Being overweight is like three or more people riding a scooter or a two wheeler or three or four extra people are stuffed in a car. Both are going to break down either suddenly or gradually, that's sure. As both are carrying extra weight beyond their strength. Our knees are designed as per our height, to carry certain amount of weight. Weight is generally increased due to overeating & sitting idle or lack of activity. These days it's seen that people are working on computers for hours or watching television & having their food, is also one reason behind overeating. But lack of exercise, I feel is more responsible for being overweight. As exercise or physical activity is the process we burn the calories we acquired from food. But first of all you have to judge yourself & decide that you are going to fight for it. How to do it is not difficult.
There is one very simple method to understand whether one is obese or not. Just recollect out of memory the size of your waist line at the age of 18 or 20. If you don't, take help of your family members. If today, it's increased by around 15% than you can relax. Otherwise you should decide that you have to reduce that flab as soon as possible.
There is no need to press panic button. Here are some realistic tips to loose weight for all those interested in living happy & healthy life-long.
How to control excessive eating?
You have to carefully watch your dietary habits & eating pattern first. As crash dieting has corrosive effect & the lost weight bounces back more ruthlessly. So you have to carefully select the food items & might need to alter some of your habits related to it. We should always keep in mind that we must not loose essential nutrients while following dietary restrictions. So we will not discuss much about stop this or that thing type of restrictions.
- Be sure you are drinking lots of clean water throughout the day. This keeps the hunger suppressed & gives the feeling of fullness. Don't remain hungry as this will cause excessive eating at home. You can drink water if away from home or eating joint as it suppresses hunger for some time. At the time of meals drink a glass of water few minutes before joining the dining table. Sit comfortably & eat without hurry.
- As per Ayurvedic concepts, it suppresses "Jatharagni" (Digestive fire) & induces indigestion & constipation. It should ideally be consumed 20 - 20 minutes after meals for a good digestion. Not drinking water imparts a great effect on our digestive system as it helps essential nutrients to get digested. It is proven fact that drinking water during meals causes indigestion as it dilutes digestive juices & natural process of digesting the food properly. So, please stop drinking water, liquids & cold drinks with your meals or immediately after meals.
- Eat like a cow. Eating three big meals is not a good idea at least after forty. Eat five or six small meals is better option as it helps to keep regular flow of energy & keeps excessive hungry feeling away. Eating this way helps to maintain blood sugar levels within limits. Eat fresh vegetables & fruits with two main meals, with lunch & dinner to be precise. Dinner should be light as heavy will adversely affect your sleep.
- Have fruits between main meals so that you are filled with fibers. Having fruits 10 - 15 minutes before meals is always beneficial as it delays the absorption time & keeps you full for a longer time. Eating more fruits or vegetables is always beneficial as it reduces caloric intake.
- Control your craving for snacks, deserts & cold drinks just before, in between or after meals. You can have small sample quantities of these if it's irresistible, that too in initial stage. Otherwise better you forget these. These are the most serious threats to your weight reduction plans.
- It is a fact that we have 20% extra food always. The fact behind is that: it takes around 20 minutes for brain to register that food is on the way. In younger days we are not harmed as we are very active physically moreover need extra energy to grow. Gradually reduce 10% of your dietary intake & make it 20% within 2 - 3 months. If done slowly, you can do it definitely.
- Do try to be vegetarian, but slowly. Initially it will look difficult. Gradually start having vegetarian diet at least 3 - 4 times a week. You should limit animal protein consumption to control cholesterol levels to reduce possibility of landing into trap of cardiac disorders also. To keep protein intake high, start having legumes - peas, grams, lentils & other pulses. One more thing very simple is to avoid mixing animal proteins with starches like breads & potatoes. I'm sure you will gradually start relishing vegetarian delicacies.
How to add exercise to your lifestyle?
It is also one very important part of to achieving the goal of getting in shape. It's simpler than controlling the dietary habits. Here is how to do it gradually & without a pinch.
- Start walking while on a shopping spree. Leave your car at home if the market is within one kilometer or even if a mile. While in office you can walk & handover the document or message personally to your colleague, subordinate or boss.
- Use stairs instead of lift or escalator. Slowly you can add some exercise through this method.
- Brisk walking has numerous health benefits. One of them is reduction in weight apart from it being useful for joint health, cardiac health & immunity. Start walking at any point of time during the day as an when you are empty stomach since 3-4 hours. Go on tracking on weekends.
One final word:
Always keep in mind a law of nature "Human body has an incredible healing ability to repair, realign & recover naturally". It only needs a chance with serious attention, which we shall give. Wellbeing is always in our hands.

I am so fat. My life has changed since I gained weight. There is almost a universal anxiety about weight. Even if you have a family history of obesity, for instance, don’t accept your obesity whole heartedly.
If you tried and failed, you are not alone. But that doesn’t mean you will not succeed this time.
Are you obese?
Pay a visit to your mirror as this is the best diagnostic tool. Look at yourself honestly without holding in your stomach. If you dislike what you see, you need to slim down. If you wish to be genuinely honest use caliper for a proper and more objective evaluation. If you don’t have it, try to pinch your waist. If you can grab more than an inch, it may be time to seriously think of loosing weight.

Workable diet:
The first step in successful dieting is developing right and positive attitude. Diet is a way of limiting the number of calories you consume every day. It is a tool that assists you in reaching your desired weight. This tool should not be treated as a punishment for crime of being overweight.
Second step in successful dieting is to selecting the right diet. Sometimes it is seen that people who want to shed weight quickly go for a very low calorie diet. Initially they do loose some weight quickly, but than they run into trouble. After prolong starvation they stop loosing weight. The question arises here that why it happens? It is believed that if you drastically cut down on diet. Your metabolism slows down and your body doesn’t burn those calories you feed in. The most hazardous factor of this is that you loose muscle instead of fat. But if you go off the, diet you gain weight back more quickly and that too in the shape of fat not as muscles. And after some time you are fatter than before, you may look older also. So forget crash dieting as too few calories cause the metabolism to rebel and after going of it will cause bingeing.

Foods to limit: Precaution is always better than cure, so first we will discuss the dietary ingredients which should be avoided-

Fats and fried food: It is normally seen that common man who is weight conscious always tries to find substitute for sugar when he really needs a substitute for fat, as fats are the highest source for calories. So the intelligence is to reduce fat content from diet, not the sugar.

Sugar and sweets: you probably are aware that sweets are fattening. Sugar based foods are poor source other nutrients. If we assess it technically, these are empty calories. Simple sugars just stimulate secretion of insulin and thus they stimulate our hunger. Since insulin is related to hunger so you will be hungry in less time.

Protein in diet: The issue regarding protein consumption is a bit confusing all over the world. It is a fact that protein is just required to repair and to build new tissues. It should be kept in mind that we don’t need much protein in routine as we think. It is a proven fact that excessive protein consumed turns into fat. It is observed that it should not be more than 12 to 15 percent of total food intake.

Alcohol: Most of the alcoholic beverages are high in calories. This statement should always be kept in mind. But it is more harmful because of it is an appetizer. That is why people eat abruptly after consumption of alcoholic drinks.

Increase intake of these: There are certain edibles which help us in keeping weight under control. So start eating them quickly-

Fiber rich food: This is the one content of food we don’t relish to have. But it is a super food. Recent researches have proved that it can fight against diabetes, heart disease, cancers of intestines, tooth decay, constipation and obesity. Persons who are non-vegetarians should immediately start switching over to vegetarianism as you are not eating fiber at all. The fiber present in wheat floor gives feeling of fullness as it starts swelling due to tendency of absorbing water. And this fiber present not only helps to control tendency of habitual constipation but helps to smooth evacuation. So it is wise to go for foods which are high in fiber content: bran, peas, brown rice and cleaned but unpeeled potatoes and apples.

Fruits: It is always wise to pacify your craving for sweets with fruits and other foods which are naturally sweet. Natural sweets are low in calories and high in nutrients. Fruits are also a good source of natural fiber and micro nutrients essential for well being of our system. So avoid toffee, chocolate bars, burfy, rasgulla, gulabjamun, jalebi and other popular Indian sweets.

Change your habits: If eating less and exercising more were easy tasks, perhaps everybody has done this. In Practical life, it is seen that these are the habits we grow gradually over a period of 6 to 10 years and if we wish to change them overnight, is very difficult. But if we decide once to change these gradually, is possible. Here are some simple suggestions:

- Good eating habits, proper food and good exercise, all three are equally important.
- Identify first of what triggers your desire to eat. Start ignoring that.
- Avoid buying your favorite dish and keeping in your refrigerator.
- Gradually try to neglect favorite food article or try to avoid for some time or days.
- Stop buying ready to eat food, go for the food which needs cocking.
- Don’t eat while watching, reading, talking and playing as it will land you in overeating.
- Eat small bites and chew longer and let your taste buds to experience the real taste of it.
- Try to avoid sitting in the same place every time as it aggravate your hunger.
- Don’t clean your plate. Leave some for birds and pets.
- Be focused and add some more dos and don’ts to this list to be a winner this time.
- Drink a glass of water or eat salad of mixed vegetables before lunch or dinner.
- Don’t eat when you are extremely hungry, go for a walk instead.
- Talk to others who also are struggling to loose weight.
- Reward yourself if you are slimming down. Buy new outfit or go on vacations.
- Manage your stress as people under stress eat more to relieve it.

Start exercising: Exercise may be as important to weight loss as diet control. Begin to exercise as this is a major element in losing weight. Researches of modern times have proved that exercisers can lose weight without even dieting. Exercise provides the tools you need in day-to-day life as it helps counter emotional triggers. Think positive, behave positive and stay positive. Always remember that it is better to increase physical activity to control excess calories than to reduce energy intake. And of course, the most obvious benefit of exercise is that it burns calories.

Choose the right exercise: There is one exercise everyone can try without investing much and that is walking. You don’t need any expansive equipments or gadgets and without joining a health club. Simple walking burns sufficient amount of calories required for losing weight and body shaping. This is effective for all age groups of men, woman and children. You can gradually increase the distance and speed as per your stamina to get desired results. If you are not interested in it opt for cycling or swimming. Another way to get more exercise is to make part of your daily routine. Start using stairs instead of escalators, avoid car for short distances, park your car in far corner and take your dog for a run. All is up to you, once you decide to infuse exercise in your life.

Yoga: Join nearby group or contact some expert and start practicing yoga postures as they also help to reduce that unwanted flab from your tummy. Deep breathing techniques are also useful to control weight but should be learned well under expert’s supervision.

This article in nutshell:
- Obesity is not accepted even if you have a family history of it.
- Your mirror is best diagnosing tool, that you are obese.
- Start controlling yourself from eating your favorite food items.
- Want to eat sweets. Eat fruits as they are more nutritious.
- Manage your stress. Stressed people eat more.
- Start exercising as early as possible. Walking is good option.
- Exercising is better than diet control. Too few calories are not good in long term.
- Eat slowly, chew completely and enjoy your food fully.
- Increase fiber intake to get good results from your same diet.
- Start walking for small distances and than gradually increase the distance and speed.

Ayurveda- The Indian traditional system of health care believes in a holistic approach to health care and hair care is one of the vital parts of it. Ayurveda believes that just external application and precautions are not sufficient to keep it full of life, strength, luster, sheen, color, vitality and healthy life long. This issue is discussed in almost every classical text in detail which shows that our Rishis (sages) were also aware of the importance of this field. Ayurvedic Ahara-Vihar (Diet and Lifestyle) concept are two major factors that influence whole body and the health of the hair as well. Irregular dietary habits, Poor diet, Illness and Deficiencies of any particular Vitamin and Mineral affects the quality of hair and problems like dandruff, thinning hair, early baldness, premature graying, spoil the hair quality. In an individual the condition of the hair is the reflection of the complete constitution of his physical state. If the person is not healthy then the bad health will reflect from the hair. Ayurvedic classical literatures thrust upon overall regulation for hair care. Basic guidelines one should follow in life for wellbeing of hair are as follows:

(I). Massage scalp regularly: Topical application of medicated hair oil improves nourishment to the scalp which helps to keep your hair long, lustrous, strong, shining and thick. The warm oil head and scalp massage, especially when done with oil infused with Keshya (hair-friendly) herbs, nourishes the hair and scalp, alleviates dry scalp, enhances circulation. Coconut oil or Sesame oil, infused with herbs like Amalaki (Emblica officinalis), Brahmi (Bacopa monnieri), Bhringaraj (Eclipta alba) or Japa (Hibiscus), helps maintain the color and luster of hair. Ayurvedic herbal hair oils contain a blend of hair-friendly herbs. If you can massage two or three times a week preferably in morning (1-2 hours before bath) for nourishment. Apply Narikela (coconut) oil or Sarshapi(mustard) oil (depending upon availability and suitability) at least three times in a week. Use of Classical Ayurvedic Medicated Oils like: Bhringraja oil, Neelibhringadi oil, Mahabhringraja oil and Brahmi-Amla oil helps to control complaints related to the scalp and hair.

(II). Regular cleansing of scalp and hair: Always keep your hair and scalp clean to avoid clogged hair follicles and itching of scalp. Cleanse with a gentle herbal shampoo or baby soap or soft home made herbal based shampoo. Over or excessive shampooing, especially with a harsh shampoo can lead to dry out the scalp and damage hair. Use lukewarm or fresh water to wash your hair, and follow with a natural conditioner. Let the hair dry naturally rather than blow-drying it. Trim hair regularly to take care of split ends and natural wear and tear. Regularly cleaning and brushing the hair is very important. When the hairs are brushed, oil-producing glands in the scalp get stimulated. This natural oil makes the hair glossy and healthy. To give extra shine to the hair, after washing rinse the hair with some lemon juice mixed in a cup of warm water.

(III). Regulate dietary habits: Irregular or unhealthy eating habits affect over all performance of all of our systems. Healthy eating is just as important for effective digestion and absorption as the healthy diet itself. Food should be fresh and whole and prepared lovingly. Ayurveda advocates that every one should have food in properly ventilated, calm, quiet corner and should not do any other job at the time of having food like watching your favorite television show or talking and discussing any business issue. Eat with your attention on the food, in a calm and serene frame of mind, and one should chew food properly before swallowing. For a good digestion a healthy person should not drink too much water during meals, few sips of water in between bites is fine, otherwise proper watering time is half an hour after food. One should drink luke warm water if oily, spicy and non vegetarian food is consumed. Dinner should always be light. All of such restrictions are important if you wish to keep your body free of Ama (toxins). Toxins build up in the body obstructs nutrients from reaching the cells and tissues of the body. The food articles and bad habits which one should get rid off are discussed also. They are as follows: Excessive intake of tea, coffee, alcohol, meats and smoking should be avoided. Eating too much fried, oily, greasy, spicy, sour and acidic foods is always harmful. Chemical or synthetic medicines should be avoided. Low blood circulation, anemia, general weakness after disease, stress, anxiety and mental tension should be treated by improving dietary habits and routine. Diseases like typhoid fever, jaundice and hormonal imbalance cause excessive falling of hair and aggravate the incidence of dandruff.
Especially after the age of forty, it is important to undergo periodic internal cleansing to flush away Ama (toxins). Triphala (mixture of equal quantity of fruits of Amalaki - Emblica officinalis, Vibhitaka – Terminalia belerica and Harad – Terminalia chebula) is a very popular, gentle, non- habit forming cleanser that can be taken frequently to regulate the digestive system.

(IV). Nutritious diet: Ayurvedic concept of way of life strongly is of the view, that healthy and nutritious food improves body of hair, so a balanced assortment of nutrients is necessary to prevent premature hair loss and early graying.
List of beneficial hair foods include white Sesame seeds, fresh Coconut, Green vegetables, whole Grains, Dates and Raisins, Dadhi (curd), Sprouted mixture of beans, Nuts and Seeds and healthy fats such as Ghee or Oil. Ayurvedic system of medicine advises to cook food with spices and aromatic herbs as they improve digestion and detoxify our body tissues. Ayurveda advocates for regular intake of Haridra (Turmeric), Maricha (Black pepper), Methi (Fenugreek), Dhania (Coriander) and Jeera (Cumin) are both flavoring and Agni (digestive fire) enhancing. Herbs like Amalaki (Emblica officinalis), Haritaki (Terminalia chebula), Hingu (Asafoetida), Bhringraja (Eclipta alba) and seasonal fruits especially citrus fruits help to improve digestion and immunity for all age groups and all Dosha types.


(V). Sleep Sufficiently: As per Ayurvedic concepts: Sleep is as important as nutritious food for well being of human body. Improper or irregular sleeping schedule causes disturbance to our body clock. Sleep is the phase when our body repairs tissues and reorganizes systems. One should retire to bed before 10 p.m. and should finish dinner two hours prior to sleep. Light dinner with less spice followed by a glass of milk (an hour after dinner) is always found to induce good quality sleep. Lack of sufficient sleep can lead to poor health of hair.

(VI). Stress management: Everybody faces high levels of mental and emotional stress due to fierce competition in day to day life of modern times. Living regularly in such state of stress can lead to excessive falling, premature graying, dry, dull-looking, lifeless appearance of hair. Herbal tea enriched with any one or more of Brahmi (Bacopa monnieri), Mandookparni (Centella asiatica), Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera) and Jatamansi (Nardostachys jatamansi) supports natural ability to manage stress. Always spare time to rest and relax and practice relaxing yoga techniques and meditation to keep stress under control. Massaging scalp with medicated herbal oils is found to be helpful to mental relaxation and to control mood swings.


*Ayurvedic hair cleanser - Blend together coarsely grinded Amalaki (Embilica officinalis) – 50 Gms., Shikakai (Acacia concinna) – 30 Gms. and Arishtaka (Sapindus trifoliatus) – 20 Gms and Water – 1.5 Ltrs. make a decoction by boiling contents so that the water is reduced to 1 Ltr. and keep after straining it for washing the hair, but application of oil is always advisable prior to it. This should be made fresh .This a quantity of ingredients in this formulation is for reference only; quantities should be adjusted as per one’s daily requirement. Use of freshly made hair wash solution is always advisable.


This article in nutshell:
- Shape or condition of your hair is reflection of your internal health.
- Good quality sleep relieves stress which is one of the causes of bad hair health.
- Following healthy food habits is always beneficial for wellbeing of hair.
- High protein diet improves condition of hair, controls excessive falling of hair.
- Crash dieting, hormonal imbalances, anemia and low blood circulation cause hair falling.
- Regular milk intake, sesame seeds, almonds and dry fruits help to make hair full of life.
- Application of Sesame oil or Coconut oil or Mustard oil is always good for healthy hair.
- Regular shampooing with undiluted shampoos should be avoided as it will damage hair.
- Hair oils enriched with Keshya (Hair friendly) herbs are always beneficial for hair.
- Regular maintaining of scalp hygiene is of prime importance to control hair disorders.
- Brushing naturally dried hair stimulates circulation to the scalp and hair follicles.
- Cleaning with hard water should be avoided, as it makes hair dry, rough, messy and dull.
- Always dilute shampoo by adding 100 times soft or mineral water to it.