Health tips

Eat, drink and be merry for tomorrow you may diet

We have talked to a few girls and asked them about the one thing that they would readily give away without giving a second thought. The replies were 5 pounds from their total weight. Well that's the case with modern girls.

This is the age of maintaining a lank figure. It's a body free from fat which enhances the grace of a person, be it a man or a woman. A bulging tummy, swollen hands and feet and a fleshy face only overshadow your actual physical structure and beauty. Let's all of us try to trim those extra fats and divulge the hidden elegance that we all possess.

Have you ever thought of finding out what the ideal weight of a person of your height should be? If not, then take a glance at the table below. We believe it will shed some light on your thoughts.

People resort to infinite measures to reduce their weight but dieting has always reigned as the number 1 status. Dieting has been used for decades as a useful weapon to fight being overweight. However, many people complain that they eventually regain the weight that they lost through dieting. So they try again and ultimately get caught up in the endless cycle of weight loss and gain.

According to diet experts, there are several things to keep in mind when trying to lose weight:

Do not starve yourself! Doing so only slows down your metabolism.

Exercise...Find an exercise regimen that's right for you. Remember walking is one of the best exercises. Water exercise is also great for everyone, especially those with arthritis. Water exercise is great because it allows you to exercise without putting stress on your bones.

Drink...Drink...then Drink some more! Be sure to drink at least eight 8oz glasses of water a day. Water is so beneficial to your body in so many ways. So Drink to your health!

Find a friend...Dieting is hard, let's face it, but if you can find a friend to diet with it really helps.

Don't go grocery shopping hungry! Make a grocery list, before you go to the grocery store... Don't forget to take it with you! Stick to your list and it will help your diet as well as your budget.

Write it down! Write down everything that you eat, you would be surprised to discover that you won't eat if you have to write it down!

Be positive! Always try to have a positive attitude. The weight didn't magically appear, so don't expect it to magically disappear.

Eat until you are satisfied, not until you are stuffed!
Maintain good eating habits. After you have reached your desired weight, try to keep the routine that you have made while dieting. This will prevent you from regaining the weight you have lost.

Serve yourself smaller portions of food, and leave the table before you see what is being served for dessert. Don't buy snack foods if they are not readily available at home.

We all know that it is difficult to face sudden changes in our eating habits but this change in eating habit is worth it. Over time when you will discover yourself within the perfect body frame all those tiring and boring days of dieting will fade away in a snap.

There are certain things that we ourselves can follow at home to prevent our family members from acquiring those extra pounds. For instance, you can use two egg whites instead of one whole egg while using egg in your dish. Since the mother of the family is usually in charge of the kitchen, it's her alertness, which counts the most. She can poach, bake, or broil meats, fish, and poultry. You can prepare and enjoy crisp vegetable salads instead of greasy foods.

When travelling, don't make food your vacation. When you go out to eat with your family, order from the light menus now offered at many restaurants, or purchase low-calorie or reduced-fat products at the grocery store. These kinds of foods are now available in many of the prominent departmental stores in Dhaka.

Do you know what are the worst kinds of foods to devour while you are on a diet? Sugar, anything fried in additional oil, fruit juice and carbonated beverages are some of the harmful food items to mention.

Exercising regularly will also help you tremendously to cut your weight. But before you choose to exercise, select a program that will go hand in hand with your daily schedule. If you dislike the thought of joining an aerobics class, choose simple exercises, which will also be beneficial.

Walking is really really helpful. Walk a lot; go to your roof to take a little walk if your neighborhood is not a pleasant place to walk around. You can even walk around in your home. Get some exercise equipment to speed up your weight loss. You can also choose to ride an exercise bike while watching TV, this will reduce the boredom of work out.

When you decide on exercising to reduce weight, start on a small scale in the beginning; 10 to 15 minutes a day, thrice a week and then gradually increase the rate to 30 minutes a day and 5 days a week. Daily exercise with healthy eating choice will help you to control your weight.

For your help, we have collected the following list, which shows a few ways to burn 150 calories (calorie is the unit to measure the energy value of food).

Washing or waxing a car for 45-60 minutes. Washing windows or floors for 45-60 minutes. Gardening for 35-45 minutes. Bicycling 5 miles in 30 minutes. Walking 2 miles in 30 minutes.

Swimming laps for 20 minutes. Jumping rope for 15 minutes.

Stair walking for 15 minutes. Dancing energetically for 30 minutes.

However, remember that before you choose a diet program, consult your doctor and then go for a diet curriculum. Do not just immediately go for a diet program that you see in a newspaper or the Internet.

Even when you are dieting you must make sure that your nutrition requirements are properly fulfilled, otherwise you will be faced with malnutrition and other health hazards.

A good diet should monitor the fats and the amount of total calories you consume.

It's not surprising that wealthy people are more prone to weight related problems. Those who can afford to buy are the ones that devour the expensive yummies (which are usually rich in fat), and it's also these people who end up being overweight. For the poorer section of the population, they are content with their 3 meals a day and no extra food. And these are the people who are never seen suffering from high cholesterol, obesity or heart diseases.

We are not asking you to starve and then suffer from malnutrition; rather we are requesting you to maintain a balanced diet for yourself. The large chunk of money that you spend for buying those fat filled, greasy foods can be utilised for a more productive purpose.

The cliché goes Health is Wealth, and it's indeed true. But overweight is never your Wealth, so a little loss of this wealth will only benefit you in so many ways that you yourself will be surprised to spot the difference. It's time you gave it a try.

Wishing you all a healthy body and a healthy mind.

By Wara Karim