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