However, the most popular resolution is: I am going to lose (insert an impossible number that won't be pulled off unless you drink water everyday) pounds/kilos. Prior to my cynical years, I did such a thing and I did stick with my "healthy regime" for the first 1 month or so. After that, reality set in : I loved food. Don't get me wrong, I am not promoting unhealthy food or encouraging the best form of exercise is to sit and do nothing but thinking of that huge number to lose is cray cray (Yup I said it). As a 24 year old woman, I have had my fair share of diets and exercise regimes. Some worked. Some didn't. Well looking at me now, they mostly didn't.
Just for laughs, let me tell you a few of the regimes I have tried.
1) Eat less, move more.
"Well, my arms are doing quite the workout shoving this huge burger into my face - this counts right??"
Yeah...this one did not last long.
2) "Atkins, bitches"
Even when I was 12 years old, I was on a diet. Let's just say, the fat disease found me when my family moved to America. Anyhoo, my second sister and I had numerous, hilarious diets. One of which was "the first one to eat a bag of potato chips or anything unhealthy owes the other person $20".
During this diet, we would eat healthy crap and no rice. One morning, my sister decided to make us a salad. She chopped some lettuce, cucumbers and effin' raw mushrooms. My mother saw what my second sister was doing and she was laughing her ass off. Who the hell eats RAW mushrooms? And my second sister made me eat it too.
Sis: "Do you want to lose weight?"
Chubby me: "Yes :( "
Sis: "Then, eat the damn salad."
Of course, I am not sure of the exact words but I was pretty convinced to eat a salad with raw mushrooms. I guess you could attribute it to my 12 year old naivety but this incident made me realise how hungry I still was even after downing a huge bowl of salad.
Anyway, being the weakling I was, I bought a snack size bag of Lay potato chips and paid the 20 bucks to my sister.
Couple of years after that, during the fasting month, my mum and sis wanted to try the no carbs thing again. Like in the morning, before fasting started, we normally would have rice and some side dishes. I thought - hey, why not? I am not 12 years old any more so I did. My mother and sister were fine at the end of the day. I, on the other hand, was counting down the minutes and seconds till I get to put food into my mouth again. Of course, this is not the case for everyone but it was for me.
To me, rice or any form of grains is essential. I mean I don't eat a lot of it but even eating 1/2 a cup of it reassures me that I DID have food. And you do need to have carbs. I mean, eating a ton of it isn't good but not eating it, isn't good either.
3) Calorie Counting
This IS the most effective way to lose weight and you know what - if you have lost/gain weight using this method, I salute you because you are pretty awesome to have that amount of discipline.
To me, keying in every food and drink I consumed into MyFitnessPal mobile application is freakin' insane. Sometimes, I eat unhealthy food because once a month, my uterus takes over my brain and commands me to eat fries and ice cream. Okay, let's be honest, I just do that whenever I want to.
Regardless, I was loyal to my mobile application for a pretty long time until I fell sick and that kind of screwed up everything and it went back to "Shanaaz keyed in for 1 day". Give me a break - I thought you WERE my fitness pal. Pun definitely intended.
In all seriousness, trying to restrict myself to 1200 to 1400 calories was pretty tough and you know what, I was hoping that after this hell, I would just get to do whatever I want. Then it hit me, holy shit, I have to do this EVERY DAY even AFTER I hit my goal weight.
Then I got it, it has to be a lifestyle change. Once the diet or whatever is over, you just go back to eating the way you were comfortable with. It's not a permanent solution, for me at least. Right now, I think that is something I am trying out like drinking more water and stuff. It's a slow journey but I am trying to get there. Of course, knowing the calories of what you are consuming is definitely important. Some of the foods that you are eating, you will be surprised how much crap there is in there. For example, a hot fudge sundae from McDonald's is like 500 calories which is almost the calorie intake for 1 ENTIRE MEAL.
Thus, I conclude here - have a realistic resolution. Better yet, fuck the resolution and do what you want to do because you want to do it and not wait for fucking 1st January 2015. I can already foresee the hashtags: " #2015resolution #365daysofhappiness ". Ugh.
I know this is not a recipe post so no food photos but here is one from the internet:
And another:
I'm done.
BYE.
