Cutting down on carbs drastically or surviving on salads doesn’t translate into the perfect diet. Neeraj Mehta tells you how to tailor a diet plan that actually works for you
Ever wondered why diets don’t work for you? There could be several reasons. But first, let me tell you that following a diet plan does not mean that you have to cut down your calorie intake beyond your daily requirement. Nor does it mean that you have to starve yourself. Following a diet plan simply means modifying your eating habits. Now these modifications should be based on
* Your daily calorie requirement.
* Your blood type.
* Level of physical activity
* Your fitness goal
A majority of the population believes that a low-calorie diet will make them lose weight. But how low is low-diet? Here are some pointers:
* 1500 calories in a day is the minimum requirement for your internal organs to function properly. Going lower than this means risking your health. If you are exercising, then you need to account for the burnt calories too and ensure you consider them in your plan.
* An exerciser needs to eat more than the person who does not exercise because he would be burning more calories and would also require some calories to preserve the muscle mass. Technically speaking, it takes seven calories to preserve one gram of muscle mass.
Blood group and diet
Your blood group has a major effect on what you eat. If you think your eating habits are healthy and yet you don’t feel fit, then it is pretty much possible that you are not eating as per your blood group. Do you know about that saying “One man’s food is another man’s poison”. Well, not eating as per your blood type can be really harmful for your health. So, here are some guidelines:
Type O – This blood type can easily digest animal protein. Their metabolism reacts adversely towards dairy products and gluten-enriched food such as wheat. If you are Type O, chances are that wheat is causing major weight gain in your body. You may also get reactions by eating certain pulses such as kidney beans and lentils.
Type A – This is the vegan group; just opposite to the Type O. Type A can survive plainly on vegetables. This blood type has a very sensitive immune system. As their metabolic system has not fully adapted the dairy products, digesting whole milk may be difficult for this group. If you are a type A, then you should eat fresh, pure and organic food. You may have adverse reaction towards artificial flavours in your food. Nuts such as almonds, walnuts, peanuts, and seeds such as flaxseeds, pumpkins seeds are very good for Type A.
Type B – People with Type B blood group are from the lucky clan. I say this because they have the most adaptive metabolism system. They can digest animal as well as vegetable protein and dairy products as well. However, Type B is allergic to gluten. Gluten can be a major cause of weight gain, same as Type O. Their metabolism system also doesn’t react well towards corn, buckwheat, lentils and peanuts.
Type AB – This type shows the mix inheritance of Type A and Type B. They can eat meat in small amounts and their metabolism shows friendly traits towards vegetables. Though they don’t have as adverse reaction towards gluten as Type B, it is advised to reduce wheat intake for weight loss. Like Type A, peanuts are healthy for type AB.
No online plans
There are various diet plans available on the Internet, some that even offer money-back guarantee. Some of those may give you results as claimed. But are these really helpful? Here are some facts:
* These plans are generic. They are not designed especially for you. Look at those four points mentioned right at the beginning; now look at the diet plan. Does it fit?
* Yes, when you are on a low-calorie diet plan, you do lose weight, majority of which is just water loss. Once you are off the diet plan, you gain weight again.
* If you follow a high-protein diet for an extended period, you body goes on ketosis level in which your body starts producing ketone bodies, which may give you side effects like nausea, vomiting sensation and loss of appetite.
Expert tips
* Your diet plan should be a combination of protein, fat and carbs. Eliminating any of these would be harmful for you.
* Eliminating salt completely may give you side effects such as cramps, headache, and weakness. Daily recommendation for sodium is 2.3 grams. You should include this quantity of sodium in your diet.
* If you have a tendency of skipping meals, most importantly breakfast, then chances are that you entire day’s diet would be a mess. You tend to eat more calories in your remaining meals, if you skip any.
* Small portions at regular intervals would really work in your favour as this way your metabolism would be active throughout the day.
* Stress and lack of sleep adds to inefficiency of your diet. So, get good sleep and stop worrying.
(The author is a fitness expert, nutritionist and director, GFFI Fitness Academy, Delhi)