Some simple-to-follow tips based on simple facts that can add up to make a big difference in your life.

Sugar

One spoonful (5mg) contains 20 calories. Check your daily intake of tea/coffee – added sugar is the biggest contributor to calories and weight. Keep diabetes at bay!

• A gm of sugar gives 4 cals.
• 3 tsp everyday, for an year give 21600 cals.
• Burning 1g of fat gives 9 cals.

Cutting down 3 teaspoons a day can help reduce 2.7 kgs in an year. Substitute sugar with natural sweeteners like honey, jaggery, fruits, dried dates, resins etc. Re-sensitize yourself to sweet by gradually bringing down the added-sugar in your food.

Ghee

Ghee (dairy-fat) is part of Indian diet implicitly as part of seasoning and cooking of vegetables, pulses, pulao/biryani and other dishes. It is also used on chapatis, parathas, rice etc. to enhance the taste and flavor. And, of course, it is the biggest contributor to weight-gain!

• 1ml Ghee gives 9 cals
• 2 teaspoons (tsp) everyday, for an year give 32400 cals.

Cutting down 10ml (2 tsps) everyday can cut reduce 3.6 kgs in an year. A few drops of ghee will still enhance the flavor and taste. Even better, replace animal-based fats with plant-based oils. Make a smart choice!

Alcohol

Alcohol is the biggest contributor of weight in men. Cutting down on daily/weekly consumption can help you lose weight.

• 60 ml whiskey gives 150 cals
• 60 ml gin has 170 cals
• 300 ml beer gets you 150 cals (depends on alcohol content, of course)

Cutting down 60ml whiskey everyday, for an year can shave off 6kgs!

Smoking

Smoking is all round bad for everyone – active as well as passive smokers.

• Latest estimates say that a cigarette reduces your life by 12 minutes.
• A pack of 20 cigarettes is worth 4 hours of your life!

Giving up 12 smokes a day, everyday, can give you 36 days of life! Reducing is a step to quitting altogether.

Walking

Walking is the simplest form of exercise. It gives you maximum returns considering how easily it can be incorporated in everyday life.

• An hour of walking at the pace of 6km/h burns about 350 cals
• An hour of walking at the pace of 4km/h burns about 160 cals
• An hour of walking at the pace of 8km/h burns about 520 cals

Get more active in general. Although, even sleeping burns about 57 cals per hour! Consider the progression:

• Sitting burns 86 cals an hour
• Standing burns 132 cals an hour
• Shopping burns 204 cals an hour
• Gardening burns 300 cals an hour
• Running @ 11km/h burns 700 cals an hour!