Fat: Easy come, easy go
Most people trying to lose weight and get fit, want quick fixes. As a result, people attempt quick fix solutions like crash diets, which fail miserably.
Think about how long it took you to put on weight. It took time and most people don’t think about this, but it took some hard work too. Do you know what kind of hard work goes into putting on weight?
Let’s do some simple math and find out:
Take a small-medium sized* pastry or a similar samosa. They both have approximately 100 calories individually. One kg of fat equates to 7700 calories. Which means, to gain one kg of fat, you need to eat 77 pastries or samosas.
So if you have put on 10 kgs over the last two years you have consumed an excess of 770 pastries or samosas!
That’s some serious hard work!!
food_in_mouth @ flickr
Now that you worked so hard to put on fat, maybe you need to put in some hard work to lose the fat also.
Assuming that at your current diet and activity, you’re weight is constant- If you’re trying to lose weight, try 500 calorie fixes per day. Which means, you can eat 250 calories less than your current diet and perform exercise for the remaining 250 calories. Read our previous post on the calorie damage of chocolate cakes.
And don’t attempt to lose too much weight too soon. First, it’s unhealthy for your body to experience such drastic changes; and drastic measures are short term fixes which in most cases result in long term weight gain. If you really want to get into better shape, think small lifestyle changes, like eating more fruits, getting regular exercise and soon you’ll be on your way to losing all that extra lard from your problem areas.
So get smart. Getting into shape is easy, as long as you have the right strategy.
If you just want to know more about losing weight or gaining muscle, stay tuned to Fitho.in. While those who have made up their mind that they want to lose the fat and not the fun write to us and we will help you out.
Till then happy reading.
*Medium size is an estimation of weight. This can vary based on location and experience.
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Fitness Quiz: What’s your Health IQ?
Whats your health IQ? Try this quick myth buster quiz, and test your fitness knowledge. For each question, note down your answer (True or False). Once you complete all 9 questions, check your answers with the correct answers below.
The best part about this quiz is that if you crack it, you can gloat in the glory of being a myth-buster 
And if you don’t crack it, then read the answers to become a myth-buster.
oberazzi @ flickr
State whether the following statements are True or False:
1. Toe touching helps to reduce fat?
2. Potatoes are fattenning?
3. A non-vegetarian diet makes you fat?
4. By doing a 200 crunches a day, I can lose my paunch and get a six pack?
5. Eating Banana and Milk will make me fat?
6. Walking is a great exercise to get in shape?
7. I’m diabetic. I should avoid sugar, but refined flour (maida) is ok for my diet?
8. Nuts are high in fat, and thus bad for you?
9. Running is only for kids and athletes?
Answers are below.
If you score:
0-3: This is the average score for this quiz. Don’t believe any information without understanding why it is so. You should read the explanations below to understand better.
3-6: Congratulations, you are above the average fitness awareness levels. Read the answers below to understand more
6-9: You are well aware of fitness information. You should educate the people around you with this information. Hope you are using your knowledge of fitness information to your benefit.
Answers:
1- False, 2- False, 3-False, 4-False, 5-False, 6-partly true :), 7-False, 8-partly false, 9- False
Answer Explanations:
1. Yoga has some toe touching exercises. From that a common myth has spread in India that toe touching will help lose fat from the belly.
What does toe touching do? Every time you bend to touch your feet, you stretch your back muscles, and compress your belly. So, your belly fat is getting compressed.
Now, think about an analogy- take a rubber ball. Compress it 20 times. Has the rubber reduced? Similarly, by compressing your fat, it doesn’t reduce. You might burn some calories doing this, but that calorie burn is minimal.
2. Potatoes are very healthy vegetables- they’re loaded with energy providing carbohydrates, fiber, protein, iron, Vitamin C and other minerals. They Glycemic Index of a potato is not high.
But potatoes absorb fat, so depending on the cooking process they might absorb the oil/butter. So, its the potato concoction that can be fattening, but not the poor spud by itself.
3. Many meats like fish and chicken are high in protein, and low in saturated fat (bad fat). The protein helps to build muscle, which in turn burns calories.
Again, the cooking process might make it fattenning. If you eat butter chicken, its not the chicken itself that is fattenning, but the curry that is loaded with cream and fat.
4. Crunches help you work those abdominal muscles, but not lose fat on that belly. Read on to see why crunches won’t help you get that six pack.
5. Banana and milk are not fattening. Both banana and milk have a relatively low Glycemic Index, so its not the carbohydrate content that makes you fat. The total calories from this concoction are lower than a bag of chips. Besides, it provides you with lots of nutrients- Read more on banana and milk are not fattening.
6. Walking is an exercise and may help you burn calories. But the calorie burn is not significant enough to make a big enough dent in your fat loss program.
Also, your body gets used to walking very fast, so it burns fewer calories when walking the same distance. What do you do then? Read to find out how to overcome weight loss plateau!
7. Maida (refined flour) has a very high Glycemic Index, and has the same effect on your body as sugar.
8. Nuts are loaded with unsaturated fat (good fat) and have cholesterol lowering power, along with protein. Read about Nutrition of nuts
9. Most adults in India assume this. But why should running be limited to kids and athletes. According to a recent study, running can actually help you live longer and healthier.
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Exercise/Activity to burn off a slice of chocolate cake
We all love chocolate cake. Its hard not to give in and clean up 2 slices of rich truffle cake. How much exercise do you need to burn off rich chocolate cake? Let’s find out..
airdrie.m @ flickr
Chocolate cake can really vary in their calorific value, depending on how they’re made. They can be loaded with oil/butter and sugar and all the chocolaty goodness. So, we’ll take a simple chocolate cake with some icing and cream- the standard birthday stuff. One slice of this cake has a calorific value of 200-400 calories. Now, don’t go and eat a whole Mississippi mud pie and assume it was one serving. We’re talking just one slice of chocolate cake. No ice cream included. Also, a slice is very subjective. Lets take a cake piece that’s 250 calories. Say you land up eating 2 pieces of cake. That’s 500 calories.
Burning up a 100 calories is no big deal- a 1 mile run will take care of it. But 500 calories, now that’s a bit of a task.
To burn 500 calories, you need to do either of the following:
- row for 55 minutes,
- run 5 miles,
- box for 45 minutes
- one hour intense aerobics class.
Now that we all know the effort it takes to burn off those 2 delicious pieces of cake, maybe you’ll think twice before wolfing them down at the next birthday party
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Healthy Italian Food options
Italian and Chinese are probably the most ubiquitous of all cuisines in the world- because they’re delicious, and can be healthy too. We’ve already talked about healthy options in Chinese food.
So, how do you really eat healthy in Italian food?
inkyfingerz @ flickr
Lets start with the basics. There are two types of sauces- cheese based and veggie based (tomato, pesto, garlic, etc). Cheese, as we all know is higher in fat. Now, fat is not bad, but in a whole dish with cheese based sauce, it adds up to a lot of calories. And the most basic reason why people get fat, is because they consume more calories than they expend.
Besides this, the veggie based sauces like those made from tomato supply you with lots of lycopene, which has been proven reduce chances of prostate cancer in men.
Pasta is primarily carbohydrates. Whole wheat pasta is better since it has a lower glycemic index (what’s that). And has higher protein and fiber content, helping you build those muscles, to burn more calories!
Eating grilled meat (chicken, fish, red meat) as a main course is also a good option. The meat is high in protein. Red meat is high in iron. Salmon is high in omega 3 oils. Often, its grilled in olive oil, which has a high content of cholesterol lowering power. The fat from olive oil keeps you full for longer along with the heart healthy benefits of olive oil.
A side dish of mashed potatoes is very tempting. Potato is not bad by itself, but mashed potatoes are often loaded with cream and butter to make them soft and delicious. That’s where the hidden calories are. Besides, a side of other grilled veggies would give you lots of nutrition. And from the grill, they’ve acquired a hint of sweet due to caramelization.
If you love the bread basket, take it easy. Ask the restaurant for whole wheat bread. You’ll be surprised how often they have it, but don’t bring it out!
I have a sweet tooth, so desserts are hard to resist But portion control is key. Split a dessert with your friends to minimize the damage. You could also end with a cheese platter with your friends. As a general rule, hard cheese has less fat than soft cheese.
Among the places with healthy options for Italian food in Delhi are Flavours (Defence Colony), Big Chill (multiple locations in Delhi), and any of the nicer restaurants now cater to healthy lifestyles.
Buon appetito!
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Breaking Weight Loss Plateau
If you’ve tried to lose weight, you’ve been through it. Basically, to get into better shape you started exercising. For the first month, it worked well and you got results. But in the second and the third month, your results really slowed down, or there were none?! Wonder why? Because you hit a weight loss plateau, also called a fitness plateau. A weight loss plateau is a phase when your results really slow down or stagnate, without making any changes to your workout routine.
How to break weight loss plateau (FabioSabatini@flickr)
Why do you experience a weight loss plateau? Think about it this way. When you try something new and cool, your brain finds it exciting. When you do it repeatedly for a couple of months, the excitement reduces, maybe even dies. Similarly, your body needs some challenge and excitement. It got some, when you started your workout, but after a month it got so efficient at performing the same exercises, that your efforts started losing effect.
So, how do you break this weight loss plateau? No reason to panic- All you need to do is throw some change into your workout routine. There are many ways to fix it:
- Remove the old exercises, throw in some new ones, and you’ll be rearing down that path to hotness.
- If you’ve been running on the treadmill for 20 minutes at a constant pace, change that. Use the cycle for 10 minutes and the stepper for 10 minutes. Or if you love the treadmill too much, then change the incline- throw in some hills into your boring flat routine, and you’ll feel the burn again!
- If you like running on flat ground, then change the speed- turn it up and you’ll turn up the fat burn also.
- If you lift weights, throw in some new exercises. Or even simpler- Perform your exercise routine backwards- start from the last exercise and end with the first.
- Add some yoga exercises and improve your breathing and stress levels.
Bored of the gym? Play sports for weight loss. If nothing else, play in the park with your kids.
So throw some change into your health routine, and bust that weight loss plateau
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Do you buy beautiful groceries?
What do you do to get beautiful? Splurge on high-end beauty products? Or simply get a cosmetic surgery done? I have something simpler for you- buy groceries that make you beautiful. Yes, these are essential products can help you not just be healthier, but look more attractive too. And this beauty isn’t just skin deep
Steve and Jemma Copley @ flickr
Nuts: Almonds, walnuts, hazelnut for the vitamin E dose to internally keep your skin hydrated and protect it from damage and early aging.
Fruits: Pomegranate, blueberries, avocado and citrus fruits. These fruits have great antioxidant capacity that translate to wonderful and healthy skin. Just a bit of lime juice squeezed on your salad will not only give that tangy taste but will also give you spurt of instant energy leaving you feeling fresh!
Yogurt & Cottage Cheese: Also know as the radiant protein works wonder on your skin. Apart from calcium, cottage cheese supplies your body with selenium, an essential mineral. Low fat dairy products in general are full of vitamin A and work magically on your skin. If you have a thyroid problem or diabetes that’s even more reason to stock up!
Vegetables: Spinach, beans, broccoli are high in vitamin A as they have antioxidant properties and help in development and maintenance of epithelial cell (also the outer lining of the skin)
Water: Good hydration is your skin’s best friend. When we say water we mean water in its purest form and not in soups, juices or soda. So ensure that you’re getting at least 8 glasses down your system.
Green tea: This beverage has polyphenols, which have anti-inflammatory characteristics, besides all the other benefits. Now that spells goods news for your skin.
Flaxseed: For the omega 3 punch. They are tasteless and can be sprinkled on your breakfast cereal, in a sandwich, your protein shake. Now, that’s easy
Fish: Your skin needs essential fatty acids and oils that will help nourish your skin. They add luster and softness to your complexion.
Sexy Spices: Spices and herbs are inherently anti-aging. Finally something that’s always there on an Indian menu!
With this list of beautiful foods you can give your fridge and your skin a beautiful makeover and get that glow without trying too hard!
Don’t know where to buy these exotic fruits and vegetables? Check out our post on where to buy beautiful groceries.
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Sure way to lose weight- social support
When you’re trying to get in shape, what do you think is the biggest environmental factor in derailing your resolution? The obvious answer would be the sight and smell of delicious (unhealthy) junk food!
Wrong: You’ll overcome the craving of delicious junk food, but what makes it really tough is working around the social pressure of your family and friends, that are ready to derail your fitness
Believe it or not, your family and your friends have to be equally empathetic towards your fitness goals.
How often has it been that your mother adds that extra bit of ghee (read as love) to your paranthas knowing that you’re trying to lose weight? Or your friends on an evening out, push you towards food & alcohol binging to kill boredom? We’re not saying that ghee is not good. In fact it has uncooked ghee has unsaturated fat that helps in better absorption of vitamins or drinking a glass a week of wine is bad. The problem starts when the portions seize to remain under control. You mother cant see you get in shape as she thinks you look underfed, while you’ve only shed a couple of pounds. And your friends simply don’t think when they are having a good time. There’s no logical reasoning when they want you to down the whole bottle!
Weight Loss with social support of family and friends (thehunter@Flickr)
Most people grappling with weighty issues are victims of considerable alcohol consumption and they don’t realize it. They might be eating right, exercising well but not paying enough attention to their alcohol intake. Also people on a mission to get fit mostly try to eat at home and still not get anywhere with those extra kilos! Maybe you need to check calorie count in home cooked food.
A good way to overcome this huge factor is to make all the people you hang out with aware, that you’re trying to lose weight, and that their support counts. If they want the best for you, they will support you in your goals.
With social support from your family and friends, it will be easier to get fit. Watch your weighing machine become your favorite hang out zone with just a little moral support from your friends and family. It’s the teamwork that will help you stay ahead of your race against fat. So, get them to help you win that race! Need help to lose weight: Call (0)98108-20937 or email neha@fitho.in
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Jahanpanah City Forest- Running route South Delhi
Jahanpanah City Forest at Chirag Delhi has a 6.7 km running trail in the middle of the south Delhi. Its a great running location, considering that the forest is surrounded by really crowded, high traffic areas- Alakhnanda, Chirag Delhi, Lado Sarai, Greater Kailash-2, GK-3, GK-4, Tughlakabad Extension, Saket, etc.
Running Trail Jahanpanah City Forest, New Delhi (raveningumarov@flickr)
Its a completely paved trail, with markers every 200 meters. The main entrance of the Jahanpanah City Forest park is opposite Don Bosco school in Alakhnanda. There is a small parking lot too.
A lot of the trail is covered in thick foliage- provides a good respite from the heat. The track has some inclines and declines also. Delhi has mostly flat running tracks. Uphill parts of the track really help to build those calf muscles. And we all love running down hill
Most of the trail is quite desolate, and it runs by a number of areas in the city, so its best to have some company when running there. The park also have benches throughout the trail, and well as playing areas for kids. The forest timings are 6 a.m. to about 7.30 p.m.
Its a good place to for training for Airtel Delhi Half Marathon. Have you started training?! .. Not from Delhi- then start training anyway and make that trip to Delhi for the Airtel Half Marathon. Its an experience you won’t want to miss!
Want to know where Jahanpanah forest is- Here is a the Map location of Jahanpanah Forest, New Delhi.
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