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Weight Loss Vs Fat Loss

weight loss vs fat loss

Who does not want to look good? Be it family functions, office dos or even a society party? There would seldom be anyone who thinks otherwise. Being fit, with a chiselled and curvaceous body fitting in the LBD with a glow on your face, playing with an awesome stamina, doing a set of proper push ups/pull ups to impress someone is natural. Burt, this is not all. Invariably the idea to look like this is more often than not accompanied by the very thought of weight loss.

I have never understood this fixation of the mind for weight loss. Why is it such a big thing to lose those extra kilos? Is it all about weight loss or looking your best in that party dress, being the most beautiful bride, a guy on the beach with a dashing personality, being awarded as the best player

YOU JUDGE!!

As a nutritionist, I am often battling these questions on weight loss. I have lots of people coming up to me with a target of losing 5-7kg in 2 months or losing that belly fat. And, to achieve this they are ready to give up on their food, gym twice a day for hours, go around running like crazy.

Let me at the outset tell you that weight loss in numbers will never give you that toned lean body and that lovely skin; it will just show you that the weight is reducing without any significant positive effect.

In order to achieve that toned lean body, you have to concentrate on losing your inches by losing that stored fat in your body. But, there is never a guarantee of weight loss.

After having battled the questions on how to lose weight, how do I get a lean and toned body, the other big question often thrown at me at the end is HOW CAN YOU SAY NO GUARANTEE of weight loss.

 Well, the answer to this question is because Body weight consists of adipose tissue and lean body mass-muscle, bones, organs, water. Of these, the Muscles are the most important part as it takes cares of your body’s calorie burning capacity. If you burn more calories you lose more fat. Therefore preserve that muscle and increase it. Muscles are dense tissue and therefore it weighs more but takes less space and gives a shape to your body.

Rather than checking on the number on the weight machine, check on what is that weight made of, the percentage of muscle versus fat in it. Start concentrating on your fat loss as that gives you a good health, happy life, more energy, more stamina and endurance so you can give in your best at work, home and LIFE. Thus, leading you to shift to a healthier lifestyle permanently!!

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The Bipolar Journey

bipolar (1) (1)

In 2013, the celebrity world across the world was shocked when they heard that Catherine Zeta-Jones of Mask of Zorro, ‘Chicago’ and ‘Ocean’s Twelve’ fame declared she was suffering from ‘Bipolar II disorder’ and had checked into a hospital for treatment. There were a lot of discussions in media related to Bipolar Disorder- a kind of mood disorder which even the elite cannot escape away from if it grips them.

Similarly, I had a patient named Jalaj (name changed) who was detected with bipolar mood disorder. He got to know of his condition in a fairly unpleasant way. It began with him having trouble in his married life due to his unexplained aggression. Initially, his parents and wife were apprehensive to consult a psychiatrist because they considered seeking help for mental health a taboo. They thought he was stressed due to the financial burden. But, eventually, when his behaviour got worse, they consulted a psychiatrist who after diagnosing declared him to be ‘Bipolar’. His family, wife and friends stood by him in his trying times and he recovered in 6 months without medication. Unfortunately, most of us consider taking anti-depressants to be a sign of mental weakness.

When fights and Jalaj’s behaviour went out of control, it was on the insistence of his wife that the family consulted a shrink for professional help. On taking Jalaj’s history, the psychiatrist found that he had suffered a bout of depression 4 years ago also which was his first episode. He was 20 years old then.

Bipolar mood disorder typically starts in early adult life, between 18 to 22 years of age. Jalaj’s first episode of depression was also for no obvious reason. His wife Dimple reported that during the two years of their married life she did feel he had a lot of mood fluctuations. These mood fluctuations are called cyclothymic mood changes in medical terminology. The person swings between a mildly good and mildly low mood throughout the day and entire life. When his father came to know of his son’s diagnosis he confirmed that Jalaj’s grandfather was also bipolar. He used to have the bout of depression every 3 years and recover from it in 6 months. Bipolar Disorder is strongly hereditary and runs in families.

Let’s understand what is Bipolar?

A person afflicted with bipolar mood disorder goes from mild depression into moderate and then severe depression followed by a return to normal state for few months and then goes into mild mania and then hypomania in a cyclical and periodic manner throughout adult life. The word BIPOLAR means having two extremes which are poles apart. The medical reason is that the neurotransmitters serotonin, dopamine and norepinephrine fluctuate for no explainable reason. Hence it’s a chemical imbalance.

5% of world population is estimated to be bipolar. Impulsiveness is another hallmark feature of a bipolar. They hardly think before doing most things. When in an excessive happy mode, a bipolar tends to go on a buying spree. A bipolar person is also prone to aggression, alcohol, smoking and drug addiction, hypersexuality or promiscuous behaviour in mania phase.

Bipolar image 2 (2) (1)

Treatment

Treatment for Bipolar is psychiatric counselling and regular medication to control mood swings. Jalaj was counselled by a psychiatrist who made him understand that if he doesn’t take medication he will be jeopardizing his family life and career. Bipolars need daily and regular medication to function normally. The medicines called mood stabilizers prevent the mood fluctuations and prevent mania and depression.

Jalaj takes medication as prescribed and follows up with the shrink once every 3 months. Thankfully he is leading a happy married life again and Dimple also understands what he goes through and is able to counsel him. Daily meditation also helps Jalaj deal with his mood fluctuations. 8 hrs of sound sleep is essential on a daily basis for him so that he does not lose his sanity.

It is critical that bipolars’ take treatment because there are chances of attempting suicide during a major depressive phase. Many bipolar utilize the hypomania phase to be more creative and productive and achieve professional stardom. In a way, they turn it into a gift. Bipolar can be well controlled and one can lead a healthy life. On a lighter note, a bipolar person has a happening life with lots of ups and downs.

 

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How to get over your Monday Morning Blues!

monday morning blues

As a kid, I remember reading Mark Twain’s book, ‘Adventures of Tom Sawyer’. One of the lines in the book read –“Monday morning comes, and Tom is unhappy—as usual—to go to school”.

I realised it was not only Tom who got Monday morning blues but, it’s the case with most of us. To be honest, nobody likes Mondays, I included. Monday reminds us of the monotonous routine that we need to get back to after a lazy and fun-filled retreat on weekends. It reminds us of our responsibilities, pending tasks and commitments and more often than not about things that we cannot avoid thus triggering the feeling of stress, anxiety and sadness.

Is there a way to get over Monday Morning Blues? With a little effort, we sure can!

Here are ways to get over Monday Morning Madness

Get over the “Will do it on Monday”:

Very often over the weekend, we tend to procrastinate our tasks and pile it up for Monday. Have a few calls to make or prepare a document? “Ah! Will do it on Monday”. But, as Monday nears so does our anxiety regarding the pending work. It’s better to plan in advance and not leave out anything and finish most of the work by Friday evening.

Have something exciting to look forward to:

As simple as it sounds if we have something more exciting to look forward to, Mondays would become less harrowing. For example, if you bought a few good looking clothes on Sundays then definitely you’d want to show up in them at work the next day, that would give you enough excitement, though, buying new clothes every weekend may not be so economical, we can try other methods too. Like cooking something delicious for our lunch box or thinking about pitching the new business idea to the boss.

Try a different Monday Morning Ritual:

If you start your week with a cup of your usual coffee and the newspaper then let’s try something different this Monday, how about, staring the day with a lazy cup of green tea and a thrilling fiction in our hand to keep us engrossed. What benefit will that bring? Well, it will take out the monotony of the weekdays, the same monotony that we dread!

Relax on Weekends:

Instead of planning a tight schedule have a relaxed weekend. Fun can bring down your stress but, it can drain you as well. And when you are tired, the idea of your weekday schedule next morning can distress you more, so relax and rest!

Start the Monday with some positivity:

Instead of thinking like, “Oh god, its Monday again!” Try to start the day with more positive thoughts like, “It’s okay, weekends are not going anywhere, they would come again, for now, it’s time to do my best, to rise and shine this Monday!”

This positive note can actually make your day, if only you bring your thoughts to action too.

Make it a musical Monday:

Put on some energetic music that would set you in a dancing mood. Get up to some nice music you usually enjoy and that makes your day. The thumps and rhythms of the music may even send you dancing and at the same time getting you some exercise!

So let’s reset our Mondays in style from now on, in style!

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Confused about healthy snacks….why not go for some scrumptious yogurt recipes

In my earlier blog I talked about the importance of yoghurt, which prompted me to write this second blog on recipes made from yogurt that can be healthy snacks. Many times we are in dilemma to have the right kind of healthy snacks as mid-meal snacks. I too get confused at times. To ease this dilemma, I have here some good and quick recipes for healthy snacks to suffice your hunger.

  1. Strawberry yogurt ice-cream:

1. Strawberry yogurt ice-cream

Ingredients:

1 cup- Plain unflavoured low-fat yoghurt

3 pieces medium sized -Fresh Strawberry

1 tablespoon -Organic honey

Chopped Nuts- to taste (optional)

Preparation

  • Chop strawberries into 4 pieces
  • Grind plain yogurt and strawberries in mixer or juicer.
  • Add honey while mixing in the juicer.
  • Keep it to freeze in deep freezer for 2 hours and again grind it once in the juicer. You can again freeze it or store it till 2 days.
  • Top with chopped nuts to taste.
  • Enjoy your tempting ice-cream

Tip: you can use any fruit from your list of favourites….to enjoy different antioxidants and multivitamins….like blueberries, pomegranate, banana, papaya etc. Any flavour you like to add….

  1. Yogurt veggie bread spread

2. Yogurt veggie bread spread

Ingredients:

Plain unflavoured low-fat yogurt -1 cup

Carrot, cucumber, beetroot chopped- ¼ cup

Black pepper powder- to taste

Cold pressed coconut oil- 1 teaspoon for taste (optional)

Salt to taste

Honey 1 teaspoon

Preparation

  • Beat the yogurt till it becomes creamy.
  • Add honey salt and pepper powder to it and beat again
  • Little strain chopped veggies to remove extra water
  • Add chopped veggies and mix it well …
  • Enjoy your bread spread with brown bread for quick breakfast.

Tips- you can add any flavours seasonings to make it tangy and tasty.

  1. Anti-inflammatory Garlic-spinach Yogurt

2. Yogurt veggie bread spread

Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon any vegetable cooking oil
  • 8-10 baby spinach
  • 2 garlic cloves, finely grated
  • 1 1/2 cups plain low-fat Greek yogurt
  • 1/2 cup finely chopped fresh coriander
  • Sea salt and black pepper powder to taste/ one green chilli paste

Preparation

  • Heat 1 tablespoon vegetable oil in a pan. Add spinach to toss it to remove excess water, then coarsely chop.
  • Mix chopped spinach, garlic, yogurt, coriander, and 1 tablespoon olive oil in a medium bowl; season it with salt and pepper or chilli. Cover and chill at least 1 hour before serving.

Tip- you can store it for two days.

4.     Yogurt veggies soupy delight

 

soupy delight

Ingredients

  • Low-fat plain Greek yogurt
  • 2 garlic cloves
  • 1 tablespoons sesame seeds, coriander seeds, and cumin seeds
  • 1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds
  • 2 whole black peppercorns
  • 1 clove
  • 1 carrot, 4 medium tomatoes, 1-inch ginger
  • 1 tablespoon butter or homemade butter
  • Rock salt to taste

Preparation

  • Toast cumin seeds, fennel seeds, coriander seeds, sesame seeds and chopped garlic in ½ teaspoon ghee or butter in a pan.
  • Boil carrot, tomato, clove, ginger, peppercorns into pressure cooker, let it cool down
  • After cooling grind all boiled mix veggies and tossed spices into a fine paste add water to make a thin soup.
  • Once again boil the ground mixture till one boils and add rock salt. Remove from flame.
  • Serve hot topped with desi ghee and add a scoop of low-fat plain yoghurt middle of the soup bowl. Enjoy the delight.
  1. Chickpea-Yogurt Dip

baked-chickpeas

Chickpea-Yogurt Dip- with wheat nachos do you want a tasty dip. Here you go –

Ingredients

  • 2 small garlic cloves
  • Half cup chickpeas, rinsed
  • ½ cup plain low-fat Greek yogurt
  • A large pinch of ground cumin
  • 3 tablespoon olive oil plus more for serving
  • Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • Pomegranate seeds (for serving)
  • Coarsely chopped fresh mint (for serving)

Preparation

  • The first step to puree garlic, chickpeas, yogurt, cumin and 2 Tbsp. Oil into a thick paste.
  • Season with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. Top with 1tbsp oil, pomegranate seeds, and mint.
  • Enjoy the treat with wheat nachos.

6.     Rose delight with Beet Yogurt

beet-yogurt-dish-delicious-persian-borani-food-cooking-recipe-fig-quince2

Ingredients

  • 3 medium red beets, trimmed or grated
  • Sea salt
  • 1 1/2 cups plain low-fat Greek yogurt
  • 8-10 fresh or dried rose petals for aroma and flavour
  • 1 teaspoon rose water

Preparation

  • Just parboil the whole beetroot and grate them coarsely.
  • Beat yoghurt and add rose water, sea salt, mix well.
  • Add grated beetroot in yoghurt.
  • Garnish with rose petals.
  • Rose delight is ready to delight your day.

Health benefits of these recipes:

  1. Boon for improving Gut Microflora.
  2. Acts as anti-inflammatory food,
  3. Loaded with antioxidants.
  4. Veggies provide dietary fibre for better digestion and best for fat loss.
  5. Helps to improve HDL (good cholesterol) and reduces bad cholesterol
    (LDL, VLDL, Triglycerides)
  6. Improves glow of skin
  7. Loaded with multivitamins and nutrients for better health.

CAUTION: Choose the low fat and unflavoured yogurt to get all these mentioned benefits, as flavoured yogurt have more sugars.

From Terminal Illness To Complete Wellness! Ananda Mukherjee Health Story

As we observe World Cancer Day under the powerful theme ‘United by Unique’ (2025-2027)**, we are reminded that every individual’s journey with cancer is distinct, yet united by shared resilience, hope, and the collective fight against this disease. This theme places people at the centre of care and their stories at the heart of the […]