Dating Behavior- Decoded!

Girls and their eating habits always fascinate me! More often than not I have noticed that a girl’s eating behavior will change like a stripper’s costume when surrounded by different sets of people. 

So the other day I went out with one of my girlfriends and her new found boyfriend. This was one of those ‘meet my adorable-i-can’t-keep-my-hands-off-my-boyfriend-and-make-other-people-uncomfortable’, meeting. Anyway after the 2 hour and 38 minutes long and torturous dinner, I left the restaurant amused and confused. Now I love my friend a lot (sans the boyfriend) but I couldn't help but notice the way she fed herself during the dinner. Now we have shared a hostel room together and I remember her binging habits distinctively well. But she was a complete different person at the dinner. She barely ate! My shock started setting in when she ordered soup instead of starters, salad for meal and a fruit plate for dessert. Thankfully the boyfriend left before the dinner could get over and then came out the truth and to my relief, some human food of steaks and sizzlers.

I later realized that this is not a very uncommon phenomenon amongst girls, especially when they are around people who matter or people whom they are trying to impress. But let’s give them a benefit of doubt; we all do weird stuff to impress people and create a pretty picture of ourselves. I honestly have always been a fan of weirdness, but this… this is stupidity!

Here’s my advice- Be weird, even stupid, but back it up with enough ammo. Ladies when you have to go on a date, and you know you’ll be judged on your ordering choices, (well my first advice would be to not go on that date, but let’s go with the second advice) pre eat well in advance to avoid binging later on. This is a simple trick which works beautifully.  Say you have an 8 o’clock date, eat some salads, juice and fruits at about 6.30, so that you feel satiated. Now this one is a ‘look stunning your date’ tip- On the day of your date, go for all raw diet the whole day. Salads, soups, fruits, juices and plenty of water. This will make your stomach flatter and give you a flattering skin too ;)

During the date, go for wine, preferably red, instead of Beer or any malt/ barley drinks. Pick one favorite item that you must eat from the 3 course meal of starters, main course and dessert. Say you want to eat the fruit ice cream as dessert, you then go light on the dinner and starters.  Have small portions of each meal. Go for grilled/ smoked or stir fry and don’t be shy to share:)

Lastly, a special secret tip for guys on a date. You do not have to feel guilty when the girl orders a lean meal; you go ahead and order the most wholesome meal you possibly can. Chances are the girl will get thrown by your confidence and she’ll also know that you have a fat wallet!

P.S: I too am a girl, in case you got thrown off by all the ‘these girls’ ‘these woman’ sentences!

Don't Wait to Loose Weight! See results in a week!

You know you have done everything possible on this earth to make sure that the weighing scale actually favours you. you have tried all sorts of weird diets GM diet, maple syrup diet, detox diet, all liquids diet et.al; but nothing seems to work out for you. Or worst still, you loose pounds real fast only to realize that you have gained double the weight that you had, before you started your adventure with food! I believe, the best way to ensure you get that fab bod, is to start treating your body as friend and not making it your worst enemy, and yes you will still be able to see results in a week's time. Here are some tips to torture the the fat in your body:

1. Hydrate Hydrate Hydrate but only with water:

65-90%of your body is made up of water and there is a reason to that. A fruit smoothie, sports drink, beer, or any other drink can hydrate your body but they also contain 100 or more calories. Moreover these drinks do not satisfy you the way 100 cal of food does, so basically, they are waste. Also these drinks are also high in sodium and carbs which retain water, making you feel puffed out. Water on the other hand is zero in carbs, makes you feel full, hydrate you and detoxify your system. Also water is the most important item in fat mobilization and fat metabolism, i.e without water, fat will not get degraded no matter how much you run on the treadmill! And hey, if water is boring, add a slice of lemon sweet lime or orange.

2. Switch one meal/Snack with fruits:

This can even be your evening tea snacks or your morning breakfast or dinner. Fruits contain more fibre( read fat killers), more water and more vitamins as compared to breads, rice etc. Instead of having that sandwich in the evening have an apple, or instead of having croissant jam and toast in breakfast, have a fruit plate and juice, or instead of having bread, veggies and sizzler at night, have a big bowl full of fruit/ sprouts and salads. The dinner switch is my personal favorite as the lighter you go on your stomach during the later part of the day, the more chances of you losing weight faster and better the chances of you getting up in the morning with a healthy glow! 

3. Drink Coffee 30 minutes before workout:

This is an exception to rule one. Coffee is said to have metabolism inducing power and also help you metabolize fat faster. But this coffee doesn't mean a big cuppa of cappuccino. Preferable that you have black coffee with very little or no sugar. If you must add milk, add skim milk to the tune of 3-4 tablespoon. Coffee also helps you jump-start your body and gives you the additional kick while working out so that you workout better and don't get fatigued soon. Word of caution- Do not go overboard with coffee, it also has dehydrating effects on your body.

4. Make thy Sacrifice:

Make one food sacrifice. Simply by Cutting out one favorite sinful indulgence from your daily list of must haves can create wonders for you. Like stop eating chips  or finger fries or chocolate, whichever is your must haves. Also if you succeed at this the first week, continue with one more food item the next week. This way you'll eliminate all your evils out slowly but surely, and boy will that work wonders!

5. Cardio for just 30 minutes:

 Yes there is no escape to workout, if you want a fit body. Do cardio once in 2 days atleast. Your body will love you if you do this everyday though. Cardio can be in any form- be it running for 20 minutes, brisk walk, jogging, climbing up and down the stairs instead of using the stairs, getting off the bus one stop earlier so that you get the extra mile to walk back home, skipping,  or jumping...anything. But yes make that body work.

And yes here is a special tip- if you want to look slimmer in for the camera, stand in a slightly diagonal angle, chin up and hold your hands slightly away from your body- this should do the trick ;)

Happy slimming!

Reading A food Label

The following label building skills are intended to make it easier for you to use nutrition labels to make quick, informed food choices that contribute to a healthy diet.
The Nutrition Facts Label - An Overview:
The information in the main or top section can vary with each food product; it contains product-specific information (serving size, calories, and nutrient information). The bottom part contains a footnote with Daily Values (DVs) for 2,000 and 2,500-calorie diets. This footnote provides recommended dietary information for important nutrients, including fats, sodium and fiber. The footnote is found only on larger packages and does not change from product to product.

Tips to use food labels effectively:
· Pay attention to the serving size, especially how many servings there are in the food package. Then ask yourself, "How many servings am I consuming"? (e.g., 1/2 serving, 1 serving, or more) · Keep your intake of saturated fat, trans fat and cholesterol as low as possible as part of a nutritionally balanced diet.
· The % Daily Values are based on the Daily Value recommendations for key nutrients according to the specified caloric diet (e.g.2000 cal diet)
· To limit nutrients that have no %DV, like trans fat and sugars, compare the labels of similar products and choose the food with the lowest amount.
· Hypertensive people and people with renal disorders should pay special attention to sodium content of the food. Also check out for preservatives like sodium benzoate. Avoid these.
· Look out for terms like- ‘high fiber’, ‘low fat’, ‘no preservative’, ‘sugar free’, ‘0 trans fat’, ‘cholesterol free’, ‘no MSG’; to ensure that you are picking out a healthy option.