Bangalore: You feel like humming that television commercial, "bus kuch kilon ki baat Hai" when you look into those bathroom scales. Well, close to 10 kg to be exact. Giving up fried chicken, chips, sweets and other calorie-rich food is a good idea. Also joining the gym.

"One cannot carry on with an exercise regimen while almost starving. A healthy diet plus workouts are the safest way to shed extra weight," says Bijou John, trainer at a gym in Indiranagar. Losing weight without improving fitness may well tempt you back into over eating.

The reason why a healthy diet is advocated is because many people say they are just too tired to exercise. Walking that treadmill and pedalling the exercycle, not to speak of lifting weights, needs some physical stamina. That doesn't come from a near-starvation diet.

The average person's blood sugar levels are likely to be rather low in the mornings, dieticians point out. You just don't have enough energy for anything more than opening the newspaper pages. If you are planning a morning stint of exercise, start with a balanced pre-breakfast meal, if you want to call it that. Some fruit, a small bowl of cereal and skimmed milk, not just coffee. After the workout you can eat something more, perhaps idlis or toast without butter; even another cup of coffee. Go easy on the sugar, lots of empty calories there.

"Eating too many carbohydrates may give some energy but is not good in the long run. You need enough protein to build strength and this can come from poultry cooked with minimum oil, eggs or even lean cuts of meat. All eaten in moderation," says Mr. John. If 15 per cent of your calories come from protein, it is considered healthy enough.

An exercise tip, which may be useful, is to visit the gym mid afternoon when aerobic training of any kind may be most effective.

You feel more energetic than after a morning workout. If you are into weight training or other heavy exercise, more doses of food rich in vitamin C like fruits or juice may help ward off fatigue. Vitamin C helps slow down lactic acid build up in the muscles and helps you work out more.

One last piece of advice most trainers and dieticians stress is to drink more water and other fluids. If taking up any kind of strenuous exercise, keep your body well hydrated. Otherwise, you get too tired and may not feel like returning to that gym again.

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