Fatloos Myths - Article from Indiatimes

Myth 1: Starving is the key to losing weight
Myth buster: If you think that crash dieting will help you cut the flab, you must hear this. “When you starve, the body gets into a mode so that when it starts eating the muscles instead of fat leaving you undernourished and week,” explains Ritu Seth, author, The Art of Staying Young.
“Starving doesn’t work for more than a week as after that body picks up the biological response and soon your metabolism goes down and hunger increases,” says dietician Dr. Shikha Sharma.
Tip Time: Don’t starve and keep your body well fed all the time. Rather than stuffing yourself with three bulky meals or starving to the max, opt for six small meals spread across the day.

Myth 2: All carbs are bad
Myth buster: Here’s an eye opener for those who have been surviving on a
carb-free diet and still failing to find any hope on the weighing scale. “All carbohydrates are not bad. In fact one must have some amount of carbohydrates because good carbohydrates slow down the digestion process keeping you feeling full for a longer time. Whereas, a carb-free diet or a diet with a bad-carb digests fast making you feel hungry and crave again for food. Slow-digestion is very important to lose weight, as it slows down the release of Insulin and it is then that Glucagon burns the fat from the body,” explains Ritu.
Tip Time: Bread is a form of bad carbohydrate, as it digests fast, while cauliflower is tagged as a good carbohydrate. Also, a chapati, decently oiled with olive oil is better than a thin oil-free chapati as the former will take time for digestion.

Myth 3: It’s the calories that count
Myth buster: “I always thought that counting calories was the only way to get a ten-on-ten figure. But, to my surprise I didn’t lose much despite getting mad taking care of every calorie that I consumed,” relates Parul Mehta, a Delhi-based advertising professional. Dietician Dr. Shikha Sharma explains, “It’s the kind food of food one eats that matters more than the calorie count, when it comes to losing weight. There are chances that you are eating food that packs fewer calories, but is metabolically more fattening.”
Tip Time: Fruit juices come to fore as the best weight loss food for those looking out for consuming less calories, but they can never let you lose weight. So opt for fresh fruits instead.

Myth 4: Skipping lunch will keep me light
Myth buster: You are not doing any good to your weight loss regiment by skipping meals. “An acidic body compensates for a skipped meal by getting bloated. And also, once you take the next meal, the body gets into the compensatory mode and you over eat, explains Shikha.
Tip Time: "Eat food that’s compatible to your metabolism. To know that one can either take expert advice or and easy way out is to maintain a food journal, where you pen down everything that you eat together with recording your weight and measurements. And soon you’ll know how your body reacts to different foods,” shares Shikha.

Myth 5: You need to sweat when exercising
Myth buster: Here’s a revelation for all those who think only sweating leads to weight loss. “Sweating has no relationship to weight loss when exercising. Perspiration while exercising occurs to cool down the body that gets heated up. Also, everyone has a unique sweating pattern,” says fitness expert Kiran Swahney.

Myth 6: Cut fatty food to cut fat
Myth buster: Most of the dieters perceive that to ward off body fat, it’s necessary to cut down on fat content from their diet, which is a myth. “Our body requires a decent amount of fat for maintaining a healthy state. Cutting the fat altogether can lead to hormonal imbalance and diseases there after. So choosing the right amount of natural fat is the key to weight loss,” suggests Shikha.
Tip Time: Ritu gives some options of the right kind of fat to help you lose weight and stay young. “Avocado oil, olive oil, walnut oil and mustard oil are some of the fat options that reduce the speed of digestion, thereby adding to your weight loss efforts.”

Myth 7: Drinking water is the key to weight loss
Myth buster: “As suggested by a weight loss center, I started drinking hot water post every-meal. But it did no good to me,” shares Anamika Goswami, a Delhi-based teacher. “One must understand that water is one component of an over all weight loss program. Banking only on water doesn’t help,” informs Shikha.
Tip Time: One must drink plenty of water as most of the body-functions work with that medium. “But don’t think more water will flush out the fat, though it will definitely do away with the toxins accumulated in your body,” explains Ritu.

Myth 8: Battle ends with losing weight.
Myth buster: "The real battle starts once you have lost the desired amount of weight and need to keep it off forever," says Dr. Shikha adding, “People have unique and negative food behaviours that prevent them from maintaining their weight.”
Tip time: It’s important to understand the reason behind your weight gain and target it. Know your food compatibility. Remember that weight gain is far more than the mathematics of calories in and calories out.

charu.amar@indiatimes.co.in

Green Tea Benefits - I drink Tetley Green Tea ( ginger, mint & lemon flavour)

What makes green tea so special?

The secret of green tea lies in the fact it is rich in catechin polyphenols, particularly epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG). EGCG is a powerful anti-oxidant: besides inhibiting the growth of cancer cells, it kills cancer cells without harming healthy tissue. It has also been effective in lowering LDL cholesterol levels, and inhibiting the abnormal formation of blood clots. The latter takes on added importance when you consider that thrombosis (the formation of abnormal blood clots) is the leading cause of heart attacks and stroke.

Links are being made between the effects of drinking green tea and the "French Paradox." For years, researchers were puzzled by the fact that, despite consuming a diet rich in fat, the French have a lower incidence of heart disease than Americans. The answer was found to lie in red wine, which contains resveratrol, a polyphenol that limits the negative effects of smoking and a fatty diet. In a 1997 study, researchers from the University of Kansas determined that EGCG is twice as powerful as resveratrol, which may explain why the rate of heart disease among Japanese men is quite low, even though approximately seventy-five percent are smokers.

Why don't other Chinese teas have similar health-giving properties? Green, oolong, and black teas all come from the leaves of the Camellia sinensis plant. What sets green tea apart is the way it is processed. Green tea leaves are steamed, which prevents the EGCG compound from being oxidized. By contrast, black and oolong tea leaves are made from fermented leaves, which results in the EGCG being converted into other compounds that are not nearly as effective in preventing and fighting various diseases.

Other Benefits

New evidence is emerging that green tea can even help dieters. In November, 1999, the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition published the results of a study at the University of Geneva in Switzerland. Researchers found that men who were given a combination of caffeine and green tea extract burned more calories than those given only caffeine or a placebo.

Green tea can even help prevent tooth decay! Just as its bacteria-destroying abilities can help prevent food poisoning, it can also kill the bacteria that causes dental plaque. Meanwhile, skin preparations containing green tea - from deodorants to creams - are starting to appear on the market.

My Weightloss Report

Your Weight Loss Health Check Report
Health
Congratulations on taking steps to lose weight! Based on your responses, you’re heading down the right path toward reaching your goals, and we’ve figured out how to get you there. Your desire to lose weight because you are ready to improve your health and body image is a powerful motivator. This will help you to achieve your weight loss goals. Studies show that people who diet and exercise for themselves are more successful at weight loss. Do it for yourself and not someone else, like your spouse, doctor, or employer.

YOUR GOAL

Over the next 90 days, you would like to drop 3 pant size(s). In order to lose 1 pound of body fat per week, you need to cut and/or burn 3,500 calories per week. But first you need to have an accurate idea of your starting point, such as how many calories you currently take in and use. You could do this by keeping a food journal, measuring everything you eat, and tracking calories you consume and calories you burn through exercise and normal daily activities, like doing housework. Or you could simply let us tell you.

YOUR STARTING POINT

From your responses, we have made several calculations for you. This will give you a clear idea of where you are right now, before starting to lose weight. That will give you a much better idea of what your plan should be so you can get to your goal and be a weight loss success.

1. YOUR BODY MASS INDEX (BMI)

Whether you are overweight can be determined by your BMI (body mass index), which is calculated from your height and weight. The BMI usually is a good predictor of health and weight status. However, it sometimes overestimates weight in people with large frames or muscular physiques. Based on your weight and height your BMI is 24.2.

2. YOUR RESTING METABOLIC RATE (RMR)

Based on your age, gender, height, weight, and waist size, your RMR is 1229. Your body uses that many calories just by living and breathing. It takes energy from calories to run your body’s processes, such as digestion, manufacturing blood cells, maintaining body temperature, and regenerating skin. You must take in that amount of energy through food every day just to keep your body working.

3. YOUR RMR + ACTIVITY

You reported that you are sedentary. That’s a shame, because being active reduces your risks for many health problems, such as arthritis, cancer, diabetes, and heart disease. Based on your physical activity level and RMR, your body uses approximately 1474 calories per day. That means that if you take in 1474 calories per day, you will stay at your current weight. If your activity level declines, you would need fewer calories than this amount or you will gain weight. To lose weight, you'll need to decrease your calories or increase your exercise.

4. YOUR CALORIE CONSUMPTION NOW

Because you report having gained more than 5 pounds in the last two months, you must be taking in more calories than your body is using. We estimate that you are currently consuming 1621 calories per day, on average. To start losing weight, you need to consume fewer calories than your body is using. For maximum health and weight loss, it's best to eat fewer calories and exercise regularly.

YOUR PLAN

In order for you to meet your three-month weight loss goal, you will need a daily deficit of 1166 calories. You say that you want to lose weight both by cutting calories and burning calories. That means you will need to limit your daily intake to approximately 1200 calories and increase your physical activity enough to burn 745 calories. This a very good approach for most people, and tends to be the best approach for maximum health benefit.

To cut calories by reducing food intake, try eating a sandwich made with only one piece of bread or a burger without the top bun. Just doing that will eliminate about 80 calories. Having a two-egg omelet instead of a standard three-egg omelet saves you 70 calories. Drinking water instead of a 16-ounce soda cuts 200 calories. Always put about 2 tablespoons of maple syrup on your waffles or pancakes? Top them with fresh berries instead and save nearly 100 calories. Replace ground beef with lean ground turkey in your meatloaf or chili and save 45 calories per 3-ounce serving. Switch from chocolate ice cream to chocolate frozen yogurt and trim 50 calories.

Choosing healthier, lower-calorie options or smaller amounts of the high-calorie options won't make you feel deprived or hungry. Opting to make these kinds of small changes adds up to big success and gives you the confidence of being in control of how you fuel your body. Read your Well-Being Report to learn more tips and tricks personalized for you.

YOUR ULTIMATE GOAL

By sticking to the 90-day plan above, you will be back to the weight you said you were most comfortable as an adult, (100 pounds) in about 11 weeks.

Just remember that slow and steady is the best way to lose weight. Studies have found that people who lose too much weight too quickly often gain it back, and then some. Those who lost weight slowly were more likely to keep it off. A rate of 1 to 2 pounds per week is generally considered ideal and practical; if you exceed that, you may be losing water weight or lean muscle instead of fat.

Cutting too many calories to speed up weight loss may restrict your diet so much that in addition to losing pounds and inches, you also lose important nutrients. That can result in feeling sluggish as a result of a slowing metabolism. A slow metabolism won’t burn calories effectively, making it harder to drop those pounds.

My Hunger Control Recipe - Apple Cider Vinegar

I have Apple Cider Vinegar ( ACV) with black salt , mango powder , ginger powder , corriander , mint , carway seeds , white pepper & red chilly sauce.
It tastes awesome spicy & sour
And the spices are good for digestion

Recipe
1 tbsp ACV
300ml water
Spices to taste

Method : Just Mix & Drink

Just Joined Gym

Hey All,

Finally decided to join a Gym & did so too ( ExtrimFitness - Complete Fitness Program). I start it from 1st of August as I will be travelling a lot this month and thats why you will see loads of days without any entries...But hope that it will help.

BTW I am totally in love with Lacto Calamine - It has helped my complexion a lot ( the age spots are reducing :) ) & it acts as foundation too and best of all its so cheap ( yeah m feeling frugal these days). Try it for your skin type & let me know the impact.

New Addition to my Weightloss regime

Have decided to have only fruit chaat for snacks - have it round 6:30ish , its heavy n delicious so I dont have to eat dinner.

Back after Meditation Bootcamp

Hi Guys!

Sorry for vanishing without informing - its just that had been accepted for Vipassana ( a 10 day meditation course)... The couse impacts you in ways you would never think possible and right now I am not ready to share it with you right now, but guys all I can say is please go ahead n experience it - its free and its available in almost all countries...

This is just a small entry to let you know I am back - will be back tomorrow with recipes & tips ( btw during these 10 days I lost 2 kgs and 1 inch :D)

My new Routine

Hey guys!
This is the new routine I started to fit into that gorgeous dress I got for myself...

Morning(while still in bed) : Have 250 ml water
Do Oil Pulling for next 10 minutes ( will describe it in detail in My Regime section/label posts)
Do Kapal bhati Pranayam for 2-3minutes ( will increase the duration as stamina builds up - will post details in My Regime section)
Have aloevera (30ml) & amla (30ml) juice with water (250 ml) - ( will post benefits in herbal beauty section)
Do interval training on treadmill for 10 minutes ( yeah I know need to build my stamina)
After washing face with Neutrogena gentle face wash , apply , olay total effects for normal skin with spf 15 ( will add product reviews in product section)
Breakfast in office : handful of popcorns , 2 marie biscuits , 1 cup tea
Mid day : 250 ml water (hot ) & 1 cup green tea ( will add benefits in herbal beauty section) , cleanse face with rose water , green tea, acv : spray (will give recipe & benefits in herbal beauty section) & apply total effects
Lunch : Soup , Fruits , Buttermilk , brownbread cucumber sandwitch , 250 ml water
Mid noon : 250ml (hot) water & 1 cup green tea , repeat the cleansing & spf process like midday
Evening : 2 Marie biscuits , 1 banana & tea
Dinner : Soup or grilled vegetable
Post dinner : Aloevera & Amla juice with water
Before bed : clean face with olive oil, castor oil , acv & glycerine mixture ( will add details in herbal beauty section )
Apply nomarks / ponds whitening night cream / lactocalamine on alternate nights ( will add product reviews in Product Section )

From today in food diary will mention only deviations if any...will keep you updated with the results of regime...

Current weight : 56 kgs , waist 29 inches

Visted my sister - got a motivational tool

hi all ,

sorry for not catching up during the last two days (actually have had a very fatty weekend have gorged on cheesy pastas, burgers , icecreams & those empty calories - colas, so wont be writing the food diary but will start from Monday )

Well had gone to mumbai , to visit my sister & then went out shopping... And guess what bought myself the most beautiful , highly inspirational motivation tool.

I bought a beautiful dress for my birthday , which is next month...And if I have to fit in that dress then I need to loose about 2 inches, and I truly want to wear it on my birthday, so weightloss here I come...

Will post my stats tomorrow & will keep you updated... Now here I go- need to sleep early as will start with Day 1 of my interval training tomorrow...

Take care...

New Week - New Goals

Hi All,

I was not able to follow last weeks goals as I intended to but hope to do better this week. The only goal for this week is to start counting calories ( no restrictions only count calories of all the things I eat)

Will continue to keep my gratitude journal & meditation practice - hope to add exercise too to the regimen...

Will post my regimen in the next post.

Wish me LUCK for this week.

Movie night

Hey All,

Yesterday had a tough day at work, the whole day went off in meetings and have some steep hills to climb in the coming weeks...Will keep you updated about it...

Yesterday went out for a movie in the evening - as you know thanks to this producer/multiplex war not many movies are releasing so watch a movie (I had'nt heard about so much) - "WATCHMEN"

Well the story is about these superheroes who have retired (rather been forced to retire by government agencies ), and are forced to reunite when one of their members is murdered & others are threatened. Its also about the nuclear war threatening the world , because of escalating cold war between USA & USSR ( Ahhh , it was so much easier to remember in geography class then the new countries we have today).
The story includes a superhero who got his superpowers from being in a lab. accident, other superheores who are human but want to save humanity from itself ( ueah in the end the villain is human nature itself)
The movie is about paradoxes , philosophy & full of contradiction - It is a difficult watch as the nuances of the movie make it special.
The look & feel of the movie are excellant - a brilliantly crafted movie , talking in symbols.
Watch it with an open mind & you will love it...

My food Diary
Morning : 500 ml water
Breakfast : Alu Bhujia ( fried potato snack) with 1/2 cup tea
Lunch : Chapati , Pea-Rice, Dal , Curd, Gourd in Curry, 150 ml Water
Snacks : Samosa , 150 ml water
Dinner : Nachos with Salsa , Gelato

Exercise : None
Meditation : None

Weight of Retrenchment

Hi

How was your day?
I know I am beginning this post when I should actually be ready for another days post , but had a hectic day @ office.
A lot is happening these days , as you all know - our company too is planning to reduce some manpower & I being in HR need to start planning.
The whole retrenchment thing is such an emotional decision , which needs to be planned & executed as finely as a surgeon removes a part of the body... The whole thing leaves scars...
Its so difficult to decide who should be sent home - the person who has joined you recently with stars in his eyes, the one you hired specifically for his potential or the loyalists who are about to end their journey with you , but whose responsibility to the family is still not over...How do you define performance & non-performance in these turbulant times , when last year each employee overachieved the target...
The people I will be letting go off are my friends & colleagues - it pains to even think about it...
Sorry guys but needed to vent out the pain I am feeling.

Now about yesterday
Breakfast : 2 Marie biscuits , 1/2 cup tea
Mid Morning : 5 chakli
Lunch : 1 glass buttermilk (have added the recipe), 1 plate sabudana khichdi , 1 bowl curd
Dinner : Grilled Tomatoes & 2 slices brown bread.

Gratitude Journal
The retrenchment has not actually started
Economy is stabilizing
Markets are rising
My parents for their support
My friend

Meditation Journal
Meditated for 30 minutes yesterday ( that reminds me to put a simple meditation technique , you may use - will do it this week)

Take care....

My trip to Lonavala

Dear All

Yesterday being sunday went for a day trip to Lonavala...What a journey it was dark clowds trying to touch the peaks of the mountains - cold breeze playing with your hair...The scenic valleys , the twists and turns on the road...Amazing Man...

For people who are looking for a good place to stay try MTDC resorts Karla - The cottages are good much better than highly priced hotel rooms , the only drawback is the distance from the main city - but its a good place to just relax & enjoy the rains... Hey forgot to mention the food is not that great but you can get food deliveries and there are couple of good dhabas nearby...

Had a great day yesterday with friends, and as usual ended up eating more than usual :(

So here goes my Food Diary
Early Morning - 500 ml of water
Breakfast - Wada Pav & Sprite (300ml)
Lunch - Veg. Biryani ( was great , fragrant & spiced ), Hakka Noodles , Green Salad
Evening - Bread Butter , Chocobar
Dinner - 1 Chapati ,Mattar - Panneer ( was yucky ) , Kesar Pista cup

Yeah I know I am icecreamaholic - Have a great sweet tooth...trying to work on it too...

How was your weekend , do share...

Gratitude Journal

1. My friends
2. The monsoons
3. The scenic locales in India
4. My parents
5. For being alive

Mediation

Listened & followed 30 minutes meditation

One more step

Dear All,

I was not able to post yesterday as the fever was too high...Thankfully - now its gone completely and I can resume my journey...

The fact of the matter is that I am truly feeling shy about sharing my food diary with you all today - yeah I know that you will forgive me for all that I ate yesterday ,what with fever and all but still...

Here, it goes
Morning : 500ml of water
Breakfast : 4 Marie biscuits with 1 cup tea
Mid morning : One more cup tea
Lunch : 1/2 bowl Kadi , 1 catori Rice , 1/2 bowl cholle , 1 chapati
Evening : Veg. club sandwich , 1 cup espresso
Dinner: 1 doughnut & 1 espresso

Thankgod I am not counting calories or I would have died of shock & embarassment yesterday...

Didnt exercise or medidate and did not feel grateful bout anything or maybe did feel grateful for food , and colleagues & parents

Here I go...

Hi All

Had a tough day yesterday, what with this flu thing keeping me awake all night…
The fever is killing me, making me feel all hot & bothered one second & totally cold the other…

And the worst part of the day was to go & meet a guy for matrimonial thing for arranged marriage…Its similar to blind date, just that if the date is successful you marry this person…Had to get dressed, put on my makeup, and then there had to have humorous, intelligent conversation with a guy I didn’t even like…What could be worse than this?

The trackers for the day stand like this…

Got up at 12 pm
Had Maggi as brunch, Drank 100 ml of water
Again slept for 4 hours
Got up – had a long leisurely bath , got ready for my date
Met the guy around 7
Had Iced Tea with 2 pcs of garlic bread (without cheese)
For dinner had Gujarati Thali (don’t worry couldn’t eat more than 2 tsp of anything so didn’t add too many calories)

Got nothing to mention in the exercise section unless walking in stilettos count as one…

Things I am grateful for
1> My parents for their support
2> My maid for not disturbing me , when I sleep
3> My colleagues for covering for me
4> My sense of humor
5> God

I still have fever , m still on leave lets see how the day turns up…

The First Day

Hey All,

So, this is the tracker for the first day. BTW forgot to mention that I am a Punjabi - Indian , who is a vegetarian. I am living in Pune so if any other blogger from this part of the world or anywhere would like to be a fellow companion in this journey - you are more than welcome...

Food Diary
Start of the Day : 250 ml water
Breakfast : Chilly Popcorns ( 25 gms) , 2 marie biscuits , 1/2 cup tea
Mid-day : 500 ml water
Lunch : 1 bowl Raita , 1 glass buttermilk , 1 quarter plate water melon
Mid Noon : 500 ml water
Early evening : 500 ml water , Chilly popcorn ( 25 gms)
Evening :Idli - Sambhar ( Yummmmmmmmmmmmmmy)
Dinner : Tomato Omelet and another 500 ml of water


Usually , have too many things to be grateful for , m supposed to be eternally happy & balanced but for the past few weeks have been irritated & grumbly...Hope the gratitude journal will help me to get things into perspective...

Gratitude Journal
5 things I am grateful for today
1> Little kid in the balcony who kept on waving @ me & made me laugh
2> Customized Lunch in the canteen
3> My best friend for supporting me & hugging me just being there
4> The employees for trusting me
5> My boss for believing in me & supporting me

Exercise Status
I have fever since the last evening so couldnt start working out...I dont know how things will be today - have taken a leave from office as am not feeling good...

Hope the day is better @ your end...
Keep the Faith

The First Step

Rome was not built in a day nor will be the new me... But a beginning has to be made somewhere & here I take the first step. My First Step involves 7 goals for this week...

1 - To drink 2 litres of water in a day
2 - To start eating breakfast
3 - To incorporate some form of exercise each day even if for 10 minutes
4 - To keep my food diary - I am not going to count calories in the beginning but will limit myself to 1500 calories as the journey progresses
5 - To keep a gratitude journal
6 - To medidate everyday
7- To update my blog daily

Hopefully , in the next 28 days these will become a Habit...

Wish me Bon Voyage as I set my sails towards my goal.

Lets do it...

A Whole New Life...


This blog is my attempt to ensure that I stay on track in my journey towards a " Whole New Me ". A new me who is confident , self assured , beautiful , extremely fit , lean & slim , highly desirable & thoroughly loved...

Sounds like a tough task but I believe I CAN do it and am starting on this new path with faith & hope, will be taking baby steps in the beginning hoping that I can run later as I gain confidence in me to make the CHANGES I know I need to make as I leave the old life behind...

I wish that you as the reader of my blog will be my support system , giving me suggestions , motivating me with your kind words & scolding me if you feel that I am not challenging myself the way I need to...

So here I go...