15 Day Plan to get Fit in the New Year

Nutritionist Rekha Sharma, President of Indian Dietetics Association helps you prepare a special diet plan to knock off the extra calories by eating healthy.

In an attempt to look slim, one should not aim at losing weight in a manner that makes you feel weak and sick. For a toned body all year round, a healthy, balanced diet combined with adequate exercise is a must. Crash diets may be as incredibly tempting but they will only work to your advantage in the short term. The few pounds that you lose by denying your body proper nutrition during one of these crash diets, will result in you feeling completely drained out of energy.

DIET DOs-

• Eat small portions through the day at regular intervals.
• Picking the right food is the key especially in such a short time frame.
• Consuming food that are high in proteins and fiber such as egg white, whole pulses, low fat milk and milk products, whole grains, oats, beans, broccoli, papaya, orange, guava is a good option. Non vegetarians can consume fish and low fat chicken without the skin. It is important to stick to low fat cooking preparations like grilling or roasting for fewer calories
• Foods high in fat should be avoided.
• Choosing cooking oils such as canola in your daily cooking is the right option as it free of bad cholesterol and is healthy for the heart. It is also high in MUFA (mono-unsaturated fat) which control bad cholesterol.

DIET DON’Ts-

• Food containing fat should not be completely eliminated from the diet as there are good fats such as omega 3 and mono-unsaturated fats which our body needs.
• Avoid red meats like pork, mutton, ham and other meats with rich gravies. Red meats have more cholesterol than white meats.
• Small frequent meals keep the BMR boosted and exercise further raises it, thus leading to the weight loss. On the other hand, fasting and skipping meals should be avoided , as when this happens the body goes into a conservation mode and the basal metabolic rate (BMR) falls ,which results in preservation of energy leading to no weight loss.

BREAK A SWEAT!

It is important to break down the fats that are already in our body. In order to shed the fat, you need to break into a sweat! The quickest way to do that is by following a regular workout regime. Stomach crunches alone will not help you lose weight and will only tone the muscles. You can try doing aerobic exercises like running, swimming, cycling or pretty much anything that increases your heart rate and keeps it up.

Simple things like taking the stairs instead of the elevator and walking a few extra steps everyday can keep you fitter than you think. Staying active through the day is a great way to get some additional exercise.

[Read: Weight Loss Motivation Tips]

[Read: What is a Balanced Weight Loss Diet?]

Indulge-

1. Salads with non-fat dressings like lemon or vinegar
2. Plain clear soups without added starch or fat
3. Fresh lime without sugar, coconut water, plain soda
4. High fiber foods such as oatmeal, oat bran, dried beans and peas like kidney beans, fruits, and vegetables
5. Use whole grain cereals, whole grams and pulses, whole wheat porridge and whole wheat bread and oats
6. Omega 3 rich foods like fish, flax seed and canola oil

 
Avoid-

1. Saturated fats (found in fatty meats, butter, ghee, palm oil, coconut oil, trans fats and hydrogenated oils) and fried foods like puris , Parantha , pakora etc
2. Sweets- extra sugar , gur , honey ,jams and Jelly
3. Refined carbohydrates like sugar, maida and potatoes
4. Fruit juices , colas and aerated drinks
5. Whole milk, instead use skimmed milk in tea, coffee, yogurt and paneer
6. Avoid the use of processed cheese and use cottage cheese or low fat cheese instead
7. Alcoholic drinks
8. Egg yolk, glandular meats , cream , butter , ghee ,full cream cheese
9. Eat less salt and sodium

Healthy Eating Tips-

1. Use oil low in saturated fat and high in mono-unsaturated fat like canola or rice bran and soy. Cooking medium to be restricted to 10-15 g/day.
2. Do not sieve flour to remove bran.
3. Supplement wheat with whole channa and do not sieve flour to remove fiber (wheat and channa 4:1 ratio)
4. Mix rice with whole grams or dals in a ratio of 1:1 to incorporate fiber

Healthy lean proteins:

• Fish is rich in omega 3 fatty acids which are good for the heart. It is recommended at least 100gms of fish is consumed twice a week.
• White meat like chicken is a source of healthy protein but one should remove the skin and eat. It is lower than red meat in calories. Ideal ways of preparation are grilling, roasting or baking.

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