Rational Insanity
By Bryan Mari J. Argos

Diet easy in ten steps

This week, I would like to give my column space to Narle, a reader of this column who specifically requested that I write something about “uncomplicated dieting”.   Well, Narle, there is no easy way to a perfect body, but see, there are ways of bringing that dream of a perfect body within reach.   I used to be a lard butt (about a year ago) I tipped the scales at 180-90 lbs. and with my height of only 5'6”, I was definitely overweight.   Of course the number one thing that we should all remember when trying to get that luscious eye-candy type body is discipline.   There is no way around discipline.   We should all remember that health is synonymous with a good body built; therefore, a healthy lifestyle will always be behind anybody's perfect body.

After less than a year, I lost over forty pounds.   Now, I am maintaining my ideal weight at 140-45 lbs.   I must say I have the body I always wanted although I haven't found time to hit metal yet, because of my terribly hectic schedules, I am sure that when I do, I won't find it hard to trim a little here and there, firm up, and get those six packs smiling at whoever lays eyes on my abdomen anytime soon.

Narle, for you and people like you who want to live a fit and healthy lifestyle, I would like to share my regimen for the past year in ten simple tips, so that you guys could be well on your way to the body of your dreams.   Here they are:

1.          Be CARBO-CAREFUL.   Keep a watchful eye on those carbohydrates, but do not eliminate them from your diet totally because an all fat no carbohydrate diet can do great damage to your kidneys.   Eat carbohydrates every once in a while, but don't pig out – carbos are the most difficult to metabolize unless you are a gym buff, then you definitely need huge loads of carbohydrates.   (Carbohydrates, i.e. rice, corn, bread, pasta, etc.)

2.          Always practice SUGAR-REIGNING.   Try to keep your sugar intake down.   The worst source of huge amounts of sugar is soda.   Keep the cap on those soft drinks if you don't want unsightly flab.   Bakery sweets will get you those unwanted bulges too because aside from just the high sugar content in these things they also contain large doses of carbohydrates.   The best forms of sugar are those you find in fruits, so sweeten up with fruits instead of plain sugar.   With fruits you have the added plus of vitamin C and fiber.

3.          SALT-TAME.   Sodium retains water in our body.   Salty foods contain lots of salt and are instrumental in the retention of water in our body.   If we eat too much salty foods (i.e. dried fish, bagoong, canned foods, chips), we are prone to the phenomena most dieticians call cellulite build-up.   So, if you don't have enough money for liposuction, better stay away from too much salt.   Use herbs and spices to flavor your food, and by the way, spicy foods also speed up metabolism, so that's good.

4.          See the LIGHT.   There are many “light” foods in the market now.   These items tend to have fewer calories than the “un-light” ones.   If we lead an inactive lifestyle, then we should be conscious of the calories we take in because it takes work and activity to burn calories.   Go for the light beer, the light soft drink, the light butter, the light spiced ham – aside from just being low in calories these products also contain little or no sugar or sodium.   So, see the light.

5.          TEA-S yourself.   Tea helps in good metabolism.   It is always wise to substitute your cup of coffee for a cup of tea (sweetened with honey) right after every meal to make you tummy right!

6.          Be METABOCONSCIOUS.   Metabolism is the process where our body extracts the nutrients from the food we eat and uses the useful things up in our bodily processes.   We have to know when metabolism is naturally slow and avoid making it difficult for our body by giving it extra effort to metabolize excess food.   Metabolism slows down in the evenings and when we are asleep, so to avoid too much excess nutrient build up, eat a light and easily digestible meal in the evening.   Bad sleeping habits also upset our metabolism, so sleep right (this will even help in easing those unsightly eyebags).

7.          Opt to be FIBER-RIFIC.   Fiber rich foods speed up metabolism.   Eat lots of oatmeal (sweetened with fruit or honey, with low fat milk), cereals, and roughage (i.e. takway, lamhay, alogbate, seaweed).   Help your tummy get rid of excess nutrients and build strong arteries.

8.          Take the FAT-AWAY!    Of course, we all know that fat is always bad for dieters, but we cannot live without fat because it helps in maintaining our internal body temperatures.   Just be careful with the type of fat you take into your body.   Unsaturated fat is a no-no.   There are other sources of good fat like vegetable oils and cheese (not too much though).    Eggs are fat bombs.   Keep your egg allowance at only two eggs a week (or less, if possible).

9.          Listen to your CRAVE-ALERTS.   All living human beings have cravings.   Satisfy your cravings at most, once every two weeks; eat all that you crave for.   The psychology of having something to look forward to makes it easier to cut down on food on regular days, therefore making dieting much easier.

10.          Be a CHOCO-HIPPIE.   Chocolate stimulates the reward centers in our brains.   A bite of semi-sweet or dark chocolate every once in a while will keep the sweet tooth away and so help you cut down on your sugar intake, plus it will keep the blues away (remember Harry Potter?).

Narle, hopefully you find these ten tips helpful, and I hope these will help all my other readers who seek to achieve their perfect bodies reach their goals.   If all these don't work then there is still the foolproof art of nail biting – bite your nails when you're hungry, heheheheheehe.   Nails are calorie free.   Or better yet, nibble on a pen, hehehehehe.   Stay away from diet drugs and teas, these cause diarrhea or make you throw up – you don't want to have saggy chins and dry skin from dehydration, do you? I am a physical therapist, I am no nutritionist, but if these things worked for me, I sure hope, they will for you.   Of course you won't go anywhere without discipline, hard-work, and a little exercise (as for me, I did not exercise).   Now, let's all try this out and be the first batch of rationally insane bodies, hehehehehehehe. Be rational; be insane every once in a while! TTFN!

Next week naman ang greetings, ok?   Medyo kulang na ta sa space eh.   Bye bye, I love you all!   Text me at (0920) 9254269, email me at prague@eudoramail.com or leave a feedback at our guest book at www.thenewstoday.info! Byers!