Eat Your Way to Weight Loss
5 healthy, feel-good, no-starve ways to shedding those extra pounds
Five healthy, feel- good, no- starve ways to shedding those extra pounds
Food is the enemy – that’s what comes to mind the moment you think about weight loss. You get the sinking feeling that for you to be healthy, you have to feel bad before you feel good.
Here’s the good news: The weight loss mindset is currently undergoing a paradigm shift, one that focuses not on deprivation and elimination, but on healthy inclusion. Harvie de Baron, who used his Oxford College diploma on Sports Nutrition to battle ulcerative colitis and steroid-induced weight gain, developed Baron Method based on this positivistic approach.
“My concept is about eating more and living great,” he said as his wife, Eizza, shared cooking tips – as a former kitchen novice, she had to learn them from scratch. “Just like a car, the body needs to refuel to keep going. Fill it with only the finest fuel.”
“Starvation diets are vicious cycles that just aren’t sustainable. Sure, I lost weight fast, but I gained it back faster.”
“A lot of the misconceptions about food [say that] if it’s healthy, it’s not yummy. But it’s possible for you to be healthy and eat yummy at the same time.” Instead of depriving yourself of delicious food, follow these feelgood, no-starve steps for a healthier, fitter you.
Don’t starve yourself
Instead of depriving yourself of food, use the energy you get from healthy food to shift to an active lifestyle. “If you go on low-calorie diets, your energy drops. My focus is on driving your energy levels.”
Many starve themselves in the hopes of looking slim, but it’s a counterproductive way of looking at weight loss. “Getting thin is the nice consequence. It’s all about getting healthier,” shared Publicis Manila CEO Matec Villanueva. After one of her three sons followed de Baron’s program, she followed suit.
Buddy up
Social contacts and mutual aid are pivotal in eliminating bad habits and developing new ones, which is why support systems in overcoming addiction work really well. Find someone to share in your journey – it allows you to use the elements of team work in achieving health goals.
“We used to charge P60,000.00 per person for a six-month program. However, I realized that the program works better if you do it with your loved ones. Now, I charge the same price for the whole family.”
Find (or make) healthy alternatives
Go for less processed food items with natural ingredients. For instance, instead of white rice, use brown rice that absorbs more water as it cooks – you get more bulk for the same amount of calories, with more micronutrients to boot.
“Some people use ketchup with high fructose corn syrup. [For] our ketchup, we buy organic.”
But don’t be too tough on yourself if you can’t find healthy alternatives in one go. “Baby steps – replace one pantry item at a time,” advised Eizza.
Focus on quality instead of just quantity
“[There are] people who say they’re vegetarians but they eat French fries,” Harvie pointed out the paradox, emphasizing the need to focus on quality regardless of food preference.
The couple also cautions against unhealthy items at the supermarket. “Even the you buy has caramel food coloring,” warned Eizza.
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Commit to change
The more willing you are to make your health regimen a lifestyle, the more fruitful it will be.
“The question is, how committed are my clients?” said Harvie when asked how many of his clients have met their weight-loss goals. “Those who come every two weeks and text everyday [are] very successful.”
Committing to a health program may cost you, but look at it from a different perspective. “I’d rather spend on good ingredients than on maintenance meds and hospital bills. [It’s about] being able to spend time with your family and not being tired after taking just 10 steps,” said Eizza. “It’s all about the quality of life.”