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Hot slimming tip: eat yoghurt!

A new study conducted by researchers at the University of Tennessee, United States of America, suggests that eating yoghurt (curd) helps you lose fat.

Researchers found that obese adults, who ate three servings of fat-free yoghurt a day as part of a reduced calorie diet, lost 22 per cent more weight and 61per cent more body fat than those who simply cut calories and didn't bone up on calcium.

Yoghurt eaters also lost 81 per cent more fat in the stomach area than non-yoghurt eaters.

Not only did yoghurt help the study participants lose more weight -- the average weight loss was 14 pounds (6.8 kilos) -- they were about twice as effective at maintaining lean muscle mass," said lead researcher Michael Zemel.

"This," he added, "is a critical issue when dieting -- you want to lose fat, not muscle. Muscle helps burn calories, but it is often compromised during weight loss."

In the study, researchers compared the effects of adding yoghurt to a reduced-calorie diet on weight loss in 34 healthy obese adults who were divided into two groups.

For 12 weeks, the first group ate three 6-ounce servings of fat-free yoghurt, providing about 1,100 milligrams of calcium per day.

The other group ate only serving of dairy providing 400-500 milligrams of calcium per day.

Both groups ate a controlled diet that contained 500 calories lesser than normal to stimulate weight loss.

Bijal Goradia, a dietician with Talwalkar's Gym who recommends specialised weight loss diets, says if one takes the Recommended Dietary Allowances of calcium in a day, it could aid in fat loss and weight loss.

RDA is the quantity of any nutrient essential for a balanced diet.

The average RDA for calcium is 1,400 micrograms. However, it also depends on the constituency of one's body.

Calcium works for some, whereas magnesium, chromium or zinc work for others.

Yoghurt is a source of protein with a high calcium content.

Yoghurt as a food may also be beneficial in more ways than one.

According to dietician Seema Talreja, yoghurt is recommended in diets because it has a lactic acid bacteria which cleanses the intestines, thus helping in detoxification.

Besides, it is also easy to digest as opposed to other dairy based products like cheese, paneer and tofu. Yoghurt also works as a good calcium substitute for these higher-calorie dairy products.

A few tips for you

1. Opt for low-fat yoghurt made from cow's milk.

2. If you are making yoghurt at home, use cow's milk instead of buffalo's milk, as the latter has a high fat content.

3. If you have a taste for fruit-based yoghurts, choose the right fruits. For instance, a strawberry flavour is preferable to a mango flavour, as the latter has more calories.

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Three Easy Ways to Lose Weight

Adopt These 3 Daily Eating Habits and Lose 24 Pounds of Body Fat!

Daily eating habits are crucial to weight control. We don't become overweight because we have the occasional eating binge. The extra calories we eat on these occasions do less damage than we think. The truth is, we gain weight because of our daily eating habits. It is these daily high-calorie food choices that do the real damage. So one way to reduce weight is to choose lower-calorie foods for your everyday meals or snacks. Here are three examples:

(1) Lose an Easy Six Pounds of Fat

Choose:
1 cup skim milk (90 calories).

Instead of:
1 cup whole milk (150 calories).

Save
60 calories

Do this once a day and save: 21,900 calories per year.
This is equivalent to: 6.25 pounds of weight

(2) Lose Another Easy Six Pounds of Body Fat

Choose:
6 oz light, fat-free yogurt (80)

Instead of:
6 oz full-fat yogurt (190)

Save
110 calories

Do this 4 times a week and save: 22,880 calories per year.
This is equivalent to: 6.5 pounds of weight

(3) Lose An Easy Eleven Pounds of Body Fat

Choose:
3 Cups Airpopped Popcorn (90)

Instead of:
3 Cups Microwaved Caramel Popcorn (280)

Save
190 calories

Do this 4 times a week and save: 39,520 calories per year.
This is equivalent to: 11.3 pounds of weight

---------------------------------------------

Weight Loss Results

By following these four suggestions, you will reduce your calorie intake by a total of 84,300 calories a year - equivalent to 24 pounds of body fat.

Even if you follow only half these suggestions, you will save yourself 42,000 calories, or more than 12 pounds of fat.

---------------------------------------------

Choose Your Own Lower-Calorie Options

If you already eat low-fat dairy food, or if you don't usually eat popcorn, design your own swaps. Simply select a food you DO eat regularly, then look for a lower-calorie alternative. It's not rocket science, but making small changes to your daily eating habits can make a huge difference to your weight over the course of time.

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How to Control Weight When You Suffer From Depression

Being Depressed

Depression is a tough condition to live with and I know that the weight gain experienced by people who suffer from depression is an added stress. In my experience, taking anti-depressants over a long period seems to contribute to weight gain and makes losing weight more difficult. However, please don't worry, if you are patient and follow my diet program, you will lose weight and lighten your life.
Trust Me to Give You the Best Possible Personal Support

When you join my weight loss program, you receive free membership to my weight loss forum and become part of a fantastic community.

Trust me - you'll be amazed at the quality of personal support and helpful advice you'll receive from myself and other members. We will lift your spirits, boost your motivation and make it as easy as possible for you to lose weight.

General Advice About Depression, Diet and Weight Control
Depression and Serotonin

Serotonin is the brain chemical which helps us stay happy. Eating carbohydrates helps to increase serotonin levels and may explain why we sometimes crave these foods. So if you suffer from depression, do not follow a carb-restricted or low-carb eating plan, although it is very important to eat 'good' carbs and avoid refined carbs. My GI Diet is ideal for anyone who wants to eat only the healthiest carbs. Good carbohydrates include foods like oats, whole wheat bread, pasta, basmati or wholegrain rice, and beans/legumes.
Depression and Selenium

Small amounts of selenium has also been effective in the treatment of depression. Selenium can be obtained by eating foods such as whole wheat bread, bran, Brazil nuts, tuna, onions, tomatoes and broccoli. Include some of these foods on a regular basis.
Antioxidants

Include plenty of vegetables and salad in your diet and include a couple of meals with fish each week. The antioxidants and fatty acids found in these foods help protect the brain cells from both ageing and depression.
Breakfast

Breakfast is an important meal for anyone who wants to control their weight, but especially so for patients with depression. So make sure you eat good breakfast and ideally include some 'good' carbs like oats, All Bran, Shredded Wheat, whole wheat bread, fresh fruit.
Exercise Improves Depression

New research suggests that exercise may be more effective than drugs in treating mild to moderate depression. If you don't currently take exercise, then if possible, start with 20-30 minutes each day. A brisk walk, cycle or swim is an excellent way to begin. Increase your workout gradually up to 45 minutes each day.
Eating, Exercise and Lifestyle Routine

A regular routine helps to maintain stable metabolism and blood-sugar levels, which in turn improves mood, and should therefore help to alleviate some symptoms of depression. So eating and exercising at regular times may be helpful if you suffer from depression. Above all, avoid going too long between eating - ideally, eat regularly throughout the day, even if it's only a piece of fruit or small snack.
Weight Loss Tips For People With Depression

Don't set yourself over-ambitious goals. Weight loss is always easier if you set realistic achievable goals. Why? Because achieving them makes you feel good and keeps you motivated.

When dieting, don't fall into the trap of trying to be "perfect". Why not? Because when you have a bad day, or go on an eating binge, you will feel so guilty and useless that you may quit your diet altogether. A better approach to dieting and losing weight is to ASSUME you are going to make mistakes - after all, who's perfect? Then make a plan for what to do when the wheels come off your diet-wagon! Knowing you have a plan to help you overcome this type of diet problem will make you feel much more relaxed about the whole idea of dieting.

Losing weight is not a race. It's a journey. So don't get stressed if you have difficulties following your diet-and-exercise plans. A bad week may slow down your weight loss, but it doesn't mean you should quit. Simply take a break, allow yourself to relax and settle down, then re-start your diet. Many dieters think that if they overeat at the weekend, or eat too much during the week, they might as well give up dieting and stay overweight. This isn't true. Most successful dieters have tons of bad days - the only difference is, they roll with the punch and then re-start their diet. They know that losing weight is a steady journey with lots of pauses along the way.

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How to Look Thinner Without Dieting!

We all know that diet and exercise is the best approach in order to improve our shape and make it leaner. But is there an easier way?

Answer: Yes, there is! Choose clothes that make you LOOK thinner!!

What to Wear To Give yourself a Leaner Look

1. Go Monochrome!

Monochromatic dressing - wearing just one color from head to toe - is the favorite trick of virtually every fashion editor and stylist. Two colors break the body in half and a lighter color on the bottom makes you look bottom-heavy. One dark color creates a longer, leaner look. Black is the most slimming color, but any dark color is good.

Note: If you really want to wear two colors, then wear the the darker color on the bottom and the lighter on top.

A "Monochrome Look" doesn't have to be dull. Far from it. This is where a mixture of textures can add richness, interest and sophistication to any outfit. Mix soft wool, cashmere, suede, velvet and silk in the same color. This helps create interest without taking away the magic "Vertical Line" that makes you look long and lean!

2. Blend Shades Of The Same Color

Another great way to create the long-lean look is to blend different shades of the same color. Blend lighter and darker shades of one color. Blend a range of greys, from pearl grey to slate, to charcoal, or mix a range of browns from stone to taupe to coffee. But remember: keep the lighter colors on top.

3. How to Mix Colors

If you want to go for a mixture of color, do so, but keep it dark! Mix any subtle dark color like mink brown, charcoal grey, deep forest green, with black. Remember everything should "flow" without interruption from top to toe.

4. Other Tips to Improve Body Shape

Skirts
Skirts should be longer than they are wide. Fuller skirts look better longer; straight skirts look better shorter. Hem lines look better when they reach the narrowest part of the calf. Avoid wearing very long skirts as they can be ageing. If you are bottom-heavy, avoid pleats as they can add pounds to your shape.

Jackets
Choose long-line, single-breasted jackets with hidden pockets. Avoid belts, bulky pockets and anything that draws attention to the midriff.

Pants
Avoid wide-bottom pants, as they can make you look bigger than you really are! Instead choose well-cut, tailored, straight-legged pants, ideally without pockets, or with 'hidden' pockets.

A Note About How Adults Perceive Their Weight and Body Shape

Research into body image by Kellogg's corporation reveals that women typically base their perception of their body shape on supermodels and Hollywood film stars, rather than on ordinary women. But according to research, models and film stars are 15-23 percent lower in weight and 5-6 inches taller than the 'average' American woman who is 5 feet 4 inches tall and weighs 138 pounds. No wonder an estimated 95 percent of women feel depressed about their weight and shape.

The moral? Don't compare your weight or shape with these artificial people. Dress in lean-looking clothes, and if you want to actually reduce weight, choose a healthy eating plan, take reqular exercise and let Nature do the rest.

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Three Easy Ways to Lose Weight

Adopt These 3 Daily Eating Habits and Lose 24 Pounds of Body Fat!

Daily eating habits are crucial to weight control. We don't become overweight because we have the occasional eating binge. The extra calories we eat on these occasions do less damage than we think. The truth is, we gain weight because of our daily eating habits. It is these daily high-calorie food choices that do the real damage. So one way to reduce weight is to choose lower-calorie foods for your everyday meals or snacks. Here are three examples:
(1) Lose an Easy Six Pounds of Fat

Choose:
1 cup skim milk (90 calories).

Instead of:
1 cup whole milk (150 calories).

Save
60 calories

Do this once a day and save: 21,900 calories per year.
This is equivalent to: 6.25 pounds of weight.
(2) Lose Another Easy Six Pounds of Body Fat

Choose:
6 oz light, fat-free yogurt (80)

Instead of:
6 oz full-fat yogurt (190)

Save
110 calories

Do this 4 times a week and save: 22,880 calories per year.
This is equivalent to: 6.5 pounds of weight
(3) Lose An Easy Eleven Pounds of Body Fat

Choose:
3 Cups Airpopped Popcorn (90)

Instead of:
3 Cups Microwaved Caramel Popcorn (280)

Save
190 calories

Do this 4 times a week and save: 39,520 calories per year.
This is equivalent to: 11.3 pounds of weight

---------------------------------------------
Weight Loss Results

By following these four suggestions, you will reduce your calorie intake by a total of 84,300 calories a year - equivalent to 24 pounds of body fat.

Even if you follow only half these suggestions, you will save yourself 42,000 calories, or more than 12 pounds of fat.

---------------------------------------------
Choose Your Own Lower-Calorie Options

If you already eat low-fat dairy food, or if you don't usually eat popcorn, design your own swaps. Simply select a food you DO eat regularly, then look for a lower-calorie alternative. It's not rocket science, but making small changes to your daily eating habits can make a huge difference to your weight over the course of time.

Read more!

How Fast Can You Lose Weight?

Weight Loss Includes Fat, Muscle and Water

When we lose weight we don't just lose fat. We lose a combination of body fat, and muscle tissue. For example, studies show that when we diet, the weight we lose is on average 75 percent fat and 25 percent muscle. Furthermore, a relatively high percentage of this weight loss is likely to be water loss. Remember, water accounts for about 70 percent of the total body weight of an average person, with muscle tissue containing roughly 75 percent water (plus 20 percent protein and 5 percent minerals), and body fat containing roughly 50 percent water.

Factors That Affect Speed of Weight Loss

The human body does not lose weight at a regular or uniform speed. Different people reduce weight at different speeds. This is because weight reduction is dependent on various factors, including: weight; diet and lifestyle; level of physical activity; health and genes (inc. metabolic rate); the level of stress experienced.
Weight Loss is Not an Exact Science

As you can see, not only does weight loss include other things besides fat-tissue, the actual speed of weight reduction is determined by a variety of individual factors. So it's difficult, if not impossible, to give a precise answer to the question "how fast can I lose weight?" However, as a rough guide, here are some basic guidelines for maximum weight loss.

What is the Most Weight You Can Lose?

It is possible to lose anything up to about 20 pounds of weight per week, but most of this is likely to be water. It will therefore be regained as soon as normal eating resumes.
What is the Most Fat You Can Lose?

The maximum amount of body fat a healthy person can lose is about 3-4 pounds per week. Typically, only obese people are likely to be able to lose this amount of fat. By comparison, a woman of average weight (about 140 pounds) is likely to lose a maximum of about 1-1.5 pounds per week.
Why You Can't Lose More Weight

The human body is not designed to shed weight. It is designed to survive! Our basic body chemistry endures from prehistoric times, when famine, rather than obesity, was the biggest threat. This is why it won't lose excessive amounts of fat in a short period of time. In fact, if you drastically reduce your calorie-intake, your brain takes active steps to slow down your metabolism, in order to conserve calories. This is one reason why we encounter a weight loss plateau.
Side Effects of Losing Weight Too Quickly

Too rapid weight loss (eg. after bariatric surgery) can lead to unpleasant side effects. The two most common effects of over-rapid weight reduction include:
Appearance of Loose Skin

If you reduce weight too quickly, your skin does not have time to shrink to your leaner body shape. The only effective treatment for this is surgical intervention, such as Abdominoplasty (tummy tuck).
Gallstones

Studies have shown that people who lose excessive amounts of weight very quickly, have a greater risk of developing gallstones than those who lose weight at slower speeds. Too rapid weight reduction may also cause "silent" gallstones to become active.
Weight Regain (Weight Rebound)

Sudden fast weight reduction is usually caused by artificial changes to our eating habits as a result of (eg) very-low-calorie diet plans, or bariatric surgery. Not surprisingly, this does not give us enough time to learn new eating habits. So although our physical weight may have changed, our mental approach to food and eating remains the same. In the absence of medical supervision, or other support, we commonly find ourselves unable to sustain the new dietary habits required to maintain our lighter weight, and regain all our lost weight.

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What Weight Loss Goals are Best?

Knowing the best type of weight loss goals to aim for is crucial in maintaining your motivation to reduce weight.
Not Just a Matter of Losing Weight

It's great to step on your bathroom scales and discover you've lost weight, but weight reduction isn't the only target to aim for. In my experience, the most successful dieters are those people who have a variety of different goals.
Weight Loss Goals Should be: Specific, Realistic and Forgiving

For example, "take regular exercise" is a great objective, but it's not specific enough. Better is "Walk four miles every day." Then again, this may not be realistic if you are unfit or if you can't gauge distance. In such cases "walk for 30 minutes every day" is more realistic. But if your work schedule or the weather is too erratic to permit a daily walk, be more forgiving and aim for "30 minutes of walking for 5 days a week". This is specific, realistic and allows you two days off.
Nothing Succeeds Like Success

Before you start a weight loss program, take a few body-measurements. Measure your bust, waist, hips, thighs and upper arms. Keep a note and re-check your measurements every couple of weeks. Being able to see improvements in body shape, as well as weight, can be a useful extra boost if weight loss slows.
Short-Term Incremental Goals are Best For Weight Loss

Olympic athletes are among the world's most motivated people. They typically measure their progress in incremental stages, rather than big leaps. Apply this principle to your weight reduction campaign.
Dieting Goals
You don't have to start a totally new calorie-plan overnight. You can start by eating (say) 2000 calories, then lower this by 100 calories a week until you reach (say) 1400 calories. Keeping a food journal, in which you record foods/drink consumed, is a great way to monitor (and be inspired by) progress.

Exercise Goals
Investing in a pedometer (step-counter) and counting steps is a great way to improve your fitness level, especially if you are very overweight. Aim to walk a certain number of steps per day, (eg. 8-10,000 steps) then increase this number gradually. If you are fitter, you might aim to use a treadmill for 30 minutes at (say) a speed of 5 mph, on an incline of 1 percent. Then increase the speed and incline gradually. Keeping an exercise journal is a great way to monitor (and be inspired by) progress.

Weight Loss Goals
Despite what you may think, losing 2 pounds of weight in one week is a significant achievement. Impatient or unrealistic dieters typically feel very deflated when they only lose 2 pounds, but these people are unlikely ever to achieve long term weight loss. The truth is, 2 pounds is a significant reduction, and should be your maximum weekly goal. For many people, 1.5 pounds is more realistic. Remember, the slower the weight loss, the less chance of weight regain.

The Best Rewards
Give yourself regular small rewards for achieving your diet, exercise and weight loss goals. Earning several small rewards is typically more motivating than earning one big reward which might require more effort.

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