Weight Loss : Practical Tips

At present i am writing at http://www.health-nutritioninfo.blogspot.com
Nowadays ,there is a growing tendency among people specially among young population to look slimmer in order to fit their outlook to the modern trends of fashion.No matter how healthy the inner health is, but he/she must look slim and trim.Ya this is the modern trends.But this is not the reality.Most adults maintain a constant body weight , due to a complex system of neural,hormonal and chemical mechanisms that keeps the balance between energy intake and energy expenditure within fairly precise limit.Abnormalities of these mechanism,many of which are not completely understood,result in exaggerated weight fluctuation of these the most common are overweight and obesity.
In an attempt to loose fat,many people are sacrificing their inner health to such an extent that their out put has been decreased and making themselves susceptible to various kinds of disease.
So, myself being a nutritionist feeling responsible to focus on some practical tips on weight loss.Hope it will benefit you in your practical life.

* Analyze yourself . Are you really overweight(see BMI) Your BMI indicates the approximate amount of body fat you have.After knowing your BMI you can judge yourself,weather you are underweight,ideal,overweight or obese.Then you can set your own goal ,regarding how much you have to loose or gain.

* You set long term goal but work on short term goal first.For example if you have to loose 15 kg to reach your ideal weight,first plan for 5 kg at least.After reaching that goal again you can proceed for next 5 kg.

* Now how to achieve your goal ? Remember you need lot of determination to do so.Be consistent on your plan of action.

* You have to create a negative calorie balance in your body.(see also what is negative calorie balance),then only you can loose.

* Analyze your day to day diet by maintaining a diet diary.(See diet diary for details).You have to maintain a diet diary very regularly

* Be conscious about your everyday meal.Because one sweet can add up to 500 calories specially when your body is in a negative state.

* Take frequent and small meal.Breakfast should be the best eaten meal followed by your lunch and dinner.Breakfast (breaking the fast) is the meal through which steady supply of energy is maintained through out the day.Be careful to have balanced breakfast.Plan cautiously.

* Always have food in a relaxed manner and should eat slowly and steadily.Because if you are eating fast then there is every possibility to over eat.Our brain require minimum 15 minutes to recognize that you are satiated.

* You should not fast if you are trying to loose weight.Fasting can reduce your BMR to a greater extent.(See also BMR)As a result you will have a greater tendency to put on more weight.

* Include lots of fibre to your diet.You can do so by using large servings of vegetables,fruits,wheat bran,whole cereals instead of refine cereals.

*Prefer to have tonned milk and milk products instead of whole milk.

* Keep an eye on your total salt intake (Both visible and invisible)

* Your oil intake should be minimized.Always have oil containing MUFA( mustard oil,Olive oil etc.) and PUFA (eg.sunflower,safflower,soyabean oil etc. )

* You should rehydrate your body adequately.

* You should be careful about the way of cooking food.Avoid frying instead of that grill,steam or boil food to minimise fat content.

* Remember weight loss is a combined approach of diet ,exercise and behaviour modification.Exercise is not only required for obese people but it must be a daily habit for healthy living.The exercising schedule should begin with light exercise like walking for about 20 minutes to a moderate level of brisk walking and jogging.Exercise should done daily .It should not be replace by a reducing diet.

Finally i would like to say that loosing weight is easy .Millions of people do it everyday.What's tough is keeping it off.

There is only one proven way to loose weight and keep it off; make basic simple changes in what you eat,how much you eat,and how much you exercise.These changes should become part of your everyday life.


You can write me your queries directly. I will be waiting for your valuable comment.

At Present i am writing at http://www.health-nutritioninfo.blogspot.com

BMI (Body Mass Index)

BMI means Body Mass Index. To find out BMI divide your weight in kgs by your height in meter squred.
Weight(kg)
BMI = ---------------
Height (m)2
If BMI falls between 20-25 you are at a healthy weight that means you need not loose at all.If it is > 25 you are overweight and should strive at least not to gain any more. A BMI over 27 qualifies you at an increased risk to develop health problems,such as diabetes,stroke,and heart attack.

Diet Diary

A diet diary can be a valuable tool to analyze one's feeding behaviour and it can give you a strong support to keep track on proper food intake.Try to include following points in your diary
Since how long you are over weight
Reason of being over weight
Wheather vegetarian or non vegetarian
Time of meal
Frequency
Eating out
Food likes /dislikes
strong urge for any particular food
Lifestyle
Any history of disease etc.

BMR(Basal Metabolic Rate)

Basal metabolic rate which constitute nearly half or more of the total energy expenditure can be defined as the rate of energy expenditure generally measured in the post absorbtive state under highly standardised condition,i.e.at complete physical rest,lying down in thermoneutral state,12-14 hours after the last meal , half an hour mandatory rest shortly after being woken up and without the presence of any disease or fever.(Source: A report of the expert group of the Indian Council of Medical Research)

What is negative calorie balance

Negative calorie balance means consuming less calorie than the calories you expand in a day.When we consume more calories than the requirement, the excessive calories get stored in our body in theform of fat.This fat store will be utilised to provide energy whenever we take less in calories than we need for our bodily function.

Food allergies can be fatal

Food allergies or food intolerences affect nearly everyone at some point in their lives because it is possible that people may have an unpleasent reaction to something they have eaten.one out of three people have been affected by a food allergy or have had to modify the family diet because a family member is suspected of having a food allergy.
A Food Allergy is an immune system response to a food that the body mistakenly believes is harmful,it creates specific antibodies to it .The next time the individual eats that food,the immune system releases massive amount of chemicals,including histamines,in order to protect the body.These chemicals triggera cascade of allergic symptoms that can affect respiratory system,gastrointestinal tract,skin or cardiovascular system.
The complex process of digestion affects the timing and the location of a reaction.If people are allergic to a particular food,for example they may first experience itching in the mouthas they start to eat the food.After the food is digested in the stomach,abdominal symptoms such as vommiting diarrhea or pain may start.There may even be a drop in blood pressure.As the allergens reach the skin,they may induce hives or eczema or when they reach the lungs,they may cause asthma.All this takes place within an hour of ingesting the food allergen.
Although an individual could be allergic to any food,such as fruits,vegetables and meats,it is most common that someone is allergic to certain types of foods such as shellfish,soy and wheat which account for 90% of all food allergic reaction.
In adults,the most common foods to cause allergic reactions include,shellfish(such as shrimp,cray fish,lobster and crab),peanuts,walnut,fish and eggs.
At the present time ,there is no cure for food allergy.avoidance is the only way to prevent an allergic reaction.Once a patient's allergic symptoms have been associated to a particular food,the food must be removed from the patient's diet.In highly allergic people even minute amounts of food allergen can prompt an immediate allergic reaction.Other less sensitive people may be able to tolerate small amounts of a food to which they are allergic

Tips for managing food allergies

Fish and shellfish allergy

Individuals who have had an allergic reaction to one species of fish,it is recommended to avoid all fish.Fish allergic individuals should be cautious when eating away from home.They should avoid restaurants which even serve fish or seafood because of the risk of contaminationin the food preparation area of their non fish meal .For example, contamination can be from a counter,spatula,cooking oil,fryer,or even grill exposed to fish.In addition fish protein can become air borne during cooking and cause an allergic reaction.Some individuals have had reactions from even walking through fish markets.Fish allergy can be severe and are often a cause of anaphylaxis(a sudden, severe,potentiallyfatal,systemic allergic reaction that can involve various areas of the body)

Tips for managing food allergies 2

Egg allergy

In baking , for each egg substitute add one of the following

1 tsp baking powder 1 tbsp liquid 1 tbsp vinegar

1 tsp yeast dissolved in 1/4 cup warm water

1 1/2 tbsp water 1 1/2 tbsp oil 1 tsp baking powder,1 packet gelatin,2 tbsp warm water

Donot mix untill ready to use.Again there are hidden sources of egg products that one must be aware about,eggs have been used to create the foam or milk topping on speciality coffee drinks and are used in some bar drinks .Some commercial brands of egg substitute contain egg white. create

Tips for managing food allergies-3

Milk Allergy

For those of you who are allergic to milk , you will be happy to know that milk is one of the easiest ingredients to substitute.In baking and cooking ,it can be substituted with water or fruit juice. (one cup milk =one cup water).However many non diary products contain some hidden source of milk in the form of casein (a milk derivative) listed on the ingredient labels.Some meats may contain casein as a binder.Remember to check all labels carefully.Many restaurants put butter on steaks after they have been grilled to add extra flavour.the butter is not visible after it melts

Food allergy and asthma

Food allergies can cause both immediate and delayed patterns of asthma but is often overlooked.Immediate food reaction can cause sudden,dramatic,and life threatening asthma.Delayed pattern of food allergy can cause chronic and intrinsic asthma and /or bronchitis and are among the most neglected because diet revision can sometimes resolve chronic and severe asthma.

Food allergy in children

During the first year of life, the infant diet is the most powerful determinent of the child and food allergy is the most common health problem.There is little doubt that mother's milk is the best food for infants because it supplies generous amount of immunoglobulinA,the protective antibody which the infant bowel lacks.This antibody helps to protect the infant from bacterial infection and probably reduces the entry of antigenic food protein fragments reducing the incidence of food allergy.

Food allergy in infancy is expressed as crying, colic,vimiting,rashes,eczema,and cold like respiratory congestion.Some infants with food allergy fail to thrive unless their allergy is recognized and corrected.Infants who develop food allergy in their first year may out grow the first effects but these children will tend to grow into adults with more pervasive health, behaviour and learning problems unless their diet is properly managed.