The “katori” diet or how to stay slim

Those of you who are constantly battling the midriff bulge would be aware of the many types of diet in vogue around the world. The problem with many of these diets is that anything that is very different from what you generally eat at home is difficult to stick to, and any weight you might lose will be regained rapidly. The ideal solution, therefore, is to build a diet around normal Indian food, and which should not be very hard for your wife to cook.

After a bout of jaundice some months ago, my son now follows what he calls the “jaundice diet,” which consists of rather bland food with almost no oil. I have been following a “katori” (bowl) diet for nearly 10 years, with good results. My weight has generally been steady at about 62-plus, give or take a couple of kilos. The key to weight control is restriction of carbohydrates and oil. I restrict carbs on a daily basis by using a 150-ml katori or bowl. My diet, with no change on a day to day basis, is as follows:

Early morning: A mug of warm milk on rising and before my morning walk. A cup of coffee without sugar at 7 am.

Breakfast: Two katoris of upma or two idlis, or two slices of brown bread with one/two eggs.

Midmorning: Tea without sugar at 10 am, and two small bananas or any other fruit at 11:30.

Lunch: Two chappatis, or one chappati and one katori rice, one katori vegetable, one katori dal and curd.

Evening 5:30: Two idlis or equivalent.

Dinner: One chappati or one katori rice, one katori vegetable, one katori dal and curd.

I avoid desert. If I do feel like having something, then out goes some carb from dinner. I also have no sugar with tea or coffee, and do not consume soft drinks.

This balanced diet will provide 1500-1800 calories of energy, and should be enough for a person whose lifestyle is moderately active.

These days I also work out thrice a week in a gym, including strength training with weights.

The Internet has many calculators to estimate how much you should be eating for your ideal weight. Normally, you need to consume 30 calories per kilo of weight. So, if your ideal weight is 50 kilos, you should not consume more than 1500 calories to stay in shape.

A great profession

Politics is really a great profession. It's the only professional where you can double your investment in five years, something that even the stock market does not guarantee. Just see the affidavits filed by Lok Sabha candidates on their wealth. It's also the only profession where you can become a minister without having any work experience!

The "strongman"

When LK Advani was constantly carping about the "weak" Manmohan Singh, the latter retorted that the BJP "strongman" was weeping in a corner when Babri Masjid was being demolished. Is Advani again weeping in a corner of his house now that his "strong" party has been roundly defeated? We haven't seen him come out and acknowledge the mistakes the BJP made, like the comrades are doing.

Hail the astrologers

Well, it seems the astrologers who predicted that LK Advani would never become prime minister were right. As the results poured in today, the thigh-slapping BJP leaders, who had been challenging the "meek" Manmohan Singh to a wrestling match with "strongman" Advani, were looking pretty glum. Political parties lose elections when they get out of touch with reality and start believing their own rhetoric. The same fate could befall the Congress in five years if it falls into this trap. As for the BJP, it must come up with something better than Varun Gandhi to gain the confidence of the people and show that it can deliver.

Not fools

The Deve Gowda family in Karnataka thinks people and media people are idiots. When HD Kumaraswamy went to meet Sonia Gandhi on Tuesday, he covered his face. His face is well known to media people, and expecting not to be recognised was idiotic. Then, he explained later that he had not covered his face but was wiping sweat of it! How stupid does he think people are? Such politicians cannot be trusted.

In father's footsteps?

Some days ago I wrote about Varun Gandhi praising his father, and how that may not be liked by the BJP brass. His latest remarks, perhaps indirectly supporting his father's sterilization programme during the Emergency, should make the BJP leaders squirm even more. Of course, Varun later denied supporting sterilization.

Rahul baba and Priyanka beti

In recent interviews and press conferences, Priyanka and Rahul Gandhi displayed great maturity. Priyanka's interview to Barkha Dutt was exceptional, and she revealed a side that is normally not seen. Rahul baba also has become very confident in the way he handles the press.