Day two: Accept gracefully that there are some things that you must quit. Papads, peanuts, potato/banana wafers, for example, can at best become rare delicacies like caviar to be eaten sparingly and occasionally. Roasted channa, soya nuts and plain popcorn make neat nourishing nibbles.

And for that non-vegetarian taste and texture, you can duplicate delicious curries and biryanis with vegetarian substitutes — yam, breadfruit or soya chunks. And if the veggie going gets too tough, have one skinned portion of poultry three days apart. Animal protein is tough to digest. It leads to constipation and, consequently, your weight increases.

The question often asked is: Can anybody enjoy a life totally devoid of butter, cream, fries and dedicate themselves to whole grains, fruits and vegetables? "Sure you can," asserts Dr Monroe Rosenthal, medical director, Pritkin Longevity Center, Santa Monica, California. "Thousands have done it and found that great alternative — a drug-free life, no apprehensions of chest-pains and sudden dizziness." The trick is to recognise that enjoyment need not come from food alone and dissociate eating from all other activities. Shopping, watching a film, taking a stroll and the like should each be savoured solely without the `how about a quick bite' tag. Repeating firmly, "It's unhealthy, I can do without it," creates pockets of awareness. In time, that awareness wordlessly rules the senses, obliterates the craving and even the idea of `a bite'.

Here's a helpful hint from Dr Susan Smith Jones, health sciences instructor, UCLA: "It takes the body 21 days to accept new behaviour. If you give up sugar, for instance, you must keep at it for at least 21 days before your body accepts the change as natural." Also, associating with exercisers keeps you in the workout groove.

Company encourages motivation. "If you're going out running and if somebody is counting on you, you're more likely to be there," says Dr Jerry Vandel, promoter, `Health by Design' programme, San Antonio, Texas. The biggest mistake beginners make is to run/walk too fast, too long the first day itself. It's wiser to build up physical and mental stamina gradually. Warm up with a slow walk for 10 minutes, then quicken your pace to a level where you can converse. In 15 weeks, you should be able to walk 42 minutes/run 20 minutes and burn excess fat. The key to stamina and habit-building is to be steadfast, perhaps even stubborn, about your workout time. All demands and distractions — except emergencies — should be met with a firm "No".

Walking/running tips:

Some gym gems:

One, exercise boosts metabolism and turns the body into a fat-burning machine. Dieting does not. Two, there's a difference between a dieting weight-controller and an exercising weight-controller. As Austin Gontag, director, Marathon Clinic, San Diego, points out, "Initially, you might feel `I can't do anything. I can't go on.' Exercising takes that negative energy and turns it around — you can go on, you can do anything!" And, this time, there's a distinct `me' feel to it.

Picture by Sandeep Saxena

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