Living With Boyfriend? You could become obese!

Living with your boyfriend could make you obese unless you control your diet, says a study Researchers at Newcastle university's Human Nutrition Research Centre looked at a number of dietary studies and found that moving in with the boyfriend is bad for a woman's waistline.

During a 'honeymoon period' both partners try to please and impress each other. So women eat creamier, heavier dishes such as curry or risch pasta sauces, while the men reduce fat and sugar and consume lighter meals such as salads. The study suggets that couples need to address their diets as a team early on in the relationship.

"Couples who move in together should use the opportunity of the honeymoon period to make positive changes to their diet and lifestyle by working together and supporting each other," study author Amelia Lake said.

However, women also lose out if the couple split up. They were found to comfortably eat and gain weight after a relationship ended.

Source : TOI

Diet plan for pregnant women

Eating nutritious foods, especially fruits and vegetables, could reduce pregnant women’s risk of developing an upper respiratory tract infection according to a new study.

Researchers Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) have found that consumption of at least seven servings per day of fruits and vegetables moderately reduced the risk of developing URTI in expectant mothers.

URTIs include the common cold and sinus infections, which can lead to lower respiratory problems, such as asthma or pneumonia.

Even though the majority of URTIs are uncomplicated colds, identifying ways to prevent their occurrence is important because colds are the most common reason for school and work absences.

Eating fruits and vegetables improves immunity but hadn’t previously been associated with reducing the risk of URTIs in pregnant women.

The researchers studied more than 1,000 pregnant women and found those who ate the most fruits and vegetables were 26 percent less likely to have URTI relative to those who ate the least amount.

Neither fruit nor vegetable intake alone was found to be associated with the five-month risk of URTI.

The patterns observed for total fruit and vegetable intake and either fruit or vegetable intake alone in relation to the three-month risk of URTI were consistent with those when assessing the five-month risk of URTI.

Women in the highest quartile of fruit and vegetable intake had a stronger reduced three-month risk than the five-month risk of URTI. Moreover, there was a significant decreasing linear trend for the three-month risk of URTI with consumption of fruits and vegetables.

Pregnant women have been recommended to consume at least five servings of fruits and vegetables per day. This study showed that intake of higher levels, 6.71 servings per day, was associated with a moderate risk reduction for URTI.

"Pregnant women may require more fruits and vegetables than usual because of the extra demands on the body," said senior author Martha M. Werler, M.P.H., Sc.D., professor at Slone Epidemiology Center at Boston University.

The study appears online in the journal Public Health Nutrition.

Source - IANS

What's the bottom line to weight loss?

The bottom line to weight loss is to burn more calories than you consume all day. (The behavior isn't simple, but the equation is.) For example, if you eat 2,500 calories a day and only burn 2,000, you gain weight; if you eat 1,500 calories and burn 2,000, you lose weight; if you eat 2,000 and burn 2,000 you maintain weight.

It's true that there are several medical conditions, and medications, that can make weight loss difficult (see below). But even if one of those factors applies to you, you still need to burn more calories than you consume to lose weight.

The good news is this: You can lose weight with a very modest amount of exercise. People lose weight all the time without exercise by reducing their caloric intake. But keeping the weight off without exercise is another matter. Many experts agree that exercise is the single best predictor of long-term weight control. If you lose weight and don't start exercising, there's a very good chance you will regain it.

Here are some factors that can keep you from losing weight and/or cause weight gain:
Thyroid or adrenal gland problems.
Medications like antidepressants.
Stopping smoking.
Rapid weight loss. This can lower metabolism because the body senses it is starving and make it harder to lose weight. The decrease in metabolic rate is often due to loss in muscle (when you lose weight, approximately 25% of the loss comes from muscle), so lifting weights is a good idea.
Menopause (and premenopause).

If you think any of these things are factors for you, your doctor may be able to help. Otherwise, patience, determination, regular physical activity, and attention to your diet are the keys to long-term weight control. Doing these things will give you your best shot at reaching your weight loss goals and keeping the weight off.

Source : MedicineNet

5 Tips to Lose Belly Fat .. !!!

5 Facts You MUST Understand if You Are Ever Going to Lose Your Belly Fat and Get Six Pack Abs

1. Many so-called "health foods" are actually cleverly disguised junk foods that actually stimulate you to gain more belly fat... yet the diet food marketing industry continues to lie to you so they can maximize their profits.

2. Ab exercises like crunches, sit-ups, and ab machines are the LEAST effective method of getting flat six pack abs. We'll explore what types of exercises REALLY work in a minute.

3. Boring repetitive cardio exercise routines are NOT the best way to lose body fat and uncover those six pack abs. I'll show you the exact types of unique workouts that produce 10x better results below.

4. You DON'T need to waste your money on expensive "extreme fat burner" pills (that don't work) or other bogus supplements. A special class of natural foods is much more effective. I'll tell you about these natural foods and their powers below.

5. Ab belts, ab-rockers, ab-loungers, and other infomercial ab-gimmicks... they're all a complete waste of your time and money. Despite the misleading infomercials, the perfectly chiseled fitness models in the commercials did NOT get their perfect body by using that "ab contraption"... they got their perfect body through REAL workouts and REAL nutrition strategies. Again, you'll learn some of their secrets and what really works below.

Source : DSD Groups

Fitness Timesaving Tips

"Fitness Timesaving Tips"

Sneak in a walk.
Take the stairs.
Scrub the floor or your car.

Leading an active life gives you many of the same benefits as structured exercise, at a fraction of the time.

Here are more ways to squeeze in some exercise :

Do your house-workout.
Treat housecleaning as a chance to exercise;
keep track of how much time you spend on your feet.
The same goes for raking leaves, pruning hedges, pushing a lawn mower and other yard work.
Bring the gym home.
Consider buying home exercise equipment, such as a high-quality exercise bike, treadmill or stair climber.
Shop at the 100-yard sale.
Park an extra 100 yards from the mall entrance, and take a few laps around the shopping center as you scope out the sales.


Definition :
Making choices in your life known to benefit overall health such as eating right, regular exercise and avoidance of tobacco, illicit drugs, and excessive use of alcohol. While maintaining good health habits cannot guarantee a longer life, it can certainly improve the quality of your life.

The following area few simple factors, if practiced regularly, that help minimize therisk of illness and enrich life :

daily exercise,
avoidance of smoking and drug abuse,
moderate alcohol use (no use if you have a history of alcoholism),
weight control,
balanced and healthy diet,
tooth care,
control of high blood pressure,
good safety practices.


Source : Men Fitness & Health