I have been paying attention to my eating habits since the last few years to help lose weight. I have been obese my whole life and my relationship with food in the past was not healthy. Even now I struggle with things but I have nailed certain things as part of my routine in order to consistently lose fat and gain or maintain muscle.

Food is personal and we must acknowledge it as that first. When we are young there are many factors that affect the way we see food. We must course correct our bad habits when we are young but if we are already molded by those habits as adults we should try to do the following:

• Start with small changes
  • I find that whether you are trying to gain or lose weight you need to start small. In my case I had to reduce the volume of my food slowly. If you are trying to gain weight increase the volume of your food slowly.

• Address your fears around food
  • My biggest fear was running out of food growing up and not being able to eat if someone else was watching. I used to think that if someone walks into the room when I was eating then they would judge me for being fat and I wouldn’t be able to eat any more and stay hungry. So I used to fill up on the food whenever I got the chance. Its very much an eating disorder and I didn’t think of it as that before. Maybe it was the environment but these are the things I addressed. My solution was to eat around people. I shared meals with friends and colleagues. I started working in a restaurant to study how other people approached food. It is important to recognise your relationship with food and improve it if it isn’t healthy.

• Diet
  • There are so many diets and preferences people have that it can be difficult to adjust. Diets are affected by our environment. Certain religions practice vegetarianism and certain religions don’t allow the consumption of certain meats. Navigating through this can be difficult. My solution is simple. I like to keep track of macronutrients and calories. One thing to mention here is that, what you grew up eating at home may not always be healthy but it is the basis of  your food habits. So it is important to start from there. You can alter and adjust your tastes and acquire food from local sources.
  • Macronutrients or macros are the major nutrients that your body requires to sustain itself. They are Protein, Fiber, Carbohydrates and Fats. Protein is notoriously difficult to fulfil each day as it is voluminous and fills you up immediately. Fats are difficult to track because they aren’t always measured correctly and the difference between healthy and unhealthy fats are not known as widely. It is easy to keep track of carbohydrates and fiber. You can find out how many macros you need from online sources using your information such as age, body weight and height. It is a good idea to consult a professional for this.
    • Protein Sources- Meat, Eggs, Fish, Dairy, Lentils, Beans, Pulses
    • Carbohydrates- Starchy foods like Potatoes, Bread, Rice
    • Fiber- Fruits and Vegetables
    • Fats- Butter, Avocados, Nuts
    • These are examples and some foods contain multiple macros, for example meat has both protein and fats, peanuts have fats, carbohydrates and fiber.
  • Calories are the amount of energy your body needs to sustain itself. Each individual has a unique requirement of calories. You can use online tools to calculate how many calories you require in a day based on your body weight, age and height. It is always a good idea to consult a professional to get accurate numbers. Most times using an app on your phone to track calories and macros is sufficient.

• Supplements
  • If you cover your bases with macronutrients your micronutrients are also mostly fulfilled. If you ever get your bloodwork done you can see where your nutrition is failing and to fulfill those requirements you can use supplements- preferably under the supervision of a doctor.

• Portion control
  • In my case I get very hungry but I have managed to bring my meals down to 1 meal a day. On the weekends I divide it into 2 meals. If you are trying to lose weight managing portions is difficult so what I do is I plan my meal at the beginning of the day before I am hungry. I also add plenty of fiber and protein to make sure the volume is high and I don’t feel hungry for a long time. I know how to cook and my mom makes delicious food but I decide the quantity before I even start the day. I have a routine and I know I have to exercise and manage work in the process. For busy individuals meal prep is convenient but it is subjective. When I lived alone I found meal prep did not work for me because sometimes I’d end up eating all the food I have prepped when I got hungry because it was available and it was never enough. That is not good for weight loss. Instead I did the prep before work in the morning and cooked the meal when it was time to eat. Many cultures have a brilliant method called the 80% method. It dictates that if you want to lose weight or stay healthy eat only until your stomach is 80% full. Look forward to the next meal. That is easier said than done at least in my case. Generally speaking being mindful of what you eat and how much you eat is important.

• Cooking
  • I have said this before and I will say it again. Cooking is a life skill. You can adjust anywhere if you know how to cook. Many people ignore it because they can depend on someone else for it or simply have no interest. In my opinion it is important to develop a relationship with the food you eat and it might sound crazy to some people who don’t think about food the way I do but having that relationship defines your health. You can always go to McDonalds but you never know what McDonalds or any other food outlet does to your food.

• Time
  • This was something I have always maintained regardless of being obese. My father was strict about meal times because he had a busy work schedule and as far as I know he always had a six pack even at the very end. Even the coroner said he was well built. So this is something I believe in religiously. These days I have become stricter with timings. I practice intermittent fasting and most people don’t. But the general rule is to allow a minimum of 12 hours between your last meal the day before and your first meal of today. This is something that a lot of people fail to do. In the evening it is wise to eat your meals around 7 PM. This allows your digestive system to work before you sleep. Give it at least 2 hours to work before you call it a day. This also improves the your quality of sleep which is another important factor for health. Its not easy and I understand why its not always possible but work into getting it done as many days of the week as possible.

• Exercise
  • I am talking about post meal exercise. When you eat your body develops glucose which goes into the bloodstream. This sugar spike in your blood causes fat gain over time. It can also cause other health issues. In order to suppress this sugar spike some form of exercise is required. More importantly the use of muscles is required. Most experts recommend walking. It recruits the largest muscles in the body specifically the calves, glutes and hamstrings. Muscles are important to burn glucose so it is also important to keep a healthy amount of muscle mass on the body. Muscles are also known are sugar sinks because they absorb glucose when used. This method in particular helps prevent fat gain. Other exercises  I recommend are yoga exercises like vajrasana and butterfly after each meal. I also recommend doing chores like dishes and cleaning up. Movement should be done for a minimum of 30 minutes. Additionally exercise is a good practice in general because if you don’t burn calories you won’t feel hungry or you won’t be able to sustain a proper diet in the long run.

• Probability
  • Everything I mentioned above is a game of probability. You don’t have to be strict with it but you have to increase your chances of doing it on a regular basis. Its not the end of the world if you eat the ice cream. If you do, own it and accept it. Its not a sin to eat ice cream. But take measures to balance your diet. I personally have failed numerous times at this. I find the opportunity to start afresh each time I fail. That is the best way I find to alter my lifestyle. It is flexible and makes it easy to hold myself accountable.

This is a forever growing process and there are many things you can do to improve your health by just maintaining good eating habits. Eating habits and food decide longevity. Obesity is a lifestyle disease and it is a result of mental depression. There are many factors to overcome obesity and depression but cultivating good eating habits is crucial amongst those factors. Eat well, live well. Cheers!