Four things that you should not do to lose weight

Many people gain weight as fast as they lose it with quick and temporary diets. The problem is in those diets that we often look out for in search of weight loss. Munmun Ganeriwal, Nutritionist and yoga/fitness consultant lists out things that you should not do to lose weight.

Do not follow diets: The problem with diets is that it asks you to eat only one thing or totally avoid some other thing. Once you get on a diet, you start looking at food in isolation vs eating wholesome. For e.g.: A Keto diet that asks you to eat protein and fats but no carbs i.e. no roti, thepla, rice, bhakri, etc. In the science of biochemistry, it is often repeated that "Fats burn in the flame of carbohydrates" which means that fats are burnt or utilised for energy in the presence of carbohydrates. So, for fat loss, carbs are extremely important. Or then there is "Low-fat diet" where you are allowed to eat everything but no oil, no ghee. Food is either steamed or sautéed or boiled. But more and more research today is asking us to eat fat to cut fat in the body. So, we need to eat fat as well. Hence, rather than hopping onto a diet, follow a wholesome meal pattern that not only allows you to eat carbs, proteins, fats but also takes account of real-life situations like festivals, travels, everyday stresses, work commitments and so on.

Do not practice inconsistency: We often run from one diet to the other, one exercise to the other, we read about some new superfood, some new workout and we just jump on it, only till the time we discover something new again. Fitness rather is a compounding effect of eating and exercising right every single day. It's an ongoing process and you need to work on it consistently. So instead of trying to know and implement the latest fitness regime, your favourite celebrity is following, spend time to find your true calling and stay

Do not stand on a weighing scale: Firstly, your body weight is not an indicator of your fitness. You may weigh more according to the standard height-weight chart but still be light on your feet, energetic and disease free. You may know someone in your life who may not look skinny or thin but is super fit, does his or her daily activities at home and workplace effortlessly, is full of enthusiasm and is cheerful, happy and certainly not living on medicines. On the other hand, you also must have come across one such person who is skinny but just had a heart attack. In short, your metabolic health is not a function of your body weight. Just like school report card only reflects number and not overall learning of a student, a weighing scale also only reflects a number and not the overall wellbeing of a person. So instead of obsessing over a number on the scale, focus on getting stronger, fitter and healthier.

Do not overlook the importance of sleep: The modern curse of not getting sleep these days has a lot to do with the gadgets you use. That's right, the light that the screens of your phones and TV in your bedroom emit delays the release of a hormone that induces sleep called melatonin, and increases alertness. Not getting enough sleep impairs metabolism and disrupts hormone levels so much that a study led by scientists at the University of Chicago termed sleep deprivation as 'the royal route to obesity'. So, switch off all the gadgets at least an hour before you go to sleep or still better, just keep it out of your bedroom.

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