By Robert Nyagah
Today, many people are putting a lot of effort to lead healthier lifestyles. This is informed by an increase in lifestyle diseases over the past decade. Effects of COVID-19 have put a focus on the importance of exercise and nutrition since they boost the immune system, besides improving quality of life.
Over the years, I have gone through several pieces of research, and experimented with a number of concepts, practices and ideas on nutrition and fitness. These range from highly successful ones such as intermittent fasting and fasted workouts, to some not-so easy examples but highly beneficial ones like low carb and ketogenic diets. However, a recent experiment might be a gold mine. It brings some great benefits - increased productivity after meals, the ability to maintain or lose weight, eat less and do more.
Given that we now move less due to social distancing and self-isolation measures, our bodies expend less energy. We therefore find ourselves reaching for the fridge more often, eating when we are not hungry, eating to cope with stress, and dutifully going for unmissable second servings for every meal.
Many people grapple with controlling their appetites. Some have totally spurned out of control. However, eating well is a combination of regular practice and infusing productive habits - to beat bad practices and infuse new ones. Recently, this led to me thinking of better ways to curb my irresistible desire to have two servings during every meal.
Before you pass me a judgmental look, I am certain I am not the only one who can’t help going for a second serving. More often than not, I end up feeling tired, miserable, distracted and uneasy after heavy meals. All I can do afterwards is binge-watch YouTube videos or football highlights. No wonder I have had an increase in weight.
Thankfully, one of my customary habits after heavy meals has led me to coming up with an effective way of curtailing this habit. I have recently flipped through valuable advice from Kenyans on Twitter. I have learnt that intelligence is not the ability to remember and repeat what we are taught in school, but the ability to experience, solve problems and use knowledge to adapt to new situations.
So, I have decided to adapt - no more double portions or second helpings. Zero! Just one serving a meal and some fruit. The results have been a revelation! No more uneasy tummy protrusions, no more feelings of exhaustion. My core seems to have firmed up and I have boundless energy after a meal. I am also hydrating better.
Today is day three. I have 19 more days to go to see if I can successfully train myself to eat one serving for every sitting. I know I will make it.
