meeting site. Again, I chose 4 spoons of red rice, with daal gravy and the vegetables in the menu. Dinner was Roti with vegetables or 3 spoons of rice with vegetables. Of course there were a couple of burger dinners with colleagues. You would notice that I tried to balance it all out – have fun in the company of people while ensuring I eat right.

As I had forgotten to pack my swimming trunks in my baggage, I missed out on swimming. Though I didn’t swim, I had no regrets, as I was always worrying about the quality of the water in those pools (no matter even if I were staying in Cinnamon Grand, one of the best hotels in Colombo). And while swimming, I would invariably ingest a few gulps.

Ergo, my exercise in Colombo was the walk along the sea wall, enjoying the sound of the waves hitting the shore, the street vendors selling fish, cotton candy and various snacks. And, the view of the Chinese company that was defining a new coast line, by reclaiming the land from the sea on one side and the tall buildings that housed the various multinational chain hotels – Shangri La, Hilton, etc.

In Hyderabad, though I had the opportunity to get egg whites, I did not try raw egg white, as I didn’t want to be sick. In fact I was not having raw vegetables during the entire trip, as that was one of the main reasons for having Delhi Belly.

Hyderabad was more difficult when it came to diet, for there was so much rich food available there. Even though the quantity was rationalized, each morsel was loaded with calories. And there was sugar freely available. To balance it, I ensured that I walked my 10000 steps each day. And, took the opportunity to hike a nearby hill, in Hyderabad.

My breakfast usually consisted of Dosa / Idly. The lunch constituted of 4 spoonful of rice with lots of lentil gravy and veggies. Dinner was stuffed paratha – I avoided naan and paratha stuffed with potato.

In general, I did not lose out on any good food, and actually enjoyed my regime. It certainly was not very difficult, particularly being a vegetarian and travelling. Finally, when the trip done and I returned to Vancouver, I had gained only 1 kg in 3 weeks. Not bad at all.

My main learning in this trip were

  • Everyone has to be aware of one’s body needs and while on a weight loss program ensure that they are not starving. Starving is an open invitation to add more fat in unwanted places of your body. When you starve, you body thinks you are not going to get food and would trigger the conservation mode. I’m sure you would have all guessed where this conservation was going to show up; yes, the belly and the back first.
  • You can be in a diet and certainly need not kill yourself. You can still enjoy the simple pleasures of life – some great food.
  • As the saying goes “anything in excess is poison”, it is all in the quantity. Eat in right proportion and never stuff yourself.
  • Keep a routine and have food at the right time. Though I had to work the night shift with my team during the travel, I ensured that I was not eating snacks throughout the night. My dinner was usually done by 8:30 pm and I avoided eating anything after that. To energize myself, I had tea. The stomach does need some rest during the night.
  • The one thing that went for a toss was the 7 hours of sleep – I was not able get the 7 hours even if I was willing to spilt it.

When I returned on Feb 5th and weighed myself, I was down by 3 kg from the starting point – 86.5 to 83.5 kg. I had 7 more weeks before when I had to lose another 7 kg to be able to win the challenge, with M. Yes, certainly an uphill daunting task.

The very fact that I was able to manage travelling and actually gain only 1 kg during that time, gave me the confidence that I can do it. I had to be stricter in my regime. I cannot yield to temptations and my diet can do it.

So, what is this diet called?

to continue…

The Losing Game – Part 1

The Losing Game – Part 2

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The Losing Game – Part 2

Disclaimer: I am not a nutritionist. The following account is my journey of weight loss. It is not necessary that this should work for everyone. Please consult your medical professional / nutritionist for specifics regarding what diet would suit you.

More than the concern of a weight gain, my worry had always been about the challenge. M had said that beginning of April, whether I win or lose, it would be published in our fitness page in Facebook, for public to view. Calling out publicly would be my worst nightmare. Of course if I win, M would also sponsor a dinner.

I was in frenzy because, the weekend of Jan 12, we had gone to visit my cousin in Seattle. Just 1.5 days with them and the rich Indian food that I ate (though I was very careful about the quantity), gained me 1.5 kg, which was not expected in this Losing Game. So, I was aware that I would put on weight, very easily. How was I going to manage the weight increase, particularly when I am touring Colombo and Hyderabad, working the Canadian hours and with few hours of sleep?

As a part of the diet for the weight loss plan, it was suggested that 2 egg whites a day for breakfast would balance the protein requirement, and also would keep the appetite low. But, how was I going to consume egg whites for I don’t eat eggs at all (except in store bought pastries).

I wanted to give egg whites a try, as I wanted to lose this 1.5 kg gain, before I started my trip. I bought the Burnbrae brand “Simply Egg Whites”. Though I searched for the various ways in which I could consume egg whites, I was not convinced about the smell once cooked and if I would be able to eat it at all. The only method that sounded convincing was to mix it raw in a cup of hot milk with 2 teaspoons of honey and drinking it.

The first day (Monday) that I decided to try it out was horrendous. I measured a cup of milk and boiled it with 2 teaspoons of liquid honey. In a cup I poured a quarter cup of egg white and kept it ready. When the milk was lukewarm, I poured it into the egg white. I felt as if I could smell the egg cooking. Closing my eyes and covering my nose, I started pouring the egg white milk directly into my throat.

I did it! And lo and behold, I was not feeling any hunger pangs until 3 pm. Amazing! I was now motivated to try egg white again the next morning.

I had a light lunch and very light supper at about 6:30 pm, followed by 45 minutes of swimming, just as what I had been doing since Jan 2. The next morning when I weighed myself, I saw a reduction of almost 500 grams. That was something that I did not expect. Now, I was convinced to continue with egg white.

The second day, with new enthusiasm and motivation, I did not have difficulty drinking the milk with egg white. I realized that there was absolutely no smell for egg white. The lunch and supper was similar to the previous day and there was another 300 grams lost. This trend continued until that weekend, culminating on Jan 20 when my nightmare began.

Let us now try to understand as to what happened that I gained 1.5 kg, so easily over a day and a half, when I was losing in hundreds of grams, after careful diet and diligent exercise each day.

While talking about weight loss or the desire to lose weight, we need to understand that there are three kinds of body types. We all need to be aware of our body type to be able to gauge what would suit us.

The three body types are Ectomorph, Mesomorph and Endomorph. Though we all have a tendency towards being in one of the three types due to our genetic makeup, our lifestyle also plays a part in how our body will look. Therefore, we can definitely change it over time, if we are determined.

ECTOMORPH
An ectomorph tends to be thin and struggles to gain weight as either body fat or muscle. They can eat loads of food and still stay looking the same, even when gaining muscular weight is their primary goal. They appear skinny and underweight and have a relatively faster metabolism, making addition of fat or muscle very difficult. They are often called hard gainers. They preferentially burn carbohydrates and fats for fuel. Ectomorphs should eat relatively high-carbohydrate diets. Their optimal daily calorie intake should be more than 50% percent carbohydrates, and an almost equal percent of protein and fat.

Characteristics:
Narrow hips and clavicles
Small joints (wrist/ankles)
Thin build
Stringy muscle bellies
Long limbs

MESOMORPH
The mesomorphs are the ideal ones that has the middle-of-the-road build taking the best of both worlds. They have a natural tendency to be fit and muscular. They can easily get back into shape, than the other two types. They appear muscular and athletic and have efficient metabolism. They burn carbohydrates and fats, with a preference for carbohydrates than fatty acids. Mesomorphs should eat a diet predominantly consisting of proteins and fats and less than 50% of carbohydrates.

Characteristics:
Wide clavicles
Narrow waist
Thinner joints
Long and round muscle bellies

ENDOMORPH
The endomorphs, unfortunately, has got the raw end of the stick. They tend to gain weight easily and keep it on. They have good strength, little to no stamina, and average endurance. They may have more muscle than either of the other body types, but they often struggle to gain it without significant amounts of accompanying body fat. They appear to be be overweight and mostly fat, and suffer from water retention issues, couples with a very slow metabolism. They just tend to store carbohydrates and fats. With everything going against them, Endomorphs should minimize empty calorie intake. Their optimal daily calorie intake should be one-quarter of carbohydrates and the rest, protein and good fat.

Characteristics:
Blocky
Thick rib cage
Wide/thicker joints
Hips as wide (or wider) than clavicles
Shorter limbs

As a reference point, South Asians, genetically, tend to be mostly Endomorphs, and I was not an anomaly. Being an Endomorph, myself, I tend to gain weight easily and retain it. No wonder I gained 1.5 kg over the weekend.

And came Jan 21, my hurdle and nightmare, thinking about the horrors of what would happen if I lose this Losing Game! For I was sure, M would certainly publish the results publicly.

to continue…

PC: www.bodybuilding.com

The Losing Game – Part 1