The Midriff Bulge.

The Midriff Bulge:

Strength training: Pick up your dumbbells and strength train on most days of the week.

Sleep well 7-8 hours of sound sleep

Omega 3 fatty acids intake should be a routine

Avoid sugar: as we get older our body is unable to process sugar and we become insulin resistant as we age, curb the sugar and decrease carbohydrates, as you get older. Insulin resistnace leads to fat accumulation.Women are more at risk for insulin resistance, as they have practically no estrogens after menopause.

Workouts in daily life.

Lets put our body into a workout mode while doing daily activities and chores.

1.     Take the stairs avoid elevators as much as possible.

2.     Get up to get water instead of yelling for the house help.

3.     Carry groceries yourself instead of paying someone else to carry them for you.

4.     Play with your child outdoors.

5.     Stroll around your office for five minutes when you take a break instead of sitting and sipping another cup of caloric beverage

6.     For women: give your thighs a workout by not sitting on the public toilet seat.

7.     Contract your tummy and hold for several times while driving. You can do the same for your butt.

8.     Use only one leg to get up from sofa….strong quadriceps.

9.     Move your own furniture.

1.   Walk fast at all times as if you are late for work.

1.   Park your car away from the entrance so you have to take a mini walk to get to your destination.

1.   Use TV remote sparingly.

1.   Lift your child once in a while and walking can burn a good amount of calories but be careful not to strain your back.

The oily gossip.

“Frying your food is never healthy…period”.

Lot of people tell amazing stories to me when it comes to fat consumption.

I notice that at any social gathering there are always people giving wrong information to other people.

Here is some genuine information based on recent published research papers for my patients and anyone who reads this blog.

Saturated fats usually are not advised to have since they contribute to plaque deposition on your arteries and make your blood vessels very stiff and you are at risk for heart attacks and stroke.

Examples:

Refined and hydrogenated oils also called trans fats

Trans fat like margarine is made by adding hydrogen to vegetable oil through a process called hydrogenation, which makes the oil less likely to spoil: It increases your cholesterol and LDL which is directly related to heart attacks.

I suggest you read labels on food for trans fat.

Examples: lard, butter, coconut and mar

Ghee is an Indian clarified butter and is made from animal milk- its therapeutic qualities have been in Ayurveda for a long time, but unfortunately people over consume it and it gets a bad name. Ghee is great for flavoring any diet but just use it for flavoring. It’s a saturated fat and can have deleterious effect on your arteries if consumed more than 5-10% daily based on 2000 calorie diet.

Coconut oil: is a saturated fat but do have a polyunsaturated component, they have Medium chain triglycerides which are accepted well by the body.

Again since its saturated it should be consumed in moderation to about 10% of daily need based on 2000 calorie diet.

Poly unsaturated fatty acid or PUFA

PUFA: should be consumed as 20% based on your 2000 calorie diet.

Examples: Safflower, peanut, corn oil and fatty fish.

PUFA n-3 include alpha linolenic acid (ALA), eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), while PUFA n-6 include linoleic acid (LA) and arachidonic acid (AA)

Tyrosol, a main phenol present in extra virgin olive oil, increases lifespan and stress resistance.

Phenolic compounds comprising simple phenols, flavonoids, secoiridoids, and lignans.

Polyphenols from extra virgin olive oil (EVOO), a main component of the Mediterranean diet, have demonstrated repeatedly anti-tumor activity in several in vitro and in vivo studies solidifying its role in breast cancer.

MUFA: are protective to heart should be consumed as 20% based on 2000 cal diet.

Examples are :Olive oil, canola oil, peanut oil, avocado

Hormones & inches on your waist

Adiponectin: Its a protein of 244 amino acids.
Deficiency of adiponectin is associated with insulin resistance and diabetes type 2.
The more weight you have the less adiponectin you have.
Exercise in bouts increases its levels.
There are ayurvedic supplements available also which I cannot mention at this point.

Insulin: Insulin imbalance can be a big hurdle in your weight loss program, so get yourself tested for insulin resistance if you have weight issues and don't seem to lose it even when doing enough exercise and diet control.
Exercise and medications by your doctor can really help.

Ghrelin excess can make you run for the snack bar again and again. Its the hunger hormone.
supressit by the following:

1.Big breakfast

2.Complex carbs:my favourite is oat bran

3.Eating on schedule

4.Volumetrics(many low calorie items in the plate) and soup

5.Protein:whey smoothie

Cortisol: high is bad
Stress increases the cortisol also culprits are :

alcohol

excessive caffeine

gluten

Cortisol reducers are

1.fibre

2.plant sterols in vegetables

3.vitamin c

4.whey protein

5.capsacin rich cayenne

6.Gluten free

Key points: exercising and vegetable in take should be a priority.

Looking thin is as important!!!

Most of us have fat in areas that is just stubborn and doesn't go......instead of surgery I suggest you wear clothes that flatter your nicer areas,

As soon as you see some clothing is making you look thin buy it .....its priceless.

When you go shopping check your body type first,

Apple shaped
Pear shaped
Banana shaped
Hourglass shaped

Apple shaped people have bigger waistline and thinner legs, so enhance legs more and cover that tummy with loose uppers, go with shorts or smaller skirts, dresses with pencil taper.

Big no no: do not wear body hugging uppers or t-shirts,

Dietary advice: Eat a breakfast with eggs and cheese and tomatoes, and take conjugated linoleic acid supplements,avocado, beans, whole wheat.

Pear shaped: These people have a bigger hip and upper thigh area, and a thinner upper body, they should enhance their waist line with skimpy tops, A shaped dresses.

Big no no : do not wear skinny jeans or tight tapering trousers, try boot cut or flare,

Dietary advice: Try only protein shake for lunch and have kidney bean extract and red clover leaf tea.Sit on hard bottom when possible.Eat only whole wheat, avoid white rice.

Banana shaped: These people hardly have a waistline and are same in top and as well as bottom,
try to wear shoulder enhancing puff sleeves. Can try hip pads for enhancing the bottom under jeans or dresses. Also wear push up bras when possible.

Big no no: fitted dresses.

Dietary advice: To get a bigger butt or more upper body mass, try nut butters on bread, healthier than eating fried stuff.

Hourglass shaped: They are voluptuous and have a fine waist, they should try to clinch it when possible and wear flowy dresses.They look great in a 2 piece bikini.

Big no no: straight dresses without waist enhancement will make them look fat.

Dietary advice: Do what you are doing since this is a figure to die for.

Miscellaneous:
Big arms: wear full length sleeves or 3/4 sleeves, do not dare to bare. some things look beautiful under wraps.

Big Calves: avoid high heels they will enhance your calves.

Big breasts: Go shop for a bra that down sizes your treasure.

Try out body shaping undergarments instead of liposuction!!!

Last of all: consult your trainer for focused workouts.

Indian summer seasonal vegetables for weight loss.

Summer in India is quite hot, essential part of the diet is salads and vegetable that will keep you cool and fit.

Cucumber: Love it love it, its a skinned salad, safe from pesticides and extremely loaded with water, high fibre. Eat it alone or combine with tomatoes,sprouts and cilantro/parsley leaves or mint raita. Best part its very economical. Extremely low calorie, potassium, beta carotene,vitamin C, antioxidant, slightly diuretic,vitamin K( can be unsafe in people taking blood thinners like coumadin). Medicinal benefits are: delayed Alzheimer's disease, gout relief, constipation relief.

Tomatoes: beautiful organic vine tomatoes available at almost each vegetable vendor outlet, combine with sprouts, cucumber, parsley,cilantro and chat masala. They contain loads of lycopene which is a great antioxidant.

Kakri: also same family as cucumber,known as cucumis melo var. Same qualities as cucumber, if you will refer above.

Melons: full of antioxidants and water rich, many types, easily available everywhere, catch them before monsoon hits the Indian subcontinent.

Lettuce: not easily available, usually imported, pesticides scare and short shelf life works against it, but nevertheless it  makes a lovely base for the continental style salads, should be eaten with extra-virgin olive oil.

Lauki: also known as doodhi: not tasteless if cooked in combination of curries with chicken or soy, contain, vitamins B and C and fibre, iron, potassium, sodium.

Pumpkin:Or petha: rich in carotene's and vitamin A,C,E and magnesium for muscles, iron for hemoglobin, niacin and dietary fibre.

Turai:Great for diabetics, rich in Vitamin C,thiamine, riboflavin,iron and magnesium. Good source of fibre and water and an excellent weight loss aid.


I may be missing some would love my readers to add more......

surviving summer holidays

Easier said than done.

Going on a holiday means upset schedule and no exercise and fast foods. It’s really hard to resist the temptations of eating the wrong food at wrong times.

During some holidays you end up consuming alcohol along with high calorie food.

Allow yourself a break from your boring routine of always sticking to the DIET.

Here are some examples you can easily relate to:

·      You are out and the only place to eat is a pizzeria? Grab the most thin crust slice with vegetables or grilled chicken on top of the slice.

·      You are with friends and peer pressure makes you have extremely rich desserts? Grab a bite and share it with someone. Desserts are not meant to make you feel full. They are supposed to only change the taste of your tongue and feel nice.

·      You will not be able to exercise since there is not gym or weather doesn’t allow you to walk/run outside? All you need is 6ft x 6ft space and there are ample exercises that can be done by using your own body weight or resistance band or jump rope to keep the metabolism revved up by during the holidays.(refer to the exercises below at the end.

·      You are on the go and there are no healthy snacks available for you? Pack some protein bars and nuts before you leave for your holiday, they will surely come in handy.

·      Stay hydrated: Water not only elevates your mood also suppresses hunger since our hypothalamus cannot differentiate between hunger and thirst. And it’s a great natural diuretic after high sodium meals.

·      Take your vitamins like calcium and vit D with you, as holiday is no excuse for not taking them.

·      You have a hangover: easiest and cheapest thing to do is hydrate well in between drinks and also the following morning and have a decent carbohydrate intake in the morning since alcohol is known to cause hypoglycemia adding to the hangover. Eat alkaline foods like green vegetables, red and green peppers, asparagus, wheat germ, lemon, melons like honeydew and watermelon through out the day.

·      Keep your herbal tea intake up so carry green tea or herbal tea bags with you as hot water is always easy to find, stay away from too much caffeine or high fat dairy.

·      Always pack a pair of running shoes: they are easy to walk around and you never know when your mind changes to go out for a run.

·      Visiting your parents who always think you are losing weight: Its normal for most parents to overfeed their kids even when they have grown up. Best way to keep them happy and yourself fit is to eat a little of what they want to feed you (especially if it’s a high fat and high carb stuff) and keep adding un sweetened beverages like water or soup or herbal teas to fill your stomach.

Holiday Check list

1.     Vitamins and supplements

2.     Healthy snacks

3.     Resistance band

4.     Jump rope

5.     Protein bars

6.     Sugar free gum

7.     Green tea/herbal bags

8.     Running shoes just in case you want to run along the beach or in the jungle trails.

Exercises:

Push ups 3 sets of 20 each add to it by lifting one leg when you push down.

Tricep bench dips

Leg raises as if you are kicking high.

Stomach crunches atleast 40-60

Burpees atleast 30

Surya namaskar 25-30

Plain squats 50-70

Leaning your back against a wall while you squat and hold for 30- 40 seconds each time.

Jump rope imaginary or with a real rope to about 100-200 times.

All these don’t take much space or time and you will feel good at the same time you will be able to keep your metabolism quite high.

In the end if you do gain some pounds you know how to lose ‘em.