We all learn from other people’s experiences or our own, whether the easy or the hard way. But the best lessons are the ones where we fail. A famous line says, it’s okay to make mistakes the first time—just don’t repeat them. Here are several inspiring stories.
Marina is a 53-year-old mother of five. Her early adulthood was spent working in the family business. But by age 50, she decided to retire. While still a working woman, she tended to skip meals due to pressing deadlines and hectic office hours. Thus, every chance she found time to take a break, her tendency was to load up on food—anything she could lay her hands on.
Over the years, this became a bad habit. Seventy extra pounds later, she plunged into depression. When she sought advice from experts, an endocrinologist discovered that she had hypothyroidism, the therapist insisted on regular sessions with her, and a fitness experts and gym designed her weight-loss program.
Rule no. 1: Bad eating habits cause long-term weight and health problems.
Johnny is a 28-year-old call center manager. Supervising hundreds on his team, his normal hours are reversed—day is night and vice-versa. Constantly feeding on his adrenaline, his constant beverages were coffee and sodas.
By the end of office hours, he would have consumed eight cups of coffee and two glasses of water. One day while in the toilet, he noticed that his urine was brownish yellow. Alarmed, he sought the help of the company physician.
The result? Kidney and bladder infection due to minimal consumption of water. Moreover, he was a diabetic. The regimen? He had to drink 10-15 glasses of water within 14 hours. This meant drinking two glasses of water every two hours. Within two days his urine had cleared.
Rule no. 2: Your body needs natural hydration.
Cut out the sodas, and cut back on coffee from eight to four cups daily. Use “safe sugar” like Stevia or coco sugar in your coffee.
Diet tips
Best diet tips to remember:
1. Take calorie-free beverages and the most natural of drinks: water. You can confuse thirst with hunger because the brain signals are alike. If you give in to that slice of cheesecake instead of a full glass of chilled water, you could end up gaining weight.
2. Add the good things to your diet. What’s good is fiber and nutrient-rich fruits and vegetables. Follow the rule of five to nine servings a day. It isn’t a lot. If you cannot eat it all, juice it. Eating a cupful of ampalaya may not be appealing to many, but if you juice the fresh ampalaya, it may be more appetizing to you.
GREEN TONIC
½ ampalaya, thinly sliced and seeded
1 whole green apple, peeled and seeded
1 cup raw wild honey or coco nectar honey
1 small banana
In a blender, mix all ingredients, add four ice cubes. Drink with or without the fiber. (Straining is optional.)
3. A fistful of food is all you need to be comfortably satisfied at meal time. If you follow this practice, you can eat five to seven times a day, without gaining weight. Remember that hunger is your body’s way of communicating to you that your energy is low. Therefore, more fuel is needed. Because food is your only fuel, choose your food wisely.
4. Never say never. When you deny yourself potato chips, chocolates, doughnuts, you tend to suffer rebound over-eating. You could just simply cut-back on the portions. Example: If you are in the habit of consuming two doughnuts a day, make it a half-doughnut serving instead. Sharing with your friends will not only help you in refusing the extra calories—it will also make you more popular!
5. Don’t stress over your weight. Stress leads to weight gain. Nervous eating is one of the best ways to gain. Take it nice and easy. The best weight loss is a gradual one. Even if it takes six months to accomplish, the results are more long-lasting.
6. Shape up through exercise. There is no better way to burn calories than to keep moving. No matter what, be in motion and be active. Enrol in a group class. It’s a good start.
Affirm today: “I lose to win.”
Love and Light!
