Dramatic and quick weight loss is never a great idea. The long game dietary intervention alternative is always a better option. That being said, service members have a height and weight requirement that they must meet yearly.

If you find yourself in a situation where you need to lose those last few pounds quickly, here's how to do it in a safe way. This method has nothing to do with those fat burners that have zero efficacy and that usually just induce fever-like symptoms in order to "burn" fat.

WARNING: This protocol, although safer than other methods, is still risky. Only attempt this if you have an actual reason to and with someone closely monitoring your progress. *This is not medical advice. I take no responsibility for any potential adverse effects.* In fact, I recommend you don't do this. This article is just to show a safer method of cutting weight than individuals typically conduct.

For that dietary intervention alternative, check out The Ultimate Composure Nutrition Guide in my Free Resources Vault, where I lay out the process in a step by step easy to follow protocol.

The name of the game is water manipulation.

(Photo by Cpl. Anthony Leite)

Water intake: You're over half water. By reducing the amount of water you drink, you are inherently reducing your weight. The other two factors that you'll be manipulating are simply ways for you to reduce your water retention. More on why you should be drinking water here.

Carbohydrate intake: Every gram of stored carbohydrate stores an additional 3-4 grams of water. This is why the word hydrate is included in the word carbohydrate. When you eat a higher carb diet, you may feel that you look softer, it's because you're holding on to more water. The extra water retention makes you look less cut in general.

Sodium intake: Electrolytes transport electrical signals throughout our body, it's how we work. When you manipulate your intake of electrolytes, especially sodium, you can trick your body into excreting more of them than usual, which will, in turn, expel more water and help reduce your weight.

The process starts 8 days before your weigh-in.

(U.S. Navy Photo by Burrell Parmer, Navy Recruiting District San Antonio Public Affairs/Released)

GET ACCESS TO THE PROTOCOL IN A STEP BY STEP GUIDE IN MY FREE RESOURCES VAULT HERE!

8 days prior:

6 days prior:

5 days prior

3 days prior

2 days prior

Day of weigh-in prior to weigh-in

Day of weigh-in and post weigh-in

A shiny trophy may be a great reason to cut weight. Make sure you don't cut so hard that you can't perform though.

(U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Timothy Hamlin, 2d Cavalry Regiment)

This is a protocol very similar to what professional fighters and other weight-class athletes use to cut weight prior to a fight. Those individuals have coaches and medical professionals at their disposal to help monitor and implement the protocol. This is not the type of thing that should be undertaken flippantly.

Be smart.

If you want to lose fat, this is not how to do it. This protocol simply rids the body of water weight. All the weight you cut will be put back on in a matter of days, if not hours.

To lose fat, read my nutrition guide, The Ultimate Composure Nutrition Guide. It's free and you can get it in my Free Resources Vault.

To understand why diet manipulation is a better method for fat burning than exercising more read my article The key to your body goals here.

To learn what type of exercise burns the most fat and can compliment a caloric deficit, read this.

If you find this article helpful share it with a friend that needs to lose a few more pounds to make weight.

Email me at michael@composurefitness.com if you want a professional to help guide you through this process or if you have more questions concerning the intricacies of the protocol.

Join the Mighty Fit Facebook Group to keep this conversation going and learn everything you need to achieve your highest level of health.

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Weight loss diets usually require slimmers to eat less but it is important they pick the right foods. Eating foods high in protein can help dieters lose weight and gain lean muscle, an expert revealed. Is there a best time to have it?

By eating foods high in protein, dieters can boost their weight loss results, Harry Aitken, sports scientist and PT, told Express.co.uk.

He said: A high protein diet is simply one that is rich in protein intake, and lower, than normal, in calories.

So you will be consuming lots of protein, whilst still maintaining reduced calories to ensure you are in a calorie deficit, burning more calories than youre eating.

READ MORE: Weight loss: Top five exercises for flat abs revealed - full workout plan here

When upping protein in the diet, slimmers can get it from a host of different foods.

Harry explained meat like chicken, beef, and pork, dairy products and eggs are all a good source of protein.

Vegetarian options like seeds, buts, beans like lentils and broad beans, tofu, and manufactured protein sources made from soya or mycoproteins can also be eaten.

DON'T MISS

These foods will keep hunger pains at bay and dieters are less likely to opt for unhealthy snacks.

This means those hoping to lose weight will notice the benefits adding a portion of protein into every meal.

High protein intake has been proven to keep you fuller for longer, and they have also been proven to reduce subsequent calorie intake, Harry added.

So this means that not only are your high protein means filling you up, and helping you stay full, but they also help to reduce you consuming more calories throughout the day.

A food that can keep you fuller for longer, without consisting of huge amounts of calories, when dieting is a fantastic solution to help you reduce your calorie intake.

Dieters will feel more satisfied and likely to stick to the meal plan they are following.

Harry explained: The problem with many diets is theyre often quite drastic, and they restrict food so much that people feel starving. By helping to keep you full, and therefore happy, you are much more likely to actually stick to the diet.

For those hoping to get into shape, following a high protein diet will also help build muscle and appear lean.

See the original post here:
Weight loss: This food can help you slim down fast - when is the best time to eat it? - Express

Its the latest hot topic. It seems every other person is doing some form of fasting these days. All sorts of acronyms get bandied about theres the 5:2, the 16:8, the Fast 800, intermittent fasting (IF) and alternate-day fasting (ADF).

Its been touted as the solution to everything from getting clearer skin, weight loss and increased longevity but is fasting a health fix or is it just a fad?

Intermittent fasting is probably the most popular approach. Most people already fast every day while they sleep. Intermittent fasting can be as simple as extending that fast a little longer.

You can do this by skipping breakfast, eating your first meal at noon and your last meal at 8pm. Then, youre technically fasting for 16 hours every day, and restricting your eating to an eight-hour eating window. This is the most popular form of intermittent fasting, known as the 16:8 method, and foollowed by a host of celebs including Jennifer Aniston.

Popularised by British journalist Dr Michael Mosley, the 5:2 diet consists of five days of the week that are normal eating days, while the other two restrict calories to 500-600 per day.

Alternate-day fasting is another approach the basic idea is that you fast on one day, and then eat what you want the next day.

This fasting lark, while on trend right now, is not new.

Plutarch and Plato were big fans of fasting. The Greeks observed that sick animals did not eat and saw that it should be no different for humans. They believed fasting could both heal illness and improve cognitive function.

And almost all religious and spiritual practices throughout the ages have advocated fasting in one form or another. Buddha, Jesus and the Prophet Muhammad all fasted and believed in the power of fasting for physical, mental and spiritual benefit. A large number of religious fasting traditions are still practised today.

There is definitely something in it though.

Recent findings from the University of Graz, Austria, published in the journal Cell Metabolism, suggest other advantages, apart from weight loss, include reduced inflammation, better blood sugar control, improved heart health and boosted brain function in participants who undertook alternate day fasting.

Consultant rheumatologist Peter Browne believes there are definite benefits in fasting, but its not something that should be done in isolation. Browne, who works at the Bons Secours hospital in Tralee, says the evidence that intermittent fasting has health benefits is pretty clear. My initial interest in fasting was patient driven. Many of my patients want to try a non-medicine approach when they first see me for treatment and for some of them, fasting has very beneficial results.

He admits its not for everyone. Theres a cohort of patients who would struggle with adherence so its not an approach that can be universally applied, but there is no doubt that fasting can improve metabolic health with improvements in weight, blood pressure, cholesterol, and improved blood sugars in many patients.

Fasting has benefits over and above weight loss too. Browne says it makes sense that allowing our bodies a break from eating, will divert energy to renewal instead. We have evolved to be in sync with the day/night cycle, ie, a circadian rhythm. Our metabolism has adapted to daytime food, night-time sleep. If our bodies are not digesting food at night, then theres time for repair.

This is a well-documented benefit of fasting autophagy, which plays a role in controlling inflammation and boosting immunity. When you fast, your body tries to save energy, and one of the things it can do to save energy is to recycle a lot of the immune cells that are not needed, especially those that may be damaged the first cells to go are the faulty ones. If you are intermittent fasting, this will happen while you are asleep, Browne says.

Nutritional therapist and director of Irelands functional medicine conference Maev Creaven agrees. Most people associate fasting with weight loss, but the benefits go far beyond.

Its more than calorie restriction, its about changing your hormones. There is strong evidence to show that fasting lowers insulin levels. Healthy adults experience a reduction in insulin levels after fasting. Part of insulins role is to regulate blood sugar. Too much insulin has been linked to obesity and other chronic health conditions like heart disease, and diabetes. If insulin is known as the fat storage hormones and is produced in the presence of glucose [carbohydrates], then the best way to lose weight is to reduce insulin via fasting or carb restriction. Its common sense really. There is no more potent way to lower insulin than to fast.

For Tony Murphy, fasting has made a massive impact on his health. A shift worker, he was about 25lbs overweight when he went to the doctor with breathing problems. I had shortness of breath, I was sleepy after eating and I just felt out of sorts. A chat with a dietician got him overhauling his diet. After that chat, I knew I needed to make a change. I went to my doctor and I didnt want to take medication if possible. We agreed that I would adopt some healthy eating guidelines and stop eating at 6pm every day.

He ate brunch mid-morning and a healthy lunch and dinner now he has lost 20lbs, is sleeping properly and has brought his cholesterol down to normal levels. Its a very simple idea, but combined with a bit of exercise and choosing more healthy food, Ive managed to avoid the risk of a lifetime of illness and medication.

There are some caveats though.

Some health professionals have expressed concern about the rise in fasting and warned that some people should absolutely not dabble in this eating style.

Bodywhys, the Eating Disorders Association of Ireland, has warned that anyone whos previously struggled with an eating disorder or experienced disordered eating behaviours should steer clear of fasting.

Similarly, pregnant women, teenagers and anyone with a medical condition should not fast. Always check with your doctor before embarking on any diet regime.

Read the rest here:
The hard and fast rules when it comes to diet - The Irish Times

Im pretty sure that I, once upon a time, could have been classified as a perpetual dieter.

No, not quite a yo-yo dieter, because in order to yo-yo, I wouldve had to have experienced some measure of success. My weight wouldve had to come down before it would come back up, and that never happened for me.

I was a perpetual dieter. It was always something. One week, it would be a tea diet for 10 days, a diet where you only drank tea for breakfast and lunch; and another week, itd be all-Metabolife-everything, where I subsisted solely on diet pills for as long as I could before my brain started to beg for actual nourishment. A third week, Id be losing sleep because Id tried to sleep in a pulsing waistband designed to give my 50-inch waist the abs Id longed for all my life.

Dont laugh. Im serious.

No matter how often or how long I tortured myself, it was never enough. The weight never came off.

It eventually got to a point where I started to question everything. Why do I keep trying methods that just dont work? Why do I keep doing this, if its not giving me the desired outcome? It made me feel a perpetual sense of self-loathingam I the problem, here? If I follow the instructions on the little box correctly and still dont lose weight, am I simply destined to be over 300 pounds the rest of my life?

I genuinely believed Id simply have to accept 330 as a permanent number in my life.

That is, until, one day, my mother suggested something to me that shed never suggested before. She simply suggestedthat I just go to the damn gym.

I was shockedand surprisedby that. Thegym? I guess. Six months later progress. Minor progress, but hard-fought progress, nonetheless.

Another six months later, Id finally figure out that maybe, just maybe, if I gave up the taquitos and sour cream after my workouts, or the pineapple pop and goldfish cracker binges, I might be on to something. And, I was right.

Before too long, weight started flying off. Id finally experienced what I lovingly refer to as the come-to-fitness moment. Following through on it resulted in a triple-digit weight loss.

Your come-to-fitness moment is the moment when you decide that theres no diet, no snake oil, no pill, no wrap that can do for you what learning how to live can do for you. No pill could do what giving up soda pop could do for me. No wrap could do what giving up processed foods could do for me. None of it could make me feel the way being active and fit could make me feel.

Everyones come-to-fitness moment will be different, and thats OK. Its cornerstone, however, is the realization that you only need consistent exercise and clean eating habits to achieve your fitness goals. You may not have a pineapple sodapop fetish for you, it might be a certain brand of candy and you may not have an emotional eating challenge, but you still need to address it before you can experience the full benefits of your come-to-fitness moment.

And should you have that moment, what do you do?

1. Arm yourself. Find books, DVDs, favorite cooking shows, maybe an awesome blog or two, anything and everything that embodies the traits that you hope to make lifelong habits.

2. Dont be afraid to ask questions! You want to learn, and closed mouths dont get fed. We were all newbies at some point.

3. Enable yourself. Get excited about going to work out! Give yourself gratification by being proud of your new efforts. Working out, for someone who just had their come-to-fitness moment reflects more than the possibility of becoming more fit; it represents the development of an invaluable new life-long habit. Its important to allow yourself to be excited about it.

4. Dont be afraid to explore things that are new and unfamiliar to you or people you know. Believe me, if it were familiar to you, you wouldve done it by now which is all the more reason to dive in head first.

When you finally reach the point where you realize that nothing is going to bring you what hard work in the gym will, dont let the disappointment overtake you. Just get ready to sweat your hair out, and look forward to all the new flavors you can explore. As I always say, your body will thank you for it!

Erika Nicole Kendall is the writer behind the award winning blog, A Black Girls Guide to Weight Loss, where she blogs her journey of losing over 150lbs. A trainer certified in womens fitness, fitness nutrition and weight loss coaching, she can be found on Facebook and Twitter.

Excerpt from:
Are You Ready to Have Your Come-to-Fitness Moment? - EBONY

Kunal Kemmu is among the more prominent contemporary Bollywood actors. He has worked in several Bollywood movies in a decade. The actor has come a long way since his days for the movie Sir when he was a child. The actor is best known for his role in the Golmaal franchise. He has also portrayed notable roles in Kalyug, Traffic Signal, and Kalank. The Go Goa Gone actor often shares pictures of his jacked physique.

Also read:Kunal Kemmu: The Most Popular Songs Picturised On The Actor

Also read:Halloween: Soha Ali Khan's Daughter Inaaya Naumi Kemmu Plays Peekaboo

Also read:Diwali 2019: Bollywood Couples Who Dazzled With Their Diwali Looks

Also read:Golmaal 3 Completes 9 Years, Here Are Some Of The Funniest Scenes

To maintain his physique Kunal Kemmu follows a light exercise routine. He also follows a diet plan accordingly. Kunal Kemmu workout depends on the roles he chooses. He combines exercises. The actor is admired for his fitness regime and eating habits.As for the diet plan, Kunal Kemmu is quite versatile and likes to try all kinds of food. On the work front, the actor recently appeared in Abhishek Verman's Kalankwhere he starred alongside Varun Dhawan, Alia Bhatt, and Sanjay Dutt.

Published: November 07, 2019 19:00 IST

See more here:
Kunal Kemmu: The Kalank actors diet and fitness regime - Republic World - Republic World

When trying to lose weight, what to eat and what not to eat are two of the biggest questions we are faced with. And, let's get one thing straight right now, starving yourself is never an option. Starving yourself will slow down your body's metabolism, make you moody, cause depression, and can even end up permanently damaging your organs.

Now that we've established that, let's circle back to the first two questions again: what should you eat and what should you stop eating if you want to shed a couple of pounds in a healthy manner? 36-year-old Rahul Mann tells us that in his case (105 kgs to 85 kgs), following a low-cal diet plan and an active gym routine, helped turn the fat into ripped muscles very effectively.

Last year, in December, I was getting ready to go for a wedding, when I suddenly realised that both my shirt and trousers were so tight-fitting that they'd tear any minute now. And, I wasnt the only one who noticed this. My friends noticed it too and started mocking me. I weighed 105 kgs at this point, and decided to lose weight and get fit that instant, he informs.

Consequently, Mann came home and made the below weight loss plan to trim from 105 kgs to 85 kgs in 3 months.

To lose weight and get in an optimal shape, I started jogging and cycling along with weight training at the gym, he says.

But this was phase one of my weight loss plan, for phase two, I switched my regular meals with a low-cal diet comprising limited carbs and fats and a very high protein intake, he adds.

ALSO READ: Carb cycling: the new trend in weight loss

I divided my diet into five meal plans and indulged in absolutely zero cheat meals while trying to lose weight during those three months.

Early Morning: A glass of warm water with honey and lemon, followed by an apple

Breakfast (Meal 1): 8 boiled egg whites with oatmeal

Mid-day snacks (Meal 2): Fruits and nuts OR sprouts with fat-free yogurt

Lunch (Meal 3): A big bowl of vegetable salad with 8 boiled egg whites and 2 whole eggs

Evening snack (Meal 4): A handful of nuts (pre-soaked almonds and walnuts) + a glass of freshly squeezed juice

Dinner (Meal 5): 150 grams of boiled chicken breast with a bowl of boiled dal, salad and fat-free yogurt

ALSO READ: 9 diet-friendly foods with ZERO calories to help you lose weight

A dedicated weekly workout routine helped me get ripped in the process as well. I would exercise for around two and a half hours a day, six days a week. This time was split in the following morning and evening breakdown:

Morning:

Evening:

Id begin this routine by sipping on a cup of strong black coffee and 4-5 dates or a banana as pre-workout snacks - 40 minutes prior to going to the gym."

"This is what my weight training schedule looked like:

Monday: Chest and triceps

Tuesday: Back, biceps and abs

Wednesday: Legs and shoulder

Thursday: Chest, triceps and abs

Friday: Back and biceps

Saturday: Functional training and abs

After getting done with this workout, Id take another scoop of protein powder to feed my muscles. I also ensured that I drank 3-4 litres of water, daily to stay hydrated.

ALSO READ: Here's how drinking water at regular intervals can help you lose weight and increase your metabolism

I have been able to maintain my weight and shape by sticking to the same diet regime but now I enjoy a cheat meal once a week. I have also reduced the duration of my cardio workouts now, but maintain the same weight training regime.

My only tip would be: stick on your target. Motivate yourself and work hard!

Disclaimer: The diet and workout routines shared by the respondents may or may not be approved by diet and fitness experts. GQ India doesn't encourage or endorse the weight loss tips & tricks shared by the person in the article. Please consult an authorised medical professional before following any specific diet or workout routine mentioned above.

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Working out while sick may not sound enjoyable, although a popular urban myth argues that a person can "sweat out" an illness through exercise. While this is not true in the strictest sense, working out while sick may be helpful in some cases.

In general, a person with symptoms in their head and nose, such as those of a head cold, may benefit from working out.

A person with symptoms in their chest or stomach or someone with a fever should avoid exercising, however. If symptoms get worse or working out causes pain, people are best to avoid working out while sick.

In this article, learn more about the benefits and risks of working out while sick.

Typically, it is okay to exercise with the typical symptoms of a head cold. These include symptoms such as:

In some cases, these symptoms may actually improve with exercise. Exercise increases the heart rate and stimulates circulation, which might help the body release fluids.

It is vital to stay hydrated by drinking plenty of water when working out, especially if a person is sick.

It is also necessary to consider that different exercises will cause different reactions in the body. In general, it is best to avoid extremely strenuous workouts while sick. Instead, an individual should focus on lighter, movement based exercises that get the blood flowing without pushing the body too hard.

These activities might include:

The idea that a person can literally sweat out their illnesses through exercise is a myth. It may have stuck around for so long because regular exercise keeps the body healthy, and may boost the immune system.

However, as the authors of a 2018 study note, moderate exercise can reduce the risk of common respiratory illnesses, reduce their severity, and even shorten how long the person has symptoms.

These effects appear to have more to do with empowering the immune system to handle the illness better, and not how much people sweat out the illness while sick.

Mild exercise may also temporarily help with some symptoms, such as a runny nose or headache.

It is essential to take certain precautions when it comes to working out while sick. For instance, a fever is a definite sign a person should not work out.

As a clinical review in the journal Sports Health notes, fever increases fluid loss in the body, decreases muscle strength, and makes a person feel more exhausted.

A fever also means the body is increasing its internal temperature to fight off an infection. Exercise raises body temperature, making a person feel even worse.

Symptoms in the ear are another factor to consider. These signs of illness may cause a person to feel dizzy or off balance, which could also pose risks if they are working out.

People experiencing dizziness may want to avoid working out until they are better.

Also, anyone with symptoms such as vomiting and diarrhea should avoid working out.

Exercise can cause the body to lose water through sweat. Since someone with diarrhea or vomiting is losing a lot of water already, working out may put them at risk for dehydration.

Chest symptoms are another sign that it is best to avoid working out. These symptoms may include:

Finally, even if a person only has mild symptoms, such as nasal congestion and sneezing, but they feel weak or unable to work out, it is important to rest.

Some activities may not be right for the body while a person is sick. The body is trying to recover, and pushing it too hard may make symptoms worse or the recovery time longer.

Workouts to avoid while sick include:

Anyone who chooses to work out while sick can keep the following tips in mind:

Hydration is always important but is vital while the body recovers from sickness. The body is likely already using extra fluid to move toxins. It may also be losing fluid from extra sweating and a runny nose.

Staying hydrated while working out and throughout the course of the sickness may help avoid the effects of dehydration.

Along with hydration, it is essential to find ways to replenish electrolyte salts while exercising.

Even a simple runny nose can use up electrolytes. Adding a sweaty workout to the mix means the person should take extra precautions.

Drinking liquids, such as coconut water, broth, miso soup, or sports drinks, may help restore these electrolytes and keep the body working as it should.

Along with regular exercise, eating a healthful diet that includes a variety of fruits and vegetables is one of the best ways to boost the immune system and prevent infection.

The body also needs these healthful nutrients while it is recovering from an infection.

When someone is sick, their body is trying to fight off and recover from an illness. As such, it is crucial to keep exercise light. It may not be the best idea to push the body to its limits, such as doing sprints or heavy weightlifting.

A brisk walk or bike ride may be enough to get the blood flowing without pushing the body too hard.

As a consideration to other people, it may be a good idea to avoid exercising in an enclosed space with shared equipment, such as the gym.

Some gyms even have rules that prohibit people from exercising while sick. Instead, they can choose to exercise at home or outdoors.

Most importantly, listen to the body. If a person feels exhausted just a few minutes into working out, it is probably time to stop.

It may be inconvenient, but it is much better to give the body a chance to recover and then go back to the usual exercise routine.

Choosing to work out while sick or not is an individual matter in most cases.

Light to moderate exercise may help boost the immune system to avoid sickness, and when someone is already sick, it may also help increase circulation to reduce some symptoms of a head cold.

It is important to avoid heavy or very strenuous exercise. People with more severe symptoms, such as those with a fever or a heavy cough, should also avoid exercise.

Overall, it is important to listen to the body and to stop working out if a person feels exhausted or too ill.

Follow this link:
Working out while sick: Should you rest or sweat it out? - Medical News Today

Weight loss: Highly popular for quick weight loss, fad diets have gained massive popularity past few years. But are they safe and effective? Read here to know the truth about fad diets and what you should do to achieve healthy, sustainable weight loss.

Weight loss tips: Avoid white sugar for healthy weight loss

Fad diets for weight loss: People who want to achieve quick weight loss resort to fad diets. Some of the most popular weight loss diets of all times are keto diet, low carb diet, paleo diet, Mediterranean diet, vegan diet and intermittent fasting. Apart from intermittent fasting, most of these diets are restrictive in nature, that is, they involve giving up on food groups or certain foods. In this article, we are going to talk about these popular fad diets and if they are the worth the hype around them.

Before you go ahead with taking up any of these popular fad diets, it is important to set a goal first. If it is quick weight loss, then following keto or low carb diets in the right manner can probably help you. But, if your goal is to achieve sustainable weight loss that you can maintain in the long run, then you should give a second thought to these diets.

Fad diets can make room for irritability, mood swings and cravingsPhoto Credit: iStock

Also read: Celeb Trainer Vinod Channa Tells Us Why We Shouldn't Follow Fad Diets; Follow This Instead

In the long term, these fad diets may do harm more than good. Here are some reasons why fad diets may not be the best for you.

Also read: Manage Your Nutritional Requirements During Intermittent Fasting: Here's How

Well, weight loss can be achieved by simply sticking to home-cooked food and regular exercise. Nutritionist Rujuta Diwekar and lifestyle coach Luke Coutinho are a few of the many health experts who don't believe in fad diets. They believe that these diets are nothing but a result of the food industry trying to make profits.

1. Consume a healthy and balanced diet. You need to include all food groups in your diet included fats, carbs, protein and fibre. Avoid processed, packaged, junk and deep-fried foods.

3. Avoid white sugar as it is nothing but empty calories. You might crave desserts and sweet foods and the best thing to do is to switch to healthy sugar alternatives like dates, honey, coconut sugar, sugarcane and jaggery for a healthy weight.

Avoid white sugar for good health and weight lossPhoto Credit: iStock

Also read: Craving Sugar? Try These Simple Tricks To Say Goodbye To Sugar

4. Exercise regularly. Make sure your workout routine involves both cardio and weight training/strength training exercises. While the former helps in burning calories, the latter helps in losing bad fat and gaining muscles.

5. Do not take stress. Not only will it hamper your weight loss goals, it will also negatively affect your health. Manage your stress by changing your attitude towards stressful situations and do yoga, meditation, etc.

6. Sleep well because a good night's sleep is an essential prerequisite to weight loss and good health. Lack of sleep can make room for cravings and overeating. It can also lead to hormonal imbalance. For a healthy weight loss, getting minimum of seven to eight hours is sleep is important.

Disclaimer: This content including advice provides generic information only. It is in no way a substitute for qualified medical opinion. Always consult a specialist or your own doctor for more information. NDTV does not claim responsibility for this information.

See more here:
Fad Diets For Weight Loss: Are They Worth The Hype? Follow These 6 Tips For Healthy, Sustainable Weight Loss - Doctor NDTV

High blood pressure happens when the force of blood pushing against a persons artery walls is consistently too high. Over time, the force and friction of high blood pressure damages the delicate tissues inside the arteries. This can lead to deadly cardiovascular complications. Fortunately, making simple dietary tweaks can lower a persons reading and according to experts there is a diet one can follow to help keep blood pressure readings normal.

What a person eats could majorly affect their chances of getting high blood pressure.

A healthy eating plan can both reduce the risk of developing high blood pressure and lower a blood pressure that is already too high.

For an overall eating plan, experts agree that the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet can help with the condition.

READ MORE: High blood pressure: Add this oil to your diet to lower your reading

The DASH diet contains foods that are low in saturated fat, total fat, cholesterol and high in fruits, vegetables and low fat dairy foods.

The DASH diet includes whole grains, poultry, fish and nuts and how low amounts of fats, red meats, sweets and sugary beverages.

The diet is also high in potassium, calcium and magnesium, as well as protein and fibre.

Eating foods that are lower in salt and sodium also can help in reducing blood pressure.

DONT MISS

Cut down on salt

An important part of healthy eating is choosing foods that are low in salt and other forms of sodium.

Using less sodium is key to keeping blood pressure at a healthy level. The recommended daily amount of salt intake is that it should not be more than 2.4 grams of sodium.

This equals to 6 grams of table salt a day.

For those who suffer with high blood pressure, your GP may recommend having less than that.

Choosing the right foods to help with lowering blood pressure

For those who have high blood pressure, paying close attention to food labels is key.

Sodium is found naturally in many foods. But processed foods account for most of the salt and sodium one consumes.

Processed foods that are high in slat included regular canned vegetables and soups, frozen dinners, lunchmeat, instant and ready-to-eat cereals and salty chips.

Its strongly advised that one should check food labels to help choose which products contain less sodium.

Alongside eating a healthy diet, the NHS recommends regular exercise to prevent or reduce high blood pressure.

It states: Being active and taking regular exercise lowers blood pressure by keeping your heart and blood vessels in good condition. Regular exercise can also help you lose weight, which will also help lower your blood pressure.

"Adults should do at least 150 minutes (2 hours and 30 minutes) of moderate-intensity aerobic activity, such as cycling or fast walking, every week.

"Physical activity can include anything from sport to walking and gardening.

Limiting alcohol intake, losing weight, cutting down on caffeine, stopping smoking and getting a good nights sleep are also recommended.

Read more:
High blood pressure: What is the best diet to follow to help lower readings? - Express

For decades, NIH had awarded special grants to teaching hospitals and academic institutions so these research centers could hire trained staff like nurses and dieticians, and maintain beds for participants in clinical trials. These centers conducted rigorous, highly controlled feeding studies and other research that profit-driven industries like drug or food manufacturing wouldnt benefit from funding. They also attracted young researchers who didnt have enough resources to recruit and pay staff or rent out a facility.

There are certain kinds of research that is done nowhere else, like nutritional research, said David Nathan, director of the clinical research and diabetes centers at Massachusetts General Hospital and a professor at Harvard Medical School. Pharma doesnt support that because there is no drug to be sold.

Before the elimination of these clinical research center grants, Mario Kratz, an associate professor in epidemiology and medicine at the University of Washington, said he could conduct a well-controlled dietary intervention study in which all food was provided to participants over four months for about $12 a day per person. Now, because he has to pay for the facility and research staff salaries, the cost has shot up tenfold.

Theoretically, investigators could request this higher amount from NIH directly to pay for a specific research project. However, most NIH grants are effectively capped at $500,000 a threshold that has not increased in a decade and are no longer sufficient to cover the costs of most clinical feeding studies.

It has made it impossible for me and my colleagues to propose these types of studies, said Kratz, who also works at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle, where he studies dietary interventions and cancer prevention. Its now cost-prohibitive. I think nutrition feeding studies were an unintended casualty.

Clinical nutrition research faced another potential blow earlier this year. NIH leadership in May proposed closing the only metabolic research unit at NIH headquarters in Bethesda, Md. The unit that was on the chopping block has a kitchen for preparing and measuring meals, private rooms where people can stay overnight for extended periods of time and be observed, as well as specially trained research staff, including nurses who prevent people from smuggling food in or out of patients rooms a crucial role, considering high-calorie contraband could throw off a studys results.

It housed a recent high-profile clinical trial that was the first to demonstrate a cause-and-effect relationship between ultraprocessed foods and weight gain. For the study, published in the journal Cell Metabolism in May, researchers designed two diets that had the same levels of calories, carbs, fat and protein. The only significant difference was whether the foods were unprocessed or considered ultraprocessed: spinach salads with chicken, apples, bulgur and homemade dressing were designated the former; foods like canned ravioli and white bread were the latter.

The participants had no underlying health problems and were randomly assigned to one of the diets for the first half of the study, and to the other for the second half. The study was a month long and levels of exercise were held constant.

The results were a breakthrough: Those on the ultraprocessed foods diet on average ate 500 more calories each day, causing weight gain, compared with those eating unprocessed food, who lost weight on average. Previous research looking at this question had shown that processed food was associated with weight gain, but this study showed definitely that processed food caused weight gain.

Around the same time the landmark study was published, NIH proposed closing its metabolic research unit, sparking pushback from the scientific community. In a letter to the agencys leadership in June, the American Society for Nutrition and The Obesity Society argued the closure would imperil important research. The proposal indicates that nutrition research is not considered a prominent area of scientific pursuit at NIH, ASN wrote.

NIH said there is no current plan to close the research unit.

There has been discussion about relocating the capabilities of this unit, the agency said in a statement. This would require a great deal of additional planning, communication, and coordination to ensure that the important research done there would not be adversely affected.

Kevin Hall, an intramural researcher at NIH focused on nutrition and obesity and the lead author of the ultraprocessed food study said in an interview that the agency in 2017 also shrunk the number of beds in the metabolic ward from 10 to seven to make room for other research.

NIH has just one other similar metabolic facility at a branch in Phoenix, which studies determinants for obesity and diabetes. That facility has 15 beds.

Having fewer beds means it takes researchers much longer to run such highly controlled trials, because they have to stagger their overnight patients. Halls processed food trial, for example, took roughly eight months to complete, even though it included only 20 participants.

Hall thinks the nutrition field needs more of these in-patient trials to settle some of the thorniest debates over nutrition. Otherwise, researchers dont know with certainty what people actually ate, he said.

"You're not studying the diet at all, Hall said. You're studying the effect of the advice.

BY THE TURN of the 20th century, the Department of Agriculture had begun exploring how proper nourishment could help both farmers and an increasingly urban population. Nutritionists identified milk and fruits and vegetables at the time luxury products as protective foods for good health. They made great strides in understanding vitamin deficiencies, helping to largely eliminate diseases like rickets, scurvy and pellagra in the United States by World War II.

Still, by 1940, with the looming possibility of Americas entry into the war, 40 percent of recruits were deemed unfit to serve because they were underweight or malnourished. President Franklin D. Roosevelt convened an emergency conference that led to the first federal diet recommendations and an expansion of USDAs school lunch program and food stamps, now known as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.

Nutrition wasnt thrust into the national spotlight again until the late 1960s and 1970s, after a CBS News special on hunger in America raised alarm. Sen. George McGovern, a Democrat from South Dakota, formed a special committee to respond to the large number of poor people who were malnourished. The Nixon administration exactly 50 years ago this winter also organized a White House conference to lay the foundation of national nutrition policy based on need, not agricultural subsidies, wrote one organizer.

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