Contrary to what popular fitness experts would like you to believe, it’s practically impossible to spot reduce fat from the belly area, or for that matter, any of your other problem areas. Coming back to belly fat, everyone has abs, but most of us have a thick layer of fat covering those abs, and only when the layer of fat melts away, abs can be revealed with targeted exercises. This can happen by achieving calorie deficit – when you get into a calorie deficit, through dieting and physical activity, burning more calories, the body would reach out to stored fat from everywhere to make up for the energy deficit, including the tummy area. That’s why the first mistake that you could ever do is to believe that you can spot reduce fat – no amount of crunches or ab exercises can help flatten out that pooch without actually taking care of the diet, period! Additionally, the fat cells that in the lower belly area have beta receptors that do not actively participate in the lipolysis/fat burning process, so you would have to switch gears and try different strategies (most of them are mentioned on the Rati Beauty diet). Apart from believing in spot reduction, here are 10 other mistakes you are making when trying to lose lower belly fat.

1. Having A Lot of Liquid Calories: When you are trying to lose weight, every calorie counts! We often do not count calories that make their way through juices, beverages, and other liquids. When you are cutting calories from all corners, it would be prudent to swap empty calories from aerated beverages, soft drinks, packaged fruit juices with just plain water. It’s also wrong to assume that liquids such as fruit juices would not add many calories because they are “healthy.” In fact, liquid calories, through these beverages, raise blood sugar, cause sharp insulin spikes, and with the subsequent crash, you would be craving for more food, and in that way, would be adding more calories to the diet. Apart from that, the insulin spike clears extra sugar from the blood and stores them away in fat cells!
2. Hitting the gym and becoming immobile for the rest of the day: Just one hour of sweat session in the gym would not be enough to target lower belly pooch. Be active through the day, try to be on your feet as much as possible to keep the fat-burning enzymes active and metabolism high.
3. No stress management: Chronic stress is bad for your mental as well as physical health. Stress triggers the release of cortisol which increases cravings for unhealthy food and high amount of cortisol can actually mobilize fat from other areas of the body to the belly area! If you are not finding ways to manage stress, that belly fat isn’t going anywhere. Exercise, walking, listening to music, engaging in hobbies, even playing with pets are considered good stress busters.
4. Not Sleeping for 7 Hours: Sleep deprivation is considered one of the major causes behind buildup of belly fat. If you are not getting even 7 hours of sleep, cortisol, insulin, and other hormones go out of whack, encourage storing of extra fat around the belly area.
5. Too Much Refined Flour: It’s everywhere – from biscuits, white bread, to instant noodles, to every other processed food – with an increase in consumption of refined flour – it becomes extremely difficult to burn tummy fat. Refined flour gets easily digestible, raises blood sugar, and all the empty calories eventually get stored around the belly area.
6. Not Addressing Hormonal Imbalance: Estrogen and insulin are two hormones that can make losing weight and belly fat extremely difficult. Make sure to consult a doctor to address hormonal imbalance and correct them.
7. Eating Fruits without Portion Control: Though healthy, fruits do have natural sugars that eventually, is considered as a sugar molecule by the body. Natural sugars too raise the blood sugar and that’s why portion control is essential even with healthy foods such as fruits.
8. Not Eating Enough Protein: Protein keeps you full for longer, controls appetite, burns more calories, and boosts metabolism as well. Need high-protein meal plans to lose weight? Look no further – check out the Rati Beauty diet to lose weight successfully.
9. Picking Only Low-Fat Stuff: Low-fat food options may have an insane amount of added sugar to compensate for the bland taste after ripping away the fat content. So, do make sure to check ingredients list of every food product that says “low fat.”
10. Crash Dieting: When you cut down calories drastically, without following a proper diet, the body switches to the “famine mode” where it will make harder to reach out to belly fat, with a dip in metabolism and other adaptive changes kicked into place.

So, to lose weight and burn up belly fat, follow a healthy and nutrient-dense diet like Rati Beauty, exercise consistently, and of course manage stress and do not compromise on sleep!

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Hot and humid summery days are here! If you have been skipping sunscreen up until now, here’s a gentle reminder to wear a sunscreen every single day to prevent premature ageing and skin damage, and that too with SPF of at least 30, along with broad spectrum protection. Along with sunscreen, if you love wearing makeup, you would also need long-staying and sweat-proof makeup that just wouldn’t melt off in the scorching heat. Isn’t it a pain to see all the makeup just melt off within a few minutes of application in the heat and humidity? So, to help summer-proof your makeup, here’s a list of things that will help your makeup stay put even on the hottest of the days. Shall we start?

1. Sweatproof Sunscreen: A good sweatproof sunscreen will not only protect you from the harmful effects of sun, it would also not come off with sweating profusely. Even in heat and humidity, you can stay assured that you are sun safe. Banana Boat Sport Sunscreen SPF 50 claims to be water resistant, sweat resistant, non greasy, and gets absorbed quickly as well. There are other sweat-proof and water-resistant sunscreens in the market that you can check out.

2. Matte Primer: A good primer not only creates a smooth canvas for your makeup to glide on, it smoothes out fine lines and wrinkles and also increases the longevity/staying power of your makeup. The silicones in primer act as a barrier between the skin and humidity and hence your makeup wouldn’t sweat away as easily it would without a primer. Benefit the Porefessional Primer is one of the best out there.

3. Makeup fixing mists: These mists not only refresh your face on hot days, they would help you to set your makeup so that there is no makeup meltdown embarrassments in the heat and also such sprays increase the staying power of your makeup. Our pick – MAC Fix + Spray and Urban Decay All Nighter Setting Spray.

4. Long-staying Foundation: On hot days, you should pick up long-staying, matte, foundations that are not too heavy yet they wouldn’t come down with the sweat. Our suggestion would be to pick foundations with silicones because as mentioned earlier, silicones act as a barrier between skin and humidity. Estee Lauder’s Double Wear Stay in Place Makeup is one such foundation.

5. Gel Eyeliner: The extreme heat shouldn’t deter you from playing up your eyes. Gel eyeliners would be the best for hot days instead of liquid liners because they wouldn’t give you raccoon eyes after your eyelids become oily.

6. Eyeshadow Primer: Talking about eye makeup, the one thing that is going to hold your eyeliner, mascara, and the various shadows in place is an eyeshadow primer. A good eyeshadow primer would prevent your eyelids from turning oily and ruining the whole eye makeup in the process.

7. Waterproof Mascara: Mascara is one product which many of us wouldn’t ditch for anything! A good mascara can open up your eyes and give you an awakened look, along with volumizing and curling up lashes. We would suggest you to wear a good waterproof mascara that wouldn’t wash away even when you are spritzing refreshing mists on your face.

8. Long-Lasting Concealer: You would still need a concealer to cover scars, flaws, pigmentation, blemishes, on a hot day. You should check out wateproof and long-staying concealers with intense pigmentation which can camouflage imperfections for a long stretch of time. Our suggestion would be MAC Prolong Wear Concealer.

Finally, the most important tip – try the Jamsu technique to fix your makeup and make it matte and long lasting. This is a makeup tip that model Bella Hadid vouches by – in this technique, to make the makeup long lasting, after doing the whole routine of base makeup, foundation, concealer, and even powder, we need to fill a big bowl with ice cold water and submerge the whole face in it (for around 15 to 20 seconds). Now, pat your face dry, do not rub! This routine will ensure that the makeup would not come off on a hot and summery day! Try it for yourself!

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“How To Lose Weight” should probably be the most-searched query on the internet. Weight loss seems to be on everyone’s mind and a large population looks out for shortcuts and actually falls for the hype and hoopla surrounding fat burners and superfoods that promise to just melt away all extra fat. There’s a lot of false information on the internet and media about “fat burning” and products that claim to do so, but in reality, straightening out one’s diet and exercising consistently will do the magic much more effectively than anything that is marketed in a powder or pill form. Also, to lose weight successfully, science says you should stop believing in diet fads that have no research to back them. So, let’s go through them one by one:

1. Eating Fortified Food/Enriched Food Can Help you Get Lean: Certain packaged cereals, fruit juices, milk packets, wheat flour, and other ready-to-eat foods claim they have been enriched and fortified with vitamins and minerals which can help us get lean. However, the truth is that most of them are synthetic nutrients that have been added after the food has gone through extensive processing and has lost its natural nutrients. These synthetic nutrients that have been added at a later stage to the food product do not effectively get absorbed or processed by the body, and can cause health issues. Without natural fiber, these foods get digested quickly, raise blood sugar sharply, and all the excess sugar is then stored as fat. The solution is to stick to real, whole, and unprocessed food because that’s the best way to get bioavailable nutrients and get healthy.
2. Find Healthy Replacements For Calorie-Dense Food: Do not trust over-hyped health foods blindly, always question the healthy replacement and go through the pros and cons to find out whether it’s actually good for you. Check this out – there were some studies that said margarine was better than butter. But margarine can have transfat that actually builds belly fat! Ditto with “fat-free” products – because they contain heaps of sugar to cover up the bland taste after the fat content has been ripped off.
3. Check out Fat Burner Supplements: In the desperation to shed extra weight and get lean, some people tend to fall for heavily-marketed fat burner pills that are not much effective and may even have side effects. Your best bet are natural fat burners with proven metabolism-boosting properties and help torch extra calories, such as caffeine, green tea, turmeric, and even eggs! Try them instead of splurging on expensive pills.
4. Weight Loss is All about Counting Calories: Keeping tabs on calories in vs calories out is just not enough because not all calories are equal, their quality is equally important. Other factors like chronic stress, sleep deprivation also play important roles in determining whether you would lose weight or gain some more. Consume a nutrient-dense diet, practice portion control, and make lifestyle changes to actually get to your goal weight.
5. Avoiding Fat to Get Lean: Do you still fear eating “fat” and pick everything that says “low fat.?” Having a portion of healthy fats in daily diet actually keeps you full for longer, stabilizes blood sugar, and boosts the fat-burning process. Please do not be scared of “fats,” in fact, replace refined carbs with healthy fats in your diet. Also read: “How Eating Fats Can Make you Thin.”
6. Brown Sugar is Healthier Than White Sugar: The only difference is in the color – both raise blood sugar, and there’s no doubt, regular and uncontrolled consumption will lead to weight gain.

What Actually Leads to Weight Loss?

Make no mistake – only by eating the right kind of food and with regular physical activity, weight loss can be achieved because this combination creates calorie deficit that pushes the body to reach for stored fat to meet its energy demands. Eating a balanced and calorie-deficit diet, practice portion control, manage your stress, and do not forget to sleep at least 7 hours, and see all the extra fat melt away. Do check out the Rati Beauty diet on how to lose weight by eating the right kind of food and workouts that torch significant calories. Download the Rati Beauty app for more details.

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In general, women are scared of ageing – no one likes the reflection of fine lines and crow’s feet staring back while looking in the mirror. The popularity of anti-ageing creams and serums among women in their 20s proves this theory. Also, botox injections and collagen fillers which help to make skin look younger and firmer is now easily available in dermatologist clinics in all major cities. However, this post is not about cosmetic procedures or injections that firm up sagging skin or smooth away fine lines and wrinkles, we have 10 effective tips to maintain a youthful appearance detailed out here.

1. Pat your skin, don’t rub: Rubbing your face, especially with scratchy and rough towels can cause small tears on the skin, triggering premature ageing from the constant tugging and pulling of the skin. Always pat your face dry with a soft cloth or face towel. When you are applying makeup, be sure to apply upwards, rather than dragging it downwards as it can cause sagging.

2. Sleep on Satin Pillows: Replace cotton pillows with silk or satin pillowcases to not only get smooth, frizz-free hair, but also to delay the appearance of wrinkles and fine lines. The smooth surface of satin/silk pillows prevent friction and straining of the skin and keeps skin soft and supple.

3. Wear a Sunscreen at All Times, Even While Working Before the Computer: If you are skipping sunscreen, you are underestimating the extent of damage the UV rays from sun is causing on your skin, in fact, scientists say UVA and UVB rays are responsible for approximately 90% of visible signs of ageing on your skin because they break down elastin and collagen fibers, triggering the appearance of wrinkles, sagging skin, hyperpigmentation, and age spots. Always wear a sunscreen, with at least SPF 30, and broad spectrum protection, even while indoors, and even when you are sitting in front of the computer because the blue light emitted from the computer screen can do similar damage. Also read: “10 Best Fragrance Free Sunscreens in India.”

4. Eat Nutrient-Dense Food:  This is such a no brainer! Your skin will reflect what you eat. Eat a nutrient-dense diet, rich in protein, vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, phytonutrients to slow down the ageing process.

5. Mind your Sleeping Position: Sleeping on your stomach or on your face, scrunches your facial and neck muscles, creates friction on the skin, adding years to your look. The fine lines and wrinkles that you get, even after healthy lifestyle and regular skin care can be attributed to improper sleeping style. Hence it’s best to sleep on your back, for better posture and to delay signs of ageing.

6. Text Smarter: Surprised to see this tip, right? We are always continuously looking down at our computer as well as phone screens. Bad posture, always sitting in a slouching position, will create neck lines earlier than they should appear, in short, it will lead to sagging of skin around neck area which will make you look decades older.

7. Exercise: This is a no-brainer! Exercise not only keeps your body fit, it keeps your skin youthful as well. Exercise also improves blood circulation which nourishes body cells and clears away free radicals.

8. Moisturize: Moisturizing will prevent your skin from dryness which will further keep it looking smooth, supple and younger, so a good moisturizer which suits your skin type is a must to include in your skin care regimen.

9. Use Retinoid Creams: Retinoid creams help your body produce more collagen to make you look younger by getting rid of wrinkles, acne, age spots and many other signs of ageing. So you can include any retinoid-based cream in your skin care routine which suits your skin type.

10. Sleep for 7 Hours Every Single Day: They call it beauty sleep for a reason! When you sleep for 6-to-8 hours each night, your body produces more growth hormones to keep your skin supple and elastic, reduces stress hormone which damages the skin, and makes more collagen which keeps skin looking younger.

And oh, do not forget to drink at least 2 liters of water every day to hydrate your skin from within and to flush out toxins as well.

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The first thing that hits the mind when someone is thinking about losing weight is to hit the gym! But a majority of people do not manage to shed any significant weight by doing months of gymming, and wonder what they might be doing wrong! Experts unanimously acknowledge the importance of diet and nutrition in weight loss, placing 80% importance on dieting and attributing a much lower percentage, 20% to exercise! The mantra with weight loss is that you should put your body into calorie deficit so that it reaches out to stored fat to use up as energy to run its functions, and it’s important to find out whether exercise or diet can efficiently get you into a calorie deficit mode. Many people actually believe that exercise drives weight loss, but as they say, you can never outrun a bad diet, so let’s find out why diet is more important than exercise for weight loss.

What is Calorie Deficit?

Calorie deficit happens when someone consumes fewer calories than those burnt while exercising, resting, or performing basic bodily functions. In contrast, a calorie surplus occurs when a person consumes more calories than those that are burnt, leading to weight gain. In order to have a calorie deficit, the average person must cut down food intake by 500 calories per day. This figure is usually sufficient for weight loss without affecting energy levels, hunger, or bodily functions. For women, the number of calories must not drop below 1200 calories per day, and for men, it should not fall below 1500 calories per day.

How To Get Into a Calorie Deficit:

1. Through dieting: When people take in more calories than they require through their diet, the surplus calories are stored as fat in the body. Calorie deficit happens when you eat less than the necessary calories so that your body reaches out to fat stores to run all functions smoothly. If the body doesn’t get the calories it needs to perform its necessary functions from the food, you create a calorie deficit. Putting it simply, calorie deficit occurs when someone takes in lesser calories than those burnt during exercise, resting, and to perform daily bodily functions. To have a calorie deficit, a person must cut down daily calorie intake by 500 calories. When the calories drop down by 500, weight loss starts to happen.

2. Through Exercise: Another method to maintain a calorie deficit is by doing exercise – either by hitting the gym or engaging in physical exercise. Any kind of physical activity, such as brisk walking, jogging, bicycling or high intensity exercises can burn significant calories. Would you believe that you can burn a lot of calories doing basic household chores like mopping and dusting!

Experts however say both dieting and exercise are beneficial while trying to lose weight, and combining both would accelerate weight loss.

5 Reasons Why Diet Is More Important Than Exercise For Weight Loss:

1. You May Overcompensate with Food: People often overestimate the number of calories burnt during exercise and compensate by eating more food!

2. For significantly overweight people, it becomes quite difficult to get into a calorie deficit by sweating out 500 to 1000 calories in the gym without dieting.

3. Exercise may actually ramp up the appetite leading to overconsumption of food.

4. A study has shown that we burn 10% of our calories digesting food we eat and approximately 10% to 30% through exercise.

5. Cutting out empty calories by eliminating processed food, refined carbs, sugar etc., can get you into calorie deficit much easily than sweating it out in the gym.

However, not to undermine the importance of exercise, it drives weight loss, helps burn calories, builds muscle, boosts metabolism, keeps your body healthy, and keep diseases such as depression, type 2 diabetes, heart disease, cholesterol, high blood pressure away. Although exercise drives and boosts weight loss, dieting is considered a much more important factor. Research says that both exercise and diet are important aspects of maintaining good health, but for weight loss, focus on your diet first and exercise consistently. As we have mentioned above, it is essential to go into a calorie deficit to actually lose weight and the best way to do that is to start on the Rati Beauty Diet, which helps you get lean without compromising on nutrition or health.

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There’s a lot of hype about how weight loss can be achieved by drinking copious amount of fruit juices; some of them claim to be fat burners, some appetite suppressants, and most of them detox cleanses. But the most popular ones are fresh fruit and vegetable juices that are replacing whole meals – in the hopes to slim down really fast. Fruits are an indispensable part of a healthy diet along with vegetables.With people divided on their opinions about cutting out large food groups, pinning all their weight loss hopes on certain “superfoods,” and of course vilifying carbs, fruit juices seem to be a safe option. But is this “juice formula” a good one, will it work, and is it the right way to shed extra fat? The major issue with having only fruit juices as part of a diet is that it is extremely restrictive and thus not sustainable beyond a few days. So, coming back to the question – can you lose weight by drinking only fruit juices? Let’s find out:

Why Fruits are Good For Weight Loss?

As we have mentioned earlier, fruits and vegetables are indispensable part of a healthy and balanced diet. Since fruits are full of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and other nutrients, they are considered “free food” that can be eaten in unlimited amounts and juicing them out seems to be more popular than eating them whole. Fruits like banana, pomegranate, blueberries, strawberries, oranges, watermelon, apple, grapefruit are rich in nutrients and antioxidants, and most of them are rich in fiber as well (which promotes overall weight loss). Fruits satisfy sugar cravings with their naturally-occurring fructose content. Antioxidants found in most fruits neutralize the effect of free radicals and help reduce inflammation. Fruits such as guava, kiwi, pineapple, etc., have minerals like copper that are absolutely needed in the fat-burning process. Strawberries, cranberries, pineapple are good sources of iodine that help the thyroid gland function smoothly. Banana, apple, and berries have vitamin B12 that boosts metabolism that in turn burns more calories. So, having a portion of fruit on a daily basis actually boosts the whole weight loss process.

Now, coming to the main question:

Can you Lose Weight By Drinking Only Fruit Juices?

1. Fruits are undoubtedly packed with nutrients and healthy, but they still have sugar, and still need portion control, and should be consumed in moderation. Fruits have a naturally-occurring sugar called “fructose,” that raises blood sugar and thus spikes up insulin release (which by the way is also a hormone that encourages fat storage). Also, do note that each fructose molecule has 4 calories per gram (the same as a gram of carb and protein). Some fruits like grapes, dates, pineapple, etc., have a higher glycemic index and when you juice them out (you lose the fiber content), which leads to a huge jump in blood sugar and subsequent insulin release, and all the extra calories would be converted into fat molecules.

2. Consuming only fruit juices day in and day out is not a sustainable formula, it can be continued only for a days at the most.

3. Lack of fiber will trigger digestive and gut issues.

4. Most fruit juices are glorified sugar shots and rapidly spike insulin hormone, and relying solely on fruit juices may actually place you in a pre-diabetic category, increasing the risk of insulin resistance which may lead to type 2 diabetes and obesity in future.

5. You will miss out on other nutrients that are needed to burn fat such as healthy fats and protein, by going on a “fruit juice only” diet. Also read: “6 Ways To Not Eat Fruits When Trying To Lose Weight.”

6.When you separate fructose from fiber (which is found in the meat of the fruit), the sugar is digested very quickly. The big jump and subsequent crash in blood sugar after drinking fruit juices will make you hungry again within a short span of time.

7. People who deal with diabetes or have insulin resistance  should avoid fruit juices because these are rich in fructose.

8. Apart from this, if you are pregnant, the juice diet should be strictly avoided.

9. People with low blood pressure, having a history of eating disorders or have any kidney conditions should also consult their physician first.

Summing up, there are many factors that affect weight loss a great deal – lack of sleep, chronic stress, sedentary lifestyle, nutrient deficiencies can actually make it quite difficult to burn fat, even if you have slashed out calories a great deal. In the end, what matters in weight loss is “calorie deficit” and maintaining the correct balance between “calories in vs calories out,” and portion control is essential even with fruits and vegetables. A calorie is a calorie at the end of the day, and the calories in the fruit add up at the end of the day, and may in fact lead to weight gain. So, eat your apples, oranges, bananas, and melons, instead of juicing them out. Fruit juices can be part of a whole diet, not as a single solution to lose weight.  So, basically, if you are not careful, having only fruit juices can actually lead to weight gain. Contrary to what most people think, eating a wholesome diet that keeps you in calorie deficit would help burn fat, especially the Rati Beauty diet. If you are finding it difficult to drop a few sizes, check out the Rati Beauty diet now.

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Weight loss tips nowadays have boiled down to “don’t eat this, don’t eat that.” Losing weight can be quite challenging, but with effective strategies and the right diet plan, this process can be expedited. People often wonder if they would lose any weight by employing certain highly hyped tips and tricks they come across randomly, but hey, you would definitely lose weight if you are doing these things:

1. You follow a Nutrient-Dense Diet that teaches you to be in Calorie Deficit: Weight loss would only materialize by maintaining a calorie deficit and placing 80% importance on diet and 20% on exercise. And so, dieting is the best way to get lean and fit. Rati, the owner of IMBB, lost all her post-pregnancy weight by following the amazing meal plans on the Rati Beauty Diet, and scores of other people have lost weight as well following the same, download the Rati Beauty app for more details.

2. Eat Protein with Each Meal: When you consume protein, it increases the levels of the satiety hormone “leptin,” curbs appetite, keeps you fuller for longer, and also increases thermogenesis in the body which means we get to burn more calories. Since protein helps to build muscle, more calories are torched even at rest. So, make a conscious effort to amp up protein and include one protein source in every meal. If you are vegetarian and cannot have eggs or chicken, here’s a list of “14 Inexpensive Plant-Based Protein Sources” for weight loss.

3. You Exercise Consistently: As we have mentioned above, weight loss is all about 80% diet and 20% exercise, and doing regular exercise does help to accelerate the pace of fat burning. From hitting the gym, doing yoga, to even brisk walking – every form of exercise where you get to move the body, is great for losing weight. There are multiple benefits of exercising consistently – it burns calories and burns fat, improves mood and reduces stress, improves overall health, boosts metabolism, and most importantly, tones and makes the body fit.
4. Make Lifestyle Changes As Well: Weight loss and weight maintenance both require lifestyle changes. Along with following a diet program and exercising, making lifestyle changes accelerates the pace at which you drop weight. When you make these lifestyle changes such as sleeping for 7 hours, leading an active lifestyle, quitting alcohol, etc., you would not only look better, you would feel better, and there would be lesser chances of failure. Read about  “17 Small Lifestyle Habits That Will Help you with Weight Loss.”
5. Have Learnt to Identify and Eliminate Transfat: Make sure “transfat” is out of from your life because research has shown that transfat not only leads to weight gain, it tends to mobilize fat from other areas of the body to the belly area! Transfat is artificially made from vegetable oil by a process called hydrogenation where hydrogen molecules are added to the oil. This is done to increase the shelf life and solidy the oil, and make it more appetizing and suitable for frying. Margarine, frozen pizza, cakes, non-dairy creamer, etc. have transfat in them, so stay away from such stuff.
6. Do not Practice Emotional/Stress Eating: Stress eating or emotional eating is a situation where one eats to feel good and pleasant, to cope up with trauma, to relieve stress, rather than to satisfy hunger. The food that emotional eaters choose are usually high-fat, high sugar, calorie-rich food full of transfat and other toxic ingredients, extremely unhealthy. When you eat such food, your brain rewards you by releasing “feel-good chemicals” such as endorphins, serotonin, and dopamine. Such feel-good chemicals makes one feel happy by elevating mood, and calming down nerves. You start to depend more and more on such unhealthy food to deal with jittery nerves. In short, people resort to emotional eating to feel better, relieve stress, and cope up with traumatic situations and it’s important to detach food with all kinds of emotions and find comfort in them. Don’t turn to comfort foods when you are stressed out, anxious, or plain bored. Find other ways to de-stress – listening to music, going out on walks, dancing, yoga, reading, all are effective stress busters
7. Have Cut Down on Added Sugar: You can shed weight at a much rapid rate by eliminating added sugar that can make it way through packaged fruit juices, cookies, biscuits, candies, junk food, processed food, etc. Sugar has a lot of empty calories that causes a sharp jump in blood sugar and spike in insulin (which is also a hormone that encourages fat storage). Once you cut back on sugar, your weight will start to drop, and the bonus – the texture of skin will improve as well.
8. Cut Down on Processed Food: Extremely high on empty calories, along with high sodium, artificial flavours, sugar, transfat, and other unhealthy ingredients, processed food is bad for your weight loss and overall health as well.
9. Practicing NEAT: Remaining active and on your feet for most part of the day will ensure calories are getting torched at a steady pace. Being on your feet throughout the day helps in burning calories and keeps metabolism robust. One hour of gymming is never enough to lose weight, keep moving throughout the day and practice NEAT activities. NEAT stands for non-exercise activity thermogenesis and is the energy we use for everything we do in our day-to-day life except for when we are sleeping or exercising. Using the stairs instead of the lift, squatting on the floor to lift something up, walking while talking on the phone, every activity we do while being on our feet, comes under NEAT. All these activities help to burn some amount of calories and these bits of calories spent here and there, add up to a considerable amount when you are trying to lose weight.
10. Cut Out Sugary Beverages and Soft Drinks Completely: Summers are here and we often seek refuge in soft drinks and sugary beverages to quench our thirst because excessive heat and humidity makes chilled soft drinks and sugary beverages irresistible, but make no mistake, these beverages are loaded with sugar and empty calories and can literally drown your dreams to look lean and fit. There’s nothing better than water people, whatever season it might be. Other options can be chaach, spiced buttermilk, and lemonades at home using natural sweeteners like stevia. Additionally, whipping up a sattu sharbat will not only keep you cool, it would also accelerate the fat-burning process as well with its high protein content.
11. Delete Food Ordering Apps: Ordering food through apps is quite literally addictive, so it would be a good idea, to delete all food-ordering apps right now. Because of the extreme convenience with which you can get food (read “junk food”) through such apps, ordering breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks, can become an addiction and prevent you from losing any weight. Keeping such apps on your phone may tempt you to give into cravings and order food from outside often. Limit eating out to once a week and you will see the weight dropping with completely home-cooked food.
12. Eat Without Distractions: One of the prerequisites to lose weight is to eat mindfully – eat without any distractions, which means switch off the TV, keep away the phone, and eat in peace so that once the satiety hormone kicks in, you can keep away the fork and spoon to avoid consuming extra calories. Read about “9 Mindful Eating Hacks to Eat Right and Lose Weight.”
13. Sleeping For 7 Hours: Get Enough Sleep, we cannot begin to tell you how magical good sleep can prove to be, especially if you are trying to lose weight. Sleep deprivation not only slows down metabolism, it also throws essential fat-burning hormones out of whack and dips metabolism level. Less number of sleeping hours increases hunger hormone “ghrelin,’ and lowers satiety hormone “leptin” – as a result, you are constantly hungry and wake up with a ravenous appetite and unhealthy cravings the next morning. Sleep for at least 7 hours each night and that will help you lose weight better.
14. Portion Control: Portion control is an essential aspect, not only to lose weight but also to maintain optimum health and to prevent diseases such as type 2 diabetes, stroke, and heart disease. Read about “10 tips to Practice Portion Control on a Diet.”

So people, you would definitely lose weight if you follow these above-mentioned tips.

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10 Ways to Eat Less Without Feeling Deprived

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Are you guilty of neglecting your hands? While slathering sunscreen on the face, we forget to apply it on the most-exposed part of our body – hands! Harmful rays from the sun can damage the skin on hands severely, causing hyperpigmentation on the knuckles and trigger premature ageing. Apart from that, working with harsh chemicals, lack of moisturization, nutrient deficiencies, and certain medical conditions like acanthosis nigricans can cause darkening of knuckles as well. There are various creams and lotions available in the market which can help to soften and fade away hyperpigmentation, but these 11 home remedies have been found to be equally effective to fade darkness on the knuckles.

1. Mix a bit of powdered oatmeal mixed with sour yoghurt and cucumber juice on the knuckles to brighten the skin. The mixture needs to be applied and left on for half an hour before you rinse it off with cold water.

2. Blend together a few grounded almonds and some yogurt and whisk well. Use this mixture after scrubbing your hands well with an exfoliator. Apply this mixture on damp skin and then rub intensely, paying extra attention on the knuckles, for about 10-15 minutes. Then, wait for few minutes and then wash off with lukewarm water.

3. Take 2 tbsp of honey and squeeze in a few drops of lemon juice, mix well and apply on the hands and knuckle area. You just need to rub the mixture onto the problem areas for almost ten minutes daily to see improvement in the dark skin.

4. Take a piece of ripe papaya and massage it all over the affected area, keep for 20 minutes and rinse away with normal water.

5. Make a paste of 1 tbsp of gram flour, 2 tbsp of raw milk and add couple of drops of lemon juice in it. Apply this mixture on the affected areas of the skin and leave on for 15 to 20 minutes before washing it off with cold water. Continue this treatment daily for around 1 month and then once a week in order to remove the tan and obtain visibly lighter skin.

6. Soak your hands in a bowl of warm water with a few drops of rose water and 1 tbsp of baking soda.

7. Take some grated radish and add some lemon juice to it. Apply the mask on the knuckles and massage for some time. Wash off with cold water. This is an easy home remedy to treat dark knuckles; Radish contains active enzymes that can help to reduce pigmentation while lemon helps to bleach the skin naturally.

8. Make a thick paste by mixing rose water and baking soda, as it can help to lighten skin naturally. Baking soda is a natural skin lightening agent which clears tan as well while rose water helps to soothe the skin. You can also add glycerine to the paste in order to get a soft and supple skin.

9. Take some lemon juice and apply on the knuckles. Allow it to dry and then wash off with water. Lemon is a natural bleaching ingredient which can help to treat the dark pigmentation on the skin.

10.  Take 2 tbsp of gram flour (besan), 1 tbsp lemon juice, 1 tbsp honey and 1 tbsp curd and make a thick paste. Apply it on your affected areas and leave it for some time or till it dries. Then remove it by doing the light scrubbing. Wash and apply moisturizer. Use it on a daily basis till you get the desired result.

11. Take 1 raw potato, grate it and extract its juice. Apply this on hands and toes, keep it for half an hour and wash. Then apply some oil to hydrate your skin. Potato has bleaching qualities that can lighten the skin naturally. Use it twice a week till you get the desired results.

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The one thing you should do when trying to lose weight is to get rid of empty calories from your daily diet that make their way through processed and ultra-processed food and add more nutrient-dense food, such as those with high protein content. Protein is placed on a pedestal when it comes to weight loss, and the reason why egg whites with their high protein value are so popular with bodybuilders and athletes. Protein is a macronutrient that keeps one full for longer, builds muscle, burns more calories with its thermogenic properties, curbs food cravings, and of course, boosts metabolism. But for those who are vegetarians and vegan – egg, milk, chicken, fish (all great sources of protein) are crossed out and they often wonder whether there are any veggies out there with a good protein percentage that can boost their weight loss journey. So, here’s a list of 7 High-Protein Vegetables your Weight Loss Routine Needs.

But let’s first find out how protein helps with weight loss:

How Protein Helps with Weight Loss?

1. It satisfies: What makes protein the real hero is the fact that it keeps you fuller for long. When you consume protein-rich food, it slows down the digestion process, making you feel satisfied and one would less likely make frequent trips to the fridge!
2. It Curbs Food Cravings: When you consume protein, it controls your blood sugar level and prevents sharp insulin spikes. Less insulin spikes also means lesser the chances of calories being converted to fat.
3. Burns body fat: Without much protein, during the weight loss process, the body would burn muscles along with fat. Losing muscle means missing the chance to look lean and toned. That is why, it is highly important to consume enough protein to avoid losing your lean muscle and burn only unwanted fat.
4. Protein Reduces Late-Night Snacking: We all know how difficult it is to control late-night snacking. Most people strictly follow their diet for their entire day, but at night/evening, they give into the temptation and snack and pile on calories. No problem, protein has a powerful effect to control cravings and late-night snacking. According to a study, protein reduces cravings by 60% and cuts the desire for late-night snacking by 50%.
5. Protein has Thermogenic Properties:  This macronutrient induces dietary thermogenesis, which is the heat that is produced to digest the food that has been ingested, and to raise heat, calories are torched. For the digestion of protein, extra calories are needed because it induces thermogenesis.
6. Boosts Metabolism: Since protein helps build muscle, it boosts metabolism as well, which in turn helps to burn extra calories through the day.

Now, here’s a list of 11 High-Protein Vegetables your Weight Loss Routine Needs:

1. Green Peas: A cup of green peas offers a good amount of protein. Peas contain eight times the protein of a cup of spinach and also 100 percent of your daily amount of vitamin C in a single cup.

2. Potatoes: Good news for people who had shunned potatoes for its starchy content – there’s about 3 gm of protein in a medium-sized potato.

3. Broccoli: Broccoli is a water-dense vegetable which is also extremely low in calories (just 34 calories per 100 gm). Also, you get 2.5 gm of protein in 100 gm.

4. Spinach: Spinach is a great source of protein and it is rich in minerals, iron, and vitamins as well. If you are a vegetarian and can’t eat eggs, spinach should be your go-to protein source. Since you cannot have it raw, have it steamed or add it to smoothies and salads. You can always sprinkle some pepper, oil and lemon juice for better taste. You can get up to 2.9 gm of protein per 100 gm.

5. Artichoke: Though not easy to find, one artichoke has about 10.3g protein per medium artichoke or 40% of the daily fibre required by an average woman. Add it to your salads, pasta and even pizzas for added nutritional value.

6. Mushroom: Extremely low in calories, with no fat content, and protein of 3.1 gm per 100 gm.

7. Moringa: The leaves of the morgina tree is used extensively in traditional medicine and it’s probably one of the most nutrient-dense vegetable out there, with vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants content. High in protein, iron, zinc, copper, it has also been found to encourage fat burning along with boosting metabolism. Do you know, you can get a about 6.7 gm of protein in 100 gm of fresh moringa leaves, and about 9 times more protein than a cup of yogurt. It’s actually a superfood we all should be having on a regular basis.

Summing up, to lose weight, one needs to be in calorie deficit and follow a diet which is rich in protein and other nutrients. Do check out the Rati Beauty Diet which helps you lose weight by eating the right kind of food.

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This post is dedicated to all women out there, particularly those who are in their 20s and even 30s. In order to flaunt healthy and glowing skin for a long time, you need to take care of your skin right from the 20s. But nowadays, there are a lot of factors that are damaging skin and triggering premature ageing, and it would be prudent to tackle them right now, before too much damage is done. So, let’s find out how you are damaging your skin without knowing and how to deal with it!

1. By Not Protecting Skin From Blue Light: We do know that extended screen time can cause eye strain, but new studies have shown that blue light emitted from gadgets, particularly phone and computer screens can cause cell shrinkage and trigger signs of premature ageing, like hyperpigmentation, photoaging, fine lines, dryness, redness, etc. Apart from cutting down on screen time, reducing screen brightness, wear a sunscreen full time, even when indoors, and pick a formula with zinc oxide or titanium dioxide because these ingredients do block blue light.

2. By Using Harsh Cleansers To Wash Face: Cleansing your skin twice a day should be a part of daily routine; however, do make sure you are using a gentle cleanser each time. If you wear heavy makeup, use the Korean Double Cleansing Method. The technique has two steps – oil based cleansing and water based cleansing. The two steps revolve around two products – primarily, a cleansing oil/cleansing balm as well as a foaming cleanser. The cleansing oil is supposed to remove all face makeup and any dirt sitting on the surface of the skin. It enables the removal of products that contain oily or waxy elements, commonly found in makeup products and sunscreen. It also helps in the removal of any sebum present on the surface of the skin. The next step, uses cleansing foam to wash off any residual makeup and cleansing oil, to leave the skin feeling squeaky clean. A cleansing foam is water based, and will thus remove water-based products additionally. The tiny bubbles of the foam penetrate into our pores and bring any dirt, sebum, bacteria and remaining makeup to the surface and wash out everything.

3. By Not Tapping into the Power of Vitamin C: This is one ingredient everyone should include in their skincare, irrespective of their skin type. From boosting production of collagen, clearing dark spots and hyperpigmentation, to making skin bright, healthy and glowing – a good vitamin C serum does it all. And vitamin C serum need not to be expensive, here’s a recipe to make an easy yet effective one at home.

4. By Not Drinking Enough Water: If you aren’t drinking at least eight glasses of water every day, your body may get dehydrated which may cause your skin to look dull and dry. As a result, your body may produce lot of oil in order to self-hydrate itself which will may cause pimples and skin problems. Drinking at least 8 glasses of water would not only hydrate skin, it would also flush out toxins from the body. Believe it or not, water makes a big difference in skin health and many celebrities swear by it!

5. By Consuming Insane Amounts of Sugar: We are totally unaware of the amount of sugar that we consume on a daily basis, from eating cookies to having desserts after dinner. Sugar raises inflammation in the body, causes collagen and elastin breakdown, which in turn leads to wrinkles and sagging skin. In order to keep looking younger and avoid skin problems, quit added sugar and turn to healthier alternatives such as honey or stevia.

6. By Compromising On Sleep: If you sleep late at night or worse, don’t get at least five hours of sleep, your skin is bound to look dull, and dark circles are guaranteed! You are most likely to experience sallow skin and puffy eyes and your body produces stress hormone cortisol that breaks skin collagen failing to keep skin smooth and elastic. So, the next time you plan to compromise your sleep for watching shows, try to visualize your skin ten years from now!

7. By Squeezing and Popping Pimples: Picking, touching or squeezing your skin should be avoided come what may! Popping a pimple or squeezing it may result in a breakout and cause post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation that would take months to fade.  Even if you are leaning your face on your hands you tend to transfer the bacteria from hands and palm onto your face. Popping pimples can also enlarge your pores.

8. By Sharing Makeup with Others: Sharing is caring, but when it comes to sharing makeup with your friends, it’s good to be selfish! You can gently tell your friends that you can’t share your makeup and provide her with a little bit of information about the harmful effects of sharing makeup. Sharing makeup involves a high risk of skin and eye infections. Totally avoid!

9. By Not Sanitizing Phone: Talking on the phone more frequently and for longer hours is one reason most women tend to get acne around their temple and cheek area. Sanitize your phone’s screen regularly to avoid damage to your skin.

10. By Not Keeping a Check on Caffeine: The caffeine content in coffee can dehydrate skin, so cut down on caffeine intake, limit consumption to 1 or 2 cups a day.

11. By Leading a Sedentary Lifestyle: Believe it or not, nothing can make your skin glow than a good workout. Regular exercise will make your skin healthy and radiant in the long run too. Exercising daily not only contributes to good health, but also good and healthy skin. If you aren’t exercising on a regular basis, you may end up looking old in your early thirties. So, not for anyone else, but yourself…just put on your jogging shoes and go for that long pending run!

12. Not Using a Sunscreen While Stepping Outside: We have already underlined the importance of wearing a sunscreen even while using your gadgets, and while indoors. There’s nothing that can damage the skin more than harmful sun rays. Wear a sunscreen always – here’s a list of “10 Best Fragrance Free Sunscreens in India” to check out.

13. Not Moisturizing Enough: Every skin type needs moisturization, even the oiliest one to make skin supple, soft, and healthy. Choose a moisturizer according to your skin type, and moisturize right after the cleansing step, preferably on damp skin to seal in the moisture.

14. Using Fragrance-Based Skincare Products: We often look for paraben-free skincare and makeup products, but do not care much about “fragrance” which is one overlooked ingredient that can irritate and cause inflammation not only on sensitive skin, but on all skin types. Most of us do not actually mind those nice feel-good fragrances that are added to increase the “feel-good” factor of products; however, they do a great deal of damage to the skin. Both in its synthetic and natural form (essential oils), can potentially irritate and disrupt the delicate pH balance of your skin. That’s why, one should make a conscious effort to try and find fragrance-free products to minimize skin irritation.

If you have been guilty of doing any of these, try quitting them asap.

Until then, keep pampering your skin and stay beautiful.

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