WHAT IS YOUR WEIGHT?

Height
(centimeters) Small frame
(weight in kgs) Medium frame
(weight in kgs) Large frame
(weight in kgs)
157.5 58.1-60.8 59.4-64.0 62.6-68.0
160.0 59.0-61.7 60.3-64.9 63.5-69.4
162.6 59.9-62.6 61.2-65.8 64.4-70.7
165.1 60.8-63.5 62.1-67.1 65.3-72.6
167.6 61.7-64.4 63.0-68.5 66.2-74.4
170.2 62.6-65.8 64.4-69.8 67.6-76.2
172.7 63.5-67.1 65.8-71.2 68.9-78.0
175.3 64.4-68.5 67.1-72.6 70.3-79.8
177.8 65.3-69.8 68.5-73.9 71.7-81.6
180.3 66.2-71.2 69.8-75.3 73.0-83.5
182.9 67.6-72.6 71.2-77.1 74.4-85.3
185.4 68.9-74.4 72.6-78.9 76.2-87.1
188.0 70.3-76.2 74.4-80.7 78.0-89.4
190.5 71.7-78.0 75.7-82.6 79.8-91.6
193.0 73.5-79.8 77.6-84.8 82.1-93.9


WOMEN


Height
(centimeters) Small frame
(weight in kgs) Medium frame
(weight in kgs) Large frame
(weight in kgs)
147.3 45.9-49.9 49.0-54.0 53.1-58.9
149.9 46.3-50.8 49.9-55.3 54.0-60.3
152.4 46.8-51.7 50.8-56.7 54.9-61.6
154.9 47.7-53.1 51.7-58.0 56.2-63.0
157.5 48.6-54.4 53.1-59.4 57.6-64.3
160.0 49.9-55.8 54.4-60.7 58.9-66.1
162.6 51.3-57.1 55.8-62.1 66.3-67.9
165.1 52.6-58.5 57.1-63.4 61.6-69.7
167.6 54.0-59.8 58.5-64.8 63.0-71.5
170.2 55.3-61.2 59.3-66.1 64.3-73.3
172.7 56.7-62.5 61.2-67.5 65.7-75.4
175.3 58.5-63.9 62.5-68.8 67.5-76.5
177.8 59.4-65.2 63.9-70.2 68.4-77.8
180.3 60.7-66.6 65.2-71.5 69.7-79.2
182.9 62.1-67.9 66.6-72.9 71.1-80.5



Source : Metropolitan Life Insurance

A quick way to find out your ideal weight

The simplest way to find out one’s ideal body weight for height is by this method

Ideal body weight = Height (in cms.) – 100

Waist To Hip Ratio

The distribution of fat around the body differs for both men and women. It must be noted that the fat distribution in men is more in the upper part of the body and is called android obesity or “apple shaped” while in women it is concentrated around the lower regions i.e the hips. This type of fat distribution is known as gynoid type or “pear shaped”.

Waist to hip ratio (WHR) is used as an indicator of obesity and the risk associated with it.

To measure this, measure your waist at the point of the navel while the measurement of the hips is done at the broadest part.


Measurement of waist
To determine WHR =
Measurement of hips



Values greater than or equal to 0.9 for men and greater than or equal to 0.85 for women indicate obesity and risk of disorders like diabetes and heart diseases.

BMI
Body Mass Index or BMI is used to determine the degree of body fat and the relative risk to the health of a person.


Weight (kg)
BMI
Height (Mtrs)
Category BMI kg/m2
Under weight Below 20
Normal 20 - 22
High normal 22 - 25
Obesity 25 - 30
Extremely obese Over 30



A BMI that is between ‘20 to 25’ is considered to be normal.

Your Activity Chart

What happens to all the food that we eat? No, residing in your waistline is not one of its favourite places. The energy derived from each meal you have eaten goes into the numerous activities that are packed in your entire day.

Even while you are lying on the couch, the body uses energy to make the internal organs work. Want to know how much of energy or calories are being burnt in each activity?

Shown here is a list of activities and the calories used per 30 minutes of performing it.

Activity Calories (30 Minutes)
Sleeping
32
Sitting at the desk
45
Cooking
50
Driving a car
50
Writing
50
Volley ball
105
Bowling
108
Golf
108
Fishing
114
Mopping floors
150
Aerobics
178
Badminton
180
Dancing
210
Walking downstairs
210
Hockey
249
Swimming
250
Skiing
252
Horse riding
255
Basketball
258
Tennis
261
Mountain climbing
270
Ice skating
315
Roller skating
315
Running
325
Climbing stairs
360
Judo
363
Rowing
378
Squash
440
Walking 5.5km / hourWalking 8 km / hourWalking 12 km/ hourWalking 16 km / hour
168300450600
Jogging 5 mile / hourJogging 7.5 mile / hour
300450
Bicycling 8km / hourBicycling 24km / hour
150360

Eating habits

Eating habits that you suspect may not be right but still carry on with anyway.
1. Can I drink diet soda every day?
A can or two isn't likely to hurt you. There's no credible evidence that the artificial sweeteners and chemicals in these cause cancer. But diet soda is not a health drink, although it saves you calories. One soda a day-regular or diet-increases your risk of obesity and type 2 diabetes. Go for fruit juice or skimmed milk. Or sip water through the day, with a squirt of lemon added for variety.
2. Are chicken eggs good or bad for cholesterol?
If you are healthy, the recommended dietary cholesterol limit is about 300 mg a day (200 mg if you have heart disease, diabetes or high blood cholesterol). One large egg has about 213 mg of cholesterol-all in the yolk. So it's perfectly fine if you eat an egg on a given day and limit other sources of cholesterol for the rest of the day. If you like eggs but don't want the extra cholesterol, use only the whites. They contain no cholesterol.
3. Is coffee good or bad for me?
Coffee doesn't seem to hurt and actually may help. No, it doesn't raise cancer or heart attack risk if consumed in moderation (no more than two cups a day). Four to seven cups a day, however, can cause restlessness, anxiety, irritability, sleeplessness and headaches. Coffee is believed to protect against Parkinson's disease, type 2 diabetes and liver cancer.
4. Is microwaving food in plastic containers harmful?
Although stories have circulated for years that microwaving plastic food containers or wraps causes them to release cancer-causing dioxins, this isn't thought to be true. Still, it's important to follow general safety guidelines: use containers or wraps labelled as "microwave-safe"; don't use carryout tubs, or paper or plastic grocery bags.
5. Does drinking water during or after a meal disturb digestion?
No. Water doesn't dilute the digestive juices or interfere with digestion. In fact, drinking water during or after a meal can actually improve digestion. It helps break down the food in your stomach and keeps your digestive system on track.
6. How long can I safely keep leftovers in the fridge?
Eat refrigerated leftovers within four days to reduce the risk of food poisoning. For food safety, never allow perishable foods (meat, poultry, fish, dairy products and eggs) to sit more than two hours at room temperature. Your goal should be to minimise the time a food item is in the 'danger zone'(between 4 deg C and 60 deg C) when bacteria can multiply. Before eating leftovers, reheat them thoroughly. Cover foods with a lid or a microwave-safe plastic wrap to hold in moisture and provide safe, even heating.

Indian Cookery

Indian cuisine is popular all over the world for its variety, mouthwatering tastes and aroma. It is as diverse as the country itself with its numerous styles of cuisine and its typical regional variations.
In almost every country in the world you can find Indian restaurants and hotels representing every kind of Indian cuisine. Some of the most famous among them are the Mughalai, Chettinadu, Hyderabadi Cuisine etc.
Indian Cooking is known for its use of spices, herbs and flavorings. The common ingredients in Indian Cuisine are rice or bread (rotis), a variety of dals (lentils), regional vegetables, pickles, ghee, chutneys, a meat or fish dish. Spices are an essential element to Indian cuisine. The cooking medium is generally oil. The type of oil used differs in different regions. Sweets are usually milk based. Many popular sweets such as Gulab jamun, Ladoo are common throughout India, while many others like Rasbari, peda, burfi, halwa, Malpuwa, Rasgula etc are local favorites. Food is often eaten with fingers, rice or breads are accompanied by vegetables and curries.
The tastes and variety of the multiple cuisines from Kashmir in the north to Kanya Kumari in the south, is absolutely mind blowing. Indian cuisine can be divided into two, Northern and Southern Indian cuisine.

South Indian Cuisine
Cuisines from Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Goa and Tamil Nadu are all part of South Indian Cuisine. Mostly vegetarian, Rice is the basis of every meal in a South Indian Cuisine and the cooking medium could be either gingelly, coconut or sunflower oil. Coconut is one of the main ingredient in all South Indian food and spices are abundant in south Indian cooking. Spices commonly used are mustard, Asafetida, pepper, curry leaves, peppercorns etc. Other fragrant spices added are cardamom, clove, cinnamon and star aniseed. Areas with access to waterways rely more heavily on seafood. Saturated with ghee, rice is served with Sambhar, Rasam, lentils, vegetables etc. South Indians are great lovers of filter coffee especially the Madras coffee is popular in South Indian restaurants throughout the world.
Made of fermented rice and dal batter, the dosa, vada and the idli as well as puttu made of rice flour are inexpensive south Indian snacks which are popular all over the country. The popular south Indian dishes are Appam and Stews, sea food dishes (Kerala), Mysore Pak, basundhi, jangiri, the semolina-based upma, Milk or wheat based Payasams/ kheers, Hyderbadi Biryani and the Goan vindaloo curry etc.

North Indian Cuisine
North Indian Cooking is often called Mughal Style Cooking which is similar to the food of the Middle East and Central Asia. With its rich uses of sauces, butter-based curries, dried fruits and nuts, ginger-flavoured roast meats and mind-blowing sweets, it is one of the world’s popular cuisines. A typical North Indian meal consist of chappatis, roti, parantha, pooris and tandoori baked breads like nan etc. made of wheat. Rice is also popular and is made into biryanis and pulaos. Kashmiri pulao is one of the famous north Indian food. The cooking medium is generally oil, cream, butter or ghee. Sunflower and canola are mostly used vegetable oils used in north Indian cooking. Garam masala is a spice mixture used mainly in northern Indian cuisine.
Mutter Paneer (a curry made with cottage cheese and peas), Bengal's Rasagulla, sandesh, Rasamalai, gulab jamuns, Biryani, Pulaos, Daal Makhani, Dahi Gosht, Butter Chicken, Kheer, Chicken Tikka, Kebabs, Fish Amritsari, Samosas (snack with a pastry case with different kinds of fillings), Chaat (hot-sweet-sour snack made with potato, chick peas and tangy chutneys), 'makki ki roti' and 'sarson ka sag', Motichoor laddoo are some of the delicious north Indian foods.

Meen Kuzhambu (chettinad fish curry) chapala pulusu

For the past one month, I couldn’t find much time to take snaps of the items which I wanted to blog.My idea was to write next about the famous chettinad chicken but due to the fear of catching bird flue people at home are scared of even hearing its name.So till the chickens get well let me blog about the chettinad special fish items .
Meen kuzhambu prepared in chettinad will seem to be very simple and easy to prepare but the real taste will depend on the care with which it is made.But by experience one can make mouthwatering meen kuzhambu which will make your partner sing’ Nethuvecha Meenkuzhambu ennai ezhukkuthayya’(Yesterday’s fish curry is driving me to the kitchen).This kuzhambu kept outside is said to be very tasty the next day. But I have not taken that risk.If refrigerated,the taste will be fine for 2 to 3 days

Ingredients

Fish (known to be good for gravy)-1/2 kg

Small onion-20

Garlic-15 pods

Chilly powder -1 spoon or kuzhambu milagai thool-2 spoons

Coriander powder-2 tablespoons

Tomato-1

Curry leaf- little

Tamarind-gooseberry size(double the quantity you use for sambar)

First marinate the fish withChilly powder-1 teaspoon

Turmeric powder-1/2 teaspoon

Lemon juice-1 teaspoon

Salt-1 teaspoon

Keep the fish marinated for 1 to 2 hours.

Procedure
Soak the tamarind and required salt in 3 to 4 cups of water. Keep a flat bottom kadai in the stove. Pour 2 to 3 spoons of oil(gingelly oil if available will be the best).Season withFennel seeds-1 teaspoonFenugreek seeds-1/2 teaspoonCurry leaf-littleAddthe minced onion, garlic and tomato and sauté well for 3 minutes. Now add the tamarind water. Add the chilly powder and coriander powder also and wait till the mixture boils. Once it starts boiling keep the stove in sim and allow the curry to cook in low fire for 10 to 12 minutes till the gravy has reduced to half. Now slowly add the fish one by one in such a way that all the pieces stay aloof. Once the fish is added, you will find the gravy becoming watery. Increase the flame a little and cook for 5 more minutes. Always make sure that you use the gravy only 2 or 3 hours after cooking.(this time is for the fish to get the taste of the gravy) .It is always better not to transfer the contents to another vessel since the fishes are likely to break while transferring.

How to make Plum Cake

Ingredients:
• 1-1/4 Cups plums, pitted and sliced
• 1 Cup all purpose flour
• 3 Eggs
• 1/2 Cup butter, softened
• 1/2 Cup white sugar
• 1 tsp Lemon zest
• 1/2 tsp Baking powder

How to make Plum Cake:
• Heat oven to 375 degrees F.
• Grease a nine-inch tube pan.
• Beat the egg whites in a bowl and leave aside.
• Cream the butter with sugar in a large bowl.
• Beat egg yolks and the lemon zest. Add it to the butter mixture.
• Stir together 1-cup flour and baking powder.
• Fold in this flour mixture into the creamed mixture.
• Add and stir the egg whites.
• Arrange the batter uniformly into the prepared pan.
• Arrange the sliced plums attractively over the batter with skin-side down.
• Bake it for 40 minutes at 375 degrees F.
• Remove and cool on a rack.
• Plum Cake is ready.

Paravai Muniyamma village recipes new

Thirukkai meen kuzhambu - Paravai Muniamma style

Paravai Muniyamma is known for her village recipes from southern Tamilnadu even though she is a famous singer. She hosts a Sunday afternoon show in which she quickly whips up snacks, vegetarian and non-veggie dishes. What I like the most out of her’s is the ingredients that go into the dish. You can imagine the aroma that would rise when the dish is cooking. She grinds the pastes required in a stone grinder and cooks in earthernware which would definitely add the distinctness for any dish.
Also at the end she would sing a nice folk song about the dish and about the person she would invite to taste it. Last week she demonstrated Thirukkai meen (Whip tail sting ray fish) kuzhambu. Amma had made this umpteem number of times during my pregnancy and lactation days but she cannot wait to make it again in Muniamma’s way.
And what to say, we had a treat
And I am giving the recipe below. No changes to the recipe!

Ingredients needed :
Thirukkai fish (cleaned and cut in to 3 inch squares) - 1/2 KG
Small onions - 20
Garlic pods - 20
Tomato - 1 big chopped
Tamarind - 1 medium sized lemon soaked with 1 teaspoon of salt in 4 glass of water for 15 minutes
Gingelly oil - 4 T spoon
Vadagam - 1 T spoon for taalipu
To be ground to a paste:
Black peppercorn - 3 T spoon
Red chillies - 6
Cumin - 2 T spoon
Coriander seeds - 4 T spoon
A little piece of kombu manjal or 1/2 teaspoon of turmeric powder
First take all the ingredients for the paste and grind it to a smooth paste with little water. Squeeze the soaked tamarind to get all the extract and then filter it in a colander. In the tamarind liquid mix the ground paste and well.
In a thick bottomed vessel heat the gingelly oil and once hot add the vadagam. Let it turn golden brown and add the garlic pods. Saute till they turn golden and add the small onions and saute till they turn pinkish. Add the tomatoes and cook till they turn mushy. Add the tamarind-masala mix now and mix well. Check for salt now and add if required more. Let it boil for 10 minutes. Add the fish pieces and cover the vessel with the lid. Let it cook for another 10 minutes and by this time the oil will get separated. Garnish with coriander leaves. This is a thick gravy like kulumbu and the fragrance it spread the whole house when boiling is extra ordinary. The ingredients and their quantity might sound that this is a fiery kuzhambu but actually not. The coriander seeds and the mixing of the paste in the tamarind liquid actually mellows the pepper’s hot taste.