Hi Monique, you can try any of these snacks for pre and post workouts - http://healthmeup.com/hot-list-diet-fitness/20-best-workout-snacks-fitness-foods/15744

Yes, its ok to do weights at your age. Lifting weights in good form is a great way to get fit and be in shape. Just make sure that you do not neglect your nutrition, and eat well.

Start by first taking a look at your diet, and cut out the foods that are making you fat. Then start with a strength training program where you do compound exercises like squats, lunges, deadlifts etc to target the lower body, and overhead presses, push ups, rows to work the upper body. Working all your muscles will boost your metabolism and burn a lot more fat.

At your age a gain of bodyweight is very normal. Generally this happens due to a slowing metabolism along with reduced physical activity levels. And if you start eating more, or eating more of the wrong foods then weight gain will be even greater. So first of all you need to ascertain if your diet has changed in this time period. Since you said that you gained 10 kgs in 4-6 months, I believe that your diet is also blame, as you may have eaten more sugar, salty foods during this time.

First thing that I would suggest is that you do a thorough medical check up to see if your hormones are in order. Then cut out all the sugary, processed and junk foods. Rely on home made meals, and eat more fiber, protein, and healthy fats. A good plan would be like this (assuming that you have no special dietary needs):

Breakfast- 30 gms oats, 1 piece of fruit like apple, 1 egg or a glass of milk (no added sugar), 10 gms almonds or walnuts

Lunch- 1 roti or one small cup rice, 100 gms dal (make a soup and throw in some green veggies like spinach)

Evening snack (only if hungry)- 1 slice bread with butter, and some peanuts

Dinner- 1 roti, 100 gms chicken/fish/paneer, 1 cup boiled vegetables

You can once a week or so have your favorite cheat food in small quantity, but for most part of the week eat healthy.

Besides this I would suggest that you find and join the best gym you can find in your city. Weight training along with intense cardio is the best way to lose bodyfat, so dont miss out. And yes, please dont try to lose 10 kgs in 2 months, it is a very rapid rate of fat loss that will be hard to keep off in the future. Rather focus on eating healthier and working out and the fat will come off in due course.

Hi Naveen. To be honest, gaining 5-6 inches at your age is unlikely. However weight loss is something that you can work on for sure. First of all get your diet in order. Chances are, that you are consuming a lot junk and refined foods and very little protein and fiber. So first of all cut out the junk and add more protein and fiber to your diet. And since you are into basketball, you should be getting enough cardio training on a regular basis, what you need to do now is to add some strength training to your routine. Start by doing 3 sessions a week, and do the following workout:

Military press- 2-3 sets of 5-8 reps
Barbell squats- 2-3 sets of 8-10 reps
Barbell rows- 2-3 sets of 8-10 reps
Push ups- 2 sets of max reps
Reverse crunches- 2 sets of max reps

As you get stronger move onto some more advanced programs to build muscle and lose fat.

15 kgs in 3 months, might not be the best rate to go for if you are after long term fat loss. Chances are that you put on the extra 15 kgs over a course of many years, so to expect it to come off that rapidly is being a bit too impatient in my opinion. Ideally you need to focus on a lifestyle change to make sure that the weight comes off and stays off, rather than go for quick fixes and gain back the weight in a year or so.

So what you need to do is to change the habits that caused the weight gain in the first place, which would be being inactive, eating junk and refined foods and very little fiber, protein and healthy fats. Reverse it by starting to do some training 5-7 days a week, of which atleast 2, and preferably 3 should be strength training days and another 2-3 days of intense cardio work. Start slow and let your body get accustomed to all the moving around, and increase the weights that you lift, and the speed while doing cardio gradually.

Here is a workout program to get you started:

Military press- 3-5 sets of 5-8 reps
Goblet squats- 3x8-12 reps
1 arm dumbbell rows- 3x6-10 each side
Reverse crunches- 2 sets of as many reps as possible

Finish off with 10-15 minutes of interval cardio


For your diet:

Breakfast- 30-50 gms oats or daliya, 1 whole egg, nuts
Lunch- 1-2 rotis, 100 gms fish or dal, 1 cup raw or boiled veggies, curd
Dinner- 1-2 rotis, 100 gms chicken, 1 cup raw or boiled veggies

You can snack on a piece of fruit or nuts in between meals, but be sure to keep the portions small.

Hi Sana. Well you are what is called an ectomorph bodytype. It means that your bodytype will be very reluctant to put on any weight, and will remain lean even if you eat a lot. But don’t worry, you can still gain weight, but you will have to be very mindful about your diet. Certain foods are known to help gain weight, and those are the foods that will need to form 80% of your diet. These include whole milk, almonds, ghee, brown rice, non veg, rotis, etc.
4-6 meals a day consisting of these foods will be enough for your to put on some weight. Also be sure to do some strength training, so that you gain lean mass rather than all fat which wont look so good. But don’t overdo the training or your body will not have the time to recover and gain weight, so 2-3 sessions a week is good enough for your purposes.

Hi there. To begin with, the ideal weight of a person of any age will depend on many factors like height, lean body mass, etc. So its hard to say what should be your ideal weight without knowing these inputs. But as a general guideline if you are lean and have a flat stomach, then you are likely to have a proper weight. Now since you have mentioned that your stomach is carrying some extra fat, it might mean that you are overweight. So to lose fat you need some intense training. While Yoga has many benefits to offer, I am not convinced that it is an ultimate fat burner. I suggest that you also begin some bodyweight workouts. Along with that here is a good diet for you to follow:

Breakfast- oats, apple, almonds or walnuts
Lunch- 1-2 rotis, dal or fish, curd
Dinner- 1-2 rotis, chicken or paneer, raw or boiled veggies

Hi there. You did not mention your height and age, those two factors would be helpful to know. Anyways since you have mentioned that as per the BMI calculator you need to lose about 45 kgs, it is obvious that you need a lifestyle change. Begin by doing some form of structured exercise on atleast 6 days a week. Of these be sure to make atleast 3-4 of them strength training days where you either lift weights, or do some bodyweight workouts. On the other days do some lighter workouts like Yoga, swimming or even brisk walking. The key is that you get active and move around a lot to burn more calories.

Next is your diet. Start by cutting out all sources of sugar, refined foods and junk calories from your diet. Replace them with foods that contain protein, fiber and complex carbs. Good choices would be rotis, dal, green veggies, fish, chicken, eggs, oats, etc. Also be sure to get some healthy fats from nuts, olive oil, etc. Eat 3 meals a day and if you need then snack on some nuts, curd, or fruits.

Hi there. The best exercises are compound movements that work a lot of muscle groups with each rep and burn a lot of calories. Good choices would be squats, deadlifts, lunges, push ups, military preess, dumbbell snatch, pull ups, barbell or dumbbell rows, etc. For targetting the core you can do Turkish get ups, dumbbell windmills, hanging leg raises, reverse crunches. Also keep an eye on your diet and avoid junk calories to get a lean stomach.