Check your diet to lose weight

[hana-code-insert name=’rectangle’ /]Counting calorie in food is important to weight loss as all excess food we eat is either use or store as body fats. The more excess calorie in food we consume the more weight we gain.

Over a period of time be it a day, a week, a month or a year if we eat excess food we will put on weight. Every extra 3,500 calories we eat will result in an addition of 1 pound or 1/2 kilo of body weight

Calorie Calculator – Food Calorie Counter

 The following food calorie counter chart shows the calorie count and fat count per 100g of each food. 

Vegetables and Beans

FOOD CALORIE COUNT	Fat Count  (g)	Calorie Count   (kcal )
Broccoli	0.9	33
Cabbage	0.4	26
Carrots	0.3	35
Cauliflower	0.9	34
Cucumber	0.1	10
Mushroom	0.5	13
Onions	0.2	36
Peas	1.5	83
Potatoes	0.2	75
Tomatoes	0.3	17
Black-eyed beans, cooked	0.7	116
Butter beans, canned	0.5	77
Chick-peas, canned	2.9	115
Red kidney beans, canned	0.6	100
Red lentils, cooked	0.4	100

Fruits and Nuts

FOOD CALORIE COUNT	Fat Count  (g)	Calorie Count   (kcal )
Apples	0.1	47
Dates	19.5	280
Bananas	0.3	95
Grapefruit	0.1	30
Oranges	0.1	37
Peaches	0.1	33
Pears	0.1	40
Mangoes	0.2	65
Papaya	0.1	32
Pear	0.1	51
Pineapple	0.3	45
Orange	0.1	54
Watermelon	0.1	15
Pomegranate	0.5	80
Almonds	55.8	612
Brazil Nuts	68.2	682
Hazelnuts	63.5	650
Peanut Butter, smooth	53.7	623
Pine nuts	68.6	688
Walnuts	68.5	688

Diary, Fats and Oils

FOOD CALORIE COUNT	Fat Count  (g)	Calorie Count   (kcal )
Butter	81.7	737
Cream, double	48.0	449
Cream, single	19.1	198
Cream, whipping	39.3	373
Cheddar cheese	34.4	412
Corn oil	99.9	899
Cream cheese	47.4	439
Egg, whole	10.8	147
Egg yolk	30.5	339
Fat-free dressing	1.2	67
French dressing	49.4	462
Lard	99.0	891
Low-fat spread	40.5	390
Low-fat yogurt, plain	0.8	56
Margarine, polyunsaturated	81.6	739
Mayonnaise	75.6	691
Mayonnaise, reduced calorie	28.1	288
Milk, whole	3.9	66
Milk, semi-skimmed	1.6	46
Milk, skimmed	0.1	33
Olive oil	99.9	899

Cereals, Baking and Preserves     

FOOD CALORIE COUNT	Fat Count  (g)	Calorie Count   (kcal )
Bread, brown	2.0	218
Bread, white	1.9	235
Bread, whole meal	2.5	215
Rice	2.0	325
Wheat floor	2.0	340
1 medium chapatti	2.0	120
1 Paratha plain	20.0	280
Chocolate, milk	30.3	520
Chocolate, plain	29.2	510
Cornflakes	0.7	360
Croissant	20.3	360
Digestive biscuit, plain	20.9	471
Doughnut, jam	14.5	336
Flapjack	26.6	484
Fruit cake, rich	11	341
Pasta, white, uncooked	1.8	342
Pasta, whole meal, uncooked	2.5	324
Rice, brown, uncooked	2.8	357
Rice, white, uncooked	3.6	383
Shortbread	26.1	498
Sponge cake, fatless	6.1	294
Sugar, white	0	105
Sultana bran	1.6	303
Swiss-style muesli	5.9	363

Fats

Fat is the main source of energy we eat. It contains more than twice the calories of other foods. A diet high in fats will lead to excessive weight gain. There are lots of easy, no fuss ways of reducing fat in your daily low fat diet

Foods to avoid	Foods To Try / Emphasize
Biscuits, waffles, doughnuts, sweet pastries, pancakes, coffee cake, and stuffing mixes, Paratha	Bread, cereals, crackers, popcorn (unbuttered). Make your own low-fat cakes, biscuits and breads, chapatti
ice cream, ice milk, full-fat dairy products such as milk, cream, butter, hard margarine, whole milk yogurts and hard cheese.	Non-fat milk, non-fat dry milk. Semi-skimmed milk, low fat yogurts and reduced fat cheeses and creams.
Creamed, fried, buttered or in rich sauces. Coconut, and avocado.	All fruits except coconut and avocado, all vegetables.
Chocolate, candy, and dessert with cream or fat.	Low fat and fat free fresh or dried fruits, breadsticks and vegetable sticks. Make your own low-fat cakes, biscuits and breads.
Cream soups, or canned soups prepared with whole milk.	Soup made from water and non fat milk.
aerated cold drinks	Coffee, sodas, juice, and tea.
Olives, nuts, sauces with cream, or butter	Any items without oils. All non-fat labeled products.

Unfortunately, weight loss using caloric restriction is difficult because of several physiological factors. The body adapts to energy restriction within a day or two, becoming more efficient and requiring less energy to maintain current weight.

Thus, slowing down of the body’s metabolism makes continued weight loss through caloric restriction alone difficult. However, exercise while restricting calories can help to lessen the metabolic slow down. Exercise enhances the metabolic rate. Therefore, a low calorie diet should be combined with exercise to achieve a successful weight loss goal.

Lose weight Myths

Myth: Skipping meals is a good way to lose weight.

Fact: Studies show that people who skip breakfast and eat fewer times during the day tend to be heavier than people who eat a healthy breakfast and eat four or five times a day. [hana-code-insert name=’rectangle’ /]This may be because people who skip meals tend to feel hungrier later on, and eat more than they normally would. It may also be that eating many small meals throughout the day helps people control their appetites.

Tip: Eat small meals throughout the day that include a variety of healthy, low-fat, low-calorie foods.

Myth: Eating after 8 p.m. causes weight gain.

Fact: It does not matter what time of day you eat. It is what and how much you eat and how much physical activity you do during the whole day that determines whether you gain, lose, or maintain your weight. No matter when you eat, your body will store extra calories as fat. Tip: If you want to have a snack before bedtime, think first about how many calories you have eaten that day. And try to avoid snacking in front of the TV at night—it may be easier to overeat when you are distracted by the television.

Myth Low-fat milk has less calcium than full-fat milk.

Fact Skimmed and semi-skimmed milk actually have more calcium, because the calcium is in the watery part, not the creamy part.

If you’re trying to lose weight and cut fat from your diet, skimmed milk is your best bet because it is lower in fat and has 10mg more calcium per 200ml milk than full fat. Semi-skimmed is best for maintaining a healthy lifestyle if you’re not dieting. Full-fat milk is best for children and adults who are underweight.

Myth: Dairy products are fattening and unhealthy.

Fact: Low-fat and fat-free milk, yogurt, and cheese are just as nutritious as whole-milk dairy products, but they are lower in fat and calories. Dairy products have many nutrients your body needs. They offer protein to build muscles and help organs work properly, and calcium to strengthen bones. Most milk and some yogurt are fortified with vitamin D to help your body use calcium.

Myth: Fad diets work for permanent weight loss.

Fact: Fad diets are not the best way to lose weight and keep it off. Fad diets often promise quick weight loss or tell you to cut certain foods out of your diet. You may lose weight at first on one of these diets. But diets that strictly limit calories or food choices are hard to follow. Most people quickly get tired of them and regain any lost weight. Fad diets may be unhealthy because they may not provide all of the nutrients your body needs. Also, losing weight at a very rapid rate (more than 3 pounds a week after the first couple of weeks) may increase your risk for developing gallstones (clusters of solid material in the gallbladder that can be painful). Diets that provide less than 800 calories per day also could result in heart rhythm abnormalities, which can be fatal.

Tip: Research suggests that losing 1/2 to 2 pounds a week by making healthy food choices, eating moderate portions, and building physical activity into your daily life is the best way to lose weight and keep it off. By adopting healthy eating and physical activity habits, you may also lower your risk for developing type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and high blood pressure.

Myth Cholesterol is bad for you.

Fact: Cholesterol is a fatty substance that is made mostly by the liver.

It can be bad for us, because it forms deposits that line and clog our arteries. Clogged arteries contribute to heart disease.

But we all need some blood cholesterol because it’s used to build cells and make vital hormones – and there’s good and bad cholesterol.

Saturated fats found in food like meat, cheese, cream, butter and processed pastries tend to raise low density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, known as ‘bad’ cholesterol, which delivers cholesterol to the arteries.

High density lipoprotein (HDL), or ‘good’ cholesterol, transports cholesterol away from the arteries, back to the liver. So choose unsaturated fats such as vegetable oils, nuts and seeds.

Natural Weight loss tips

Weight loss is something that concerns everyone as less work and easy lifestyle is making everyone overweight . Losing weight is not tough, but losing weight systematically is something which takes time and proper care. [hana-code-insert name=’rectangle’ /]We have been telling you different and effective ways to lose weight and we are continuing the same focus with this post as well. Following are some of the tips you should consider while preparing for weight loss.

Exercise

It is  recommend that you do 30 – 60 minutes of physical activity a day to stay healthy. This will help burn some of the unwanted calories. Walking for weight loss for at least 30 minutes. It’s one of the best & free weight loss exercise.

Drink fluids

 It is important to stay hydrated, especially when you are losing weight because your body will naturally lose some water. Make sure you drink at least eight 8  glasses of non-caloric liquids a day. The large amount of water intake also flushes out all the unwanted and harmful toxic wastes in your body and helps in digestion too. Drinking water to loose weight in large amounts daily. A water fast would probably result in an average of half to one kilogram per day of weight loss. This same water fasting weight loss also helps to promote healthy digestive activities and reduce constipation. Water stimulates your metabolic rate, which in turn, helps the body process stored fat. A large glass of cold water just prior to a meal helps shrink your stomach, hence you feel full quicker.

Eat At least 5 Serving of fruits and vegetables

 Fruits and vegetables are packed with beneficial fibers, vitamins and antioxidants. They are also low in calories and helps to keep your calorie count low. Remember, that specific vitamins are no good without specific minerals.

Watch for Portion size

 Eating small frequent meals help to balance your calorie intake throughout the day and also keeps your blood sugar level balanced . Instead of eating 3 big meals, try to eat 5-6 smaller meals throughout the day. The recommended daily intake for dairy is three servings a day and whole grains is at least three servings daily also. If you do not normally eat these foods for lunch or dinner, it is easier to include these items in breakfast

Do Not Skip Meals

Skipping any meal will only aggravate your weight loss plan as losing weight is more about finding a right balance and optimizing the natural body cycle. However, eat more healthy and nutritious food (fruits, vegetable) & avoid carbohydrates. 

Do not ship breakfast

Skipping it can destroy all your weight loss efforts. If you do not eat in the morning, you will feel hungrier throughout the day with the result that you will easy more than you would have eaten at breakfast. What you would eat for breakfast can be food with more of fires but if you skip it you would end up eating fried or other snacks with heavy dressing adding to your calories. When sleeping your body is conserving energy, and partially shutting down. This partial shutdown slows your body’s metabolism. The body doesn’t start to metabolize and burn energy, which is how your lose weight, until it takes in some form of nutrients. That is one of the many reasons why breakfast is essential to losing weight.  Once you eat breakfast, your body will start to burn energy, and prepare for the daily load ahead of it.

Sleep adequately

Your body requires at least eight hours of sleep a night to recuperate from the . If you think that you’re doing yourself a favor by sleeping less, you’re mistaken. Give your body time to rest itself, both mentally and physically. Sleep is very, very important for not just mental alertness for the following day but also to keep a balance.

Understand Food Claims and level

A product labeled with a fat-free claim does not mean that it is low in calories. Similarly a product labeled as low-sugar or low-carb does not mean it is low in fat or calories. Always read the nutrition label on the packaging before buying anything.

Burn Calorie

Cut 100 calories a day from your diet. Replace your daily bar of chocolate with a banana or an orange. These 100 calories a day sum up to 1 pound a month. Just by giving up that one bar of chocolate, you can lose 1 pound of weight in one month!

Become your Own Snack Fairy

 It’s fine  to snack between meals, really. Small meals throughout the day are enough to keep you satisfied, as (much like the sensation of being full) you never want to feel hungry. Let your body know it’s going to get a regular regimen of calories. Plus, if you starve yourself for the regular meals, you’re probably going to eat more before your brain tells your mouth to stop. Think about it: breakfast, lunch, and dinner are social constructs at their very core.

High Fiber Foods

When you eat, make it foods that are high in fiber content. Fiber helps digestion and moves the waste through your system easier. You will also feel fuller faster and remain full longer if you do this. Hot Spicy Foods Can Help. Scientific studies have proven that hot, spicy foods and mustards can increase metabolism by as much as 40%. Higher metabolism means faster natural weight loss for you.

Discard refined foods

Stay away from refined food such as sugar, and enriched products such as white flour, white rice, white bread, pizza, maida (refined flour) , nan (type of Indian bread) and pasta that is not organic or whole grain. These have no nutritional value. Because of its lack of fiber, refined foods causes the body to absorb more calories because intestinal activity slows down. If the food we eat is not metabolized properly, it is highly likely to be stored as fat, unless of course there are vitamins and minerals provided. Aside from these, refined foods cause us to overeat because it doesn’t provide the nutrition that our body needs so that biological hunger ceases. With food which are high in fiber and contains all the essential nutrients, we feel fuller for a longer time. The best weight loss is a healthy weight loss – remove empty foods from your diet!

Benefits of walking

• Walking helps to improve your overall health and fitness and is a great way to lose weight, tone your muscles, strengthen your heart and instill a general feeling of well-being and positive self-esteem. 

[hana-code-insert name=’rectangle’ /]

• It burns calories
• It can help towards maintaining a healthy weight
• It helps to boost your metabolism
• It helps to reduce body fat
• It boosts your energy levels
• It strengthens your legs
• It helps to strengthen the immune system
• It improves your circulation
• It lowers your blood pressure
• It helps to prevent and control diabetes
• It promotes positive mental health, including higher levels of self-esteem
• It helps you to manage stress and release tension
• It helps to improve the ability to fall asleep quickly and sleep well
• It may motivate your children to walk more if that’s what they see you doing and provides an activity to share with family members and friends
• It can be done almost anywhere
• It’s more environmentally friendly than driving
• It’s free

Fit More Walking Into Your Day

At Work

• Park your car in the space that is the furthest away and walk to the office
• If you take the train/bus get off a stop or two early and walk the rest of the way 
• Walk to work  
• On your lunch break go for a walk around the block
• If you need to speak to somebody in the office walk over to them instead of phoning them
• Walk to the local shop to buy your lunch
• Don’t take the lift, use the stairs

With the Kids

• Walk the children to school/playgroup
• Walk to the park and back with the kids at the weekend
• Find the time for one walk each week with each child – make this your special time when the two of you are alone and you can chat / catch up
• Plan fun exploration walks for the kids – get out and explore your local neighborhood
• Make it your mission to plan a new walk for each weekend – look out for local parks, country walks, etc
• If you drop your children at clubs / parties, don’t spend the time driving back and forth, go for a walk instead

With Friends

• Plan to go walking for fitness once a week with a friend  
• If you plan to meet friends walk to their house, or get them to meet you half way
• Offer to join your friend when they are walking the dog  
• Rather than meeting your friends for coffee, suggest going for a stroll

At Home

• Get up early and go for a walk  
• Cancel the paper / milkman and walk to the shop instead  
• If you run out of essentials, walk to the local shop to buy them – don’t take the car
• Walk whilst talking on the phone
• Set yourself a goal to walk up and down the stairs a certain amount of times per day  
• Use the upstairs bathroom 
• Whilst watching T.V. always get up and walk around during the adverts 

How many calories will you burn walking?

 A linear relationship exists at walking speeds of 3 to 5 km/hr and oxygen uptake but at faster speeds oxygen consumption rises making walking less economical. 

Body mass can predict energy expenditure with reasonable accuracy at walking speeds of 2 to 4 mph (3.2 to 6.4 km/hr). The following table provides the amount of calories you will burn per minute for ranges of body mass (weight) and speed when you walk on a firm level surface (road, track or grass).  

Speed		Body Mass
		Kg	36	45	54	64	73	82	91
mph	km/hr	Lb	80	100	120	140	160	180	200
2.0	3.22		1.9	2.2	2.6	2.9	3.2	3.5	3.8
2.5	4.02		2.3	2.7	3.1	3.5	3.8	4.2	4.5
3.0	4.83		2.7	3.1	3.6	4.0	4.4	4.8	5.3
3.5	5.63		3.1	3.6	4.2	4.6	5.0	5.4	6.1
4.0	6.44		3.5	4.1	4.7	5.2	5.8	6.4	7.0

If your body mass is 64 kg and you walk at a speed of 5.63 km/hr then you will burn approximately 4.6 Calories/minute – if you walk for one hour you will burn 60 × 4.6 = 276 Calories

Benefits of Running

When running at identical speeds, a trained distance runner runs at a lower percentage of aerobic capacity than an untrained athlete does, even though the oxygen uptake during the run will be similar for both athletes. 
[hana-code-insert name=’rectangle’ /]
The demarcation between running and jogging depends on the individual’s level of fitness. Independent of fitness it becomes far more economical from an energy viewpoint to change from walking to running when your speed exceeds 8km/hr (5 mph). Above 8km/hr the oxygen intake for a walker exceeds the oxygen intake of a runner. At 10km the walker’s oxygen (O2) uptake is 40 ml/kg/min compared to 35 ml/kg/min for the runner.

Body mass can predict energy expenditure with reasonable accuracy when running on a firm level surface (road, track or grass). The amount of calories required to run 1 km equals your weight in kg – a runner of 78 kg will burn 78 Calories/km. This amounts to 15.6 liters of oxygen (O2) consumed per kilometer (1 liter of O2 = 5 Calories)

The following table provides the amount of calories you will burn per minute for ranges of body mass (weight) and speed when you run on a firm level surface (road, track or grass).

.

Speed	Body Mass (Kg)
km/hr	55		65	75	85	95
8	7.1		8.3	9.4	10.7	11.8
9	8.1		9.8	11.0	12.6	14.4
10	9.1		10.8	12.2	13.6	15.3
11	10.2		11.8	13.1	14.7	16.6
12	11.2		12.8	14.1	15.6	17.6
13	12.1		13.8	15.0	17.0	18.9
14	13.3		15.0	16.1	17.9	19.9
15	14.3		15.9	17.0	18.8	20.8
16	15.4		17.0	18.1	19.9	21.9

abdominal exercises to remain slim and trim and also lose weight

The following are the exercises for the reduction of abdominal fat which is the most tough one to reduces and is a major source of over weight. Flat abdomen automatically means that you keep you weight in control and live an active life. [hana-code-insert name=’rectangle’ /]Excess fat in body start showing up on the abdomen in men in general and on the hips and buttocks in women to start with and expanding to other parts of the body gradually.

The main reason for this is the abdomen muscles are least put to use during our modern daily routines.

The function of the abdominal muscles is to make our upper body straight while walking or sitting. As we normally have a sitting job and our back rests on the back support of chairs, our abdominal muscles are also put to rest and start accumulating fat above them.

Burning fat should be the main purpose of the best abdominal exercise and the most effective activities for burning fat directly are aerobically based exercises like swimming, rowing or brisk walking. These exercises not only help burn fat directly from fat cells but also burn many more calories than doing 200 sit ups.

The following are the most popular abdominal exercises

Double Leg Lifts

Lie down on your back, with your hands placed under your butt, with the palms facing the floor. Then, contracting your lower abdominal muscles, and tightening the muscles of your legs, lift them straight up vertically, and hold them there for a few seconds. Then lower them down until they are a few inches off the floor, and hold it there again for a few seconds. Repeat 5-8 times to begin with. Later, as you feel your abs getting stronger, increase the reps to 15-20 times. Then, as you get even stronger, you can lift your head and shoulders off the floor while performing the leg lifts.

Alternating Leg Walks

Begin by lying on your back, placing your hands under your butt, and take a few deep breaths. Then, contract the lower ab muscles and lift your right leg up slowly, until it is 90 degrees to your body. The, equally slowly, lower it back down, until it is a few inches off the floor, while simultaneously raising your left leg. Keep lifting your legs alternatively about 8-10 times to begin with. Later, as your abs become stronger, you can increase the count to 15-20 times. And, as in the previous one, lift your head and shoulders off the floor while performing the exercise.

Double Leg Reverse Crunches

Lie down on your back, with your hands under your butt. Lift both your legs up until they are in a vertical position. Now bend your legs at the knees, so that the lower part is parallel to the floor. Then, contracting your lower abs, and maintaining your bent knees, gradually lower your legs until the soles of your feet are just a couple of inches off the floor. Keep your abs contracted and hold this position for a few seconds. Then increasing the contraction in your abs, lift your knees up again, bringing them towards your chest. This is a somewhat challenging exercise, so begin by doing just 3-5 reps. Later, as you feel yourself getting stronger, increase the reps gradually, until you can do 15-20 reps.

Scissors

Lying on your back, with your hands under your butt, contract your lower abs and tighten your leg muscles and lift both your legs up, until they are about two feet off the floor. Now, without bending the knees, get your right leg across your left leg, so that both legs are crossed. Then open your legs out, and close them again, reversing the positions of the legs. Keep repeating this scissoring action, keeping your lower abs contracted, about 8-10 times, to start with. Then, increase that to 15-20 reps as you get stronger.

Double Leg Circles

Lie down on your back, with your hands under your butt. Then, contracting your lower abs, lift both legs a few inches off the floor. Now, rotate both legs together in circles. Make 5 circles in a clockwise direction. Then lower the legs to the floor, and relax for a few seconds. Then repeat the exercise with 5 anticlockwise circles. You can increase the number of circles to 10-15 as you get stronger.

Note

It is essential to do these exercises slowly

If you do them too fast, momentum kicks in, and the exercises become ineffective. As is evident, all these exercises require you to place your hands under your butt. This is important for avoiding lower back stress. You don’t want to end up developing lower back pain while getting those washboard-flat abs.

fitness equipment to loose weight at home

The market for home-based fitness equipments is pretty large. The allure of being able to get rid of fat at the comfort of home is so attractive that people are flocking in hordes in order to grab a couple of cool exercise machines. Going by the market demand, one would wonder why so few people actually manage to loss weight successfully.
[hana-code-insert name=’rectangle’ /]
You see, buying a fitness machine is one thing, and losing weight quite another. You may have the latest and best exercise machine at your home, but unless you really workout with it, you won’t loss weight. According to the market researchers, less than half of those frenzy buyers of exercise equipments actually use it.

Unless you are 100% sure that you are going to use the exercise equipment you want to buy, don’t buy it and invest your money somewhere else.

So the first step is to make sure that you are really ready, both physically and mentally, for working out using home exercise equipments, and for that, you need to prove it to yourself that you are really ready, again both physically and mentally, to lead an active lifestyle.

Scientists believe it takes 21 successive days of acting in a desired way to create a new habit. Do the lose weight exercises for one month continuously. If you are able to do so then you are determined to lose weight and  you will not waste money by not using the exercise equipment.

Health clubs and gyms are great choices and offer a social environment and inspiration. However the time wasted driving to the club or waiting in line for equipment, or the recurring membership fees may be costs you can avoid by exercising at home.

Exercising at home is convenient because you can do it on your own time, anytime you like.

Try Before You Buy

Many options are available when you are ready to buy home exercise equipment. Take your time, shop around, and think carefully about what best meets your needs. Never buy exercise equipment on impulse. In fact, you should try out any equipment (wearing exercise clothes) at least several times before you buy.

these are the two common home exercise equipment.

Treadmill

For walkers and runners a treadmill is a logical choice. Smooth treadmills are the most efficient equipment to burn calories and lose weight; that is why they are the most popular.

Elliptical Cross Trainers

Elliptical trainers offer a no-impact workout that exercises numerous muscle groups. This is more useful for people having knee joint pains, old age people as this is a non impact exercise equipment which is completely safe from any kind of impact leading to injury.

Exercise Bike