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Increasing Your Water Consumption - How To

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·          Figure out the amount of water you should be drinking – my end state target is 3 liters / day. This is what my nutritionist recommends for me based on my state of health. Its also a good target for people without any major medical conditions based on most internet sources. Yours may be different based on your medical condition. e.g. my mother who has a heart condition is allowed only 1/2 liter of fluids per day. Her heart and kidneys cannot handle more than that amount of fluid. Check with your doctor ·          Build a plan for how you will get there – e.g. I was drinking less than a liter a day. Getting from 1 liter to 3 liters is neither easy nor automatic. I decided that I would increase my consumption by 250ml each week. At that rate if all went well it would take me atleast 2 months to get to my end state. Its taken a little longer, and there are still days on which I miss the mark. But I am now drinking way more water than I was before and am getting a lot c
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Luke's Advice that Helped Me Get Back on Track

I signed up for a nutrition consultation with Luke and his team. They reviewed my blood reports and my lifestyle (as reported by me), and came up with the following suggestions. I will be adding detail links to explain how I did each step (cos they were simple but difficult). These were rolled out gradually, because it was too much change for me to execute in one shot. Also I don't do all of them, but I try. Its not just about what you eat, though that is a big part of it. It is Eat Smart, Move More, Sleep Right, Breathe Deep In the sections below, I will be updating this piece with links to Luke's videos on the related topic. Links will be underlined. Eat Smart Increase water intake to 3 Liters / Day.  Lemon Shots first thing in the morning and after lunch and dinner A series of spices and supplements to reduce the chronic inflammation that was causing pain.  A set of spices to improve my digestion post lunch and dinner.  Manage your Acidity Levels - stick to a
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I Couldn't Stand!

By the end of 2015 it would be fair to say that I had reached a new low with respect to my health. While I never had washboard abs, my stomach had never entered a room before the rest of me, as mine did now. There were places I could go below that - and they would all involve hospitals.The hours on my couch had exacted their toll. My high school friend Sita, whom I ran into after a gap of many years used diplomatic language but basically told me that I was a heart attack or stroke waiting to happen. I could not stand for more than 5 minutes - I needed to lean or sit down. Despite the complete lack of physical activity, I felt tired all the time. My arms, legs and torso joined my shoulders and neck. I was in pain all the time, and popping ibuprofen just to be able to function. My family continued trying to motivate me to lead a more healthy lifestyle. My niece posted photos of my young skinny self on the refrigerator door. But my couch represented comfort, the only thing I had cont
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Seven Years Later

Amazing how time flies. Since my last blog on the workout - a lot has happened. Seven years have passed for one thing. I continued the weight training religiously during the time I was still back in the USofA and I must confess to developing good, sleek, toned muscles and improving my strength. However, about 2 months after that last entry I packed my stuff and moved back to Bangalore, India. The work there involved growing and developing people - far more interesting than anything I could do in the US which was in deep cost cutting mode and looking for ways to move more work to India. I had every intention of pursuing my fitness regime in India, and I even made some efforts to restart.. But halfway around the world, living first in a hotel and on an expense account, catching up with friends and family, going through the business of finding a new home, relocating my parents, adjusting to a new workplace and a completely different work schedule - the good intentions melted away. Bu
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The Workout

Phase III of the diet required that I excercise to trigger the next level of metabolism. Sadly - I hate excercise and it had been difficult to motivate me to get into the mode for a long time. After the persistent nagging of my sister-in-law, I finally decided to check out 3 gyms within a 15-mile radius of my house. Hated the first one, loved the 2nd one so much that i did not bother to go the 3rd one. Signed up. And I now work out there 6 days a week. I've engaged a personal trainer to help me find my way around the collosal gym and to help me build a routine - which I've described below. One nasty side effect - I get enormously hungry - and my eating has gone out of whack. So combined with the fact that adding muscle adds weight - I am also off the diet. Not good from a weight loss/ trimming perspective. But I am getting stronger and restoring some of the muscle I've lost over the years. The Workout While I was familiar with the concept of allowing the muscles to rest bet
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The Diet

This diet has been instrumental in the shift in my weight situation. So its time I documented it here. NOTE: You need to follow all the common sense rules about consulting a doctor/physician who can help evaluate whether this is right for you. Better still you might want to consider a consultation with Anju or her mom Vijaya at the The Health Center in Mumbai. Just because it has had a positive impact on me, does not mean it will work the same for you. I learnt this from Anju Venkat - here are some links to information about her http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&rlz=1T4GGLR_enIN237IN237&q=anju+venkat Here is an article that explains the fundamentals of her approach. http://www.hinduonnet.com/thehindu/mag/2005/11/13/stories/2005111300190700.htm I don't know if this is to be customized for each individual - here is what I've been following Fruits, Nuts and Seeds are considered "uncooked" food, or nutrition in its most basic form. You are allowed to have as m
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Free The Skinny Person Inside of Me - Who ? Why ? How ?

I came into this world, premature, weighing a measly 3lbs and 12oz. My grandmother, who had proudly watched my mother deliver 3 healthy, fair skinned boys was disappointed. She is supposed to have said something about this baby looking more rat than human..... Ahh.. well the rat grew up to be a little slip of a girl - constantly dwarfed by her older brothers. In India, where commenting on someone's weight is not considered off limits - people often exclaimed in surprise at how skinny this little girl was. And then, as she grew up some more, she had the best hourglass figure a cotton sari ever saw... That is what I wore to work - A starched cotton sari , generally handloom (woven on a hand operated loom) , atop stilleto heels, and a Made in Dharavi leather handbag as I sprinted (yes, sprinted) up the stairs at Bandra Railway Station to catch my train to Churchgate. Even today I run into people who fondly remember that skinny woman. Some also remember my special technique of gettin
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