Dieting and clean eating is not the same as eating horribly tasting food || Eat everything you like and achieve your dream physique

I have been dieting continuously, since the time I started training. Plenty of mistakes, sufferings, until I finally found my myntra to diet the right way. A way where I can eat like a normal person, enjoy everything I like and yet lose weight.

When I first started dieting, I started with Intermittent Fasting and I lowered my daily calorific intake for more than a half of what it used to be, not the smartest thing to do, of course. Specifically, speaking about that phase, my energy levels were nearly zero. I ate, trained and slept. I also lost weight really quick, starting from 98 kgs dropping down to nearly 85 kgs in just 3 months, losing fat and also sacrificing a significant amount of muscle mass at the same time.

After I lost some weight, I actually wanted to slow down the process a bit and also wanted to gain some muscle at the same time. This time, I increased the calories, yet being in a significant 500 calories deficit from my maintenance calories and continued with Intermittent Fasting, adopting a super low fat, low carb and high protein approach. Again, not really the smartest approach. Even if, I got some results, I wasn’t satisfied with the way of eating. Eating boiled foods, the basic chicken, broccoli and rice approach. I hated my meals and desperately waited for weekends to get those cheat meals in. Honestly, this felt like a torture.

After this phase, covid-19 came in, gyms were shut and we were stuck at home. I continued with some home workouts, eating whatever was cooked at home. This time, I gained some weight. I gained nearly 9 kgs, but I was satisfied with the way I ate. I enjoyed my food and I wanted the same satisfaction while I go back to dieting again. So, the whole lockdown was dedicated to search for low calorie condiments and spices that can make my food interesting. Luckily, I found a few of them. I tried out different normal recipes, but the only change was, changing the regular condiments with the low calorie ones that I found in the lockdown. So, this time, I am losing weight slower than last time to preserve most of the muscle mass and build some more muscle and lose fat, while enjoying my food.

There are a couple of points, I keep in my head, while making my meals this time. The Protein and the fibre content of the meal should be highest, as they both have higher thermic effect and keeps me full for longer time. Carbs should be added in right amount to stay in the calorie limit, yet bring in taste. Fat from oil must be avoided, as it adds up to total calorie intake and contributes the least to keep me full.

I don’t have significant changes as my results but I have my weight and time graph for a month. I have been doing this and getting some good results, being happy and satisfied with whatever I eat. At the end, dieting is not eating boiled food, but making smarter choices to enjoy the food, while making progress.