I never thought it could be possible. I thought losing weight always meant eating less. But now I see lots of videos from fitness experts who say you got to eat more to lose weight. And it's probably what we should do during holidays, especially tonight during Media Noche or the Filipino tradition of having an eating spree during New Year's Eve.
Photo by Niklas Ohlrogge on Unsplash.
The trick is to eat more proteins and a lil bit of fat, say experts, and eating more this way makes you lose weight. They call it keto diet. But I have my own version. This is my treat for you this Season. A Nonjoiner weight loss diet (Nonjoiner keto?) that might help you lose weight as you eat more (disclaimer here--I said it "might" help you lose weight). And it's super simple. All you need to do is cut out on sugars. And I mean zero sugar! Then you can eat other foods all you want.
Just make sure you eat less times a day. No more snacks and try to gradually end up with eating 2 or once a day. Right now, I'm in the 2 and half times a day phase, which means eating less but nutritious breakfast, lunch with 1/8 cup of rice, and then a sandwich or fruit or nothing for dinner before 6 pm. And I always watch out to get rid of sugar.
I know. Zero sugar is hard during holidays which are lavished with sweet and delicious foods but there are more delicious alternatives than sweet foods. Ripe strawberries are a lot better than cakes, at least to me that is. And kiwi fruit. And cherries. And the white, soft, cottony guyabano fruit.
Fruit cakes are also good. Yeah they have sugars but natural ones, mostly coming from the dried fruits. And in minimal amounts. A slice or two won't make you fat. Wash it down with black coffee. My favorite, actually. You should try it sometime instead of sugary cakes or white bread.
And you don't eat fruit cake everyday anyway during the holidays, at least not in Manila. So, you can cheat these holidays and not feel guilty about a few amounts of sugar. Burn them immediately with 4 sets of squats or 20-minute jogging in place. Or a simple fresh ginger ale will do it.
What I do is eat more proteins like eggs (I love fried eggs with my whole grain bread and coffee), soya milk or curd, tofu, Baguio or string beans and meats (chicken and fish especially). There are a lot of delicious holiday foods made of these ingredients, but to me nothing beats fried eggs. It's tops! Ham with real meat (not extenders) are also good.
But everything should be in moderation. Don't eat to much of anything.
Mozzarella and cottage cheeses are good, too, and I tend to eat generous amounts, especially when melted. I love mackerel and sardines in olive oil or cooked in coconut oil, with plenty of onions and garlic. Sinigang na maya-maya in miso with mustard leaves is often in our holiday menu--especially on Christmas or New Year's. Plenty of Omega-3 fatty acids there.
What I do is eat a lot with a variety. Meat, fruits, veggies, fish, nuts and wash them all down with water, coffee or fresh fruit juices. I try a little wine now and then--the resveratrol of red wine is good for you--but not to much because of the sugar. But wine is good when you eat meat, and it has lots of antioxidants.
But here's the one sure thing--I eat food with zero sugar as much as I can. I mean, there are times you can't avoid it, but when I can, sugar is definitely thrown out the window. I've developed a hatred for sugar and anything sweet. That's the secret. You can eat all you want as long as you avoid sugar. I can't say "carbs" because I eat sweet potatoes now and then (and it's carbs), and fibrous foods sometimes have carbs. But unhealthy carbs are definitely out, like rice.
Desserts? Well, to me it's fruits or nothing, especially a bit soury fruits like strawberries and kiwi fruit. But generally I eat any fruit because I love fruits. I don't like anything that looks and tastes like cake made of white flour and with sugar.
Always remember, the bible says that our bodies individually are temples of the Holy Spirit. Anyone who destroys God's temple will be destroyed by God himself.
“Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.” [1 Corinthians 6.19-20]
"If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy that person." [1 Corinthians 3.17]
