The Diet TRAP

Most people think that I diet a lot. Truth is, since 2011, after giving birth to Irfan, I have some sort of abdominal problem that at times hurts a lot. The doctors tell me I have to undergo endoscopy or something... where they force a camera into your body to see what's wrong. I've been postponing it, perhaps because I'm scared it would hurt even more, perhaps because I'm scared of what they'll find out, perhaps because I'm just plain lazy.

Anyhow, because of that problem, I've been trying to do self-help to reduce the instance of pain by watching how much I eat. Because I was eating very little, I was tired most of the time, but I did not loose much weight. As I was browsing through the Amazon Books, I saw a few new books on wheat and flour and why they are bad for you. Weren't we educated that wheat and cereal were good for us? Is this a new discovery or some people trying to gain publicity by creating controversy?

Had a talk with my sister and she gave me this book to read. Turns out that instead of watching how much I ate, I should have put much much more emphasise on what I ate. Quality over quantity.

Basically, this book tells you why most diets don't work and even if it seems to work, it won't last and you become fat again. It's actually a little bit heavy coz the writer explains it scientifically, which means there are words like "nuclear factor kappa-beta", "interleukin-6", "necrosis factor-alpha", ketosis, besides the usual weight relation to insulin and cortisol. But don't worry, you will still understand most of the concept.

After explaining why diets don't work and how the body functions/responds, he tells us what will work and why.

Let me just zoom in to what will work:
(1) Focus on quality and not quantity.
(2) 80% of the food you eat that day comes from natural or primal or unprocessed type such as chicken, fish, fruits, nuts, eggs (and not the by-products of these foods such as nuggets, waffles, etc.)
(3) Chew thoroughly (ni mmg sunnah pun, kan?)
(4) Keep hydrated - keep water within arms reach helps remind self.
(5) Walk regularly. I'm thinking about getting a pedometer (to count steps) but donno where to buy it.
(6) Fast. Make fasting a habit.

The only thing that I don't agree with this book is his recommendation that alcohol should be taken in moderation. I believe it should be taken none at all. The other recommendation and insights are really convincing. It's 313 pages and priced RM74.90.

Really should read it if you are into healthy eating.