Welcome to the Fotopala Plan for improving your personal wellness. There are no secrets here – eat well, exercise, meditate, and focus on inspirational words and concepts.
EAT WELL
Eat a small meal of 250 calories every 2.5 hours, and drink at least 16 ounces of water with each small meal to help you feel satiated until you eat again. Each small meal should include a high quality non-fat or low-fat protein (such as non-fat Greek yogurt, turkey jerky, etc.), a small portion of something whole grain and high-fiber, and a piece of fruit or a veggie. Your last meal should be low in carbohydrates. Eat six small meals a day for a total of 1500 calories per day.
Eliminate sugar. In the early 1800’s the average person consumed 10 grams of sugar per day, and nowadays the average persons consumes 150 grams a day. This increase in the amount of daily sugar consumption is the reason why so many people are overweight today, and it is why the rate of diabetes is sky-rocketing. Lower your daily intake of sugar to about 30 grams. (FYI, one banana has 15 grams of sugar).
Go gluten-free. I ate lots of wheat products for many years in the belief that I was eating healthfully. Unfortunately, the Big Food industry has eliminated almost all wheat varieties by replacing them with genetically modified wheat, with the result that many people have become gluten intolerant and actually gain weight by eating wheat. Here are two books to consider reading: Wheat Belly, and the other is called Wheat-Free Worry-Free.
Eat lots of fruits and vegetables. Period.
Protein. Eat lean or non-fat protein items such as non-fat Greek yogurt, non-fat cottage cheese, lean meats, and nuts such as almonds, pecans, etc. Eliminate all dairy for a few months if possible since it is high in sugar.
EXERCISE
Day 1 – 45 minutes of light exercise such as walking
Day 2 – 60 minutes of intense exercise such as an aerobics class
Day 3 – 45 minutes of light exercise such as walking
Day 4 – 60 minutes of intense exercise such as an aerobics class
Day 5 – 45 minutes of light exercise such as walking
Day 6 – 60 minutes of intense exercise such as an aerobics class
Day 7 – Rest
Adjust this schedule to your liking, for example you can take a day of rest in the middle of the cycle. The point is that you should avoid intense exercise every day in order to prevent over-use injuries. So go at it hard one day, and maybe even 2 days in row, but make sure you follow that with a light day of exercise or a day of rest. Regular exercise combined with lower calorie intake every day will enable you to lose as much as 1/2 pound a day … which may not seem like much, but if you do that for 2 months you will have lost 30 pounds!
MEDITATE
Meditation is as simple as attending to the breath. Sit comfortably, close your eyes, be aware of the present moment, and observe each breath in and out. Do this at least 15 minutes every day, and more is better.
FOCUS ON INSPIRATIONAL WORDS AND CONCEPTS
A word is a symbol, a collection of letters, that represents some reality beyond itself. For example, we use the word “water” to refer to the liquid that sustains life, but the word “water” cannot get you wet. And, you can use a word like a mantra to experience the reality it represents. So, if you want to manifest more laughter in your life, repeat the word “laugh” over and over throughout the day, repeat it silently in your mind and out loud too. You will no doubt be prompted to laugh during the day because that is your focus, and you will have manifested laughter not only in your life but in the lives of people around you. With that in mind, below are inspirational words that you can use like a mantra. Pick a word listed below to meditate on today, and may you manifest the reality represented by each word.
Believe, create, well-being, breathe, communicate, universe, dance, stillness, spiritual, encourage, silence, exercise, rest, feel, recreation, flow, peace, give, now, gratitude, grow, nature, help, music, hug, mindfulness, imagine, meditation, kiss, know, light, learn, discipline, listen, joy, life, hope, love, happiness, manifest, God, share, beauty, smile, teach, freedom, energy, touch, travel, volunteer, detachment, walk, truth, watch, acceptance, write, laugh, abundance.
THE FOTOPALA PLAN IN PRACTICE
To read about how I used the Fotopala Plan to lose over 30 pounds, click on this link.