Weight Gain Diet

The most easily available option for a person trying to gain weight  are supplements. Some of us are skeptical about adding them to the diet as the health consequences of these products have never been explained by anyone. Most of these weight gain supplements are heavily promoted but no one can for sure say what are the actual ingredients and what will be the health repercussions in the long run.

Why would you want to experiment with your health? Instead try a healthy weight gain diet to gain healthy weight. You can write to us at fitness@fitho.in to know more about a healthy weight gain diet or check out our free weight loss plan at Fitho’s weight gain diet.

Here are few tips to help you get started on a healthy weight gain program.

Tips for Gaining Weight

• The weight gain diet should be nutritionally balanced. Focus on quality of food being consumed.

• Small frequent meals should be taken i.e., 5-6 times in a day (3 larger meals and 3 smaller meals alternately. A gap of at least 3 hours should be there so that the body can digest each meal fully.

• Never skip the breakfast from the meal as this is the most important meal of the day.

• Eat protein because gaining weight demands for amino acids which are derived from the protein. Good sources of protein are- whey, fish, dairy products, meat, nuts and seeds (almonds, peanuts, pumpkin seeds, seasam seeds, sunflower seeds), pulses, etc.

• Avoid caffeine and nicotine to help the body retain maximum nutritional value from what one eats. Read more

List of Healthy Snacks

Are putting on weight due to snacking? We all know that eating at odd hours leads to weight gain. But how do you deal with hunger pangs without starving yourself. To answer one of the most common dilemmas of how to control snacking we have put together a list of healthy snacks alongside some not so healthy snacks. This is done to explain why you should be eating this and not that.

Before we move on to the healthy vs unhealthy snack list you need to understand snacks are just fillers or small bites. Most people eat snacks like a meal and thats where the problem starts. When one samosa becomes two or one sandwich becomes two sandwiches.

To elaborate a little bit more here are some points to note

While snacking eat slowly and enjoy every bite that you eat. Eating slowly makes you chew the food properly and eat less also. This helps you in managing portion and not over eating.

Don’t snack on empty calories even though you can manage the portion because it will add no nutrition and only calories.

You could choose low fat dairy, eggs, seeds and nuts, fruits and veggies as a snacking option.

Lets further explain it with an example on how to control your calories better if you are on a weight loss routine. A man weighing 80 kgs and 175 cms would approximately require 2000 calories in a single day. To break it further he would have a daily quota  of 250 calories for 2 snacks in a day. While a women weighing 50 kg and 5 feet 2 inches would require approximately 1400 calories in a day and 175 calories each for snacking twice in a day. This means you can divide your snack for once during mid morning and once in the routine evening. But remember snacking includes your tea/coffee/coke/lemonade etc! Read more

Does Low Calorie Diet Work?

Have you ever wondered why you have gained weight over a period of time? Many of your answers would point to not eating healthy food, not exercising or some would say it just happened. If you know the reasons that have resulted in weight gain then working on these factors could help you lose those pounds again. But does it work this way or there is more to losing weight than just eating food.

Lifestyle has a major impact on your weight loss or if you are gaining weight. You were lean before and were eating the same nutrition as now but how did you start gaining weight. Weight gain can happen due to many other factors than just by eating foods that are unhealthy. Your sleeping patterns, stress in work, late nights, changing eating patterns, hormonal change, skipping meals, alcohol, smoking, no workouts, no activity, leisure lifestyle etc. The list can go on as these are some of the factors like many others that are small but have a huge impact on weight management.

Exercise impacts weight management as it helps to improve blood flow in the body and accelerate metabolism for faster calorie burns. Most people who are really not into fitness walk for 20 minutes or jog for a while, do some hand and body movements wondering that they have done their part. What happens after this workout? Drinking some energy drink to refill those calorie burnt and resting for the rest of the day! If you are looking to lose weight then you need to burn the stored fat to see weight loss.

It is difficult to count calories every time as we eat regularly and can be boring at times. Knowing what are healthy foods and unhealthy food is also not enough. Unhealthy foods are fattening but healthy foods could also impact in gaining weight. Dairy is healthy but excess of it leads to weight gain. Eating food more than the body requirement will store the extra calories and over a period of time this will count as a pound and then many more.

If you are looking to lose weight and get fit then look out for a healthy weight management course where the plan is made according to your lifestyle. A successful plan should be able to offer you flexibility as well as a structured routine to compliment your fitness level. This is key to keeping you motivated. Your goal should be fitness and not simply weight loss because the main incentive to lose weight is to be healthy.  Going after only weight loss might deprive you of key elements like exercise and nutrition that might make you look thin on the weighing scale but not fit.

How to Control Sugar Cravings

Need to eat sugar is triggered by our body. This is body’s naturally tendency to tell you that blood sugar levels are dropping and need to be replenished. Over a period of time this physiological reaction becomes psychological and we start to mistake this desire as need. This is when most of the trouble begins that traditionally transforms into weight gain and then eventually lifestyle diseases like high blood sugar & diabetes type 2.  Sugar cravings can be controlled and managed  with some effort.

Sugar is a carbohydrate and quickly breaks down in our body providing energy and releases happy hormone serotonin which makes us feel good and reduces stress and anxiety. The sweet taste of sugar is liked by most people from birth and indulge in eating them for sugar cravings. Sugar is also known to release endorphins also known as “happy hormones” that is the reason why we also crave them when we are sad or generally stressed.

How do we control this urge? First we should start with understanding what is your daily sugar intake and what are the main sources of it. Let us explain this through an example of the common sugar foods consumed by us on a daily basis like a cup of tea/coffee,  sweetened cereals like cornflakes, musselli aerated drinks or sweetened drinks like packaged juices & lemonade along with one or two desserts/chocolates through the day.

Here is a quick list of a calories per serving:

Sugar coated cereals- 127 kcal (3/4 cup)

Tea spn of sugar- 20 kcal

100 ml aerated drink/soda- 37 kcal

1 chocolate- (plain Bar , 49 g of chocolate) 250 Kcal

Packaged juice-110 kcal (250 ml)

Energy drinks-152 Kcal (350 ml/one can)

All this roughly mounts upto 700 calories if you have one of each of these things listed. Incase you are looking to lose weight than you just require 2 tea spoons of sugar in a day. Besides processed sugar doesnt have any health benefits . Read here to know how it affects our health. Read more

Are Dates Healthy?

There are lots of speculations if dates are healthy or not? Calling it healthy or not so healthy depends on whether you should include it in your diet for its health benefits or you can use it as a substitute for sugar incase you are trying to lose weight. Dates are the fruits of the date palm which can be eaten fresh or dried though both the forms are nutritious. It helps in lowering cholesterol and and has anti-oxidation properties that protect the body against free radicals.

Dates are high in fiber which relieves constipation and the high amount of carbohydrates in it provides high calories. The one drawback with dates is that it is high in glycemic index and contains a lot of sugar which can increase blood sugar levels. It is often substituted for sweets, candies or to control sweet craving as it is healthier than processed sugar and carries a lots of minerals and vitamins for the body to nourish with health benefits. But due to its high glycemic properties dates are associated with foods that can result in weight gain.

Dates have an average gylcemic index (GI) of 103, which is very high and not recommended for people on a weight loss program or suffering from high sugar levels. More and more health experts promote food that have low GI as the secret to long-term health reducing your risk of heart disease and diabetes and also beneficial for sustainable weight loss.Foods with GI index less than 55 are considered Low Glycemic Index food (GI < 55). Foods with GI index between 55 and 70 are considered intermediate (55< GI <70). High Glycemic Index foods are with GI index more than 70 (GI >70).

Besides its single but important drawback dates have many other health benefits. They are high in potassium which maintains blood pressure and maintains nerves and muscles.The magnesium in dates help relive muscles, fatigue, nerves and reduces tension. Dates are rich in calcium, iron, copper and manganese with B vitamins to better enzyme activity. All the nutrition of the dried fruit promote better health.

You can eat the fruit raw or use yor culinary skills in making delicious combinations with in in your diet. You could include it with milk, fruits, salads or bread. Its sweet and can be eaten when we are overburdened with work and mind seems wandering as it relives stress and anxiety with instant energy. Read more

Weight Loss for Women

There could be many reasons behind women gaining weight like sedentary lifestyle, emotional reasons, theureupatic reasons,  eating habits and the love for chocolates. If you are a woman and looking to lose weight then here are tips to make you understand the body psychology.

For healthy lifestyle it is important to get all the daily nutritional requirement like protein for muscles and hair, carbohydrates for energy for the work that you do, good fats like omega 3 and omega 6 fatty acids and goof fats for normal growth along with vitamins and minerals for various bodily functions. On the other hand to maintain a healthy and fit outer appearance it is important to balance the food intake and and body requirement and not starving the body with its nutritional requirements.

Diet: Women are fond of food and love gossip munching which unrealisingly makes them consume hundreds of calories through different sources. Our bodies require a certain number of calories, in order to manage the weight the calorie intake has to be monitored, again not missing on the nutrition. Read more

How to Control In-between Meal Snacking

We ensure that most of our meals are healthy. The problem comes when we crave food in between meals. If you feel hungry so often then you certainly need to watch out as eating more  food whether healthy or junk leads to weight gain.

The biggest trouble with in between snacking is that one craves something that is satisfying and ready to eat. Unfortunately we dont find having salads or fruits as snacks satisfying enough. While junk food or fattening foods manage to hit the spot, instantly satisfying the hunger pang. Gradually these small food breaks stop having the same satiating effect. After sometime the portion size increases  giving way to more food cravings and constant need to eat something Most of the times this snacking is psychological, as in we condition ourselves to feeling hungry even after having proper meals. Here are some reasons and tips to keep the hunger pangs in control, making you eat less.

Untimely Meals: Not having meals on time is a big factor in making you feel hungry at odd times . The body follows no patterns and gets used to giving a call at random times which pushes us to eat more than a usual meal. Time your meals and eat food with high fiber and protein to keep you feeling fuller.

Breakfast: People who don’t have a balanced and satisfying breakfast often find themselves bingeing on odd time. The unsatisfaction of the previous meal  makes the mind want for more and eating unhealthy. Have a good nutritious breakfast with satisfying food. Read more

Weight Reduction Tips

Reducing weight is increasingly becoming popular across the world. Sedentary lifestyle and increasing number of lifestyle related therapeutic conditions are further propelling everyone towards wellness and fitness. The most common  lifestyle disorder symptom is weight gain. Fortunately it is also the easiest to control and manage provided slight changes are made in the current lifestyle. Weight reduction is possible with the right approach towards what we eat through out the day and the activities that we indulge in.

 

 

Here are a few weight reduction tips to lose weight.

Don’t starve yourself: The most common myth amongst people for weight reduction is a strict diet. Few go on yo-yo or crash diet, low calorie diets, atkins diet, banana diet etc. But they fail to reduce weight. Starving sends the message of not enough food and the body slows down the metabolism reducing the speed of calorie burn. Thus fat and the extra pounds burn much more  slower than before making weight reduction difficult.

Don’t skip breakfast: If you skip the nutrition at breakfast then there is seldom chance that you would make it later in the day. Skipping breakfast lowers the metabolism and lack of nutrition makes the body become weak and vulnerable to eating snacks and junk food later in the day. Eat healthy food for breakfast and you would feel fuller and eat less too.

Eat meals on time: Non timely meals disturb the body metabolic cycle making it difficult for the body to adapt to a schedule. Also eating meals late makes you tend to over eat because staying hungry for longer makes you feel hungrier psychology resulting in overeating. Hunger reduces the efficiency of the body reducing the metabolism, hence the weight reduction. Time your meals and watch the progress.

Read more

Think Before You Drink!

You stay away from the most obvious signs of sugar in your food,. Avoid desserts, don’t take sugar in your tea/coffee. But sometimes you ignore the not so obvious forms of sugar that might be harming you. To start the damage control right away here are a few ways how sugar is finding way to your system.

Cola drinks(Regular and diet): The cola drinks are soda and added sweeteners and artificial colors present in it. The soda present in it increases the level of co2 in the body which results in the reduction of anti-oxidants in the body. It contains a high amount of sugar in it which is not good for the health Read more

5 Big Mistakes of Weight Loss

You have tried everything to keep your fat away. You have a healthy lifestyle and are doing everything right to stay fit. Yet the weighing machine doesn’t make you happy. Even after knowing and following everything about a healthy lifestyle by the book certain loopholes in our lifestyle can cause situations leading to the imbalance in the body which causes fat accumulation. We have a few tips on how you can easily overcome these shortfalls and get on track towards being a slimmer you.

Unscheduled Meals: Quite a lot of people have the problem of untimely meals which is a big issue. With heavy work pressure, tight schedule, lifestyle and changing body psychology disturbs our eating cycle which slows down the metabolism Read more

Are Diet Pills the Best Option!

Diet pills are getting more popular for fast weight loss. There are many successful as well as not so successful stories about these fat loss pills.  Lets explore more about these pills and how they really work. Quick weight loss without diet and exercise has created the hype around diet pills which is increasingly finding its space in drug stores & superstores. But the questions remains the same, is it a healthier
option and does it help in weight loss.

What is most commonly seen is that some diet pills work and some don’t depending upon the constitution of chemicals in the pills. Probability of effectiveness of the diet pills also varies with body type Read more

The Best Weight Loss Program

You have a good appetite and probably binge regularly to keep your cravings at bay. Constant urge to binge is the biggest problem that sets us back with weight loss. Eating less or portion control gives us the feeling of non-satisfaction. You might eat three slices of bread, but your body still makes you crave 2 more. This habit of eating more than our daily requirement makes us consume more calories than is required. This obviously results in weight gain and thus begins the quest for a quick solution in form of a fad diet to get rid of the extra weight fast.

Research has shown that exerting too much self-control on food makes people more likely to behave aggressively toward others, and people on diets are known to be more irritable than otherwise. You become very sensitive to your diet over a period of time and sudden changes makes you react increasingly when you are not satisfied with your food. So, choosing the Weight Loss Program is very important.

Doing this can be a challenge if you go with a standard weight loss program that is not made according to your lifestyle, routines, habits and medical issues. It can make you stressed, angry, unsatisfied and irritated. Low satisfaction also results in decrease in efficiency levels.

Also, most often you don’t lose weight you maybe following a diet plan. Don’t blame yourself, since the body responds to what is right for it. Your not being able to lose weight is because it might your weight loss program might not be setup correctly. Here are tips to check when looking for the Best Weight Loss Program: Read more

Caution: Child Obesity in India on the Rise

Pizza’s & Burgers  and junk food joints have become a hot spot for children now a days to fill their tiny stomach’s. Well, pizza’s & the burgers taste nice and exciting but are unable to provide the nutrition that is required for healthy living. Obesity in children has tripled in the past two decades and an alarming concern for us to take note of the fact. The rate of development of mind and body in children decreases with junk food due to the empty calories it provides. A regular pizza provides about 600-800 calories whereas a burger provides you with around 300 calories.

A research report written about a study on Prevalence of overweight and obesity among children and adolescents. According to that report 16 % children 6-19 year old are overweight or obese
“this is three times what it was before. In addition, this report brings out the fact that also during this same time period an additional 15% were “at risk of becoming overweight”.

Researchers also warn that children who are fed with junk food have lower IQ than their counterparts who ate nutritious food.  Junk food may fill the stomach but cant provide the quality of energy which nutritious foods provide. Junk foods are high in saturated fat and oil which leads to high cholesterol levels make you feel lazy and drowsy, resulting in lower concentration levels in children. Junk food decrease the efficiency which is important for children. Heart related diseases are growing with obesity and weight gain is normal for people on a junk food diet.

Once the habit is developed for junk food, it gets very difficult to get rid of the addiction. To ensure that kids do not make this unhealthy lifestyle a permanent part of their life one should start inculcating good nutritional habits from the beginning. Ensuring enough physical activities is an equally important aspect of every child’s growth. In case you need professional assistance to get you started on a healthier lifestyle for your family call us for a free consultancy and speak to our expert now.

Health News- Breakfast, Weight & Longevity

Higher fat at breakfast may be healthier than you think, concludes a new University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) study. Metabolic syndrome is characterized by abdominal obesity, high triglycerides, insulin resistance and other cardiovascular disease-risk factors. Read more to know how to prevent metabolic syndrome by eating breakfast.

Want to shed those extra pounds but still eat your favorite junk foods? Well, drinking tea could be the solution. Researchers at Kobe University, Japan found that regular consumption of tea also suppressed damaging changes in the blood linked to fatty foods that can lead to type 2 diabetes. Read more to know how Read more

Manage Menopause Weight Gain

Weight gain during menopause is a big concern for women. The menopausal phase triggers changes in body shape resulting on an average weight gain of about  5-10 kg. This weight is primarily  hormone related and has a direct impact on appetite, metabolism, and fat storage.  Therefore controlling weight during this time becomes extremely difficult due to fluctuating estrogen, testosterone, and androgen levels. These added kilos further aggravate depression and anxiety which in turns can bring on the hot flashes and disturbed sleep.

Estrogen plays a big role in menopausal weight gain especially as the estrogen levels decline with age as the body stops ovulating. Due to the decrease in estrogen levels produced by the ovaries, body searches for other sources to substitute the shortage of estrogen in the body. Meanwhile fat cells in our body have the natural capability to produce estrogen, hence the body starts restoring to these cells  to convert calories into fat to increase estrogen levels. Unfortunately fat cells don’t burn calories the way muscle cells do, which causes this unwanted Read more

Next Page »