Secret!!

Often many ask me the following

1. Do you eat what all you have shown on this web-site? 2. If you were eating, what is the secret for maintaining your figure and

health?

When I share the secret that, I first fill my stomach with 125-150 grams of salad before each meal, they exclaim "SO SIMPLE, OH NOOO!!"

But, when it comes to adopting the same, they remark, "IT'S IMPOSSIBLE TO EAT LIKE A COW EVERY-DAY - 500 grams of salads and fruits". Thereafter they continue to reel out the list of vegetables they take, their expenditure on greens and narrate how rich and nutritious curries are made at their homes.

In the above conversation, these friends miss two important clues, that in salads we generally EAT RAW VEGETABLES and salads are to be taken BEFORE MAIN COURSE. The logic is simple. When we eat salads first, the digestive juices in the stomach act on the raw vegetables with full vigor. This reaction helps in absorbing the nascent vitamins and minerals from the raw vegetables which are otherwise lost in (any form of) cooking. Because it takes relatively longer time to chew the salad and eat, our hunger also subsides by the time we reach the main course, and the stomach is half filled with salads by that time. Thus we are bound to eat less of main course dishes, which are comparatively spicy, rich & oily compared to salads.

There are a few myths & complaints about salads too. The one often heard is that it produces lot of GAS (flatulence) !!! With an anxiety to slim down and become healthy overnight, unless one wants to substitute his full course meals with salads, such GAS problems shouldn't arise. If only salads precede each main course meal, with a moderate exercise or walking during the day it should never be a problem.

People also opine that vegetables suitable for salads are far few in India, only to be counted like Onions, Cucumber, Carrots and Tomatoes. This perception is limited because it is based on what they have seen in the hotels. They may not agree that one can as well add grated Raw Papaya, Zuchini, Beetroot, Radish, Ashgourd, Bottle Gourd, Pumpkin etc. and also finely chopped Spring Onions, Garlic Sprouts & Shredded Cabbage, Capsicum etc. A host of many

other vegetables and sprouts can also be added to the salad bowl.The more the merrier!!

For dressing one needn't use only olive oil. Just add the oil in any of the achars / pickles at home like Avakaya or Magaya oil or even Mustard oil.

For spicing one needn't restrict only to pepper and salt, try chaat masala, grated ginger, lemon juice, finely chopped chillies, rock salt or a dash of spicy achar / pickle at home etc.

The way we cut the vegetables also determines the texture and looks of the salad. They can be chopped, grated, shredded etc.

For a crunch you may add a few peanuts, salted, raw or soaked overnight.

For a change add hung-curd to the salad and be surprised at the outcome.

Salads can be made attractive and tasty depending upon the number of ingredients you add. They can be spiced differently and dressed colorfully only to be enjoyed. Contrary to the general belief, innovation in making salads is unlimited. Minor variations bring in huge differences, like - cutting, dressing, spicing, with & without yogurt etc. Choice is yours!!!

Yes, "IF YOU WANT TO LIVE TO EAT (choice dishes), EAT (salads also) TO LIVE!!".

Every day I enjoy every bite of my bowlful of SALAD. At 45 years, this SALAD habit keeps me slim like this

Read your Mail on the subject. The best way to reduce weight is under a dietitians guidance who are professionals. I can definitely share what I have followed and am following right now. But what works for me may not work for others in the exact manner. As it relates to health, I would like to reiterate that I'm not qualified to suggest weight reduction techniques but am sharing what I did.

1. Went to a dietitian and took a meal plan for reduction.

2. Felt dejected when I paid the fees and Pooh-poohed it on returning home.

3. Had a look at the prescription the next day morning and felt nothing great in what she has written and the meal plan. My mind said - I am almost eating like that only.

4. I ignored the brisk walking written beneath the meal plan and kept on looking at the meal plan for a solution to all my woes

5. By afternoon I decided to give a try to the entire prescription in toto for one week and then decide the future course

6. Took the following resolutions

I would fix my breakfast-lunch-dinner timings with even spacings. Pujas and Vratams would not change my eating schedule. I would never be on a

fast / half fast. I would not pamper myself with foodstuff even if I feel hungry in-between I wont walk to the fridge between the meals to reach out for dry foods, aerated,

fruit and diet drinks etc etc I would avoid sugar in all its forms, including in tea and coffee I would stew vegetables in microwave before seasoning them on the regular gas

stove so as to cut oil consumption If any foodstuff is left after my family's consumption, I would gracefully give it to

the needy (servant's family). I would not try to take the sole responsibility of saving for the family!!! Instead I would prepare less next time.

I would go for 3 Km brisk walk every morning till I return home sweating. I would rest at home but not in the park

7 Followed the above for a week and didn't find any result, except for the pangs of hunger. I only felt healthy, fit and active for which I decided to continue for some more time

8 Continued for three more weeks with the same feelings and went philosophical - while poor don't have money to eat food, those who can afford also can't eat food. Probably god wants humans to get accustomed to eat less what ever be the reason - so as to feed the large population

9 Bought a weighing scale to measure my weight, instead of going to the Railway station to check my weight. And to my surprise noticed a 1 Kg difference between the Railway station and home readings. Reasoned it to my self that error in the scales may be the reason for the reduction.

10 Continued for a week and found another 0.5 Kg reduction on the same scale and reasoned it out skeptically hinting that because I had menses the previous week there was water retention which the reading is less.

11. Yet felt happy for the "notional reduction" and increased the speed of my walking to reduce faster and faster.

12. Next week the result was even better - Thereafter

13. The clothing became a bit loose

14. Friends and colleagues told that I am looking run down and should stop the rigor.

15. My husband insisted " Lage raho Munna Bhai", I want to see the film heroin in you!!!

16 I was looking run down in the mirror. I lost glow in my face and many acquaintances started asking what is wrong. Only strangers never asked me what's wrong. This made me ponder and felt that I am ok - because strangers didn't know how I looked earlier to compare

17. Inbetween I went to the doctor and told him that I don't have a servant and do all my work at home. Can I skip walking? He said servant maids work atleast in 5 houses and if your contention of burning calories with house hold work is true, they should have become invisible long back. Since it has not happened, I should burn my fat in the public park - in full glare of the public.

18. The saga continued till i reached 56 Kg from 72 Kg

Hope these would help you to embark on your mission

Gayatri

second letter:

Dear Madam,

I understand your problems on weight loss.

I reduced from 72 to 56. Depending upon ones body structure and body weight the nutritionist gives a diet plan. Going hungry in upavas is definitely not a solution and rather makes the things worse. What I understood is that while on diet one should be regular and each meal should be a bit less than what the stomach and tongue demands - in Hindi its said "Bhook se Thoda Kam". The diet should include lot of raw salads and sprouts. We should be able to compare the calories of various vegetables and include the lesser ones in the diet like bottle gourd, ridge gourd, snake gourd etc which fill the stomach and are less in calories. The calorie consciousness during weight reduction goes to the level where one prefers to have the top layer of sambar over a regular soup!!!

In the initial periods of dieting I strictly followed the diet chart prescribed by the dietitian. Later after reaching 67 Kgs from 72 Kgs, I followed the 150 gms of cooked rice meal with unlimited salads, fruits and vegetables as discussed in the above article. Salads are to be taken first followed by the meal. Eating salads first kills the hunger, so that we go slow on the main course.

Vegetable curries should occupy more space in your plate than the carbohydrates like roti and rice. In the past I used Vegetable curries as side dish to eat rice. Now rice is the side dish while eating vegetables and curries. The intake in weight of food is almost the same, because vegetable and dals replace the carbohydrate content. In fact they provide vitamins and protiens and cut the Calories!!! Therefore, if diet is followed, one cannot go hungry, in real sense

Initially while the stomach size starts reducing one has hunger pangs. Choose less calorie fruits like Pear over Apple, Papaya over Chickoo etc. The mantra is you should have only that much fruit in between so that you are hungry for the next meal.

It would be a pain to cook delicious dishes for the family while need to avoid them on the dining table. It needs lots and lots of will-power. Struggle for 3 to 4 months and start getting results. Thereafter enjoy for the rest of the life..

Once I reached 67 Kgs and still wanted to reduce to 56 Kgs, I took Phytolacca Berry tablets of SBL brand of Homeopathy. These pills work only when we do exercise and also limit our food intake. They helped in ensuring not to convert the consumed carbohydrates into fat and at the same time the walking exercise of 3Kms burnt the excess fat!!!

There are many medicines apart from Phytolacca Berry tablets which assist in slimming. The right medicine and its dosage is decided by qualified professionals based on the needs of an individual. Don't try to save on doctor's fee. It's always better to have a

check-up by your doctor when you reach different milestones. In-fact his OKing encourages you.

Many slimming centres repack these medicines and give them as magic pills without disclosing the names or the generic drug. Click here for more details on Phytolacca Berry.

This information is collected from various Internet sources.Don't try to ever save on doctor's fee or avoid him and embark on a slimming spree on its own. Its bound to stop in-between because of friends and relatives remarks. If you pay the fee and start, the doctor fixes the next visit date and for having paid the fee you would like to get the benefit too and therefore try to continue your dieting and exercises. There would be times when you have a doubt as to whether you are on the right track or not. If you don't pay the fee or avoid the doctor and go on you own, the shadows of fear and under-nourishment become longer and longer day after day, which would haunt you till you abandon the program. On the contrary it's always better to have a check-up by your doctor when you reach different milestones. His OKing encourages you psychologically and makes you stronger mentally with passage of time to reach your desired weight levels.

While you are on diet control, your family including children also should cooperate in not demanding high calorie foods everyday and should cooperate to eat less calorie foods.

For me even today every meal is a bit less than what the tongue and stomach asks, and I satiate it with a glass of buttermilk made from low fat milk!!!!

Madam, brisk walking for 3 miles a day is the cheapest and best exercise for our age for weight reduction

Hope these tips would help you

Gayatri

Third letter:

Dear Anamika Madam, As regards Milk and milk products and their consumption I have already discussed it in my article. There are no secrets about my diet chart. It took some time to locate it . Click here to see it. Its in Hindi.

Initially I adopted it in toto for 3 months. You may notice that my ideal weight as mentioned by the dietitian was 67 Kgs and I was asked to reduce to 67 kgs from 72 Kgs, which I could in 3 months. The moment I achieved it by strictly following the diet plan along with brisk walk, I was tempted to shed more and more weight.The initial diet plan underwent many adaptations as per individual requirements - some suggested by the dietitian and many incorporated by myself (as per my famiy's food habits etc). I pursued it till I went back to 56 Kgs in three years (Yes Three years!!!). At this point I looked more like an athlete with almost nil fat on body. To look a bit decent I needed to put on a bit of weight. Therefore I stopped Phytolacca Berry Tablets and went back to 58 Kgs gradually.

I don't have a maid or a cook at home. I do moderate exercise almost every day and am busy with Gayatrivantillu.com. I'm maintaining at that level. Presently I look like this