Judge this book by its cover: Hottie’s Handbook — Lose 10 KGs in 10 Weeks.
“Anybody who wants to lose weight, get fit or just make a lifestyle change can use my book,” says Ahlaam Ali, the author.
A weight management coach and nutritionist, Ali is also the founder of PowwerTM Living that creates holistically customised weight loss plans for members. “I have written this book for those who cannot reach me or benefit from the one-on-one programmes we offer for restructuring lives. With this book, they can make use of all our tried and tested techniques for changing lifestyles.”
Written in a workbook style, with 40 nutritious, tasty, multicultural, quick and easy-to-prepare recipes, the book helps readers record their eating habits and progress on a daily basis — because the premise is simple: you are what you eat.
The first step to shedding the extra kilos and staying healthy is learning to differentiate between, what she calls, sexy carbs and flabby carbs.
“Sexy carbs are free of gluten and have low Glycaemic Index (GI). Generally these carbs will not cause bloating and will help lose weight. Whereas flabby carbs have high GI, are processed and contain gluten and yeast.”
High GI foods get digested rapidly and have the potential to raise blood sugar levels which can lead to a slew of medical problems such as type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular diseases, to name a few. Conversely, foods with low GI get absorbed slowly by the body, keeping hunger at bay and when we consume less, we reduce weight.
“Eat baked food. Use lemon and honey for seasoning instead of salt and take good fats into your system such as avocados, nuts and fish oil,” says Ali who strongly suggests doing some form of exercise at home daily, be it yoga, callisthenics or even a 30 minutes power walk.
“Life is not about being on a constant diet but making a lifestyle change so you are constantly eating smart.”
Box 1
KNOW YOUR CARBS
• Sexy carbs
Brown rice, quinoa, amaranth (a healthy versatile grain) oats, soya flour,
buckwheat and spelt — a wheat species also known as dinkel or hulled
wheat.
• Flabby carbs
White rice, sugary drinks, white flour, processed foods made with these carbs — such as pastries, cakes and white bread.
Box 2
Ali’s tips on staying healthy and looking good:
1 Gluten free diets are beneficial as they reduce water retention which helps trim fat off the body, especially around the belly area. Another great way to keep the tummy area in shape, is by avoiding sugar and fried foods.
2 Don’t eat out daily — stick with three times a week.
3 Stay clear of buffets. “Best go for à la carte so you can stick with one starter, one main course and one dessert — ideally leave the last one out.” 4 Switch to water with a slice of lemon rather than fizzy drinks or soda.
5 Avoid sleeping late. It’s scientifically proven that the less we sleep, the higher the chances are of being overweight.
Hottie’s Handbook — Lose 10 KGs in 10 Weeks is available in the UAE for Dh135. For more information, log on to Powwereat.com
— Shahana Raza is a Dubai-based freelance writer
