The dos and don'ts of weight loss

Realbuzz – Tue, Oct 25, 2011 2:36 PM IST

Not sure about how to diet, or of the best way to lose and maintain your weight? Well, here are a few do's and don'ts to help you on the road to fitness.

Do

• Eat regularly
  Re-fuelling when you are hungry is a good idea, but make sure that you snack on the right things. Good snacks are fruit, vegetable sticks and low fat dips, scones (watch the butter), sandwiches, toast, smoothies and low fat or diet yogurt.

• Take a walk at lunchtime
  Just small changes make a big difference over time. Offer to make the coffee at work or wash up, just walking over to the kettle every day for a few weeks counts! Or could even exercise at your desk.

• Go shopping with a list
  There is nothing worse than standing in the chocolate aisle with a growling stomach, it makes it all the more tempting to grab foods that are high in fat and sugar. Make sure you do your food shopping with a list — and not when you are hungry too.

• Don’t be conned by marketing
  Low fat does not necessarily mean low calorie; many manufacturers lower the amount of fat in dessert foods and increase the amount of sugar to compensate. Make sure you read the labels on food stuffs so you know exactly what you are eating.

• Get support
  This is really important if you are to succeed at losing weight in the long-term. Being surrounded by people who will eat the same foods and encourage you along the way is a good idea. Find a ‘buddy’ or someone in your family to boost your morale. This can really help if you are taking up a new exercise regime; it makes backing out much harder to do!

• Watch your portion sizes
  Next time you go out, look at the amounts that your friends eat; you may be surprised at how much you consume in comparison to others. It is important to get your meal portions correct so try to eat more fruit, vegetables and starchy foods and less of the protein, dairy products and fatty and sugary foods.

• Set yourself achievable goals
  This is important as you have something to aim for and if you make it achievable then you feel good when you reach the goal, rewarding yourself perhaps with a nice hot bath or a night out to the movies.

• Tackle problems and don’t rely on food as a comfort
  A large number of us use food as a way of relieving stress and as a way to unwind when we are not even hungry.

• Remember that there are no ‘good’ or ‘bad’ foods, only ‘good’ or ‘bad’ diets
  This means that you can have treats; it is really important to be able to have what we call ‘flexible restraint’ and pick and choose when you have foods such as chocolate and chips.  

• Do monitor your food intake and physical activity
  Using a diary or blog to record what you eat and how much you exercise is an excellent start. This helps you to understand where are your ‘danger periods’ on a daily basis, such as in the evenings when you relax in front of the TV. Once you have found out when you are most likely to waver it is easier to find ways to help yourself e.g. going for a walk instead of watching TV or having a bath, reading a book etc.

Don't

• Don’t rely on just changing your food intake to lose weight
  Research has proven that a combination of both exercise and altered eating habits is the best way to lose and maintain weight loss.
• Think a fad diet will be the answer to your weight issue
  This is a sure-fire way to head for the junk food. Many fad diets promise great weight loss but are unbalanced, and only make you crave the foods that it advises against. Life is for living and we should try to have a sensible and realistic approach to weight loss!
• Don't miss breakfast!
  A classic way to think you are cutting back is to miss the most important meal of the day. By missing breakfast you are more likely to go for a snack mid-morning and it may not always be a healthy one you reach for!
• Don’t become obsessive about your food intake
  If you feel you are permanently on a diet, ask yourself why. There is no point going out for a meal and feeling deprived, think of coping strategies to make such occasions as enjoyable as they should be. Why not cut back the day before you go out for that meal or even the day after?

Home Remedies: Acidity,CHOLESTEROL, Diabetes,...

Home Remedies CURE FOR ACIDITY :   Acidity, it is said, is worse than Cancer. It is one of the most common dis-ease people encounter in their daily life. The home remedy for Acidity is Raw Grains of Rice.  The Process:  1.     Take 8 - 10 grains of raw uncooked rice 2.     Swallow it with water before having your breakfast or eating anything in the morning 3.     Do this for 21 days to see effective results and continuously for 3 months to eliminate acidity from the body  The Cure:  Reduces acid levels in the body and makes you feel better by the day.    CURE FOR CHOLESTEROL:   Cholesterol problem accompanies with Hypertension and Heart Problems. This is also one of the common problems in people who have High Blood Pressure and Diabetes. The home remedy for Cholesterol problem is RAW SUPARI.  The Process:  1.     Take Raw Supari (Betel Nut that is not flavoured) and slice them or make pieces of the same 2.     Chew it for about 20 - 40 minutes after every meal 3.     Spit it out  The Cure:  When you chew the supari, the saliva takes in the juice that is generated and this acts like a Blood Thinner. Once your blood becomes free flowing, it brings down the pressure in the blood flow, thereby reducing Blood Pressure too.   CURE FOR BLOOD PRESSURE:   One of the simple home remedy cure for Blood Pressure is Methi Seeds or Fenugreek Seeds.  The Process:  1.     Take a pinch of Raw Fenugreek Seeds, about 8 - 10 seeds 2.     Swallow it with water before taking your breakfast, every morning  The Cure:  The seeds of Fenugreek are considered good to reduce the blood pressure. CURE FOR DIABETES:  There are 2 home remedies for Diabetes. One is Ladies Finger and the other is Black Tea.  BLACK TEA: Due to high medication, the organ that is worst affected is the Kidney. It has been observed that Black Tea (tea without milk, sugar or lemon) is good for the Kidney. Hence a cup of black tea every morning is highly advisable.   The Process:  1. Boil water along with the tea leaves (any tea leaves will do). 2. Drink the concoction without addingmilk, sugar or lemon.  The Cure:  Black Tea will help in enhancing the function of the kidney, thereby not affecting it more.   LADIES FINGER or OKRA:  Ladies finger is considered to be a good home medicine for diabetes.   The Process:  1. Slit the ladies finger into 2 halves vertically and soak it in water overnight. 2. The next morning, remove the ladies fingers and drink the water, before eating your breakfast.  The Cure:  After the ladies fingers are soaked overnight in the water, you can observe that the water becomes sticky in the morning. This sticky water is considered to be good for people who suffer from Diabetes.   Look how our Indian food habits are good for our health.

Ur mouth and teeth ... the gateway to ur health

To keep it clean and germ-free, your mouth needs more than just brushing. Here are the other things you need to do...

Floss it out 

• Floss at least once a day.
• Take approximately 18 – 20 inches of floss. Wind a substantial amount about your middle or index finger of each hand in a way that you have about two inches of floss left in the middle. The floss should be stretched taut between the fingers. Use the thumb for support.
• Don’t floss up and down along the gums as they are sensitive. Instead, use back and forth movements along the curve of each tooth where the tooth meets the gums, going a little under the gum line.
• Use gentle movements taking care that you don’t bruise the delicate tissue of the gums by using force or snappy movements. Avoid snapping or forcing the floss, as this may cut or bruise delicate gum tissue.
• Floss between each tooth trying to reach in all gaps.
• If you are flossing for the first time, chances are it may bleed. Don’t fear, the gums harden over time.
• Use a new piece of floss after every few teeth.

Rinse it well

• Clean your mouth using mouthwash twice a day; mouthwash reaches those corners of the mouth, which a brush can’t reach. Brushing cleans only 20 – 25 per cent of the cavity. Therefore, brushing though important; is not enough.
• Use mouthwash after you brush. Mix 20ml of water and 20ml of the mouth rinse or in the ratio 1:1. Swish the liquid thoroughly in the mouth; gargle for 30 – 40 seconds so that the solution cleans the inner lining of the mouth. Then spit it out.
• The entire procedure should last a whole minute and should be done every morning and every night.

Clean the tongue

• Most people clean their tongues. An unclean tongue fosters bacteria to grow on its surface, which leads to bad breath.
• Use a good quality tongue scrapper for thorough cleaning.
• Stick your tongue as far out as possible. Start from the back of your tongue, near the opening of the throat.
• Press the cleaner on the tongue and gently bring it forward using both hands, covering the entire length of the tongue. Repeat twice or thrice. Rinse well.
• Clean the tongue cleaner thoroughly after each use. And get a new one every three months.

Eat for your mouth

• Like the hygiene rituals, some foods are good for your oral health too. Foods that are high in fibre help release more saliva into your mouth, which helps regulate the pH in your mouth.
• Foods that are high in vitamin C are good for your gums and teeth. These include kiwis, strawberries and apples. Crunchy vegetables like carrots and broccoli also help clean the teeth and strengthen the gums. Other vegetables that are recommended include pumpkin, celery and sweet potatoes. You can also eat eggs, green tea, sesame seeds, and milk products like yoghurt and cheese. Eat onions raw. The sulphur compounds in the onions have antibacterial and antifungal properties.
• Food introduces bacteria into the mouth. Limit your intake of sugar-heavy foods as they stick to the teeth helping bacteria breed. Also avoid consuming carbohydrates [cooked starches in particular] like potato chips, as they damage teeth.
• Avoid consuming processed fruit juices, soft drinks and vinegar in excess. The acids in such drinks demineralise the enamel of the teeth by bringing down the pH levels in the mouth.
• Chew gum from time to time. The chewing helps move the saliva around the mouth facilitating oral irrigation, which helps remove stuck particles from hard-to-reach corners and prevents the mouth from drying up. However, do not chew gum if you have loose fillings or if your teeth are in poor health. It will increase the damage.

avoid any infection and cure it sooner as it can fail all organs

Yeast prevents fungal infection: 

Simple bakers yeast can keep at bay fatal fungal infection like aspergillosis which can cause kidney and liver failure,says a new study.Aspergillosis is the leading fungal killer that attacks the lungs and can migrate to the brain.Mice injected thrice with dead bakers yeast one week apart,were able to survive high doses of Aspergillus the fungus that causes aspergillosis.

sleep apnea and memory loss

Sleep apnea linked to memory loss,dementia 

Older women who have sleep apnea may be more likely to develop memory problems and dementia,according to a new study.Its not clear yet whether treating the sleep apnea can help prevent that memory decline but researchers say future studies should address that question.It makes sense that good sleep is going to be protective to the brain, said Robert Thomas,who studies sleep at Harvard Medical School in Boston.

Be headache free without medicine

There are times when silence has the loudest voice
 
In about 5 mins, your headache will go.......

The nose has a left and a right side; we use both to inhale and exhale. Actually they are different; you would be able to feel the difference. The right side represents the sun, left side represents the moon. During a headache, try to close your right nose and use your left nose to breathe. In about 5 mins, your headache will go?   If you feel tired, just reverse, close your left nose and breathe through your right nose. After a while, you will feel your mind is refreshed. Right side belongs to 'hot', so it gets heated up easily, left side belongs to 'cold'. Most females breathe with their left noses, so they get "cooled off" faster. Most of the guys breathe with their right noses, they get worked up. Do you notice the moment we wake up, which side breathes faster? Left or right? ? If left is faster, you will feel tired. So, close your left nose and use your right nose for breathing, you will get refreshed quickly. This can be taught to kids, but it is more effective when practiced by adults. My friend used to have bad headaches and was always visiting the doctor. There was this period when he suffered headache literally every night, unable to study. He took painkillers, did not work. He decided to try out the breathing therapy here: closed his right nose and breathed through his left nose. In less than a week, his headaches were gone! He continued the exercise for one month. This alternative natural therapy without medication is something that he has experienced. So, why not give it a try.

  
 

Doctors/ pharmacists, please check

Doctors/ pharmacists, please check the veracity of statements given below and share your views with us....

Be careful.

Confirmed by a doctor

 
Make a checklist, check whether this medicine is in your home or whether it has been recommended by your doctor... please DO NOT use it...
Please Read Very Carefully - INFORM ALL YOUR FRIENDS & FAMILY MEMBERS
India has become a dumping ground for banned drugs; also the business for production of banned drugs is booming. Plz make sure that u buy drugs only if prescribed by a doctor(Also, ask which company manufactures it, this would help to ensure that u get what is prescribed at the Drug Store) and that also from a reputed drug store. Not many people know about these banned drugs and consume them causing a lot of damage to themselves. We forward Jokes and other junk all the time.... This is far more important.

Please Make sure u forward it everyone u know.

DANGEROUS DRUGS HAVE BEEN GLOBALLY DISCARDED BUT ARE AVAILABLE IN INDIA .... The most common ones are action 500 & Nimulid.
!

PHENYLPROPANOLAMINE:
cold and cough. Reason for ban : stroke.
Brand name : Vicks Action-500
________________________________________________________________________
ANALGIN:
This is a pain-killer. Reason for ban: Bone marrow depression.
Brand name: ! Novalgin
___________________________________________________________
CISAPRIDE:
Acidity, constipation. Reason for ban : irregular heartbeat
Brand name : Ciza, Syspride
____________________________________________________________
DROPERIDOL:
Anti-depressant. Reason for ban : Irregular heartbeat.
Brand name : Droperol
______________________________________________________________
FURAZOLIDONE:
Antidiarrhoeal. Reason for ban : Cancer.
Brand name : Furoxone, Lomofen
_____________________________________________________________
NIMESULIDE:
Painkiller, fever. Reason for ban : Liver failure..
Brand name : Nise, Nimulid
________________________________________________________________________

NITROFURAZONE:
Antibacterial cream. Reason for ban : Cancer.
Brand name : Furacin
________________________________________________________________________

PHENOLPHTHALEIN:
Laxative... Reason for ban : Cancer.
Brand name : Agarol
________!______________________ __________________________________________

OXYPHENBUTAZONE:
Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug. Reason for ban : Bone marrow depression.
Brand name : Sioril
_______________________________________________________________________
PIPERAZINE:
Anti-worms.... Reason for ban : Nerve damage.
Brand name : Piperazine
________________________________________________________________________
QUINIODOCHLOR:
Anti-diarrhoeal. Reason for ban : Damage to sight.
Brand name: Enteroquinol