The Hindu Business Line : It’s okay to binge, but...

Recently I joined a gym to lose weight. My trainer has instructed me to stop eating carbohydrates and concentrate on proteins. Though I’m a vegetarian, he has asked me to start eating chicken for extra protein.

He has also asked me to stop eating fruits at night as the fructose in the fruit turns into fat during sleep when the metabolism is slow. Further, he says I should not eat for an hour after exercising. After five days of exercise, I feel tired and listless and my muscles ache. Am I doing something wrong?

Kavita Samtani

Your trainer has misguided you completely. Don’t lose heart though. We can do course correction easily.

Carbohydrates provide ready energy and are a must for an exerciser. Lack of carbs explains your listlessness. So, continue eating rice, wholegrain bread, roti, cereal. Have two idlis or two slices of bread or a katori of upma/poha for breakfast with your tea, coffee or milk. For lunch, have one katori of rice, a katori of dal, vegetables and curd. For dinner, have two rotis, vegetables and fruit. But eat moderate amounts of carbs. Fill yourself with vegetables and fruits. There is no rule that says you should eat until you feel full. Rather, feel mentally satisfied that you’ve had a balanced meal.

Remain vegetarian. You don’t have to eat chicken to get your protein. In fact, recent research shows that animal protein causes several illnesses. Pulses, whole grains, peas, beans, methi leaves, colocasia, soybeans, mushrooms, oilseeds like til are rich sources of protein. Add sprouted moong and red chowli to your daily salad. Sprouts offer pre-digested protein to your body and are a powerhouse of nutrients.

Don’t stop eating fruits at night.Even diabetics are advised to eat fruits at night. The fructose makes them feel fresh and energetic when they wake up in the morning because it prevents their blood sugar level from falling too low. Fructose is ready-to-use energy.

Eat some fruits immediately after exercising to replace the used-up glycogen. This keeps the energy-level stable. Also, within 45 minutes, consume some form of protein to build up the amino acids. Protein prevents muscle fatigue.

Drink at least 12 glasses of water daily. Dehydrated muscles ache. Hydrated muscles don’t.

Stop when you’re on top. That is, exercise to your optimum level and build up your stamina and strength gradually. Use light weight and do a few reps (about 20) to start with. Feel fresh after exercise, not droopy and sleepy.

Don’t doubt your ability to lose weight. Say to yourself, “I can say no to sweets. I enjoy exercising.” Exercise is as much a nurturing activity as eating the right food is.

Why is it that, sometimes, I just can’t seem to stop bingeing despite leading an otherwise healthy life? I exercise, eat low-fat food, meditate. I’ve lowered my cholesterol and tri-glyceride levels to acceptable standards. I’ve pulled myself back from the brink of diabetes. I feel great and am maintaining my weight. Yet, last weekend I went beserk. I ate an entire packet of peanuts and drank a litre of sweet mango juice. I was ashamed of myself. Please help me fine-tune.

Amrita Rao-Sharma

Don’t beat yourself. It’s okay to binge once in a while. Accept that you let yourself go in a calm, unjudgemental way. A binge is only a life-situation, it’s not life itself. Objectively look at what led you to break your routine. Were you bored, stressed, frustrated, felt threatened? Some self-help for such times:

Have a long, meaningful, affectionate chat with a close friend or sibling. Or send a chatty, loving e-mail. It’s like eating a sweet.

Clear up your table or clean a dirty window. Sometimes, an undone task gnaws at your insides which you mistake for hunger.

Write a journal. This makes you feel settled.

Sing your favourite song. It opens your throat and heart.

Cycle or walk for at least 32 minutes. Mental cobwebs clear and your perception steadies.

Practise this vipaasna technique — Sit comfortably, keep your eyes and mouth closed gently.Focus on the space beneath your nostril and observe your breath moving in and out. You feel peaceful and start sorting out many things. In this clarity, you may see what I saw: don’t go for perfection, go for progress.

We are all in a state of experiments-in-progress. Don’t treat the experiment as an end in itself because that’s how you make rigid rules, rituals, regimes and, ultimately, rebel against them.

Be flexible and joyfully flow with the process.

The writer is co-author of the book ‘Fitness for Life’. Queries may be sent to

life@thehindu.co.in