Everyone talks about weight loss, but what about those who are desperate to gain a few kilos?
"I am a 50 kg weakling!" complains Kishore, who has tried all kinds of remedies including high calorie weight gain powders, liver tablets, weight gain drinks and even colon cleansing.
Before we tackle that, though, let us first understand how do you know you are underweight? Simple. Calculate your Body Mass Index. If it is less than 18.5, you are underweight.
Your BMI or body mass index is your weight in kilos divided by the square of your height in metres. (The normal BMI is 18.5 to 24.9).
There are numerous supplements in the weight gain market that might help increase daily caloric intake, yet they have no benefits when compared to smart food choices.
The basic principle of weight gain is simple: You need to consume more calories than you expend. Follow these 10 tips.
i. Eat more calories
This involves some calculation. The approximate normal daily caloric requirement for an average male who performs light activity is 2,200; for a female, it is 1,900.You need to eat around 1,000 extra calories per day to gain less than half a kilo a week.
Do the math. Eat larger portions and eat at least five meals a day.
Your actual caloric requirement can differ depending on your height, weight, activity level and your body's metabolic rate.
ii. Make smart choices
For example, choose dairy products, fish and meat over bread. Choose eggs over vegetables.
Eat foods with high protein content such as beans, pulses and peas, and foods with high starch content such as potatoes, rice and tapioca.
iii. Protein is important
Increase your protein intake. Your body needs a lot of protein to build new muscle. But since most of the calories for weight gain comes from carbohydrates and fats, do not replace them with protein.
iv. Snack a lot
Consume a lot of high-calorie snacks (not junk food) such as cheese sticks, milk shakes, muffins, dried fruits, yoghurt and breakfast bars.
v. Fluids help too
Drink a lot of fluids that supply nutrients and calories; milk, fresh fruit juices and energy drinks are good examples.
vi. Intensify workouts
Aerobics are great, right? Not for weight gain!
You need to exercise really hard and intensely to gain muscle mass.
vii. Weights are the way to go
Focus on free weight exercises (which do not require machinery) that target your large muscle groups. For example, you need dumbells, not fancy gym machines.
Free weights put the most stress on muscles and stimulate the maximum number of muscle fibres.
The best weight training exercises for building muscle mass are free weight exercises like squats, dead lifts, bench presses, barbell rows, pull ups and bar dips.
These exercises are best done under supervision, but they don't need machinery.
viii. Space out your workouts
If you have a high basic metabolic rate -- which means you expend a lot of energy even at rest -- you need short intense workouts instead of long periods of low-stress activity.
ix. Creatine?
Creatine supplements can help some athletes gain weight. It is not known if it is because it gives them spurts of energy or because it adds water weight.
More research is needed in this area before Creatine becomes that magic pill. Creatine supplements are available at all major health food stores, but do not take it without consulting your doctor.
x. Be consistent
It might take a long time, usually a few months, for the weight to actually show. Some people get frustrated and quit when they fail to see drastic results.
Your body will only responds to a consistent schedule. No weight gain programme will work for you if you are not regular.
Heredity does pay a major role in determining your weight. Effective weight training and a smart diet can help you exceed your genetically predetermined weight.
Saturday, June 20, 2009
16 healthy Ayurvedic mantras
Having a bout of indigestion?
Feeling uncomfortable after a spicy meal?
Get Ahead brings you 16 practical Ayurvedic mantras to incorporate into your daily diet.
1. Instead of using plain water in beverages, use water in which cumin seeds have been soaked overnight. Cumin seeds have a cooling effect on the body and are an effective digestive.
2. Add flavour to juices by making ice cubes out of fruit juices, lemon juice and rose water.
Lemon juice is an excellent source of Vitamin C while both lemon juice and rose water have a cleansing and cooling effect on the body. They blend with any fruit juice without causing any side effects, even as they enhance the flavour of the drink.
3. When making juices, use castor/ powdered sugar (colloquially known as pitti/ khada shakkar) instead of cubes or grains. Pitti/ khada shakkar is good for health as it is not processed as much as ordinary sugar.
If you do not have powdered sugar, grind 250 grams of sugar in a mixer and keep handy. Use approximately one spoon of powdered sugar (seven to eight grams) per glass of any juice. It takes less time to dissolve.
4. Excessive sugar consumption can contribute to dehydration, so switch to natural sweetners such as honey, raw sugar or jaggery.
5. Use glucose powder to add energy to your drink.
6. Substitute cow's milk with soya milk. Soya milk is high in protein and adds nutritional value to your diet. Here's how to make it.
Soak soya beans overnight in water.
Drain the water next day.
Blend the soaked beans with three cups of very hot water for three minutes.
Cool till warm to the touch and filter through a muslin cloth by squeezing.
Simmer soya milk on a stove for 20 minutes.
Stir and allow to cool.
Use it to whip up some yummy milk shakes.
7. Substitute table salt with saindhave mamak (rock salt).
8. Substitute chocolate-flavoured health drink powders like Bournvita, Complan and Horlicks with plain cocoa powder to add more nutrition value to the drink.
9. For garnishing juices, use chopped fresh fruit and dry fruits.
10. Want extra spice in your food? Use generous amounts of ground dry ginger blended with powdered sugar, chaat masala and cinnamon powder.
11. Never mix more than three types of fruits while making a juice; the combination of different fruit enzymes could cause acidity and digestion problems.
12. Citrus fruits (orange, sweet lime, grapefruit) can be consumed in combinations (say orange and sweet lime, sweet lime and grapefruit).
However, citrus fruits should not be combined with any other type of fruits as their enzymes can chemically react with other types of fruit enzymes, causing allergies in extreme cases.
13. Never combine citrus fruits and milk as it leads to an undesirable curdling of milk and renders the combination futile
14. Vegetable juices (cabbage, carrot, beetroot) should preferably be diluted in the proportion of 7: 3 (vegetable juice: water).
15. Never have strong concentrated juices (unless recommended) early in the morning on an empty stomach.
Dilute the juice with water and then consume it.
16. Try to drink freshly prepared fruit juices only. Juices that have been stored without preservatives for a long time undergo oxidation and lose a considerable amount of their nutritional value.
Feeling uncomfortable after a spicy meal?
Get Ahead brings you 16 practical Ayurvedic mantras to incorporate into your daily diet.
1. Instead of using plain water in beverages, use water in which cumin seeds have been soaked overnight. Cumin seeds have a cooling effect on the body and are an effective digestive.
2. Add flavour to juices by making ice cubes out of fruit juices, lemon juice and rose water.
Lemon juice is an excellent source of Vitamin C while both lemon juice and rose water have a cleansing and cooling effect on the body. They blend with any fruit juice without causing any side effects, even as they enhance the flavour of the drink.
3. When making juices, use castor/ powdered sugar (colloquially known as pitti/ khada shakkar) instead of cubes or grains. Pitti/ khada shakkar is good for health as it is not processed as much as ordinary sugar.
If you do not have powdered sugar, grind 250 grams of sugar in a mixer and keep handy. Use approximately one spoon of powdered sugar (seven to eight grams) per glass of any juice. It takes less time to dissolve.
4. Excessive sugar consumption can contribute to dehydration, so switch to natural sweetners such as honey, raw sugar or jaggery.
5. Use glucose powder to add energy to your drink.
6. Substitute cow's milk with soya milk. Soya milk is high in protein and adds nutritional value to your diet. Here's how to make it.
Soak soya beans overnight in water.
Drain the water next day.
Blend the soaked beans with three cups of very hot water for three minutes.
Cool till warm to the touch and filter through a muslin cloth by squeezing.
Simmer soya milk on a stove for 20 minutes.
Stir and allow to cool.
Use it to whip up some yummy milk shakes.
7. Substitute table salt with saindhave mamak (rock salt).
8. Substitute chocolate-flavoured health drink powders like Bournvita, Complan and Horlicks with plain cocoa powder to add more nutrition value to the drink.
9. For garnishing juices, use chopped fresh fruit and dry fruits.
10. Want extra spice in your food? Use generous amounts of ground dry ginger blended with powdered sugar, chaat masala and cinnamon powder.
11. Never mix more than three types of fruits while making a juice; the combination of different fruit enzymes could cause acidity and digestion problems.
12. Citrus fruits (orange, sweet lime, grapefruit) can be consumed in combinations (say orange and sweet lime, sweet lime and grapefruit).
However, citrus fruits should not be combined with any other type of fruits as their enzymes can chemically react with other types of fruit enzymes, causing allergies in extreme cases.
13. Never combine citrus fruits and milk as it leads to an undesirable curdling of milk and renders the combination futile
14. Vegetable juices (cabbage, carrot, beetroot) should preferably be diluted in the proportion of 7: 3 (vegetable juice: water).
15. Never have strong concentrated juices (unless recommended) early in the morning on an empty stomach.
Dilute the juice with water and then consume it.
16. Try to drink freshly prepared fruit juices only. Juices that have been stored without preservatives for a long time undergo oxidation and lose a considerable amount of their nutritional value.
Make this as home page Code
Add foloowing code in page to make homepage.....
Method 1
Click here to make supertipsandtricks your default homepage
Method 2
onClick="this.style.behavior='url(#default#homepage)';
this.setHomePage('http://sites.google.com/site/supertipsandtricks');">Make supertipsandtricks Your Homepage
Method 3
Method 1
Click here to make supertipsandtricks your default homepage
Method 2
onClick="this.style.behavior='url(#default#homepage)';
this.setHomePage('http://sites.google.com/site/supertipsandtricks');">Make supertipsandtricks Your Homepage
Method 3
Disable InfoLinks ads in IE
How to disable InfoLinks ads. keyword advertising from InfoLinks on Internet Explorer.
Step by step:
1) Open the IE options.
This can be done by using the Tools menu within IE and selecting "Internet Options", by right-clicking on the IE icon on your desktop or Start menu and selecting "Internet Options", or by launching "Internet Options" from inside the Windows Control Panel.
2) From the IE Options window, select the Security tab
3) From within the security tab, click on the "Restricted sites" icon and then click the [Sites] button right below it.
4) A list box window will pop up. In the "Add this website to the zone:" filed type in "*.infolinks.com" then click the [Add] button.
Step by step:
1) Open the IE options.
This can be done by using the Tools menu within IE and selecting "Internet Options", by right-clicking on the IE icon on your desktop or Start menu and selecting "Internet Options", or by launching "Internet Options" from inside the Windows Control Panel.
2) From the IE Options window, select the Security tab
3) From within the security tab, click on the "Restricted sites" icon and then click the [Sites] button right below it.
4) A list box window will pop up. In the "Add this website to the zone:" filed type in "*.infolinks.com" then click the [Add] button.
Disable IntelliTXT ads in IE
How to disable IntelliTXT keyword advertising from Vibrant Media on Internet Explorer.
Step by step:
1) Open the IE options.
This can be done by using the Tools menu within IE and selecting “Internet Options”, by right-clicking on the IE icon on your desktop or Start menu and selecting “Internet Options”, or by launching “Internet Options” from inside the Windows Control Panel.
2) From the IE Options window, select the Security tab
3) From within the security tab, click on the “Restricted sites” icon and then click the [Sites] button right below it.
4) A list box window will pop up. In the “Add this website to the zone:” filed type in *.intellitxt.com then click the [Add] button.
Step by step:
1) Open the IE options.
This can be done by using the Tools menu within IE and selecting “Internet Options”, by right-clicking on the IE icon on your desktop or Start menu and selecting “Internet Options”, or by launching “Internet Options” from inside the Windows Control Panel.
2) From the IE Options window, select the Security tab
3) From within the security tab, click on the “Restricted sites” icon and then click the [Sites] button right below it.
4) A list box window will pop up. In the “Add this website to the zone:” filed type in *.intellitxt.com then click the [Add] button.
Disable Kontera in IE
How to disable Kontent ads keyword advertising from kontera on Internet Explorer.
Step by step:
1) Open the IE options.
This can be done by using the Tools menu within IE and selecting "Internet Options", by right-clicking on the IE icon on your desktop or Start menu and selecting "Internet Options", or by launching "Internet Options" from inside the Windows Control Panel.
2) From the IE Options window, select the Security tab
3) From within the security tab, click on the "Restricted sites" icon and then click the [Sites] button right below it.
4) A list box window will pop up. In the "Add this website to the zone:" filed type in "kona.kontera.com" then click the [Add] button.
Step by step:
1) Open the IE options.
This can be done by using the Tools menu within IE and selecting "Internet Options", by right-clicking on the IE icon on your desktop or Start menu and selecting "Internet Options", or by launching "Internet Options" from inside the Windows Control Panel.
2) From the IE Options window, select the Security tab
3) From within the security tab, click on the "Restricted sites" icon and then click the [Sites] button right below it.
4) A list box window will pop up. In the "Add this website to the zone:" filed type in "kona.kontera.com" then click the [Add] button.
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