20 Best Ways To Control Hunger!

I know controlling hunger is the biggest hurdle in the weight loss journey, I know because I myself have been trying to loose weight(Successfully 7lbs) and what I found most difficult is to control my hunger. Here are a few ways which I read around and learnt, I hope you will be really helped:

1. Those who have acidity , tend to get hungry frequently, the best thing to do is drink warm water first thing in the morning, drinking hot water not only flushes all the body toxins but also controls the acidity. If you have break outs, then also this is very useful. You will see changes after continuing it for 1 week.

2. Drink lots of water. Water not only quenches your thirst but also gives you a stomach filling feeling. Remember, never drink water just after your meal, drink simultaneously or before the meal.

3. Eat fruits with 0 fat and a few calories. The best one which I recommend is Apple. But you can have oranges and papaya, watermelon, etc.Avoid sweet and high calorie content fruits like Mango, banana,etc.

4. Read the number of calories and fat content of each food you take. Try to eat food with zero fat like non fat milk, curd,etc.

5. Eat meals in small quantity but frequently, in every 2hrs. 

6. In the morning its best to start the day with any zero fat corn flakes and non fat milk. Eat to satisfy your self. 

You will be filled for hours.

7. Divert your attention, Put on some music, dance or just take a walk outside a park where there are no food shops. 

8. If you are feeling like eating ice cream, go for non fat yogurt, its available in chocolate, black forest, vanilla flavors. You can enjoy a scoop of ice cream once a month.

9. Stop eating outside. Try to eat home cooked meals as much as possible. Eating outside takes you closer to your temptation, you may go to a subway for picking a sandwich but may end up with some chips, etc. So don't trust yourself too much. Remember, the best way to avoid temptation is to keep away from it.

10. Do sit ups, Sit ups tend to contract your stomach muscles, thus they make your stomach space lesser everyday. Remember don't ever try to over eat. If your stomach feels filled, leave the rest. If it does not goes to dustbin, it will go to your butt. Stop worrying about food waste. What for are refrigerators and air seal containers, etc? 

11. Cook in small quantities.  There are two advantages of this. Firstly, there will be no wastage, secondly, there will be lesser amount to eat and every time you will cook that will lead to some extra physical activity.

12. Replace your soft drink with Zero calorie Pepsi or coke.

13. If you want to eat chocolate, eat nutri bars of chocolate flavors. The best one being Fibre One(among all that I have tried...).

14. Don't drink juice, instead go for water with half of the lemon squeezed in it.

15. Every time you feel hungry , before you eat, go to gym and burn the amount of calories you are going to have. You will realize that every calorie is so difficult to burn, you will be more inclined to eat lesser.

16. Plan your meals. Don't overeat and as well don't eat lesser. IF you have been eating 2000-1600 calories per day and you need to eat 1200 calories to loose weight, don't jump from 2000 to 1200, that will be very difficult for your body to adjust. The best thing is to do it gradually. First week make it 1600, then next week 1500, then 1400......

17. Try meditation. I know many people tend to over eat when they are stressed, the best way to over come stress is to meditate in the morning. You will feel instantly revived and calm.

18. Be patient. Rome was not built in one day! You just can't get over temptations in one day. It takes time. We went to Vegas and last to last weekend and I ate ice cream in the dinner, my most favorite thing to eat...then the next day I again took a cup of ice cream...I ate just half and threw the rest. From that day I have not eaten even a spoon of it. 

19. Don't bring any high calorie food or fat food in house. Replace everything. Throw away butter, bring a ketchup of your choice. Replace your oil, use cannola, etc. If you like cheese, replace it with Tofu.

20. Sleep early at night. Don't be awake after 10  pm. This will prevent you from eating late, which adds to the weight exponentially, as in the evening the metabolic rate is the lowest. 

You must understand your body firstly, to mold it in a right way. Consider your medical conditions as well. For example, if you are anemic, plan your meal accordingly by adding spinach salad, taking supplements, etc. Consult your doctor immediately if you feel nausea, weak or giddy. Don't torture your self, take it slow and easy. It took me 2 months to loose 3 kgs. Be patient. Don't eat fewer than 1200 calories.

Sonam Kapoor's Weightloss Tips!!

No doubt that Sonam Kapoor is a "Diva" and she has a stunning figure! This hottie was once 90 kgs, yeah, it is hard to believe but through her determination, she lost so much and became a gorgeous hot fashionista!! I think she looked great at Cannes 2011. 
Here is her interview about her weightloss!!

Q).Peshawarls love rich food, how do you deal with your genes?

A).We arc from Peshawar-a city where rich food and eating with abandon are
a way of life. I am very proud of my roots. But I realised it is neither healthy nor practical to live that way. Being an actor, I cannot afford to be sloppy. I need to be healthy all year round. Of course, having a health-conscious mother has been a blessing. She's always made sure we ate , wholesome meals, and as a family, we avoid overeating.

Q).So how did you end up putting on weight?

A).I was in a boarding school in Singapore for two year and somehow put on a lot of weight while I was there. Since I never planned on a film career, I neglected my diet and put on so much weight.

Q).You when did you decide to lose weight?

A).I would have continued being obese and unhealthy but for director Sanjay Leela Bhansali. I started assisting him on Black, and one day out of the blue he asked me to take up acting. Acting in films means having a fit body. So I started working on my weight. Eventually he offered me Saawariya. But to set the record straight, I had actually started los¬ing weight before I was offered any film.

Q).Tell us about your battle plan?

A).In all fairness, it was my mother who helped me get rid of my excess weight.
The first thing she did was to keep me off the stuff I was so fond of as a teenager-chocolates, ice creams, fried foods and sweets. My goal , was to lose 35 kilos.

I started weight training with trainers Shervir and Monisha; artistic yoga and Power Yoga with Bharat Thakur; Pilates with Yasmin Karachi¬wala and general fitness with trainer Zarine Watson. My training in Kathak helped me too. It's a vigorous form of classical dance and helps you get a toned body.

In addition, Zarine put me on six small meals a day-low on carbs and high on protein. My breakfast consisted of oatmeal and fruits. Post-work-out, I had brown bread with egg whites. Afterwards, it was a protein shake with juice. Lunch comprised dal, sabzi, one ragi roti, salad and a piece of chicken or fish. The evening snack, was high-fibre crackers with chicken cold cuts or egg whites. At dinner, it was soup, salad and a piece of chicken or fish. I followed this routine for a year and lost 35 kilos in all!

Q).How do you keep healthy?

A).I never binge and eat everything in moderation. Also, I never ignore my cravings. I eat whenever a craving strikes, but in small portions. When I felt like chocolates three weeks ago, I didn't hold back, I took a small piece. When I'm traveling I carry an apple or sandwich or health bars to satisfy myself without piling on excess calories.

My grandmother taught me to sip on warm water first thing in the morning. It flushes out toxins from the system. I follow it up with honey and lime water. Another must for me is a 'no smoking' atmosphere, at home, work or in public places.

A lot of people still think starving can help you stay slim.

Yeah, looking at my figure people often assume that I don't eat much. On the contrary, I eat every two hours. Since my day is packed with strenuous physi¬cal activity-shooting, swimming or dancing-I never allow myself to go hungry for too long. If I feel peckish I snack on nuts and dry fruits.

Drinking plenty of fluids through the day is also a must for me. I drink coconut water every hour or two; it not only quenches my thirst but also helps me feel fun. Other natural drinks such as cucumber juice and buttermilk also help me stay hydrated and keep my energy levels up.

I am quite particular about avoiding fried foods and sweets. Salt and sugar are silent killers so I consume both in moderation by switching to natural sugars and seasoning in my food.

What's your Fitness Routine?

I was very sporty in school and played rugby, basketball and other games regu¬larly. This has helped me develop flexibil¬ity to step in and out of different exercise routines with ease. I feel cardiovascular exercises work best for me in combination with weight training. Each day of the week I focus on a particular body part, such as the abdomen, arms, shoulders or waist.

I do 30 minutes of cardio every day. Two days a week I follow it up with dance exercises learnt from Ashley Lobo. On other days I practice Bharat Thakur's Power Yoga. It is very strenuous but has immense health benefits. In summer, I like to swim as much as I can. Whenever I get the time, I play squash too, which requires a lot of strength. I try to do different workouts and balance them out in order to keep my motivation high; plus mixing exercises helps burn more calories.

Q).What are your learnings from your weight-loss journey?

A).Erratic work schedules often make maintaining your weight difficult. But its possible as long as you eat healthy every day and work out a bit daily. Also its important to undergo a medical check-up to ensure that you havn't put on weight due to a medical condition.

Q).What's next on your Agenda?

A).I thought I had slimmed down enough but my father got me a fat-free, sugar-free cake on my birthday this year, just to remind me that I am in an industry full of female actors who are slimmer than me! I know I need to be on top of my weight. Not because I am vain, because I have reached a stage when I cannot be anything but healthy!

Sonam's food diary

Breakfast
An egg white omlette, a toast, a seasonal fruit, a glass of warm water. When bored with this, I try an idli, or poha.

Lunch
Chicken, rotis, a seasonal vegetable, curd and fruits. I try to avoid red meat. Once in a blue moon, I do have white rice too. My rotis are made of bajra, bran or jowar or any low grade protein-rich wheat. I also have a few cups of tea without sugar through the day.

Dinner
What time I eat dinner is more important than what I eat. I usually have it by 6:30 pm. On most days it is a veg/chicken sandwich, salad and may be some crispy French fries (but not too many!). I also enjoy fish- grilled or cooked in a Spartan gravy. If I still feel hungry then I end my day with a glass of soya milk or a protein shake before going to bed. In addition, I take multi-vitamins.

Here are some tips behind sonam kapoor's weight loss:

Sonam Kapoor at Cannes 2011

Ten tips to get the body you want :

1. Don’t eat that samosa.
2. Eat small meals, every two hours, instead of three big meals.
3. Stay away from refined foods. Eat lots of fruit and vegetables, and lean meats.
4. Exercise.
5. Cut down on caffeine and drink more water. Green tea has the caffeine you need, so switch from coffee.
6. Accept that there can be no excuse for straying from your regime.
7. Put on music and dance.
8. Recognise that there is no easy way.
9. Don’t be a lazy bum. You only need six hours of sleep. Get up and get moving.

Here is her quick work out routine:

So, Fashionistas, Gear up!


Source:Pinkvilla

Get going From Tomorrow!

I had a meeting with my trainer, her name is Claire, she is very slim and has a well toned body. She took my weight, measured my height. Then she helped me calculate my BMR by giving me an explanation.Here are ques/ans session I had with her:

Q). What should be the first step to loose weight?

A). Calculate your BMR and make sure that you eat not more than what your body consumes(it must be above 1200 calories.). Here is a link to BMR calculator online.The BMR Calculator will calculate your Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR); the number of calories you'd burn if you stayed in bed all day. Then you should calculate your calorie needs using Harris Benedict Formula here.If you are sedentary, multiply your BMR (1745) by 1.2 = 2094. This is the total number of calories you need in order to maintain your current weight.

Q). What is the simplest way to understand weight loss requirements?

A). Calorie Intake=Calorie You spend, then only you can maintain current weight. In order to loose weight you must spend more calories then you take whole day.

Q). How can i keep track of my calories?

A).Many online tools/websites/ apps are available for it. You can even use my fitness pal website to keep a track of calorie intake. It is available as an app as well.

Q). How can I control my hunger?

A). First of all, get rid of all the carbs. Remove all the bakery stuff, chocolates beers, oil, butter, etc from your house. Only when you don't have it in front of your eyes 24/7, then only you can stop thinking about it and control yourself. Secondly, bring fruits of your choices except banana and mango. Don't get juice, instead of juice eat whole fruit. Eat wheat bread.

Q).What should be my diet for first week in general?

A). 1.In the morning, its best to start with cereal and milk.(If you have acidity, she suggested drinking luke warm water first in the morning).

    2. Around 12:30-1:00 pm, have your lunch, it may contain fat free protein rich food like fish, some salad.

    3. Around 4:00-5:00 pm, you can have a wheat bread sandwich with out cheese or butter.

    4. In the evening around 8:00-9:00 pm, you can have dinner including salad and protein rich food.

Q). Do I need to start working out?

A). Yes, you should start with brisk walking, a little running and a few weight training exercises.

So, this was the brief session she gave me on Saturday. My BMR is 1409, So, I can take around 1600 calories in whole day. But I wanted a bit of quick result so, I am constricting myself to 1200 calories. 

Today, My diet plan is like:

1. Cup Milk,1 cup berries Special K in the morning.

2. Lunch: Indian Kidney Beans Currey, Recipe, two wheat breads with spinach salad.

3. Evening Snacks: 1 Granola Bar by Fibre one Chocolate, Grapes 50

4. Dinner: Fish, Fruit Salad or Veggies can have two sandwiches.

5. 4 Almonds and 1 tablespoon of Resins

I have started measuring my weight everyday.

My exercise:

I ran 10 minutes at a speed 4.5 mph and walked 20 minutes at a speed 3.5 mph. Then I did following exercises:

These are a few exercises to start with. I will post more as I know more. Keep tracking!!

Happy Loosing!!

Loosing the weight of pain and grief!

Hi,
This is Alisha. I gave a lot of thought that why my weight increased so much. I always used to eat a lot of carbs but what else happened that made me overeat and gain weight. I think there were several reasons, I had no job, I had a degree but it was of no use. I could not cope up with the struggle and emptiness in my life. Suddenly after college many things changed. We had to find a way to be independent. Being at home doing nothing, loss of friends(as they migrated to other cities or countries for their job) was my failure. I could not really understand what was going around, the recession was at peak that time. I used to stay at home watch TV, surf the internet sitting on the couch. I used to love dancing before but I really lost all interest in everything I earlier did and things which were around me. To get rid of my boredom I used to eat, eat and eat. I was hesitant to appear in public. My life sucked! After two months I was in depression, my doctor spotted, She very sweetly talked to me and convinced me to go to psychologist. I talked to her about my weight also, she said emotional factors play a vital role in the weight gain and hormonal imbalances. She took many tests, my blood test, thyroid check up, she suspected I may be hypo thyroid or hyperthyroid. But I was fine.


On my first meeting with my psychologist it was very tough for me to open up, but I told her my fears, how I am not happy about my past or what my boyfriend did to me or my parents don't care(which actually is not true, they were always very good to me but due to  my depression I saw everything negatively). She told me I just need to go out and find something good to do, something creative and that makes me happy. I also felt that I had enough of this. So , I started painting and cooking, which I eventually started enjoying. My parents, my boyfriend, every one encouraged me to go for higher degree, so I enrolled for GRE, I got the admission in masters. I made new friends. I think this really helped me to be happy again and now I am all set to get rid of my weight.


What I learnt  from my personal experience is we should forgive and forget, whenever we feel negative about the things, its always good to surround yourself with creative things that make you happy(Which may include playing with your dog on beach, etc.....), the first step to weightloss is being happy. By Being happy I don't mean that we can be only happy by becoming rich or becoming famous, being happy means spiritually contented and feeling lighter, which can only happen if we loose the guilt from our heart that weights more than our body weight. We should keep moving on in life, reading positive quotes everyday or some autobiography book of your inspirational hero, helps you to fight through the situation.  Seek the love and support of your family, don't be scared to go out. Be good and people will appreciate you! Aim high!


So, the first thing I am doing for weightloss is that I am trying to be emotionally strong now and I am trying to move on to positivity!I expect that you should also try to find out emotional factors that led to your weight gain and try dealing with them first.

Weight Loss Diaries of Alisha

            

Hi,
I am Alisha John, me and Aditi are very close friends....I gained 15 pounds of extra weight in past 1 year. I was very ignorant and I not even realized and I was 68kgs, which is very unusual for me as I was 50 kgs only.I am 5'4" and my body shape is curvy. My face looked big, I lost all the charm, my arms were huge. In my head I thought I am pretty.  But a few times people really said things to me for which I was not prepared and I was really hurt. I am all buckled up to loose weight now. The friends and my family were instantly ready to support me. I hired a trainer yesterday and I told this to Aditi. She encouraged me, but when I discussed my fears with her that I loose the discipline, many a times I get disheartened in the process and moreover I have no one to discuss my personal feelings about it, she suggested that I should start writing to communicate with the girls all over the world by writing blog as my weight loss diary.

I really loved the idea, so I am going to start writing a blog for "The Style Hymn" under the category Alisha's Weight Loss Diaries, in which I plan to discuss my feelings, my daily diet,my food habits, the tips which my trainer will suggest,(if you have particular doubts specifically let me know, I will get them answered) the exercise regime that I will follow. I know you are also lost somewhere like me, we share the same feelings and it will be nice to do it with my friends like you.... (yeah the readers with whom I wanna be best friends). We can share all about weight loss and we can loose the weight together. I will encourage you to post your comments which will keep me going.....