Why I love Weddings! (Read the article before Judging me)

Ok so yes i am writing after what seems like a decade to me. And ok I admit this has also been my opening
line in most of the posts. But honest to god i have been extremely busy planning my life. And you would be happy to know that after months of struggle i have managed to conclude that planning really is crappy exercise to kill quality time, and that it should only be left to corporate strategy makers for the never ending boardroom discussions ,because hey, lets face it, they get paid for it!

Any ways let me not set the tone of the article as frustrating. Moving on to what i actually did in the past few months. I happen to attend a lot of weddings..a hell lot (read half-wardrobe-now-filled-with-clothes-i-would-never-wear Lot) Now don't judge me for being judgmental but i hate the whole paraphernalia surrounding Weddings. The extravagant obnoxiously priced outfits, the meeting of distant relatives whom you wish never existed, the fake hello how are you, you have grown so big (like thats against nature), the fake muah muahs, you get the tone. But one thing i love about the wedding is the  pre- prep that goes behind the making. And i am Not talking about the shopping and card printing, I am talking about the phase where the bride and the groom get on to the  mission of ..WEIGHT LOSS!

Now i really don't understand the point of trying to get in shape just because one is getting married. I mean isn't the whole point of getting married that you take the other person in health and sickness? Anyways, it still heartens the fitness freak in me, a little that at least there are 2 more people in this world, at this particular time, who are trying to get fitter (Always find a silver lining in every negative thing- check)

What dissapoints me a wee bit more (apart from the short term fitness fad) is that, in a hurry to lose weight, people go on all sorts of crazy diets and start expecting wonders. While the crash diet might even work, you actually loose a lot of muscle mass, feel weak and end up looking much older than you actually are. All thanks to lack of nutrition which is much needed by your skin and hair as well. So all you pretty brides to be, you don't wana look 5 years older on your D-day do you?

Here is what i would rather suggest. What people don't understand is that getting into shape is not by just not -not eating, on the contrary its actually eating all the time. Remember the good old diet rule of eating small meals 5-6 times a day? Well that is a rule for a reason- because that works. And trust me if you have 4-6 months time in your hand, this kind of a diet and a good workout plan will actually work wonders for your weight and your skin.
As far as diet is concerned, cut all the whites out (bread, maida, rice,sago etc) include a whole lot of fruits (read less calories for your body but loads of antioxidant and vitamins for a luscious skin), Eat as much raw vegies as you can. Replace caffeine with green tea, go very low on sweets (only to be later forcefully fed by your delightful relatives at your wedding), drink atleast 3-4 ltrs of water (coz no detox diet works better than flushing down your toxins with plenty of water). Remember this Rule of ratio- Proteins: Carbs: Fats- 3:2:0.5 (strictly for those who are on a weight loss diet). Most important of all, bring a change in your diet every fortnight and especially at that juncture where your weight refuses to go down further after losing a little. This change could be anything, like changing your snack timings, introducing salads as dinners, high liquid diet or cutting down that one favorite sinful delight you just can't stay without (yes with great body comes great sacrifice...umm Did i just revamp Spiderman's quote?!)

Do not forget exercise. This has always been my mantra. Never ever let diet alone play a part in your weight loss, you lose muscle mass which make you look saggy older and weaker. Exercise in some way- go for a run, hit the gym if that is convenient, go for brisk walks, do yoga, pilates, take a dance class, join a sport- there are endless ways to get fit, you just have to explore them. And trust me with all the wedding stress and anxiety , you could really take the happy hormone endorphin's help which gets released as a result of workout :)

So to all my beautiful ladies and all the dashing debonaire men, hope you take a leaf out of this article and not go insane in the battle against weight. And for God's sake don't let your heart sink if you are not able to achieve what you aimed for; the expensive facials and spa treatments will any ways make you look your best on the D day! And oh yes your going to be spouse's love will help too :)

Note to self:  never write a blog about marriages again. Their population is on the higher side and you might get seriously hurt.

For the Love Of Meat!

Everyday you come across tabloids and articles attacking you with gyan of how you should not have meat and chicken, and why it’s a better option to go green and turn to vegetarianism. Honestly I am tired of reading such stuff. I have reached a mental block stage where when ever I read headlines like ‘go vegetarian’ or  ‘ban non-veg’ – because to me its more of a fad rather than being a logical explaination to a drastic shift in your diet.

Now I am saying all this because I have been on the swing of off and on non veg. I had quit non-veg for four years (honestly! And been successful in that). It had been pretty difficult for me considering the hard core meat lover that I was. But trust me I din’t do it for health reasons, it was a personal choice. But 4 years, 6 kilos less(when I was in need of gaining some of it), weakness and constant bouts of fever and ill health was what was needed to wake me up to reality and tell me that “Don’t mess with your metabolism”.

Now for all the non-veg lovers, flesh is not all that bad . Seriously no need to quit non veg just coz someone else feels ite the right way to control your eating habits because trust me this trick does not work for everyone and more-so-over there are plenty of health reasons for not quitting non veg.. Heres telling you why:

•  There are innumerable health benefits of eating meat, for example it serves as a fabulous source of high quality protein, which a single vegetarian food is not able to provide. it contains all the essentiall amino acids that the body requires.
• the phosphorus content present in meat gets much more easily absorbed than that present in cereals and legumes. this is owing to the fact that cereals and legumes contain phosphorus usually in the form of phytic acid that must be hydrolyzed before absorption. Meat also serves as the main source for the intake of Vitamin B12.
•  Fish, especially the small varieties are a rich source of calcium.Egg-white is good source of protein and easily digested and chicken is the best low fat high-protein food (benefit alert: low fat high protein helps you loose fat and again lean mass)

Vegetarian or non-vegetarian, the decision depends on various factors such as cultural or dietary habits of the family, personal preference, taste and avoidance of certain foods for health reasons. Whatever the case, a well-balanced diet supplying proteins, fats, carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals should be taken.

And keeping the theme of the post alive,  no need to chicken out on that chicken just because a fancy post in the health magazine says so!

P.S: My apologies for not posting anything for almost a year (gosh that's long..so long i don't even have a believable excuse for it ) but just to justify, blog hacking + laziness to re-activate+ password loss etc etc..kept me away from my 1st love.