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Myth about Spot Reduction

Myth about Spot Reduction
One of the common questions as a fitness trainer I have encountered is if spot reduction- reducing fat from a particular area is possible or not?

If a gym client has a problem collecting more fat around the abdominal area or generally a woman collecting more fat around the lower body they always request the trainers to give them more exercises for the abs or the lower body. But, is spot reduction actually possible? or is it a myth?

As a teenager we collect less amount of fat despite eating all the junk food. One major reason for this is while in the youth, the amount of muscle mass that we carry is more as compared to an elderly person. Hence, the BMR of a youth is quite high when as a teenager and it remains high up to the age of 24 or 25 years of age. Post 25, the degeneration sets in and the muscle mass starts to decline. Muscle being a metabolically active tissue contributes towards increasing the BMR. With the muscle mass degenerating, the BMR also drops and the individual starts collecting fat all over the body. But, in every individual there is a spot where he/she collects more fat then the other parts of the body.

The collection of fat in particular spots is dictated by an individual’s genetics. When, I say pre-decided by genetics, it means that it runs in the family. It is now important to understand how this happens?

Here we need to understand the role of 2 important hormones in our body

1)      Insulin and 2) Glucagon.

Insulin acts like a transporter of micro and macro nutrients into the liver and muscle cells. Insulin also plays a role of maintaining the blood sugar levels after a high carbohydrate meal by lowering the blood sugar levels and avoids a person from going into Hyperglycemia (high blood sugar levels).

Glucagon on the other hand is a hormone that again maintains blood sugar levels by increasing the blood sugar level during long hours of starvation or when an individual lowers the carbohydrate intake in his meals. Here, glucagon plays the role of raising the blood sugar levels and avoids the state of hypoglycaemia (low blood sugar levels).

After having simple carbohydrates such as sugar, chocolates, white rice, white bread, some fruits with high glycemic index, potatoes and other starch, the conversion of these foods into sugar is very fast and it increases the blood sugar levels.

Please note the sugar that is stored within the muscle as muscle glycogen is preserved by the body for any high intense anaerobic activity that we perform in our day to day activity (like running fast or lifting some heavy object etc)

In order to loose fat, a person needs to cut down on simple carbohydrates and keep complex carbohydrate in a reduced quantity (as and when required) as well as start in taking good amount of fibres and protien.When carbohydrates are reduced,
the body is deprived of energy so it starts surviving on the blood sugar for energy. The blood sugar levels drop then to normal thereby leading to hypoglycemia. This activates the pancreas to release Glucagon.

Glucagon starts to maintain the blood sugar levels by raising it. Since the sugar inflex is reduced from outside, the glucagon has no option but to use liver glycogen to raise the blood sugar levels. Once, the liver storage of glycogen is over, it moves to the muscle glycogen. Muscle glycogen is not released by the body as it is reserved for a high intense activity. Now glucagon has no other option but to move towards the fat cell to get energy for survival. Here, one more enzyme known as the HSL (Hormone sensitive lipase) which is on the fat cell allows the triglycerides to exit from the fat cell in the form of free fatty acid into the blood stream and it is used up by the tissues as a source of energy.

This is already programmed by our genetics and cannot be changed through any exercise or spot reduction techniques.

Performing abdominal exercises will definitely strengthen the abdominal muscles which will help an individual to increase his or her functionality in day to day activities as well as it will also help in lifting a decent poundage in functional movements like squats, Lunges, Bendover rows, Overhead presses and Regular deadlifts. But, abdominal exercises DO NOT give you a spot reduction. Hence, the intention of abdominal workout is increasing strength of the abdomen and not spot reduction.

Fat loss is all throughout the body because it catogorized as BODY FAT and not fat of the abdomen, arms, back, chest or legs.

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Use this tool to eat Right and Lose Weight

portion-control
The concept of weight gain and weight loss will always remain the same, irrespective of any new theories on molecular science and diet, blood group diets, fad exercise programs, restrictive diets etc.

‘ Your body will only use how much it needs of the food you eat, for it’s functions Anything extra will get stored away, leading to possible fat gain’.

If you are very hungry, and your only option is a slice of pizza, you should eat it. Your body will break it down for the energy it needs.

What it may not be able to do is break down a couple of slices of pizza, with a portion of pasta and a tiramisu. It may if you’ve just burnt like 1500 cals and your body is craving replenishment of energy.

It is all about controlling your food portions. How much is enough for your body?

Only you can tell by being aware. Eating 2-3 rotis at night or at lunch is probably out of habit. It’s what you have done since you were growing up. But the situations are different. You ate more when you were probably more active and younger with a quicker metabolism.

Things change. Everything changes, including the way your body works and breaks down food, year on year.

What if your body really can do with just 1 roti instead of 3?

What if your body can do with a small scoop of ice cream instead of a large or super-sized portion?

What if you really don’t need 6 small meals in a day?

What if you could still enjoy your dessert or piece of cake, but share it, so you don’t get into a deprivation mode?

Most humans eat more than their bodies require. Especially with the massive choice of culinary delights available, the eye appealing desserts, the way food is plated etc…it works on our minds to a level that we crave it. And that’s OK. I love good food too, who doesn’t.

The problem is, we eat too much of it and there reaches a point when the body does not know what to do with the crazy amounts of food we eat, so when you see your belly/tummy, mid riff, waist starting to expand, that’s your body telling you, ‘ you are eating too much’  OR

‘ Your not exercising sufficiently, your not using all this excess energy that you are feeding me ‘

And what takes months or even years to develop into abdominal fat, as humans we always want things to happen for us quickly. Instant gratification, Instant results, and then we get crazy and desperate to lose that tummy, choosing options that can create more harm than good for the other parts of our body.

We get into intensive exercises, and damage our knees and backs..we get on crazy diets and lose a little weight along with bone density, and key nutrients.

PORTION CONTROL is difficult, yet the easiest way to lose weight, keep it off and moreover, it’s a lifestyle change, something that can change this whole obesity epidemic. We all struggle with food. This may be the solution to eating our favorite food, yet controlling the portions and being fair to our bodies.

When my friend Vishal Gondal brought back a portion control plate from the U.S  to show the entire GOQii team, I had a look at it and realized, this is what India needs.

Such a simple tool that will teach people how to eat, How much to eat without feeling deprived.

It can teach children all about the right portions that they should serve themselves, and I envision families using this portion control plate to serve themselves and build a culture of eating clean and right.

I used one for a month, serving myself everyday using this portion plate and at first I thought the quantity was too less, but quickly figured I was eating more than I needed.  I used a 1 cup portion serving for a few days and then cut back to a half cup serving at dinner.

Like all habits, it took a few days getting used to, but all I can say now is, I am eating lesser for sure and I don’t feel hungry after doing this.

It beats all fat loss pills, which anyway never work. This teaches you to eat the right way and anything that works towards making a shift in your lifestyle, is worth it, is sustainable and is the right way to go.

Once you get into the habit of controlling your portions and knowing how much your body really needs, you then begin to automatically apply the same when you eat out.

You can try this simple yet effective tool to change the way you eat and control or lose weight.

Moreover, using this will ensure you eat a balanced meal of carbs, protein, fats and veggies.

Get it at: http://purenutrition.co.in/meal-measure.html

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Why should you avoid Processed Foods?

processed-foods
Few months back, I had an individual come to me for consultation. While, I was going through his lifestyle and diet recall, I realised that he was largely surviving on packed foods as he stayed in a hostel. On asking why is he does not eat in the hostel mess, he replied, the food which is served in the mess is not tasty and secondly, due to his work there are time constraints to keep up with the mess timings. Packed foods are easy foods- easy to make and handy too. They are delicious with lots of varieties, he added. I had a tough time counselling him that packed foods are not a good idea on a daily basis. But, finally he did get convinced and agreed on cutting down on these packed foods.

There are some people who are completely helpless and so they end up eating packed foods. But, there are also some people who incorporate the packed foods in their daily routine just because they are too lazy to cook a fresh meal. They feel why should you  waste time and energy when it is easily available and delicious. I really wonder do they really know what these foods are. Or some eat it because they find it healthy.

For instance, Masala oats, I came across many people who know that oats are good for health and so they include it in their daily routine for breakfast. They are misconceived by the advertisements which claim these foods to be super healthy enriched with multivitamins!! Also, another instance is Maggi, a snack which is loved by majority of the kids. It’s eyewash that Maggi is enriched with calcium! The fact is, it is made out of refined carbs (Maida) which is definitely a big no no!  I would suggest, moderation is a key for every little thing. So, if there is any craving for Maggi, you can add lot of veggies to it and control the portion. That makes it comparatively healthier than plain Maggi.

So why should you avoid packed foods? I shall brief you on what exactly these comfort foods/packed foods/ready to eat foods are. These are nothing but processed foods. What all items come under processed foods? It can range from biscuits to instant mix cakes, to fruit juices!  The disadvantages are:

  • Most processed foods are coloured with synthetic or additional colouring agents. Based on the idea that we “eat with our eyes”, many food manufactures choose to enhance a colour, even if the initial food is not as colourful.
  • Also, they are high on trans-fat which increases LDL cholesterol (bad cholesterol, associated with heart diseases) and lowers HDL cholesterol in the body.
  • Daily munching of processed foods promotes aging and kidney damage as they contain phosphates and genetically engineered ingredients.  
  • Also, they are high on preservatives (sodium), so hypertensive has to be really cautious.

It is very important to check the nutritional label before buying any product. Also, opt for it only during emergency and don’t make it a habit of consuming it on daily basis. Try to go for natural products which will keep you fit and healthy.

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BANANA-The Misunderstood Fruit

Bananas
It was a normal day for me. As usual I was sitting in my cabin wrapping up my pending work for the day, and suddenly I find a teenage youth barging into my cabin. His first question was how could his friend who was following a diet prescribed by me, lose so much of weight in spite of having banana’s daily twice a day. I looked at him and replied Why not? And to that he again replied back how you could lose weight with a fattening fruit like banana?.

Majority of my clients, keep banana at bay, in spite of loving the fruit just because they think that it is fattening.

Well! I would like to take this opportunity to inform each one of you out there that other the Avocado, none of the fruits have FATS in them. More often than not fruits are cut off from the diet list of an individual without proper reasoning given and individuals assume that fruits are fattening and therefore avoid it out of fear

Banana, also known as a prepackaged fruit, that comes in a yellow jacket, is an all seasons fruit and widely available across the world. The fruit is high on simple carbohydrates, but if taken in right quantity and at the right time, it will never make you put on fat in your body.

Oops, did I say fat …… Well the explanation for this is that any natural food which contains simple carbohydrates or is high on calories, if eaten at wrong time or in wrong quantities then your body counts that as excess and stores it. The stored form is ‘Fat’.

Bananas are super food. It can combat depression, cure hangover, relieve morning sickness, protect against kidney cancer, diabetes, osteoporosis and blindness, mosquito itch, helps cure acidity, bloating, cramping…and the list can go on. I have chalked out few benefits of Banana

BENEFITS OF BANANA

  • It helps overcome depression due to high levels of tryptophan which is converted to Serotonin-the feel good factor.
  • Protect against all types of Cramping: muscle cramp, stomach cramp, night time leg cramp because of the Potassium content of Banana
  • Bananas reduce swelling, protect against type 2 diabetes, aid weight loss, strengthen the nervous system, and help with production of white blood cell, all due to high levels of Vitamin B6
  • It is high on potassium and low in salt, which helps lower blood pressure and protect against heart attack and stroke.
  • High on fiber, it helps mobilize bowel movement, thus relieving constipation.
  • Bananas are natural antacid and helps relieve acidity and heartburn.
  • Want to Quit Smoking? Have a Banana as they have high levels of B-vitamins, phosphorus & magnesium to speed recovery from effects of withdrawal.
  • Rub the inside of the banana peel to help relieve the itching of an insect bite.

One more question often asked is what is the best time to have them?

First thing in the morning before starting an activity, post an exercise, trek, dance, as a meal. Have them without fear.

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