Its Okay to be Slightly Hungry:

I don't know...how to put in words, its okay to be slightly hungry but never ever starving! Does this make any sense?

What I am trying to say is...never do dratic diet(for example, Salad alone food, depending upon only shakes and liquids, Yo Yo diet...I mean). If you deprive yourself...I pretty much guarentee you that one day you're going to give up dieting and indulge more! To cut down calories...you don't have to skip Breakfast or Lunch.

Eat frequent meals of small portions, its okay to be slightly hungry...that is your stomach should be half the way filled. So that glucose passes steadily in the blood stream...the insulin production also won't be affected. You will safe from type 2 diabetus, obesity...etc.

Body's genetic makeup have evolved several 1000 years ago. So when a primitive man lived in a world with scarce food. When he strugled to hunt his daily meals...the genes evolved to store maximum fat...from the minimum food he rarely eats. When you deprive yourselves from eating, we still have the same gene make up anyway. So when we go on drastic diet...body thinks, that we are in starvation with scarce food source...it is its job to protect this race/species/individual to keep it going. So the minimum food will be there in our food tract for longer duration, and maximum absorption happens. Moreover it tends to store as fat!! Why to fight with gene plan anyway.

Often I come across people say...that they will go to any extreme to lose weight and get back to their normal routine! The extreme limits they were talking about is stuff like 'Liposuction', 'Stomach Banding'...

Well...although I don't have anything against the above treatments! But still...going to that extreme of surgery/scar/pain/money and hospital visits! I wonder why? And again see their ridiculous statements...do anything at the cost of pain and money and get back to normal routine(which means no exercise or activity and eat anything)!!! Is this a way of treatment or threat, I clearly don't understand.

Imagine if someone does good 'liposuction' treatment to their tummy! Gets back to their normal eating habit...just 2-3 months is enough to gain that extra pounds again! Which only will leave heavy duty for their tummy skin to stretch and stretch. Why can't one think of a life-style, than a treatment without side effects. Something which they call it as regular exercise and proper balanced diet!!!

Stomach banding, to cut down one's eating disorder...a whole new game of surgery! Banding one's tummy, so that stomach size is reduced. This time, since the tummy is small...one gets more satisfied with just less food, so ultimately one day they will reach their goal weight! Okay okay I agree with all the thing! But what happens if you go malnourished...by eating less? The other concern is...stomach is stretchable(like a balloon) so as we eat and eat, give it a extra load each time, it expands!

Do people really think its hard to develop some will power and reduce eating habit/eating disorder(control cravings, munching junk foods). Once when one starts to do some diet, slowly step by step into healthy eating habit...stomach size automatically reduces! As I told you, its like balloon...once you put in large amounts of food in it, it gets bigger. To reduce the size of your stomach...you need not go to the lengths of banding and stuff. Not even punishing yourself with reduced quantity of food. Just eat as much as you want to fill your tummy, but make health full choice. Remember,let the quantity be more, so that you feel full and happy...but make sure that has very least calories (Like select Alfalfa sprouts, lettuce leaves, Mung sprouts or water cress)! Eat lots of fibre to load your big stomach(carrots, radish etc), drink plenty of water(select juicy fruits like oranges and watery vegetables like pumpkin, chayote), eat complex carbohydrate(rye bread, finger millet, oats) , plan for vegetable protein like legumes(than nuts, choose legumes they make you feel fuller for long)...all these stuff will give you satiety feeling and you won't be deprived.

Eating Fun Food(Metal included Diet):

Gold dusted Chocolates, Food prepared from Silver Alloy Vessel (Iyengar Rasam) & Iron Skillet marinated meat...and much more! Does these sound familiar and interesting to you! Yeah...who doesn't love chocolates dusted with real 24 carat gold! Afterall...people are so crazy for gold! And there floats a myth about gold, if you include it in your diet(even in ash form) you could get that shining skin forever! Imagine even 'Ash' from gold!!! Does this really hold some truth in it?! I pretty doubt it! Well...to put it too simple, an Ash is an ash...whether its from gold or wood, all has same formula, the carbon!!! Coming back to Silver-Alloy vessels for making your favourite Rasam(Indian Soup). Yeah I agree...it does have some value to your taste buds. When anything tangy like lemons, tomatoes and tamarinds are used in preparing rasam, it leaches considerable amount of metal to the soup. That gives real taste! Same goes to the meat that got marinated on iron-skillet. Lemons and tangy juices leaches some metal to boost flavour in our meat. The question here is, it is good? or bad?

Imagine if we have a broken chair in our house. Consider we have plenty of rooms. We put that broken chair in a hidden store room. Does this make any difference to the appearance of the house? I guess not! Same if we eat iron-skillet marinated meat or silver-alloy cooked rasam or gold dusted chocolates. Our body has innumerable number of cells...this 'pollutant' or 'unwanted particle' goes into the system and stays at one corner. Imagine over series of time...we have more and more broken chair in our house, that one fine day our whole house is filled with them! That will be the case of overdoing this fun food! Our system gets wrong and our cells get bombarded with these 'unwanted pollutants'!

So as far as possible keep it simple, keep it healthy!

Smell Satiety:

When I was in UnderGrad my friend Janice used to say...smell satisfies her the most, than eating the food. Maybe she is right. She is a gifted cook!!! Later now after catching up with some culinary skills...I too feel the same way.

Does really smell satisfies us? Maybe partly...as most of our cravings & addictions come thro' not by just food, but by our associated memories and nostalgic emotions!!! You would have noticed on a flu infected days we have less/no cravings or appetite. The food presented will be tasteless! As most of the fun about eating is 'Smell' than taste!

To understand fully about eating disorder/addictions... An odour is detected by cells in the olfactory glands! From where the message/information passes through neurons to the brain. Where the associated emotions, memories are stored. Kind of entangled here!

Use this information for your weight loss program!

Cook for a long time, slowly happily....cooking could be fun and very therapeutic! Don't consider cooking as your duty. If you enjoy cooking and serving others...you can not only build good relationships but also shed that extra pounds! We get more satisfied while smelling throughout the cooking process. We will also be aware of what goes in our dish...we will make more conscious include!

Than wolfing down...take time to smell the food!

Tips To Control Cravings:

I could never buy this idea....cravings are bodies deficiencies for certain minerals or vitamins. See if we are really deficient in iron and magnesium.....why don't we ever crave for 'fresh greens'!

And never confuse cravings with hunger! If we are that hungry we should be more satisfied with plain and bland kanji(oatmeal soup).

Then what is cravings? We crave for those food...we tasted before. Our tantalized tongue reminds us our past experience!

First goal:

Don't explore more and more eating out or new cuisines. Try to follow simple diet...stick to one or two cuisine style! The more you explore the more you'll crave! By mere eating different restaurant foods...will never make you to sit on the top of the status ladder!!! And eating home-cooked meals is not that bad idea.

Pack your food for office/ short trips:

I get this nasty look from my friends...when I say, I like to pack nuts and fruits before a shopping trip! After all we're living in a alluring world now. The marketing tech's, anthropometric ads....being prepared to defend yourself is not that sick!

Eat Full Before Shopping:

So you'll make healthy choice. You'll never get carried away with alluring packs and junks!

Select 1 Ingredient Labels:

For example...an apple, fresh nuts....all energy boosting, but one ingredient! The labels are long with ingredients...you may not know(excess in salt,preservatives, too much processed....)

Feed Others:

Remember this could be fun and more satisfying....yeah than eating all by yourselves!

Boring, Loneliness & Stress:

Boring, loneliness and stress could be the reason for you eating unhealthy/cravings. So get out of your house and meet people. Do something creative, supportive, to be active...

Take a power Nap:

Napping for 20 minutes could not only refresh you...also make you to forget about cravings!

Clean Your Mouth Often:

Soon after heavy lunch or dinner...yet you make room for the dessert!!! Then this tip is for you....clean your mouth after meals. Brush your teeth, gargle with Listerine or take a mint refresher....chew a gum! If your mouth is so clean...you wouldnt want to spoil it that quickly, right!

When You Crave - Things You Have To Do:

Call your friend and talk for a long time...you will eventually forget.

Take a walk around ur block or neighbourhood....that will be relaxing.

Turn on ur music system and enjoy.

Remember any cravings will last for only 20 minutes. And mere satisfying it in 2 minutes won't just help. It is an addiction...and need to be addressed. So change your mind...concentrate on your hobby or something!

Sipping green ice tea would be a better choice...than indulging in chocolate bars!

Home Arrangements to Avoid Cravings:

Try to put your snacks and stuff only in the pantry room. If you don't have a separate pantry room....place them on your unreachable cupboards. Though not always...but works most of the time.

Shopping Smart:

Try not to buy big box of cookies, chips bags, large ice cream, cakes, chocolates....just because you have got a good deal! Buy only mini pack of crackers(whole wheat/multi grain). Mini pack nuts(un salted). So when you really crave hard...treat yourself with these mini picks. They will be energy boosting!

Few Life Style Tweaks to Stay Fit:

Than going on rigorous exercise all the sudden....slowly including few life style habits will be more easy to take it to next level of exercise regime.

Even few life style changes counts as exercise for some of us. So I have listed few changes from our regular routine. Make use of it!

Don't take lift/elevator or escalator all the time. Take stairs more often at your work place or at the shopping mall! Enjoy climbing stairs! We almost forgot that in this modern world!

Don't depend on your vehicle for all the needs. Plan yourself to walk to the nearby store. Make a trip to nearby store more often by walk.

Don't make a big list and buy your groceries in the super mart. Try to omit few stuff intentionally. Like for vegetables....go to the country store. If it is only few yards from your house. Never ever stop while you are on the way(while driving). Make an intentional trip to the store by walk.

Often bend and stand while in the kitchen! Like don't set everything handy. Don't make your kitchen so easy! Let it be very unreachable sometimes! Like place your cutlery in the lowest rack. Do bend very well to take them. Place your storage boxes very high....stretch very happily to fetch them. Enjoy real workout in the kitchen.

On the other hand....try not to use often the modern gadgets! Hand pound your spices. Use non-electric egg beater to whisk. Use manual blender for your yogurts. Don't depend on food processor quite often. Do enjoy using cutting board. Though it is not actual exercise. It makes you feel....that you have done really hard. Even slightest work with hands does counts as some activity after all! This habit helps one in a lateral way, like slowly one could push minor activities to major one...then slowly take it to next level and reach your goal weight. Its like first baby step before you plan on Exercise.

Do not dine in a formal way in your dining room, yeah not even in front of your TV. Set your meals on the floor. Arrange using mats to sit down and have food like ancient times. Bending and sitting....does count as exercise. Place your food little bit in the centre. Never fill your plates full at one go! For each helpings, take some movements!

Also try to fix a buffet spread in your counter, while you are dining in your dining hall. Don't use lazy susan in the table. Fix small portion for each helpings. So make frequent trips to your buffet spread. It will avoid over eating habit and eventually helps in weight loss. Most of us eat more food...only when it is open and placed close to our plate. Its like we often eat for taste than for hunger.

Also try to focus on people than on food. Sometimes focus on food than on TV. If we pay attention to what we eat, we won't indulge in overeating, afterall. Only when we are not so focused(watching TV)...We tend to wolf down a lot!

Don't plan everything handy. Like placing your cell phone in a particular place. Never place cell phones next to you/ near your work table. Walk to pick up the phone each time. Even while talking to your friend...don't sit on the couch, take a stroll in your lawn/ your back yard.

While working on computer, don't place everything next to you. Like I have seen people who put snacks, drinks, cell phones,....next to them. Make a trip if you need anything. Actually if you have anything in a reachable way. We eat more! If you need to get up for a snack...we will have second opinion about it. More over we need to walk a little and stretch our arms and legs in between work too!

Don't put things on your coffee table/ tea pai. Like have a specific place for your daily mails, news paper, remote control, magazines...etc. So each time you go and pick up your remote control from the TV stand! Sounds pretty nuts know! Hmmmmmm not so bad if you like this habit and see things more organised at the same time. Read your mails by standing and put in the same specific place. Read you newspaper outdoor....help yourself with fresh air sometimes.

Sit on floor to watch TV. Little hard actually, I agree...but do enjoy sitting on the floor like our ancestors. Sitting straight on the floor is also helpful for good memory power( report says).

Meeting a friend at coffee shop!? Just get a coffee and take a stroll outside. Do your happy gossips and enjoy walking in the park too! Isn't that kool. Actually its so nice to walk with someone, talk sweet nothings....not a rigorous walk tho'....but does counts as some activity for the day after all!

Drink Tea to Lose Weight:

Word from the wise Chinese friend..... 'Drink Tea'. I know we all drink tea in India with heavy cream/milk tea. But what she mentioned is drinking 'Green Tea'!

Well...I started to drink tea late during my college days. Myself and my friend Poorani used to go out to Bengali market place...ask for adhrak chai/ elaichi ka chai...fill in our flask. Head back to hostel. Stay up all night and study so hard. Tea helped to stay up and alert. Unlike coffee....while coffee triggers one's nerves just for an hour or two and put one to depressed mode later. It took me months to understand and cut short my coffee and switch to tea!

Well...this post is not for staying up in night or for alertness. Its for weight watchers! Most of the chinese and japanese drink warm tea along with their meals! The warm tea melts away the fatty food in our meals! I know people who drink
warm cup of water after meals. Thats a good idea too! Which is very hard for me to practice. I think this tea drinking habit is really

easy afterall....the warm water is not only flavoured but rich in anti-oxidants.

Oh....yeah, its not our milk tea kiddos! Its just dip your tea bags in warm water for about 2-3 minutes and add sugar/sugar alternatives. Enjoy along with your meals. My friend Themnu said....taking warm green tea in a china cup after meals is their
tradition in north east India. Well....go for green tea or lemon tea! Enjoy and stay fit!

Green Tea Lovers:

As you all know that green tea is loaded with antioxidants and phytochemical! Better to prepare it in conventional stove top method. Like boiling 1 pinch of tea leaves in a cup of boiling water. Wait till the ta leaves color steep into the water. Filter and add sugar.

If you are using tea bags....wait till the tea leaves flaour steep into your warm water. Like give atleast 3-5 minutes. Then drink it up!

Lemon Tea Lovers:

Like me if you after lemon the benefits are still more! Like Lemon flavour itself has a special response to raise your mood and

energies you! Moreover citrus vitamins work to cue your brain cells. And again adding honey flushes away one's cholesterol

deposit from the arteries! If the benefits are so much for having a nice cup of warm tea....then what is stopping you?

Prepare the tea the same way...as I said above in green tea. Just use the regular tea leaves here. Now toss a lemon wedge in it.

Let the lemon rind.....release its essential oil in the warm tea. Enjoy!

Life Style Touch:

Since I also insist one to have emotional eating habit(see my post about it). I better suggest you'll....first to GAZE your Tea, SMELL your Tea and DRINK with Passion. Get me! I read somewhere that Japanese Zen Saints....hold their tea cups with two hands with passion and love and drink for a long time.

Drink Water - Some Helpful Facts:

Water some Useful Facts:

Water Definition: Colorless, Odourless, Tasteless Liquid. This is how I studied when I was young! Now just thought back whether this definition makes sense afterall. There are so many drinks out there...to consume with your meals, the thirst quenchers,

fun drinks, soft drinks, carbonated, flavoured water, colored water, sodas, colas, fresh juice, organic juice, from conscentrate.....what not! They are highly flavourfull...colorfull and allures one to drink upon. Well I am not againt drinking colas or flavoured drinks afterall...but slowly we totally forgot/hate to drink the actuall water!

It become so common to drink just sweet tea/ carbonated drinks with your meals. Even soon after meals we depend on tea, coffee and chocolate drinks, most of the time. There are so many faloured water, colored drinks to quench thirst while we are engaged in outdoor activities! While driving we do definetely stop for soft drinks than helping ourselves with mineral water. So when are we going to drink that plain simple water?

To me drinking water is just accepting the plain water! Which is not mineral water, which is not filtered, which is not refridgerated/cold and not even boiled/ warm. Drinking the plain water...from that area is my first thing when I visit any new place! Yeah...I am still aware of ongoing health problems. Well...too much dependency with mineral water...doesnt make sense to me! Too much of sophistication...and what my immune system is not so alert! ?So...its a crude way to improve resistence afterall.

Well...I am going to contradratic what I said in previous paragraph! Drinking on more filtered water helps to flush away kidney stones(read somewhere). Hmmm.....I could accept more for filtered water than boiled water now. I feel while boiling water...we actually boil away most of the minerals in salt form! Well....we can meet our mineral requirements in water.!We can't afterall depend upon supplements all the time.

Good ness of Drinking Water:

It detoxifies your body.

It maintains normal water balance in your body.

Helps in digestion.

Keeps your skin clean and supple.

So.....here I am not going to list once again of what is good for you...if you drink enough and plenty of water! I think most of you know pretty much about it. So better I straight go away with 'how to indulge ourselves to drink more water?

How to Indulge Ourselves in Drinking More Water:(Tips and Ideas)

Early morning drink plain water. You do it as a first thing in the morning. Make a post it note previous night. And stick it on your fridge/microwave. It helps to calm your viseral system. It also promotes bowel movement!

Need some taste...then drink warm water with lemon wedge early in the morning. Well....the point is also noted, lemon wedge...releases its essential oils in warm water. Its rich in vitamin c and packed with anti-oxidant!

Drink honey based warm water/honey based plain water first thing in the morning. Honey helps to flush away your cholesterol deposits from your arteries.

Drink plain water just before your cereals/coffee. So that you won't forget. Before brewing coffee, fill a cup of plain water.

Fill your tall glass often and put next to your computer/ work place. It makes you to drink often.

Try colored glasses...drink like a baby. Also be sure the colored glass is of 'Glass' ones and not plastic. Plastics are toxics....you know!

Whenever feeling hungry...just don't hurry to eat. First drink water and wait...see whether you are really that hungry to eat. Actually most of us confuse thirst with hunger(report says).

In those days...our great grand parents would have taken Neeraagaram/ Koozh/ Neer Mor as their diet, first thing in the morning....and worked all throught he day in fields! So taking semi solid or liquidy food is another idea. It not only satisfies
ones hunger....also quenches your thirst! Too much of liquid makes you to take less carbs and so one would'nt gain weight. Liquid diet helps to detoxify your body and to maintain body temeprature....so on!

So plan for Warm Soup before your meals. Think about juicy fruits for your dessert. Fill your salad platter with fresh veggies. I need not have to say fresh veggies and succulent fruits are again rich in water. Infact vitamin loaded water!

Well....have a happy water drinking day!:)

Dieting with Pizza:

As anyone else...even I like pizza!:) I know most of us have long love affair with pizza! How to stay on track and maintain a life style while having pizza? Here I have given few tips I practice, hope you'll will find it helpful!

Make only occasional trip to pizza hut! Like if you had pizza last week...don't plan for next 3-4 weeks.

Always eat at the 'pizza place' ! Never order it to be home delivered. We not only eat more at home...also retain the extra leftovers for our next meal! So...if we eat outside, we may eat less! Oh yeah.....don't go far doggy box!

Eat pizza early in the evening, than at night/late night. If you have early...you may have some out door activities to do, it helps to burn your extra calories. Well...after pizza you could take a nice stroll otherwise. If we eat high calorie diet late night....it stores up as fat, while we are sleeping.

Go far more starters before pizza. Starters make your stomach half full...so you could take a bite your main order! Well....stick to salad as your starters!

Drink more cold water before your meal. It makes your stomach shrink and you eat less!

Order thin pizza crust. Less carbs' that way!

Order almost all the veggies as your topping! Healthy choice...lots of fibre requirements of the day is even met...while having pizza.

Never order meat pizza...stick to veggie one! One can't actually dissect every meat bits to stay on track after all!

While eating...leave the end crust(thick end rim) by not eating this...you could cut short 30% of more calories in that meals! Isn't it kool...you could diet even while enjoying your passion food!

Ask them to use less cheese on pizza. Never sprinkle more cheese on the table again! Avoid eating all the cheese on your toppings. Ha ha...pretty hard huh! Yeah what to do!

Drink warm green tea after pizza....it may help to liquefy your fatty pizza cheese!

Switch from High Sodium Diet to Low Sodium Diet:

The common salt composition - Sodium Chloride. This mineral is essential to maintain proper balance of water in the blood. Although its very vital for body function...it needs are very little to stay normal and healthy.

Getting too little salt(sodium) doesn't have pronounced problems....but it does when we take more sodium in our diet! So how to cut short your salt cravings? Here I have given few tips that I follow....hope it could be useful to some of you!

Never use Pickles in your diet:

Try to eat more veggies than the accompany of pickles! So many people have this compelling habit of eating pickles to go with their meals! My andhroidal friends eat not only the pickles as relish...also use it as their main dish, by simply mix their pickles to their rice! Just try to have less than a quarter spoon daily(initially). Then use the same amount weakly once...slowly take it to monthly once or even rare!

Cut back on salt in your cooking:

Generally it could be hard initially...but I tell you, slowly the salt craving taste buds get replaced by the new ones..that doesn't have so much affinity to salt.

Use more spices and herbs in your recipes:

I usually use more spice to cut short my salt. It worked for me! Sprinkle your spices after cooking...it also enhances the flavour, doesn't ask for more salt.

Don't add any salt at all in your main dish:

You think its very hard or weird to do so. If you try it its no big a deal. Just adjust to eat with more gravies, side dish, sauce, dressing....so forth. Don't add salt to your idly or dosa, eat them with more chutney and sambar. Don't add salt in chappathi/poori...try to eat them with masala or korma. My mausoleum friends add salt event o their rice....better depend with side dish....than adding too much salt in main dish itself.

Don't go for processed food:

Read the labels...most of the processed food are highly salted. Limit/cut the intake of canned veggies.

Don't taste your food while cooking:

If you taste often while cooking...you may tend to add more salt sometimes. Generally before the gravy thickens...the food will have low taste of salt in it. So its better to taste your food while you are actually dining.

Eat warm food:

If you are eating warm/hot or even spicy food...you can have low sodium diet quite easily. So always fix your meal warm! Microwave before eating.

Don't depend on store bought snacks:

Most of the snacks/ store bought snacks are rich in slat. Cheese, crackers, chips....are salt bundles. Better fix home made snacks with sodium alternatives/low saodium!

How to Order Food in a Restaurant:

This post applies for people who are dieting and want to stay on the track, even while eating out!!!

I know most of us get carried away while eating out! We think its just a day. If we do that monthly 3-4 times. Its hard to stay on the track.

Never go starving before a dinner. Better to eat your evening salad before the night/late night dinner.

Be first in ordering food! So that we wont get carried away...with what others are ordering!

Think something light! Go for more veggies and 1 small portion of chicken/fish.

Order small portions/ kids size! No kidding it really works! Most of the time, restaurants have big serving in one plate. So ask before you order.

Never order food with heavy cream, cheese, butter or ghee. If you are eating Indian meals....ask for sesame oil to go with your Podi! If you are eating Continental food ask for olive oil dressing than butter.

Focus on people and talking! Don't go out to eat. Go out to talk!

While ordering dessert....think something with real fruit in it. Since you haven't eaten your proper veggie or fruit serving in this meal. Order fruit cut, salad, punch or juice! Think something lighter!

Being Organised is not Always Good:

This post may apply for Women! I don't know how many of y'all think/do like me! But its worth posting.

Don't Eat on the Counter:

Well....if you eat over the counter(while cooking) its going to pound on u one day. We may not consider what we eat...while we are busy! So its better we be conscious most of the time. Always place your cookies, chips and nuts on the top most rack. Which is really unreachable for you. So that we wont go binging while cooking.

Don't Correct your Broken Cookies:

Never try to correct your broken crackers/cookies/chips/nuts/ crookedly cut cake. Its a habit for girls to eat first your broken cracker, cookies, chips, nuts and always slice first the uneven cut-portion from your cake. Though it doesn't sound like a bad idea. It is....if we have one first correction servings and since haven't eaten the normal portion....go for second regular normal servings. The uneven cake, broken chips does have calories. And it does count on you! Its not our duty to correct a crooked cake after all.

Don't Eat Left Overs:

Don't eat left overs! Its better to discard than pushing into your tummy. If we feel for wasting food and on the other hand we are going to weigh more! So cook less, never store your leftovers. If you are cooking for a party....send the left overs to friends and relatives.

Don't Eat from your Partner's Plate:

Don't eat from your partner's plate or kid's plate. Eat only when you wanted....using your own plate! Just don't nibble from your partner's plate. Though its small amount, it does count calories. We'll nibble all through the day like this and since we didn't have a separate servings, we go for it!