THE WEIGHT LOSS ENDURANCE

                                              THE WEIGHT LOSS ENDURANCE

Sustaining the lost fat weight is as important as losing the fat weight. Losing weight cannot be the end goal. It is essential that an individual who is on this path sees beyond the goal of "10kgs" or "20kgs". He must pay keen attention to the fact that as he/she loses weight, he learns certain habits that he will practice for a lifetime.

Losing weight & along the way stressing the mind and body physically and emotionally is worth it only if what you have lost is for keeps. If 6 months down the line you put back another sack of weight on your system, the entire process will prove to be a pure waste of time, energy and needless to say, money!!

What about scope to lose weight again?? Yes, believe it or not that will be compromised in the future too. So the yo-yo effect here proves to be more damaging than just not losing the weight in the first place.

SO let not weight loss be just an impulse. Allow it to be a well thought out decision where you are aware & prepared for the fact that the steps you take today will form the habits for a lifetime. Allow the old habits to change and the new healthy eating practices to adorn your food habits.

Slowly but surely you feel the weight of the excess fat and unhealthy eating practices and their effects wane away to make way for a lifetime assured to improved health & energy

 

What is my target weight??

It is everyone's dream to reach their target weight. Period.

But is it an achievable goal? Let's review this.

Each individual's body is different, with respect to it's composition, structure & metabolism. So then 2 people of the same gender of the same height & gender need not have the same composition. Target weights are calculated on the basis of solely the height & gender & hence it stands that 2 women of equal heights must have the same target weight. But what if one is muscle heavy and the other is not? Are we assuming that we must achieve target weight even at the cost of our muscle?

So let's keep the target weight aside or just refer to it as a ball park figure of what our weight must be for our height.

The second but the more important factor is our fat% which must be in general below 30% for women & below 25% in men. How is this calculated? Most gyms will have a BCA machine on which you can calculate your fat% almost accurately. Just remember to calculate this on 2.5 hrs of empty stomach, without any water too. And every time you do a comparative BCA, the body must be in the same conditions of hydration.

Third point  to keep in mind is that each individual will have a certain body frame & structure that allows him inch losses upto a certain extent. Acheiving weights, fat%s & body frames below that is a challenge to your body, it's metabolism & your mind, all of which will depend on your will & determination. Here again, we are not talking about health or fitness, we are talking about a person's perception of self and how far he wants to push his body to achieve the aesthetics he has seen for him/herself in the mind's eye.

So,
 - Realistic - be realistic in your weight loss goals
- Goal - determine them  after a through analysis of your BCA, seek professional help if you have to.
- Time - you must set your sight on when you want to see yourself at the predetermined fat% and/or weight. This helps you to stay on track.
-  Relax - never be in a tearing hurry to lose weight or you could end up wasting muscle which is uncalled for weight loss. This will kill your metabolism and peak you weight like never before.

We wait too long............................................

We wait too long, watching as if from the aisles as our bodies get bigger & bulkier. We gain a pound or 2, don't think much of it & move on to pick more sweets from "dragon's" dessert buffet. A year passes by as the scales slowly move up and the inches don't get smaller either. The waist buffs and we decide to get a corset instead of choosing to educate ourselves about the foods that could suit our body. Another year passes and suddenly we are nowhere near being thin anymore. "I'll lose it after this wedding for sure"....we think n thinking is where the intent stops. Another 2 years down the lane and our side profile doesn't fit in the mirror (the front view stopped fitting a year ago) anymore. Out come the old pre wedding snaps along with regret and disbelief of how it piled on so quick....5 years ain't quick darlings...you had time to stop yourself when the scale moved up a kg.....but you chose not to....you just waited too long to react....and now you have to wait really long to get back to what you were proud of, a healthier, fitter you.

                                   EAT RIGHT AND BE WISE

Today, everybody wants to be thin, not just thin, but the famous “Size Zero”. The question here is “At what cost?”. Girls and boys at the tender ages of 13 and 14 are as worried about their insignificantly increasing waist line as much as men and women at ages of 40 or 50. The second question that emerges stark clear in my mind struck by this impeding rush that everybody is in to see the scales dip is “Why the rush?” 

It is as important to stay nutritionally wholesome and keep your “happy” hormones, as I affectionately rechristened them, rushing through your body. “Happy” hormones are the endorphins that swim effortlessly into your blood when you exercise. They keep us feeling good about ourselves and I’d go a step further and say that their presence is addictive. Keep them coming steady and soon you’ll be the next door “nerd” who just can’t keep off exercise!!!

Losing weight has today emerged as a completely different science in itself of which everyone seems to know a little. And here lies the danger. In the urgency to fit into a smaller dress size & see that tummy go a wave inwards, we end up doing our body more harm than good. So, it is important to take professional help before we launch on that attack on our body that’s uncalled for. A good fat loss program must educate the mind about the body, balance what nutrients the body needs with what it demands for fat loss, and include a good regular exercise plan most suited for your lifestyle. Most importantly, the program you draw up must be sustainable and finally culminate into a lifestyle change that will see you healthy and fitter in the long run.

SOME NATURAL FAT BURNERS

CALCIUM:  Keep the natural sources of calcium coming!! Milk and milk products are some of the best absorbed forms of calcium. Calcium in the blood sends a message of the positive nutritional status of your body  to the brain ensuring the release and burning of fat.

Vitamin C rich foods: Like oranges, sweetlime, lime, kiwi juice raise your metabolic rate and help to metabolism and burn

Oats:  contain insoluble fibre that even in small quantities keeps one feeling full. It’s light weight requires low measures in cooking and consumption. Such is it’s profile that contributes  measurably to fat burn.

Eggs: 1 whole egg contains just 70kcals accompanied by a pool of nutrition through complete amino acid profile & 6 gms protein.  Even the fat in the yolk contains choline an important mineral which if not overcooked actually helps to reduce cholesterol.  Whole egg definitely a better fat burning snack to biscuits/cream crackers or the like.

Green tea: has a thermogenic effect, simply put it has the ability to burn fat and increase energy expenditure by 4% which over a period helps  to raise your metabolism and lose fat. It is also a well known antioxidant as it is packed with polyphenols.

Red chilli peppers:  Capsaicin, a compound found in red chilli/cayenne pepper helps to burn fat. Lemon juice in water with a few red pepper flakes in believed to be a potent fat burner if you can tolerate it!!!

AND LAST BUT NOT THE LEAST

Raw Vegetables:  These raw foods contain minerals, vitamins and also give roughage/fiber to the diet. More importantly for fat burn, they have a negative calorie effect which gets you body to burn more than you get from it’s consumption.

                                                                                                                                                            

The wonder of barley and the story of oats!!

Two foods that I find are "stunners" when it comes to fat burn!!

Thanks to a super low glycemic index, both these foods do not spike sugar levels when consumed. Spikes in sugar levels is just what you cannot afford if and only if my dear fellas your intention is "fat burn".

Spikes in sugar levels which invariably happens when you eat high glycemic foods rather killers like sugar, potato, pastries, refined flour based products, etc initiate fat storage. So control these and you sure are taking your first steps to the much desired "fat burn" arena.

Controlling high glycemic foods is one task, uphill but not impossible. Another much simpler task is to include low glycemic foods in the diet which brings us to our 2 friends for today, OATS AND BARLEY.

Oats and barley both have have low glycemic loads which means that they definitely do not promote fat storage, on the other hand, they fuel fat burn.

Another advantage is their "full feel" benefit or in other words, their satiety value. The fiber quotient in oats and barley allows it to absorb relatively more water due to which, you consume a small serving size of 40-50gms and it leaves you feeling full, not reaching out to raid the kitchen and satisfied with your ability to say "enough"!!!

I really don't want to go too deep into the nutritional profile of these products but it needs to be said that the nutritional benefits of both barley and oats are far reaching from their ability to support a healthy heart, reduce colon cancer, manage type 2 diabetes, antioxidant benefit almost equivalent to fruits and veggies; provision to serve as a wheat alternative to those who cannot sustain gluten (found in wheat)amongst many others.

The most amazing feature of this duo as i see it, is the advantage of being able to consume it in the most basic form like a simple oat-milk porridge or barley water to the most sumptuous, lip smacking flavours like a cheese barley fiesta or oat idlis/upma (with hot, mouth watering sambhar to boot!!)

Found some interesting recipes...click n check them out!!

http://vegetarian.about.com/od/maindishentreerecipes/r/cheeseybarley.htm

http://www.veginspirations.com/2008/12/instant-oats-idli.html

http://www.veginspirations.com/2008/11/savory-oats-and-barley-crepe-oats-and.html

http://www.tarladalal.com/Barley-Vegetable-Soup-(-Exotic-Diabetic-Recipe-)-33748r

http://www.tarladalal.com/Barley-and-Corn-Kachumber-3595r

http://busycooks.about.com/od/hotsouprecipes/r/Tomato-Barley-Soup.htm

Enjoy!!!

Weight Watchers....Beware!!!

Watch your fat, not your weight.

Yes it is so true that most of us get so glued in on the number that the weighing scale shows that we just don't orient ourselves to the fact that weight drops not only because of a drop in fat but a drop in muscle too!!

Weight like your age is just a number...don't dissapoint youself or your efforts only cause the weighing scale doesnt suggest a drop in weight.  Then what do i look for???

- Stop reading your efforts on the weighing scale, they could demotivate you or they could overestimate your actual fat loss.

- Look for your inches...they need to keep coming down! The changes could come in as fast as within a week.

- Watch for the fitting of your clothes. The first and last reason you could be happy when your clothes fit loose!

- Others WILL tell. People around us on't see us often as we do ourselves....that is why they see even minor changes in our boy dimensions and most people will tell the change!

- Gradual change in dress sizes when you go shopping.

- Your energy levels soar and you step lighter...you feel lighter

Finally....you weight will come down, as it is true that you cannot gain muscle as fast as you can loose fat.

Kids - Where is the balance between what is right and what is convenient in that phenomena called "FOOD HABITS"

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Good Food Habits, an inculcation right from childhood yet can learnt or unlearnt at any point in life. But chances are that the habits that one learns at a tender age are soaked up faster & could be engulfed in permanance.

We as parents are synonymous with "responsibility". The resposibility to raise our kids right, the responsibility to choose the right school, the responsibilty to keep them safe, secure and happy, so the resposibility to feed them right. Food, one of the most important factors that potentiate their health & wellness is a complex subject today. It's true, more the research, more is the spread of knowledge and even more is the need to filter the right information.

SO what is it that we need to pay key attention to to make sure that are kids stand the best chances of a healthier lifestyle in future? No guarantees, cause unpredictable as they are they could dump your efforts like a piece of hot potato, but the following points sure will serve as strong guidelines in teaching your children the essentials of good nutrition.

• "Eat everything on your plate" Syndrome - If you are one such parent who believes this is one habit that you have managed to teach your child, you definitely don't deserve a star on your shoulder. What do you do when you try something you dont like? avoid it like the plague the next time it crosses your path? Well kids aren't like that. They are very flexible and their mind is ever on the look out for something new to explore....which is a good thing. So today you may hav offered your daughter broccoli and she may have rejected it. If you do not insist that she finish it anyway there are all chances that she may try it the next time you offer it to her. But if you do persist on a clean plate, the fear of having to finish broccoli the next time will prevent her from experimenting with it again. Children take anywhere between 8-12 turns of repeat offerings of a new food before they accept it. So dont force, just keep offering a particular food at regular intervals and there are all chances that your child will develop a tatse for most of the healthy things you offer. Teach your child the importance of not wasting food, he will surely pick it up as he grows.

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• The colour palate - Compare your child's diet to multicoloured dynamic, vibrant painting. More the variety of colours in your selection of fruits and veggies more are trhe chances that your child is receiving important vitamins and minerals required for growth, focus & mindfunction.

                                                                  
          Yellow & orange colours - Apricots, cantaloupe, carrots, mangoes, oranges, papayas,
          peaches, sweetcorn, sweet potatoes, etc.
          Red colours (cherries, radishes, strawberries, red peppers,red grapes, red onions, watermelon, etc)
          Green colours (spinach, methi, broccoli, beans, green cabbage, lettuce, okra, peas, gourds,
          capsicum, pears, guava)
          Nightshade colours (brinjal, blueberries, plums, purple grapes, pomogranetes, purple cabbage,
          prunes, raisins, etc)
          White colours (Bananas, cauliflower, potatoes, mushrooms, onions, etc)

• "Dining table to the TV"syndrome. Reverse it today. The world is running...FAST. And we are running too to keep pace, we are teaching our kids to run too, to compete, to accomplish. In this rut we forget to spend time as a family. The dining table is a mere piece of decoration or a spae to dwell on homework. Eat atleast one meal with your whole family, which is probably dinner or breakfast. Here is where

         1) a family can bond
         2) parents can influence kids to eat better. Kids learn from what they see.
         3) kids and adults alike can appreciate the taste of food and decide what they like
         4) kids can even decide what they could learn to like under parental influence.
        So many reasons to gravitate away from the TV and eat with your family...the traditional way is the right
        way sometimes!

• Let children experiment with you & coooking - I have heard even good cooks say "I hate eating my own food". The fact is contradictory. What we probably mean is that we would love the to save ouselves the trouble. But once made, we'd love to devour our own food! After all we creatures of vanity! In a more subtle but even more probable way, this stands true for kids too. Pick a vegetable you want your child to try....and involve him in cooking it in a way he'd find most palatable and easy  to make. e.g veggies with cheese, steamed & buttered corn, creamy soup, veggy cheese sandwiches, etc. But be very careful, children can get experimental and dangerous in the kitchen.So never leave them alone and prefer minimal use of the flame. Wear only cottons.
• Kids do not need oodles of fat. You are doing them only harm by pouring on ghee, butter and cream over their foods. They fat they put on as a child is what will probably decide their body type in the future. You want kids to thank you for developing their good food palate, not fatten it!! Fat just makes you fat not grow as opposed to poula belief.
• Substitution is welcome - All kids cannot and will not like everything...just like YOU. If he doesn't like chapati, whole wheat bread is fine. If your child does not like milk, try yoghurt or cheese or even soya milk. Use the colour wheel to substitute fruits and veggies of your child's choice. He MUST eat from all the colour categories, but need not eat EVERYTHING ON THE FOOD COLOUR WHEEL.
•  Encourage drinking water, lots of it. Keep an alarm if you have to and keep offering it to them or reminding them of it.
• What they eat is more important than the quantity. Kids know how much they need, atleast most of the time, so give them that space and choice. If you truly believe they need more food, offer small helpings at regular intervals. Again this may be possible only with smaller kids or when kids are back from school & activities.
• Last but not the least, Don't avoid JUNK, MODERATE IT. Curiosity never allows us to take no for an answer and so it is with kids. Let your children try anything, but outline their limits & define your decision to stand by it. It is best they taste even the worst with you rather than with peers or at another house.

The points above are a synopsis of my experience with little clients and their parents, expect differences from child to child cause your little one is unique in his/her choices & reactions. Work around them but with PATIENCE AND PERSISTENCE. Nothing else can give you better results