What’s on your plate?

In The four-week countdown diet, author and fitness trainer Namita Jain, shares her mantras for staying on the diet trail. Excerpts from the book that guarantees weight loss in 28 days with simple exercises and calorie counts

What's on your plate?

You undoubtedly have your own reasons for wanting to lose weight. It could be timely advice from your doctor, warning you to knock off the weight for health reasons. Maybe you plan to get married and want to look your best for the big day.

Perhaps the 'middle-age spread' took its toll and you got overweight as the years rolled on. Basically, you need to focus on one clear-cut reason why. Find your very own motivator, the X factor that inspires you to lose weight. If your mother is nagging you to shed the kilos, or if your husband wants a trophy wife, you will never be motivated enough to see the diet through. Because, when you are on a diet, no one can else can motivate you. It's all about self-motivation. It has to be you, and you alone, that makes the decision to go on a diet. First identify your reward, then work your way towards the goal. Once you zero in on your particular cause, hold on to it. Don't let go. Make it your life mission.

Why exercise
>>u00a0A little goes a long way
The debate is no longer 'to exercise or not to exercise' but how much, how often and with what intensity. The idea is to gain maximum benefit from a well-coordinated exercise regimen.
How much is too much?
As a general rule, moderate-intensity activity is best. If you exercise too superficially, you may not meet your fitness or weight-loss goals. If you push yourself too hard, you may increase your risk of injury and burnout. Moderate-intensity activity decreases these risks. In fact, with moderate-intensity exercise, you stand a better chance of continuing your exercise programme in the long run. The guidelines are as follows:

>> Feel muscles work, but not to the point of agonizing pain.u00a0

>> Use the 'talk test' which means you can carry on a brief conversation in short sentences, but cannot sing a song.

>> Design your fitness routine around your individual health status and fitness goals.

One-day recall
>> how to identify your current eating pattern
It is important to keep track of your other meals, so that you don't go overboard on your calories during the rest of the day. But how do you do this? Start by taking a day in your life. So say you choose a day-mid-week, for example, a Wednesday. Keep a piece of paper handy and track your food consumption through the day. Jot down every last bit of food you consume, how much you eat and when. This record becomes your One-Day Recall.

From day one of your COUNTDOWN, your One-Day Recall will help you understand your eating patterns and cut down on indulgences. Use the following guidelines to keep on track.

>> Attempt to eliminate all deep-fried foods; substitute fried food with baked or roasted alternatives. For example, have your chicken roasted, or your fish grilled, instead of fried. Namkeen such as sev, papdi, khakra or chivda can all be baked instead of fried.

>> Restrict sweets such as desserts, mithais, cakes and puddings. Try to choose healthier options like raisins, dates, dried figs, or apricots, til ladoo or kurmura (puffed rice) chikki.u00a0

>> Go for coconut water or herbal tea instead of soft drinks.

>>Try to cut bac k on high-calorie fats such as cream, butter and oil.u00a0

Excerpted with permission from Penguin Books India from The Four-Week Countdown Diet: Now You Choose How to Lose by Namita Jain; Penguin Rs.199; available at leading bookstores.

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