Lose weight without being miserable: Part 1

Wanjiku’s breakfast of choice was tea and toast (and sometimes biscuits). But by mid-morning, she’d find herself snacking on a samosa or mandazi. PHOTO | FILE 

In Summary

• Most fizzy drinks contain about 30 grammes, or six of teaspoons of sugar, per bottle – and we all know that excess sugar in the body turns to fat (juice is equally bad).
• Add to that, the sugar in Wanjiku’s daily four cups of tea. While Wanjku was happy to forgo the colas, she wasn’t as happy to part with her chai and negotiated to still have it, but without the sugar. I still had to say no.
• You see, tea is also a diuretic and a stimulant (as is coffee), which means that it would hinder her weight loss efforts.

By SONA PARMAR MUKHERJEE
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“The reason I’ve come to see you is because there must a way to lose weight without completely ruining my life.”

These were the words of Wanjiku, a 35-year-old working mother of two, who, by her own admission, had tried everything.

Most recently, it was the starvation diet: she would eat nothing until she felt like she was going to pass out, and then, she’d have a couple of slices of cucumber or apple.

She lasted six days on the diet, before she polished off a whole 200-gram bar of chocolate. She came to see me knowing that a viable long-term solution was the only alternative.

Here’s my advice to her:

Eat a better breakfast

Wanjiku’s breakfast of choice was tea and toast (and sometimes biscuits). But by mid-morning, she’d find herself snacking on a samosa or mandazi.

As studies have confirmed time and again, by adding some protein, she’d feel fuller and greatly reduce the likelihood not just of mid-morning snacking, but also of eating badly over the course of the rest of the day.

Wanjiku said she could easily scramble a couple of eggs, and even add a handful of spinach, to sit on top of a slice of wholemeal toast.

The alternative was cinnamon porridge with apple and nuts. On the days she was literally running out of the house, I suggested an apple with a couple of spoonfuls of peanut butter (apples contain non-digestible obesity-fighting compounds making them much better than cereal).

Get smart with your drinks

Most fizzy drinks contain about 30 grams, or six of teaspoons of sugar, per bottle – and we all know that excess sugar in the body turns to fat (juice is equally bad).

Add to that, the sugar in Wanjiku’s daily four cups of tea. While Wanjku was happy to forgo the colas, she wasn’t as happy to part with her chai and negotiated to still have it, but without the sugar. I still had to say no.

You see, tea is also a diuretic and a stimulant (as is coffee), which means that it would hinder her weight loss efforts.

Diuretics speed water loss from the body and when the body perceives a water shortage, the metabolism (the rate at which you burn calories) slows down.

Tea’s stimulant effect means that if the liver was spending it’s time more involved in blood sugar control, weight loss would have to take a back seat. That’s why two litres of water, either straight up or in herbal teas, was the only solution.