The Problem Of Obesity-Health-and-Fitness

Diet in Overweight

When we eat more food than required an adipose tissue gets added. That is obtainable only from the food; we do not get it from the air we breathe in! Even if we consume fifty calories of extra food daily at end of a year we can easily weigh four pounds more. Thus the main reasons for obesity is more than enough food and almost nil exercise or even not at all!
Losing weight means losing excess fat. A pound of fat equals about 3,500 calories. To lose 1 pound a week, you would need to cut 500 calories a day or increase fat-burning activity by 500 calories a day. A diet of at least 1,200 calories for women and 1,400 calories for men is advised, since calorie intake that is any lower may eliminate essential nutrients and increase the risk of nutritional deficiencies. Diet and Regimen:
· Avoid excess eating, eating during indigestion or just after taking pervious meal.

· Avoid day sleeping; sleep in the night after one hour of your dinner.

· Do regular exercise like brisk walking (at least), running, swimming etc. avoid sedentary and lethargic lifestyle.

· Avoid eating excess sweets. Have low fat/skim dairy products. Avoid product like chocolates, ice creams, cheese, paneer, sugar etc.

· Take non-vegetarian food like chicken, fishes, eggs, meats etc. in moderate quantity. Avoid red meat (lamb/pork/beef) but be on white meat (chicken/fish). Remove fat from meat & skin from chicken.

· Try to minimize excess oil & ghee in cooking, Use a nonstick pan for cooking. avoid hydrogenated vegetable oils, Instead of frying things try to consume roasted things & change your cooking techniques a little. Grill or bake food instead of frying. Cook vegetables without fat by steaming and boiling.

· Use low fat spreads and chutney on bread instead of butter and cheese.

· Don't consume excess alcoholic drinks or water on empty stomach. Avoid aerated drinks and cold drinks.

· Intake of fat and carbohydrates should be restricted.

· Fruits and green vegetables are low calorie foods, so over weight persons should use these more frequently. Include the green leafy vegetables, sprouted moong beans in your salad. Salad is to be taken without any dressing . If you want relish it, take it with lemon juice and salt. Salad should form a major part of meals

· One should avoid intake of too much salt . Salt may be a factor for increasing the body weight.

· Milk products like cheese, butter should be avoided because these are rich in fat.

· Vegetables like bitter gourd (Karela), and bitter variety of drumstick are useful for loosing weight.

· Spices like dry ginger, cinnamon, black pepper etc. are good for loosing weight and can be used in a number of ways. .

· Do not drink water immediately after meals. Drink it after half an hour. Try to drink warm water.

· Serve dressing and rich sauces separately so that you can minimize their intake.

How Many Calories Are BurnedDuring Exercise
· Our body needs constant energy to maintain itself,so even when we're fast asleep, it is still burning up calories!
· However, most of us do not take enough exercise during our waking hours!
· Ideally, we should aim to take 20-45 minutes exercise a day.
· To see which exercise burns up what calories, see chart below.

Type of Exercise Calories/hour
Sleeping 55
Eating 85
Sewing 85
Knitting 85
Sitting 85
Standing 100
Driving 110
Office Work 140
Housework, moderate 160+
Golf, with trolley 180
Golf, without trolley 240
Gardening, planting 250
Dancing, ballroom 260
Walking, 3mph 280
Table Tennis 290
Gardening, hoeing etc. 350
Tennis 350+
Water Aerobics 400
Skating/blading 420+
Dancing, aerobic 420+
Aerobics 450+
Bicycling, moderate 450+
Jogging, 5mph 500
Gardening, digging 500
Swimming, active 500+
Cross country ski machine 500+
Hiking 500+
Step Aerobics 550+
Rowing 550+
Power Walking 600+
Cycling, studio 650
Squash 650+
Skipping with rope 700+
Running 700+

Exercise for your health!

Diet recommended to lose weight

· Early morning

Juice of half a lemon mixed in a glass of warm water and a teaspoon of honey.

· Breakfast

Wheat or Mung bean sprouts and a cup of skimmed milk.

· Midmorning

A glass of orange, pineapple or carrot juice.
· Lunch
· Salad of raw vegetables such as carrot, beet, cucumber, cabbage, tomatoes Steamed or boiled vegetables
· Whole grain bread or whole wheat chapatis (Indian bread) and a glass of buttermilk.
· Roasted cumin seeds, green coriander leaves, a little salt and some grated ginger mixed in the buttermilk.

· Mid-afternoon
· Coconut water
· Dry fruits
· Lemon tea
· Fresh vegetable soup

· Dinner
· Whole grain bread or chapatis
· Steamed vegetables
· Seasonal fruits except banana and apple.

Home Remedies for Losing Weight
· Increase the quantity of fruits and vegetables and low calorie foods.

· Avoid intake of too much salt as it may be a factor for increasing body weight.

· Milk products like cheese, butter etc. and non-vegetarian foods should be avoided as they are rich in fat.

· Mint is very beneficial in losing weight. A chutney of green mint with some simple spices can be taken with meals. Mint tea also helps.

· Spices like dry ginger, cinnamon, black pepper etc. are good for loosing weight and can be used in a number of ways.

· Regular intake of carrot juice.

· Avoid rice and potato, which contain a lot of carbohydrates. Among cereals wheat is good.

· Vegetables like bitter gourd (Karela), and bitter variety of drumstick are useful in loosing weight.

· Honey is an excellent home remedy for obesity. It mobilizes the extra deposited fat in the body allowing it to be utilized as energy for normal functions.Dosage: One should start with small quantity of about 10 grams or a tablespoon, taken with hot water early in the morning. A teaspoonful of fresh lemon juice may also be added.

· Fasting on honey and lime- juice is highly beneficial in the treatment of obesity without the loss of energy and appetite. For this, mix one teaspoon of fresh honey with the juice of half a lime in a glass of lukewarm water.Dosage: Take several times a day at regular intervals.

· Raw or cooked cabbage inhibits the conversion of sugar and other carbohydrates into fat. Hence, it is of great value in weight reduction.

· Exercise is an important part of any weight reduction plan. It helps to use up calories stored in body as fat.

· Walking is the best exercise to begin with and may be followed by running, swimming or rowing.

· The gum of Commiphora Mukul called 'guggulu' is the drug of choice for the treatment of obesity.
Preparation of Home RemediesAccording to ayurveda home remedies are prepared in the same way and with the same purpose as other ayurvedic medicines. The main aim is to obtain the maximum therapeutic benefit while making it palatable.

Some common methods of preparing home remedies are:

· Juice--The juice may be taken from the fresh leaves, flowers or stems of the herb. The part of the herb used should be crushed or ground in a mortar and pestle, to make a paste. This paste should be put in a piece of cloth and squeezed to take out the juice.Dosage: One to two tablespoons twice a day.

· Powder--Dried herbs are used for powders. The herbs are usually dried in a cool, shady and well-ventilated place, although some herbs are dried in direct sunlight. The herbs are then ground into a fine powder and stored in a dry, airtight bottle. The powder may be taken with water, or if specified, with milk or honey.Dosage: Half to one teaspoon twice a day

· Decoction--A decoction is prepared by boiling the herb in water (ratio: 1 part herb to 16 parts water). The herbs are broken into pieces and soaked in water overnight. This mixture is then boiled until it reduces to one quarter of the original volume. It is then filtered and stored in a glass bottle.Dosage: One to two tablespoons twice a day.

· Infusion--Herbs are soaked in water to make an infusion (ratio: 1 part herb to 8 parts water). Hot infusions result from adding herbs to hot water, or gently heating but not boiling the mixture. This is strained and taken internally. Herbal teas are forms of hot infusions. Cold infusions are made from soaking the herb overnight. Honey can be added.Dosage: half to one cup once or twice day.

· Paste --A paste can be made from either fresh or dried herbs. The flowers, roots, stems, leaves or bark are ground and mixed with water. Pastes are mainly used for external application, in cases of cuts, burns and swellings. The paste should be thick enough to be applied in a layer to the skin.

· Tablets--The herbs should be first dried separately and then mixed together in a powder form, in fixed proportions. Water or herbal juice can be added to this powder to make a paste, from which tablets of a specific size or weight are made. Tablets remain potent longer than juices, powders, pastes or decoctions.Dosage: 1 or 2 tablets twice a day.

· Medicated ghee and oilGhee-- is cooked with herbal juices, decoctions or pastes. The ghee should be heated with the herbal mixture at a moderate, controlled temperature. High temperatures can easily burn the ghee or oil, destroying its effectiveness. Medicated ghee and oils are either used internally or massaged externally.Dosage: Half to one tablespoon.