8 ‘total body transformation’ tips from a doctor

WASHINGTON 鈥� As a board-certified family medicine physician, hears from a number of patients who try聽鈥� and fail at聽鈥� fad diets. She has even tested out a few herself, and has some advice for anyone ready to juice, cleanse or subsist on shakes.

鈥淲henever you鈥檙e looking to start a healthy jump-start to your life, you want to make some positive changes in your diet, exercise 鈥� keep in mind that if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is,鈥� said Agarwal, who is based in Bethesda, Maryland.

The never-ending health hacks that populate celebrity social media accounts and magazines are what inspired Agarwal to write her book, 鈥�,鈥� which, in a way, also sounds too good to be true. But, Agarwal said it isn鈥檛.

鈥淟osing 10 pounds in 10 days, that鈥檚 not something I promise,鈥� she said. 鈥淭he goal is habit formation 鈥� I think it鈥檚 hard for people because there is so much health information. We get it from all different angles, and it can be hard to figure out (what) is correct and (what) is a fad.鈥�

Agarwal said when you stick to the facts and implement good habits, you鈥檒l start to notice a difference in as little as 10 days 鈥� even if it鈥檚 just in how you feel.

Here are some of her top tips that draw from the book and from her experience practicing medicine:

Female runner tying her shoes preparing for a run a jog outside — **Set a goal and don鈥檛 focus on the number** Interested in running a 5K? Want to kick your dependence on dessert? Agarwal said think about what it is that makes you feel healthy, and work toward that goal. 鈥淒on鈥檛 focus on the numbers. Focus on the parameters that you think are healthy. If it means you can walk up a flight of stairs without getting short of breath, that鈥檚 just as important as the number on the scale,鈥� Agarwal said. (Getty Images)

Months and dates shown on a calendar whilst turning the pages — **Don鈥檛 delay** How many times have you heard someone say, 鈥淭he diet starts Monday?鈥� When it comes to getting healthy, the most common pitfall Agarwal sees is 鈥渘ot starting.鈥� 鈥淧eople love to start on a Monday 鈥� and then, they have a crazy weekend of eating on Saturday and Sunday and then, they say, 鈥榃ell, Monday I鈥檓 going to start my diet.鈥� No. Just pick any day and start because the right day is today, in my opinion,鈥� Agarwal said. (Getty Images)

Blue stainless steel, reusable drink container flat lay on a light brown wooden table, with copy space. Horizontal. — **Get a water bottle** If Agarwal could recommend one 鈥渟uperfood鈥� to support a healthy lifestyle, it would be water. 鈥淲ater is really underrated. We all tend to drink a lot of coffee, we tend to drink a lot of soda, and I think if you can replace that with water, that change alone, people start to feel better,鈥� she said. Her best piece of advice for patients is to get two water bottles 鈥� one for work and one for home 鈥� and keep them full. 鈥淭hat way, if you have the water filled up, you鈥檙e more likely to finish it before you go to bed or before you leave the office. It鈥檚 the easiest thing and it makes a big difference,鈥� Agarwal said. (Getty Images)

Side view of beautiful young Afro American woman smiling while sleeping in her bed at home — **Another important 鈥榙iet鈥� ingredient? Sleep** 鈥淚f you don鈥檛 get adequate sleep, you鈥檙e not just going to be in a bad mood, you鈥檙e not just going to feel tired, but you will affect your weight long-term 鈥� you won鈥檛 be able to lose weight as quickly and you will actually add on weight over time,鈥� Agarwal said. This is because sleep is the body鈥檚 chance to rebuild, remodel and 鈥渞eset our hormones.鈥� 鈥淎nd, if those hormone levels get shifted in the wrong direction, it can make us more hungry, more tired, more likely to reach for those not-as-good foods to get that immediate reward,鈥� Agarwal said. (Getty Images)

This Thursday, Feb. 16, 2017, photo shows the ingredients label for almond milk at a grocery store in New York. Dairy producers are calling for a crackdown on the almond, soy and rice 鈥渕ilks鈥� they say are masquerading as the real thing and cloud the meaning of milk for shoppers. A group that advocates for plant-based products has countered by asking the Food and Drug Administration to say foods can use terms such as 鈥渕ilk鈥� and 鈥渟ausage,鈥� so long as they鈥檙e modified to make clear what鈥檚 in them. (AP Photo/Patrick Sison) — **When it comes to eating, be realistic** Of course, eating only fresh produce and natural sources of proteins is ideal, but Agarwal said we live in a busy world, and we are sometimes going to need to reach for, and rely on, packaged foods. Just keep it in check. 鈥淎voiding as much as possible or limiting the amount of processed foods is a good idea 鈥� and then, when you are looking at the labels, look at the number of ingredients first. It鈥檚 an easy place to start. If it has 50 ingredients, a lot of things you can鈥檛 pronounce, rethink it,鈥� she said. 鈥淚s there a better version that has fewer ingredients?鈥� (AP Photo/Patrick Sison)

Foods that might have added sugar or another sweetener like high-fructose corn syrup as an ingredient are pictured Wednesday, March 4, 2015, in New York. New guidelines published by the World Health Organization on Wednesday say the world is eating too much sugar and people should slash their sugar intake to just 5 to 10 percent of their overall calories. (AP Photo/Bebeto Matthews) — **Avoid added sugars** While you鈥檙e looking at a product鈥檚 list of ingredients, also check out the nutrition facts panel and zone in on the added sugar. Agarwal said sugar tends to sneak up in the most unassuming foods. 鈥淭here鈥檚 added sugars in a lot of things we don鈥檛 think about. We don鈥檛 think pasta sauce could have added sugar; we don鈥檛 think ketchup would have added sugar. We don鈥檛 think that things that traditionally taste salty could actually have a lot of added sugars,鈥� she said. Yogurt is another 鈥渉ealthy food鈥� that can be loaded with sugar. Agarwal said if you prefer yogurt with fruit on the bottom, try to eat most of the yogurt on top and just take a small skim of the jam-like fruit. If fresh fruit is available, piling that into plain yogurt is a much better option. (AP Photo/Bebeto Matthews)

A brunch spread at a hotel with waffles, sausage, blueberries, chocolate covered strawberries. — **Don鈥檛 let the weekend wreck you** Between happy hour on Friday, dinner out on Saturday and brunch with friends on Sunday, weekend plans can wreck healthy habits. Agarwal said there鈥檚 still room to indulge on your days off; just reign it in a bit. 鈥淚 think instead of picking the whole weekend as your cheat time, pick a meal that you鈥檙e really going to enjoy and indulge, and pick high-quality stuff,鈥� she said. You鈥檒l likely feel crummy, physically, after a weekend of poor eating, and also mentally. 鈥淵our thinking is really cloudy, too, after having a week of good eating, but then adding back all of these things, like processed carbs, a lot of sugars, a lot of alcohol. So, you want to focus on what things are good for your mind,鈥� Agarwal said. (Getty Images)

Young women relaxing in bad while reading book and enjoying in decorative light — **A little self care goes a long way** Self care is a big buzzword these days, but Agarwal said people are often confused by its meaning. She explained it embodies activities that help you relax mentally. 鈥淏ut also just taking a small amount of time for yourself, and that could be something as easy as taking a class by yourself, learning something new,鈥� she said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a very important way to get in tune with ourselves and stay healthy because (physical) health does start from mental health. If you鈥檙e not mentally healthy, it鈥檚 very hard to focus on the rest of it.鈥� (Getty Images)

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