Exactly 9 days ago, I described how I wanted to fit into an elusive dress in time for the end of the decade.
Then Diwali happened – as it does every year.
I was doing so well, with my loyal POLAR watch, but 4 days of Diwali food, is not going to help you lose weight. Similarly, when a grandparent offers you the largest slice of their grand-child’s birthday cake, its difficult to say “no” without sounding like a complete snob.
The good news is that I have lost 1 kg. I am now 64 kg. Without doubt, absent Diwali it would have been more… My key takeaways are:
- This is clearly failure, but on the other hand, if I had decided to start after Diwali, I am absolutely certain (like many of you in my position) you would have stuffed your face with every available sugary delight that didn’t have legs.
Admittedly, I haven’t been able to avoid the coma inducing sugarness of Indian sweets, but it’s ok. I haven’t eaten 20. I have avoided that “festive” splurge.
- Clearly, you cannot outrun a poor diet. I have been exercising like a crazy person. And evidently, you cannot outrun motichur or besan ladoos.
- There has to eating MORE vegetables and protein. You will get hungry and protein simply does keep you fuller for longer. If you’ve not considered having dal for breakfast, then the non-tarka dal is a Godsend if you are vegetarian.
- Don’t give up at the first sign of trouble. Yes, the past 4 days have been a category 5 hurricane level of failure. But that’s ok, I won’t beat myself up. I’ll start where I left off.
What I have to focus on.
- Resist the first urge to break my diet / exercise routine. Studies show that one of the reasons why people fail to achieve their goal is the cumulative effect of small setbacks. Its not a lack of willpower. Its a lack of timely discipline.
I can completely relate to this. Bar Diwali on a daily basis I do feel the urge to eat something sweet. I last about 10 days before giving in.
I am simply not going to give in and I have in my mind, a few things to try. I’ll keep you posted on what works.
That’s it from me. There are 64 days till the end of this decade.
Drop me a line at email@happyskindays.com if you have any queries or want to share your own well-being journey.