Most of us make new years resolutions to lose weight.  But the problem is that spring break creeps up on us within a matter of 8 weeks.  So you want results, but you need them fast!  The following techniques have been used by bodybuilders and male models before their competitions and photo shoots respectively.  Here are some shortcuts to get a flatter belly the week before your spring break.

1.) Cut your Water Intake

-Fat gets stored in your fat cells with water. Therefore, we want to shrink your fat

cells by dehydrating them.  Cut your water intake where you only sip water

throughout the day, but no less than two cups of water a day. We want to this

safely.  Monitor the color change of your urine. It should progressively get darker.

If you start urinating less than three times a day, drink a little more water. And

also per hour of exercise, add half a cup of water to your intake.

2.)  Limit your Carbohydrates

-Not only does fat get stored in your cells, but so does carbs.  Carbs bind with

water in your cells as well.  So think about it, if you decrease your carbs,

you’ll be storing less water in your cells.  This should only be done about a week

before your trip.  Cut your carb intake by half and up your fats a little bit to

compensate for your reduction in calories.

3.)  Caffeine

-Found in coffee, energy drinks etc.  It is an antagonist to anti-diuretic

hormone; therefore it will get rid of excess water in your body.

4.)  Limit your Salt

-Na+ creates a concentration gradient in your kidney causing more water

retention. Therefore avoid it.  Did you also know that increased salt intake makes

your appetite increase as well? Not good right before spring break.

5.) Carb Load

-So after a week of depleting your carbohydrates, your muscles will start to look a

little flat, making you look less muscular and lean.  So about two days before your

trip, you should have a cheat meal and eat a lot of carbohydrates(pasta, rice,

potatoes).  Since your body has been deprived of carbohydrates, your muscles will

soak every last bit of it and very little will turn into fat.  This is one of the best

tricks out there.  But it only works if you depleted your carbohydrates enough, so

beware.

Being desi, we all love to go out and treat ourselves to the occasional indian restaurant outing.  But a few days later, you’ll notice all that ghee and heavy cream will show up on top of your abs. So how can you still enjoy this food and make it out of the restaurant without feeling guilty?

Portion Control

Always beware of how much you are eating.  You must realize that most of these curried dishes have ample heavy cream, ghee, and oil.  If you average the caloric content of a tablespoon of the above, it comes out to a whopping 150 calories.  And you must assume that at least half of a tablespoon of curry will contain these hidden fats.  Therefore, you should become familiar with a size of a tablespoon and eat no more than 8 tablespoons of curry from your curry dish(about 600 calories of fat). The chicken or vegetables in the curry can be eaten without worries.

Naan

Order your naan without butter.  This will help cut some calories.  Try ordering garlic naan without butter to give it some flavor.  Onion naan is also an excellent choice.  In fact, it’s better to eat more naan then subji.  Fats are more likely to turn into fat when in excess, while a smaller percentage of excess carbohydrates will be converted to fat.  An entire naan at a restaurant is typically between 300-400 calories.  You can also substitute with a whole wheat chapatti instead.  The whole wheat will fill you up more and give you some protein with it.

No Appetizers

Appetizers at indian restaurants tend to be fried(samosas, pakora, etc.).  If you must order one, stick to the chaat with the sweet chutney on the side.

No Paneer

Try to order your dish without paneer as a one inch cube is 100 calories of pure fat.

Indian Sweets

We all know sweets are bad, but indian sweets are a killer! One galub jamun can have up to 400 calories, and we all know that you end up eating more than one.  If you must eat desert, stick to the kulfi and mango ice cream.  Better yet, stick to a cup of chai.

Chole(chick peas)

This is probably the healthiest subjis at most indian restaurants.  You can eat all you want without worries.  But please skip the fried puri and batura.  Any dhaal dish is usually healthy at home, but definitely not at restaurants, so stick to chickpeas.

Basmati Rice

Be careful.  Depending on the place, they may mix ghee into in the rice.  So I think its better to stick with butterless naan or a whole wheat chapatti with your subjis.

Avoid Buffets

This is pretty self-explanatory. You will tend to overeat since you will want to try everything and get your money’s worth.  Stick to ordering off the menu, as you are likely to eat less and you might even be able to take home some leftovers for those watching their budgets.

South Indian Food

This is a healthier replacement for outside indian food.  So if you can, substitute idlis and dosa in place of Punjabi food.

Sample Order For Two

Water with lemon (2)

Chaat with sweet chutney on side(use sparingly)

1 Whole Wheat Chapati no butter

1 Garlic Kulcha no butter

1 Chole Subji light on oil(tell them, they will listen!) with Onion Garnish

1 Malai Kulfi for desert

2 Cups of Chai

Fashion Advice to Reveal your Hard Work in the Gym

So now that you are working hard in the gym, getting that lean and muscular look, you should ask yourself the question of whether you need to change your wardrobe.  Chances are that you have dropped a couple inches from your waist, and put on a couple inches in your shoulder region, chest and arms.  If you take a look at the cover models, most of them are shirtless on the covers and have a perfect, aesthetically pleasing body(the kind ALL women like!).  However, it’s hard to show this when you have clothes on.  In fact, most girls can’t tell whether you have a 6 pack or not with a shirt on.  So the question is, how can you dress to separate yourself from the lazy bum friend of yours that never goes to the gym to impress the ladies?

Across the board, a survey of women shows that they first notice the body habitus of a male when approached.  After body habitus, women are most likely to notice your back, butt, shoulders, and arms.  Every woman is different, so it is important to maximize your potential in all of these areas.  So let’s talk about how we can do this by breaking it down into body types and what you should wear casually or to the nightclub.

If you have a Cover Model Body:

Focus on more fitted clothes. When I say fitted, I mean tighter around the shoulders, arms, and maybe back. But we DO NOT want your shirts tight around the chest or waist. This is a turn off to women. You want just enough tightness in your shirt so women can tell you have broad shoulders, a wide back, and something to fill up your sleeves.  As far a jeans go, I do not recommend slim fit jeans since your shirt will be a little more fitted.  Instead I recommend a normal fitting jean.  If you dare, go for the slim fit, but you better have some muscular legs to back it up.

If you are Lanky:

Focus on Layers! I know you might get hot, but we want you to look thicker than you really are.  Try buying some ribbed tank tops and wearing a few under your shirt.  You should focus on a fitted shirt as well, since a larger shirt will make your arms look too scrawny.  Stick to relaxed fit jeans since you don’t want slim-fit to reveal your skinny legs.

If you are Portly:

Loose everything.  We don’t want anyone to notice that potbelly of yours.  Darker colors and longer shirts can make you appear slimmer. Button-downs are your best bet..

Now obviously, you should always try on your apparel and have it judged by a ladies opinion, as they are usually right.  Not everyone can fit into one category, so mix and match till you find what works for you and makes you feel confident, after all confidence is more important than your looks right?

Here are some additional tips for those who just want to show off their muscle, which is not always a bad thing.

TIPS FOR MUSCULARITY

V-neck Shirts. Yes these can be see as feminine, however if you have a built upper chest, a V-neck will really bring it out.  I recommend not wearing a t-shirt underneath; however wearing a ribbed tank-top underneath to get the appearance of a thicker, more built upper body as well. If you have chest hair, definitely shave, as you don’t want to look tacky. I do not recommend wearing a chain when wearing a V-neck as this may appear like you are trying too hard to bring attention to your chest.

Horizontal Striped Shirts-These give you the appearance of being wider than you are.

Brighter Colors-As we all know, black gives you the appearance of being thinner, so we want to use the opposite.

Shorter Sleeves on your T-shirts-These shirts are hard to find, but will make your small head of the triceps stand out and give the appearance of a larger arm.

Shorter Shirt-It will make you look wider. But please make sure it’s long enough to cover your belt.

Wine-Yes I said it.  Alcohol will cause vasodilation throughout your body so the veins in your arms will be more impressive.

Tan-If you are pale, it will be harder to see your definition.  A little bit of sun can’t hurt.  As always wear protective sunscreen with a minimum SPF of 20.  I do not recommend spray tanning for men since it does not look natural.

Article Written by: AS

ACNE- Your Worst Enemy

At some point in your lifetime, we all have had a pimple here and there; whether it be a simple pus filled cavity, or scar forming cystic acne all over your face.  Have you ever been guilty of being in a bad mood due to a blemish on your face, or better yet decided not to go out one night since you felt uncomfortable with your complexion? If this is the case, I think it is time to see the dermatologist as they have many treatments that can really help.

Here is a brief overview of acne and treatment options available to you depending on your complaint and what treatment you will most likely be given if you see the dermatologist:

Overview

-          Oil and/or dead skin cells clog your pores.

-          This causes the hair follicle underneath the skin to rupture when there is a huge blockage and/or by manipulation(touching your face harshly).

-          The follicle ruptures, oil and dead skin cells are spilled everywhere and the bacteria from your skin start to feed off the lipids in the oil.

-          Your inflammatory cells rush to the site to control the bacteria and they release several inflammatory mediators to help kill the bacteria and increase blood flow(the redness of the pimple).

-          Once your inflammatory cells kill the bacteria, they come to the top of pimple(whitehead).

-          The whitehead eventually spills its contents and flattens out.  You are then left with a nasty post-inflammatory scar(usually dark on ethnic skin) that lasts anywhere from 6 months to a full year.

With that said, here are some treatment options and how they work.  Most of them work by increasing the shedding of dead skin cells so they don’t clog pores, and others work by killing the bacteria.

Treatment Options:

Benzoyl Peroxide-Kills the bacteria causing the inflammation.  Available over the counter.

Salicylic Acid-Increases shedding of dead skins cells and aids in post-inflammatory scarring.  Available over the counter.

Vitamin A Compounds-Differin, Retin-A Micro are some examples of these.  There mechanism of action is unknown; however they have been proven to increase shedding of dead skin cells that can block pores. They also reduce post-inflammatory scarring. Have stretch marks? This stuff really works well on them.

Accutane-Beware. This stuff is used as a  last resort to the treatment of acne and the only resort for nodular acne(painful blockages deep under the skin).  It works by permanently shrinking your sebaceous glands(produce oil) in your skin. However it came with several side effects which warranted a liver function test before, during, and after treatment with it.  It has recently been recalled from the market due to claims of causation to inflammatory bowel disease in several patients.

Laser Treatment-Used for pitting scars left after nodular acne.  Usually not used in ethnic skin since it has a greater chance of leaving hypopigmentation.  Dermatologist only.

Dermabrasion-Helps slough off dead skin cells and keep pores open. Accelerates healing of post-inflammatory scars. Available at spas or dermatologist.

Mixture of Steroid and Retin-A-Can help reduce post-inflammatory scarring.

Antibiotics-These kill the bacteria and reduce inflammation. Microdoses are given for 3 months and a bacteriostatic(stops bacteria from growing) effect lasts for 9 additional months usually.

I recommend the following:

Cleansing

Everyone can benefit from a mild, non-irritating, and oil-free cleanser such as Cetaphil. Cleansers with salicylic acid can help clear acne too but can be very irritating and have a drying effect to the skin, leading to a worsening of the acne. As always scrub mildly. Prescription cleansers with benzoyl peroxide can be prescribed by your dermatologist.

Mild Acne-You may have small red bumps with only a few on the face.  You can purchase a topical benzoyl peroxide medication over the counter such as Clearasil for spot treatment throughout the day and before bedtime.  In most cases, this will clear mild acne.  In fact, the active ingredient in the ever so popular ProActiv is benzoyl peroxide, so don’t waste your money.

Moderate Acne-You have many scars and/or bumps on your face.  You need to see a dermatologist to help prevent scarring. Scarring is permanent. They will most likely start you on an antibiotic in addition with a vitamin A compound at night.  They may prescribe a prescription cleanser and a lotion to help with the dryness, as this is a side effect of several acne medications.

Severe Acne(Nodular)-Your face is painful and you have a severe amount of acne that is large and bumpy.  You may also see pitting scars left where acne was. You need to see a dermatologist immediately.

Acne on other parts of the body: Topical antibiotics can help. The post-inflammatory scars last as long as three years.  It is impossible to rub your entire body with acne medication, therefore oral antibiotics are your best choice.

Currently, no food has been linked to acne.  Studies have shown that dairy products can aggravate acne, however these results are not consistent.  Find what works for you.  If you feel chocolate aggravates it, lay it aside.

As always, a consult with a dermatologist is a must for almost everyone.  Acne cannot be cured but can be controlled.  Allow 6 months to a year to clear your skin.

-HealthGuru