Dietary Fats

Dietary fats are the fats that we eat.  Although we have been taught by media and diet fads that fats are bad and should be avoided, that is not entirely true.  Some fats should be avoided, but others are necessary.

Remember that there are three macronutrients.  Carbohydrates, protein, and fat.  Each provide energy, among other things, for the body.  On the energy scale, carbohydrates and proteins are tied at 4 calories per gram.  Fat more than doubles the energy it has at 9 calories per gram.  Keep this in mind when you are eating your fats.  An equal portion size of fat has twice as many calories as protein or carbs.  Therefore, they should be used sparingly if your aim is weight loss or weight control.

Eating fat is not the only way you get adipose tissue on your body.  Your body also makes its own fat from excess calories to store energy for later.

Fat is an essential nutrient.  Therefore, any diet that eliminates all fat from your intake is not healthy.  Fat lubricates joints, insulates nerves, supports a healthy immune system, forms the cell membrane of every cell in your body, and is necessary for absorbing and storing fat soluble vitamins.  The fat soluble vitamins are A, D, E, and K.  These vitamins need some fat in your diet to be absorbed, and they are stored in the fatty tissue of your body.

Just a side note, be careful not to megadose on these vitamins.  Unlike water soluble vitamins which are washed out of the body and need to be constantly replaced, the fat soluble vitamins can accumulate to a toxic level in your body.  This is not a concern if you get your vitamins from a healthy diet, but if you supplement with vitamin pills, it is something to watch out for.

There are two bad fats that you should strive to exclude from or limit in your diet.  On food labels, you will see a category for "Total Fat."  Under that you will see listed "Saturated Fat" and "Trans Fat."  These are the two fats you want to limit in your diet.

Trans fat is considered the worst of the fats.  It is a fat that is found sparingly in nature.  Mostly, it exists through man made processes call partial hydrogenation.  It's a chemical change that I'll leave up to you to google if you want to know more.  What is important for you to know now is that this fat increases LDL cholesterol and decreases HDL cholesterol.  As a refresher, LDL is the bad stuff.  Think of the first L as lousy.  HDL is the good stuff.  Think of the H as healthy.  This is the fat that you should avoid like the plague.  Read your food labels and shun any food products that list any trans fat.  In the ingredient list you can also look for the keyword "hydrogenated."  It will indicate a trans fat in the product.  Trans fats can be found in ANY processed food, so check them all.  Food processors like them because they are inexpensive and last a long time.

Saturated Fat is the next bad fat.  It does not need to be avoided, but should be limited.  Saturated fat comes mainly from animals.  It's the marbling in your rib eye, the 7 of your 93/7 ground beef, and what makes your bacon sizzle.  This fat raises LDL levels and increases risk of type 2 diabetes.  Apart from animal products, it is also found in coconut oil, peanut oil, and palm kernel oil

Saturated fats and trans fats are usually solid at room temperature(with the exception of the oils listed).  Use this rule of thumb to help you identify a fat on the fly if you're not sure what type it is.  Solid fats are typically bad fats and should be avoided or limited.

Now, when you read that food label, you might see that total fat is listed at 5 grams, trans fat at .5 grams, and saturated at 3 grams.  3 grams + .5 grams = 3.5 grams.  So if total fat is listed at 5 grams, where are the missing 1.5 grams?  It's there, but in my opinion this is a shortfall of the food labeling system.  Of course, I understand there are space limits on food packaging so some things will have to be left off.

The missing fat is a combination of our two healthier fats, monounsaturated and polyunsaturated.

Monounsaturated fat is found in nuts, avocados, canola oil and olive oil.  It helps to lower LDL and increase HDL cholesterols.  So here we finally have a fat that actually can help you with your cholesterol.  But these fats still have 9 calories per gram, so we should be careful not to go overboard with them.

Polyunsaturated fat is found in fatty fish like salmon, vegetable oil and corn oil, walnuts, and sunflower seeds.  This fat also improves blood cholesterol levels, and includes the group of Omega 3 fatty acids.  Omega 3s are proving themselves to be very beneficial to your heart.

These two fats are usually found in a liquid form at room temperature.  As a rule then, at room temperature, liquid fats are typically healthy, solid fats are typically not.

In my daughters' school, they have a system of teaching nutrition by dividing foods in to "go" foods, "slow" foods, and "no" foods.  Using this method, I would break the fats down like this:  Trans fat is a no food, saturated fat is a slow food, and mono and poly unsaturated fats are go foods.

Take some time while shopping and make sure that your food products have the fats you need, and avoid the fats you don't.  A diet that is low in fats will be lower in calories.  It will also be healthier for your heart as long as you are careful to choose which fats you eat as part of your necessary macronutrient.

Nothing Can Stop Me Now!

Last week I met a new hero.  I've met several such people over the last few months.  A 55 year old woman in swim class having the courage to finally learn how to swim.  A blind man who ran without fear, who I had the honor of running with for about 11 miles of the LaPorte by the Bay Half Marathon.  Another lady in swim class who is facing her fear of deep water and learning to tread water.  These are people who never know that there are times I think of them for inspiration and courage.  Now I have one more.  Her name is Pattie Nehring, and I met her a week ago at one of Al Garza's bootcamps.  She has a story that I hope you will keep with you and let inspire you in whatever challenge you are facing.  Here is her story in her words…




"I am honored that you would want to share my story with others..it is the ultimate gift to pay this forward...I too was inspired by you and your story and will enjoy reading your upcoming blogs...I really feel our paths are similar in the fact that while we both did different things to get ourselves healthy, neither of just took it for granted and simply followed along...we both took the lead in our own lives, and fully vested ourselves. We took the time to read and educate ourselves well, so we understood what got us where we were, what it would take to get us out, and what would keep us from going back there...I knew that in order for me to do this only one more time in my life, I needed to become an expert. 

Let me back up just a hair and tell you what led me here. I have been thru many "diets", all of which worked for a week or two only to come back with a few more fat friends to add to my body. I was a skinny, athletic girl growing up. I participated in any sport with roller skating being my all time favorite pass time. I never had an issue with my weight. Then along comes come 30 years old and things started to change..I screwed up my metabolism with every fad I tried. I found myself approaching fifty an extremely obese woman who was unhappy, unhealthy, and miserable inside and out. I was angry and I treated everyone around me with that anger. It wasn't until one evening things took a turn with me. You may find this funny, but I was watching the Biggest Loser while eating a bowl of Ice Cream crying over the stories I was hearing and thinking they are so fat. I actually felt sorry for THEM (as if I wasn't dealing with an issue myself). Then something hit me and I cried saying, I'm fat, they are fat...what do we do? My hubby (who has been my rock and biggest encourager), says just do something about it...you have to do it.

I have 2 young boys, I could not walk up a flight of stairs without being out of breath...
I came accross an awesome program that taught me how to eat, what a healthy plate should look like, how to watch my carb, sodium, and sugars..the weight came off fast which kept me excited and motivated and I had an incrdible support team in my family, friends, and co-workers who I enlisted to help me to get healthy. I asked everyone to be my spotter and to keep me honest. After a serious Gallbladder surgery that turned Into pancreatitis, and a resulting fatty liver .....something had to change and it did. I started my journey in January 2010. I stuck to the eating outline and weighed and measured everything. I kept a food diary (which I feel is so very important). In a little over a year, I have lost 118 pounds...which is about what my 2 kids weight combined! I feel amazing and I continue to educate myself and learn what I can....keeping my head in this health game…

I ran my first 5K on Thanksgiving day. What better day to celebrate then on the day that gives thanks...the only difference is that future holidays would not involve crazy amounts of unhealthy foods and overeating. I followed up 2010 with 2 more 5k runs before the year ended. It's 2011 now and I am on my third Boot Camp, and just completed my first ever 3.2 mile run with 11 obstacles in the mud called Warrior Dash. Life is amazing, but I remain humble and keep learning. God has done an amazing work in my life. Here is the kicker, and one that many never thought they would see coming with me...karate.
I fought my family for years about karate. I have 2 Blackbelts and a soon to be Blackbelt in my house, yet I never thought it was something I could do. It is amazing what happens to your thought process. I went from I can't do anything, all the way to nothing can stop me now....all in 1 amazing year...
I started that journey to Blackbelt. I have a long road to travel, but I knew it was my next step. I am getting my purple belt this week. I am looking forward to learning more and finding more of me in the process.

You can follow my blog too

My Be Slim Journey

I have been busy lately helping others find their success, but will be posting and bring things up to date very soon. See, I have become a health coach to pay it forward and teach others about the program that has helped me. It has truly saved my life. But I also know that nothing works until you are ready for it. It is 90% mental in my opinion. I learned that no matter how huge the mountain, it can be done. Surrounding yourself with the positive and avoiding the negative is key to your succttyess. Seek support, be accountable..be teachable.. Never say never..do it all..let nothing stand in your way.

Here is my info sight
Get Slim 4 Good

My favorite read is
Dr. A's Habits of Health  and companion book...

I also have a Facebook page:
Get Slim 4 Good

And a group:
Get Slim Buddies Group"


I heard Pattie share this story in boot camp, and I've read this testimony several times.  The part that gives me goosebumps each time is the line, "I went from I can't do anything, all the way to nothing can stop me now…all in 1 amazing year."  "Nothing can stop me" is my new mantra!


If you have anyone who needs a lift, you might think of sharing this story with them.  118 pounds and still going.  Anything is possible.  Remember there's treasure at the finish line.

Pie problem

I was reading poems to my daughter last night and we came across this.


"Pie Problem"

If I eat one more piece of pie, I'll die!
If I can't have one more piece of pie, I'll die!
So since it's all decided I must die,
I might as well have one more piece of pie.
MMMM--OOOH--MY!
Chomp--Gulp--'Bye.

Shel Silverstein


I want to encourage you today to not be defeated by stinkin' thinkin'.  You're stronger than that.


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Artificial sweeteners and weight control

There is some talk among nutritionists and doctors that artificial sweeteners may make it harder to lose weight and control weight. There are limited studies on this phenomena, and still only theories as to why it may happen. But I think it is worth taking a look at so that you can make a decision for yourself what to do about artificial sweeteners.

Artificial sweeteners are in your diet cokes, sugar free products, and what are in the yellow, pink, or blue packets you add to your iced tea. It's a great way to cut the calories out of a drink and still have something besides plain water. Crystal Light is another product that relies on these sweeteners.

Scientists have warned for years that these products may cause cancer. Now, some are blaming the obesity epidemic in America in part to the rise in these sweeteners. Here are their theories.

1. No-calorie sweeteners trick your body into thinking it is going to get a higher calorie meal than it is. Your body tastes the sweetness, so it gears up for those calories. When it finds that it doesn't have them after all, it tries to make up for them. The theory is that your body will crave calories later to make up for the shortfall from what it expected. This can lead to a craving for carbohydrates later in the day, causing you to over eat.

2. They mess with your liver's ability to metabolize fat. Your liver is an amazing and complex organ. It is where cholesterol is produced that carry fats through the body. It is also where toxins and poisons are cleared from the blood. This theory says that since these sweeteners are artificial, that is man made and not found naturally in the enviornment, that the body sees it as a toxin. The theory claims that if you always have these sweeteners in your body, such as from drinking diet Coke all day, that your liver will be too busy clearing the toxin and not be able to do it's job of metabolizing fats like it should.

3. The third claims that if you Use these sweeteners, you trick your brain so that it doesn't know how to deal with sugar. Your brain doesn't know if you are getting the calories with the sweetness or not, so it loses some of it's ability to regulate your metabolism to deal with the extra calories from sugars.

Here is what I take away from all of this: 1. This is not an excuse to have a regular coke instead of a diet one. I still believe you are better off eliminating those empty calories from your diet. 2. While I don't preach eliminating these product from your diet, it might be a good idea to limit them. I still have Splenda in my coffee and Sweet'N Low in my tea and I have Splenda in my oat meal. But I do try to be aware of how much I am having and control it each day. 3. Water is the best choice of a drink throughout the day. 4. If you find yourself plateauing in your weight loss, it might be worth trying to eliminate these products from your diet and see what happens.

Setting and achieving goals

It's now the middle of March. How many of your "New Year's Resolutions" have you given up on already? The whole New Year's resolution thing seems to be such a negative experience that I'm surprised that so many people keep saying each January that this is the year they are going to lose weight, going to eat healthier, going to exercise, etc, etc, etc.  I doubt that they fail because of a lack of desire, but because of a lack of knowledge of how to set and achieve goals.

Goal setting is so easy that even a 7 year old can learn it. As I said in an earlier post, on New Year's Eve I sat with my wife and daughters and we each set our goals for the year. After the girls returned to school, my first grader's teacher talked to her class about resolutions, and shared as an example that hers was to lose weight. Her teacher later shared with me that my daughter was quick to correct her and tell her that her goal was not specific enough. My daughter let her teacher know that goals have to be specific, so she shouldn't just say she wants to lose wieght, but also how much. Just like dear old dad taught her!

So that leads me to point 1: Be specific, and be as specific as you can. Think of a target you might shoot at. It is in the shape of a circle with rings painted on it, each smaller as you get to the center, ending in the middle with a bullseye. Setting a general goal is better than no goal at all, but what will help you be more successful is setting a goal with a bullseye. A goal to eat more fruit is a broad and blurry target. A goal to eat 2 pieces of fruit a day is a bullseye. A specific goal will be much easier to track. You will know daily weather you are achieving your goal, and if not, you will know exactly what you need to do to improve.

Point 2: Write your goals down.  It may seem a given, but you should have a written list of your goals.  This list will not be etched in stone.  I hope that after several months, it will have coffee stains on it because you look over it at breakfast, it will have check marks by goals you have accomplished, it will have new goals written on it, and it will have old goals modified as you grow and realize that you set your original goal too low.  Have the list in a handy spot where you see it daily.

Point 3: Review your goals at least once a month.  Having a written list of your goals will make monthly reviews easy.  Sit down somewhere quite and spend some honest time with yourself evaluating how your work towards each goal is progressing.  This is a time you can add to your list if you need to.  I just today sat down with the family to review our goal progress so far this year.  Each of us added at least one new goal to our list.  My new goals were to renew an old friendship, and to start a new friendship.  This is also a time to modify a goal if you need to.  This could include raising or lower your expectations for yourself.  In my case, I originally set a goal to complete in a sprint triathlon this year.  I've realized that I'll be able to do more than this, so I reset the goal to complete in 2 sprint triathlons and 1 olympic triathlon.  You might also need to lower a goal because life circumstances have changed.

Point 4: Share your goals with others.  There is no better accountability than telling family, friends, and coworkers your goals.  When the going gets rough, and you feel like giving up, just knowing that someone is going to ask you how your goal is coming is motivating.  And you may find help from some of these people.  Just yesterday, out of the blue, a coworker gave me a triathlon training book he had lying around.  Free book to help me with my goal!

Point 5: Be flexible.  You will naturally set some goals too low.  Sometimes, you just don't know what you can do until you try it.  Then you find you are much better suited for it than you thought.  If it looks like a goal you set will be too easy, don't hesitate to make a more difficult goal for yourself.  On the other hand, don't beat yourself up if a goal you set was just to ambitious.  It's okay to lower a goal.  Lowering a goal is much better than just quitting on it all together.

Point 6: Falling behind in a goal is a time to re-focus, not give up.  If you find there is a goal you are struggling with, don't allow yourself to quit on it.  One bad meal on a diet doesn't have to lead to a bad day.  Refocus, and make the best out of the rest of the day.  Don't let your mind rationalize quitting, either short term or long term.  Your mind might say that since you gave in to that chocolate cake for dessert at lunch, you might as well have what you want the rest of the day and get back on track the next day.  That is just the beginning of a slippery slope.  Refocus as soon as you realize you stumbled on your goal.  Remind yourself why you set the goal in the first place.  Remember how good it felt just to set the goal and know that you were taking your first step towards improving yourself.  A mistake is not a failure unless you quit.  It might be time to find some fresh material to read pertaining to your goal and re-motivate yourself.

You are on your way out of ordinary and toward extraordinary.  Set yourself some challenging goals, write them down and put them where you will see them daily, and stay focused.

Let me leave you with this.  It's not all about the goal.  It's about the journey.  Fall in love with the process of becoming better, not just the end product, and you will enjoy your life much more.  You don't sing a song to get to the end….

Finish what you've started!

Quite possibly one of the main reasons people give up on  a nutrition or exercise program is that they just aren't patient enough.  To this I say to remember that the results of changing your diet, weight training, cardio training, stretching, and living an active lifestyle will not all be seen on a scale or in the mirror.  Some results may come quicker than others, but if you're goal is weight loss, remember that fat is stubborn. Stop expecting immediate results.

One thing I regret that I didn't do when I started to change my diet and lifestyle was make better records of where I started.  The main reason was when I got started, I had no idea that I was starting on a journey that would transform how I thought, how I looked, how I slept, how I ate, what I read, what I do with my free time, how I treat my family…the list goes on.  I just wanted to lose 20 pounds, 20 pounds that would have gone right back on if I had not re-invented myself along the way.

A couple of things I recommend you do now if you haven't already.  Take some "before" pictures.  I don't have any good before pictures of myself.  The main reason is that I avoided the camera, because I hated how I looked.  I didn't feel the images the camera captured represented who I was.  In my head, I was still a 20 year old second degree black belt who worked full time teaching karate.  In reality, I was a 37 year old, 60 pound overweight, tired, old man.  That's what the camera said, I just never accepted the truth.  So by the time I realized what was happening and decided I wanted to document it, I had already lost the first 20 pounds.

Another thing you should do is get a physical.  Luckily for me, my work requires one annually.  Otherwise, I'm sure I never would have had one.  I knew I wasn't healthy, and I doubt I would have volunteered to have a doctor tell me how unhealthy I was.  But thanks to the results of those physicals, I know what kind of numbers I started with and I could watch them change as I became more active, changed more of my eating habits, and lost pounds.  These numbers are results you won't see in a mirror.  As your resting heart rate, blood pressure, and cholesterol drop, you will know you are getting healthier.  Other numbers may be important to you also, such as glucose, C-reactive protein, liver enzymes, and others only your doctor can tell you about.

Take some measurements.  Get a measuring tape and record things like the size of your hips, your belly, your neck, your thighs, your chest, and your upper arms.  Check these measurements from time to time, maybe once a month, and watch them shrink.  Of course, as your pants begin to fit looser, you may not need a tape measure to tell you that your waist is getting smaller.  But who knows, someday you may decide to write a blog to help others, and it would be good to be able to tell people how much you shrank.  As I've noted, I lost 65 pounds from my original 213.  65 is 30% of 213.  I used to enjoy telling people that I was only 70% of the man I used to be.

Be on the lookout for milestones and be ready to celebrate them (not with a pint of ice cream, but by bragging on yourself).  I had two along the way that were big for me, even though they may have seemed silly to everyone else.  I used to have to put my knee out to the side when I bent over to tie my shoe.  If I didn't, my knee pressed in on my too large tummy and it hurt.  Then one day, I sat down on the couch to tie my shoe.  I put my foot on the coffee table and pulled my knee straight back to my chest.  I was halfway through the bow before I realized that my stomach was not being pinched.  Great day number 1 for 2 Tuff Huff.  Another was when my youngest daughter asked me to jump on the trampoline with her.  I used to jump for maybe a minute before having to beg off because I was tired and breathing hard.  This time, we jumped and jumped for what must have been 20 minutes.  It was the first time I saw the results of the cardio training I was doing in the gym pay off in real world dividends.  Great day number 2 for 2 Tuff Huff.

Other benefits you are going to see that don't show up on a scale or in the mirror:  fall asleep faster and sleep harder, sleep more comfortably (especially if you are a belly sleeper like me), increased confidence, pride in yourself, more energy, increased self worth, less stress, and more discipline in other areas of your life.

Don't forget that you're not alone.  I've been where you may be now, sedentary, overweight, unhealthy, tired, old, and grumpy.  I want you to know that the changes you are making in your lifestyle are worth it, in many ways that you won't know until you reach your own milestones.  Try and imagine what your life would be like if you had limitless energy, tremendous self-esteem, and a love for life.  You can get there, just don't quit.

Why you need to do strength training

If you are not already doing any type of strength training, I recommend that you get started.  Strength training's wide range of benefits can help all of us, whether we are trying to perform a sport better, trying to lose extra body fat, or fight the effects of aging.

When you think of strength training, what kind of picture comes to mind?  Does it conjure the image of "meat heads?"  The guys at the gym who concentrate on lifting large weights, walk around in tank tops, and have more muscle than my whole family combined?  That is one type of strength training called body building.  And if you want to take your training in that direction you are welcome to.  But you don't have to train like a meat head or look like one to get the benefits of weight training.

Weight training can help the average person who is trying to be fit and healthy in the following ways.

First, it can improve your mood and self image.  As your muscles become better toned, you will feel better about yourself.  It's not all just about vanity.  A body that looks toned is one that looks healthy.  When you see a healthy looking person in the mirror you will feel good about yourself.

Second, it can help you fight two of the effects of aging.  Two things happen naturally as we age, our bones lose density, and our muscles atrophy.  Strength training a muscle helps to increase the bone density of the associated bone.  So doing an exercise like running or cycling, or leg strengthening exercises will increase the density of the leg bones.  I saw a study of tennis players where they compare the bone density of their playing arm with their non-playing arm.  What they found was that the playing arm had a higher bone density than the non-playing one.  This will decrease the likelihood of fracturing a hip or leg bone as you age.  As far as fighting muscle atrophy, I think that is self explanatory.

Here is one for those of you trying to lose weight, or fight future weight gain.  The body expends energy(calories) to maintain both fat and muscle, just like any tissue in the body.  But muscle burns more calories than fat does.  A pound of fat burns about 50 calories more each day than a pound of fat does.  While that number isn't big enough to help you lose weight quickly, it will help in the long run.  50 calories a day is 1500 in a month.  That's extra calories you're burning with no extra effort.  A few extra pounds of muscle can go a long way to helping you maintain a healthy weight.

Other benefits include increased strength, improved posture, and a reduced risk of everyday injuries.  Muscles and tendon that are strong are less likely to be injured, and will help you perform your cardio workouts more easily.

You don't need any equipment to get started.  Exercises like squats, lunges, and toe raises will benefit your lower body.  Push-ups, sit-ups, planks, and supermans will benefit your upper body.  If you have a little money to spend, I suggest getting a set of resistance bands, a wheel, and a chin-up bar.  You can find youtube videos that show how to use each one.  They can all be stored in a closet, and can all be purchased for less than $75.  The chin up bar that hangs in a door frame can also be used for push-ups and  triceps dips.  For those with a little more space and who want to get a little more versatility, a set of dumbbells and a dumbbell bench in your garage will be all the equipment work just about any muscle.  I picked up pretty good set of dumbbells on Craigslist for $65, and a dumbbell bench from Sports authority for about $100.  Of course, you could just get a gym membership and go work out with the meat heads.

Again, you don't need to do a bodybuilder workout to improve your health and fitness.  Personally, I only strength train 2 or 3 days a week.  My workout consists of push-ups, planks, supermans, sit-ups, lunges, squats, toe raises, and some exercises with resistance bands.  Sometimes I add a few things in with dumbbells.  You can see that I don't use very much equipment at all.  I'm not going to be selling many tickets to my gun show, but I still get the benefits of improved muscle density as well as improved strength for swimming, running, and cycling.

There's really no reason not to get started today, so get after it….

Meals on the go

Subway just surpassed McDonald's as the worlds largest food chain. What that means for me and you is that we are never far from a nutritious, low fat, low calorie meal. Leaving work and headed straight to the kids' water polo practice? Pass by the Taco Bell and run in to Subway for dinner. You can easily find a meal that will fit into any calorie budget. Here is my favorite. I get a 6 inch turkey on whole wheat bread. All the vegetables except jalapeños, tomatoes, and salad peppers. Swiss or pepper jack cheese (it breaks my rule about low-fat/no-fat dairy, leave it off if you wish), salt, pepper, spicy mustard, vinegar, no oil. Add a bag of apple slices and a diet coke and the whole meal is about 365 calories.

That's 4 of the 5 food groups in that meal.

Pick something up for the kids as well - you're not the only one who should be eating healthy. My kids never ask me for McDonalds or the other fast food places. They know it's not gonna happen. All our stops out are at Subways.

Have a favorite sandwich? Check Subway's website for nutritional info. They have information on every sandwich, and every condiment. You can add yours up to see if it fits in your calorie budget. If not, make some adjustments or change your sandwich.

Subway nutrition information

A good choice for a sit down meal is Genghis Grill.  It's a Mongolian wok where you get to hand pick your own protein, veggies, seasonings, and whole grain(only the brown rice fits that category as far as I know) and have it cooked as you watch.  A couple of things make this a great choice to get a meal.  First, you know exactly what is going into your meal.  Second, you are in complete control of what your meal contains.  But maybe the most exciting thing is that you can go to their website and "pre-build" a meal on their website.  Their website will give you a running total of how many calories and other info your meal has as you build it.  Then, when you have built one that looks good to you, you can print it and take it to the restaurant with you so that you will know exactly what to get.  Here is the website to build your bowl.

 Build your own bowl at Genghis Grill

My bowl with chicken, brown rice, and vegetables, and peanut sauce comes in under 500 calories.  That's a pretty good lunch or dinner!

Finally, I recommend always carrying a snack with you so that if you are caught out between meals and it's snack time, you won't be forced to eat a Snickers.  I always have a Clif  Bar or Power Bar with me, both coming in under 250 calories.  A white chocolate, macadamia nut Clif Bar and a glass of water satisfies my appetite and my sweet tooth at the same time.

If you're are not fortunate enough to live in an area with an abundance of health food restaurants, being away from home and eating healthy isn't impossible, but it does take planning.  But after just a few weeks it becomes second nature as new habits form.

Got suggestions for the rest of us on where to get a healthy meal on the go? Post it in the comments. Rules are that you know how many calories the meal has, it's low in saturated fat, and it meets our requirement of at least three of our food groups.

Spot burning your trouble spots

Don't let the title throw you. I'll say up front that it doesn't work. For those not in the know, spot burning is the idea that you can workout a specific area of your body to try to burn away the fat from that area, such as doing lots of ab work to get rid of belly fat.

First, you have to understand what fat is. Fat is one way your body stores energy. Each time you eat, your body store the excess energy as fat. Your body stores fat beneath the skin(subcutaneous fat) and around organs(visceral fat). Fat, even on lean people, is by far the largest store of energy your body has.

I've seen these numbers cited for a 154 pound male. Scientists say he has about 1000 calories of energy stored as glycogen in the blood, liver, and muscles. This the the faster burning energy source and is used first in your workouts. Protein is the second largest store of energy at about 25,000 calories (your muscles). Finally, in the same man, you would find about 100,000 calories stored in fat. So besides insulating and cushioning, fat serves the purpose of storing energy. It's what Yogi Bear survives on while he's hibernating.

This fat is predisposed to be stored differently on different people. Men are more prone to store fat in the mid-section (the infamous beer-belly) and women in the hips and thighs. The body stores the fat where it wants, and when it converts the fat back to energy, it takes it from where it wants.

Doing push-ups will make your arm and upper torso muscles stronger. But it won't necessarily burn the fat hanging under your arm. When your body needs energy to do the push-ups and repair the muscles, it may draw on energy stored in your butt fat.

I think where I hear people talk about this most often is the stomach. In an effort to burn stomach fat, you may be tempted to kill yourself with crunches. But, alas, this will not necessarily mean that you will burn off the belly fat any faster. What can happen, is that you tone and strengthen the ab muscles under the fat. This can lead to a leaner looking stomach as those muscles firm up and your posture improves. That is some benefit, but is not the same as burning the fat from just the stomach.

Your body will tend to take the fat somewhat evenly from the body. So if we look at this picture of a pound of fat again




that doesn't mean that doing crunches is going to take that much fat from your belly. Instead, your body will take that fat for energy from throughout the body. The only way to remove that fat solely from your bellied is through surgery (liposuction).

So if you have a stubborn area of fat that seems to be reducing slower than the rest of your body, don't despair. Keep doing what you're doing, controlling your diet and keep at your strength and cardio work, and it too will eventually be returned to energy and melt away.

Until next time, why not take your family out for a 30 minute bike ride?

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Picking the correct weight target

I'm big on goal setting. For me, setting goals is an easy, and somewhat scary task. It's scary for me because I know that if I set a goal and write it on my goals list, it's gonna happen. So I'm careful when setting my goals to set ones that I know I have the time to achieve.

New Years Eve 2010 I sat down with my family at the kitchen table and we all set goals for 2011. The goal I set for myself concerning my weight was "to consistently weigh 145 pounds.". It's just a bit of a challenge for me to keep that weight. Today I tipped the scale at 149. There are several factors that will cause your weight to fluctuate throughout a week, so you can give yourself a small window of + or - 2 to 3 pounds. You can see that I have a little work to do myself.

I want to give you a method of picking a weight for your target. There are several ways you could go about this. You could have a goal to be a certain jean or dress size, and not even be concerned about the weight. You might pick a weight from you glory days, like when you got married or when you were the wrestling champ in high school. But I recommend finding what your Body Mass Index (BMI) is and using that as your target. Your BMI is a calculation based on your height and weight and applies to both men and women.

Before we look at calculating your BMI, let's take a look at why you want yours to be lower in the first place. A higher BMI is a risk factor for heart disease, high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, and certain types of cancers.

Have high blood pressure? It has been estimated that a pound of fat has approximately 1 mile of capillary blood vessels supplying blood to it. Pop quiz...if you have 30 pounds of extra fat on your body, how many miles of extra blood vessels does your heart have to pump blood through? Too many!

Speaking of a pound of fat, here is a picture of what it looks like.




If that's not enough for you, here is what 5 pounds looks like.




How many of you just threw up in your mouth? Luckily, we have skin to cover that up. It should be easy to see that having an extra 5 or more pounds of this stuff is just not going to be beneficial to you.
Now that you're motivated, let me show you how to find your healthy BMI.
In this case, I'm not going to worry about the actual calculation. It's just too easy to google a BMI calculator and plug in your height and weight. Instead, here is a handy chart. I like it because it let's me quickly see different scenarios, such at which weight I will move from being classified as obese to overweight, and overweight to healthy.




To use the chart find your height in inches on the left and your weight on the top. Where the two rows intersect is your BMI. Use the key at the bottom to find out where you are classified.

When I first found out about BMI, I was 213 pounds. With my 66 inch frame, that put me at a BMI of about 34, or in the obese category. I can tell you that was not easy news to swallow. So if you find yourself in the same boat, I'll tell you that I can relate. The good news is that you are in control of that number, and can lower it over time with your diet and an active lifestyle.

I started about 23 pounds over the "overweight" category. That's irony...I had to lose 23 pounds just to be overweight. So that became goal #1, and a milestone in my weight loss. When I got down to 180 pounds, it was actually fun telling people, "I'm not obese anymore, I'm only overweight."

Notice there is a range for your optimal weight. I've chosen 5 pounds below the threshold so that I have a little wiggle room for my weight to fluctuate as it will naturally. And did you see that the chart does not consider age? So no excuses just because you've seen a few more Christmases than the rest of us.

Your ultimate goal should be to get into the "optimal" category. Once you are there, you can re-evaluate what weight you want to target. Maybe you still have some love handles you need to get rid of. It's not just about vanity. Love handles is just a euphemism for adipose(fat tissue). Remember that for every pound of this extra fat, you heart is pumping through another mile of capillary tubing.

For some of you with higher BMIs it might be a long journey to get to your optimal weight. Just keep this in mind. You don't have to reach that weight to get health benefits. With every pound of fat that you lose, your body is getting healthier. Your chance of heart disease, diabetes, and high blood pressure will be decreasing.

Before you get all Nazi on me trying to lose every ounce of fat, know that our goal is not to get rid of all body fat. Fat is important to our bodies, and we will always have some. It provides cushioning for our organs, insulation to our bodies, and is a place for storing fuel for our metabolic engines.

Next we'll look at what "spot burning" is and why it doesn't work. Until then, why not take a few minutes to play with a BMI calculator and find what your optimal weight is. Set a goal weight, write it down, and place it where you can see it daily.


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Portion sizes and food labels.

Learning to measure and judge portion sizes will lead you to smaller jeans sizes. For the first few weeks as you begin counting calories, you are going to have to plan to spend a little extra time at the grocery market(so you can compare food labels), some time online looking up calorie counts for foods that don't have food labels(fresh vegetables, fruits, beans, meats), and a little effort weighing out meat portions.

You will never be able to account for every calorie, and if you start trying to, it might be time for an intervention. Knowing your calorie consumption is not about being paranoid. It's just to get a number close enough that you can be confidant that you are eating fewer calories than you are burning. And, someday soon, you will achieve your healthy weight and you will need to add calories to your diet to achieve an equilibrium, that is eating and burning the same amount of calories so that you don't lose or gain weight. At that point I don't worry so much about a daily equilibrium, but just trying to keep it even every few days. So if I take my girls out for ice cream tonight, I know that's okay as long as I make up for it over the next day or two.

The first part of getting a calorie count is to check the food labels as you shop. There is a lot of information on the food labels you need to be able to read to choose healthy foods, but to keep it simple for now all we are going to concentrate on is what you need to lose weight. With that in mind, the most important info on the label for you will be the calories per serving and the serving size. You cannot just look at the calories per serving by itself. Different companies will use different serving sizes when calculating calories per serving. So comparing two products together side by side is not always as easy as it might seem.

I'll give an example using some imaginary numbers that will be easy to calculate, then an example using numbers more like what you might see in the supermarket to show how it can get tricky. You may even want to plan to take a calculator at first, or use the one on your phone.

Example #1: You are comparing lunch meats. The first package lists 100 calories per serving. The second lists 50 calories per serving. If you stopped right there it would seem that the second package has the best calorie deal for you. But if we look at serving sizes we might see that the serving size for the first product is 150 grams and the serving size for the second product is 50 grams. So if we compare equal serving sizes we will see that the second product actually has 50 more calories than the first product. The first product has 100 calories in 150 grams. The second has 50 calories in 50 grams (multiply the grams by 3 to make the serving sizes equal, and you also triple the number of calories). So a 150 gram portion of the second product would have 150 calories.

Example #2: The math for the previous example is not too tough since our imaginary products had nice round numbers. But on actual lunch meat it might look more like this...
Product #1 - 65 calories per serving, serving size 50 grams.
Product #2 - 50 calories per serving, serving size 45 grams.

I've always been pretty good at math, but I'm not good enough to look at those two products and tell you which one is the winner.

So pull out you calculator. Divide the # of calories by the number of grams, and you will get a calorie per gram count. The one with the lower number is the winner.
#1 - 65/50 = 1.3 calories per gram
#2 - 50/45 = 1.1 calories per gram

Doing this might save you 35 calories when making a sandwich for lunch. That might seem insignificant to you, and if it does, I would say you have never tried living on 500 calories a day less than you burn. If I can save 35 calories on that sandwich, I can add those 35 calories somewhere else. Those extra 35 calories equals more food. More food equals less hunger. See the benefit of those few calories? It could even mean I get to add an extra slice of meat to that sandwich.

Okay, I know how to compare the calories, but I have no idea what 50 grams of sandwich meat looks like. Well, young padawan, let the food label lead you. The food label will tell you what a typical serving size looks like. In the case of lunch meat, it might say that a 50 gram serving size is equal to about 4 slices. So I know I can put 8 slices of meat on my sandwich and it equals 90 calories.

Now you can start putting a meal together. The bread package says that a serving size of bread is 1 slice and has 100 calories. A package of fat free cheese says a serving has 50 calories is equal to 1 slice. Make a sandwich with 2 slices of bread, 8 slices of turkey breast, 1 slice of cheese, and some deli mustard(0 calories per serving). Add it all up and your lunch is at 350 calories. Probably room for some raw vegetables on the side since their calorie count is so low.

Say your goal for calories is 2000 a day. That meal will account for about 400 of them. That leaves you 1600 for your other 2 meals and 2 snacks. You'll have to figure how to divide your calories on your own, but if I were targeting 2000 a day I would probably aim for 500 calories for breakfast, lunch and dinner, and 250 each for a mid morning and mid afternoon snack.

Back to food labels.... Some items might say a serving size is 1/2 can, or there are 4 servings per box. These are convenient ways to estimate your portion sizes. Note that you don't have to eat half a box of a food just because is says that is 1 serving. You can eat as much or as little as you want as long as you count the calories correctly.

For products such as fresh fruit or vegetables, you'll have to google them to find serving sizes and calorie counts. I wouldn't worry about getting to exact with these. For example, a medium banana might be listed at 100 calories. Are you thinking what I'm thinking? How big is a medium banana? You could find out calories per gram and then weight your banana on a kitchen scale, but I say just to use your best judgement and go with it. In this case, if you're off by 20 calories we'll just let it slide. Hopefully you'll be 20 off in your favor, not against you.

I do suggest weighing out your meat portions for the first couple of weeks. If you want to put a 1/4 pound of meat in your two whole wheat tortillas, it will be easier to get that amount if you weigh it. After a couple of weeks, you will be able to just look a a portion of meat and judge the size.

It might sound as if you will have to spend lots of extra time at the market comparing products. The truth is, you will at first. But after the first couple of trips, you will just be able to begin replacing products with the ones you already know are the calorie winners.

This is a sustainable way to eat, even after you no longer need to run a calorie deficiency. You will always need to count calories in some form. If you just go back to eating like you always have, you will put extra fat back on. But I no longer count my calories like I did. I used to stick at 1800 a day, and some days add another 100 from popcorn at the end of the day if I needed a late snack. But what you will find is that during the 2 or 3 or 6 months that you are accounting for all your calories, you will develop an awareness of what you are eating that you will be able to rely upon to not gain your weight back.

What I found in my case was that as I was experimenting with how many calories I could increase to to reach my calorie equilibrium, I lost another three pounds. After 5 months of 1800 calories a day, I slowly added calories each day until I stopped losing weight. Just like you will be able to look at a lump of hamburger meat and know that it is 1 serving size, you will be able to look at your daily diet and know it was between 2200 and 2400 calories.

Next we'll find how to find what a healthy weight is for you so you know where to set your target. Until then, why not spend some time online making a list of the calorie count of some of your favorite fruits, and what the main vitamins are in them?

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A little tough love

Thought I would share something a friend recently said to me. We were emailing back and forth about how people want to look for some magical product to make them lose weight, and he ended the email with this.

"But at the end of the day, we have to accept that unbridled hedonism is not a sustainable model, and sometimes when we want a pizza roll, we need to munch on some celery, because part of being an adult is about controlling your basic impulses."

Love it.

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The 5 Food Groups

There are 5 food groups that you need to select your meals and snacks from.  Choosing from these 5 food groups will not directly lead to weight loss - eating less than you burn does that.  But eating from these groups will insure that though you are eating fewer calories and less food each day, you are still getting the nutrition your body needs to stay healthy, lower your cholesterol, lower your risk for many types of cancer, and have shiny and silky hair.  Well...maybe not the last one, but I hear a can of Alpo each day can help with that.

Make it a goal of yours to eat from at least 3 of the 5 food groups at every meal.  Mixing it up each meal is going to help you get all your servings each day.  I'm not going to say too much about servings at this point, but just want you to start to change your eating habits to include the 5 food groups each day, and work to the point where you are only eating from the 5 food groups for most of your meals.  We can worry about correct portions later.  For now you want to try to start replacing foods in your pantry and fridge with healthier foods.

I think that it's okay if you want to finish the foods that you already have in your house if you want.  I'm not looking to force anyone to throw out any food you have spent hard earned money on.  But if you get the urge to go cold turkey and throw out some of the food you have and replace it with healthier choices, don't let me stop you.  Go for it!

You will soon see that you don't have to get any special supplements or make any trips to Whole Foods Market.  All you need to eat healthy can be found at your local HEB.  Or Kroger, but why would you want to shop at Kroger if you have a HEB nearby?  HEB rocks....

Group #1
The first group is whole grains.  Whole grains include wheat, oats, barely, brown rice, quinoa, rye, popcorn, and maize.  Why whole grains over refined grains like white bread and white rice?  Thanks for asking.  Fiber is important to helping you feel full longer as well as lowering your cholesterol.  Whole grains are also better providers of other micro nutrients such as potassium.  Finally, whole grains contain more protein.  As an example a slice of white bread has 66 calories, 1.9 grams of protein, and .6 grams of fiber.  A slice of whole-wheat bread has 69 calories, 3.6 grams of protein, and 1.9 grams of fiber.  Double that for 2 slices on a sandwich and it is easy to see which is the winner in the protein and fiber department.  In our house we get our whole grains by eating oatmeal for breakfast, whole wheat bread for sandwiches and for toast, whole wheat bagels and muffins for snacks, whole wheat pita bread, whole wheat pasta with our spaghetti, brown rice for stir fried rice and Mexican rice, and Triscuits and Goldfish for snacks.  No one misses the white bread.

A word of caution about buying whole wheat products.  Just because a package says wheat on it does not mean it has an abundance of whole wheat.  First, you want to look specifically for products that say "whole wheat" on the package, not just "wheat".  Second, and more importantly, look at the food label.  The first listed ingredient should be whole wheat.  If something other than whole wheat is listed first on the ingredient list, then look for another product.

Group #2
The second group is lean protein.  Lean is the important clarifying word.  What you want to avoid is saturated fat.  We will look at healthy fats later, but you won't be finding saturated fat on that list.  In my opinion, you should avoid these fats to the verge of paranoia.  Saturated fats are the main dietary cause of high LDL cholesterol levels.  Remember that LDL cholesterol is the bad cholesterol (think of the L as "lousy" and the H in HDL as "healthy").  Of course you already know that high LDL levels increase your risk for heart disease.  In our house we get our lean protein from skim milk, lean turkey and lean beef, chicken breast, beans, and whole grains.  Note about turkey that it is not lean just because it is turkey.  Some pre-packaged ground turkey has as much saturated fat as ground chuck beef.  You should be looking for beef and turkey that is at least 93% lean.  The packaging may say something like 93/7 on it.  That means that the package includes 93% beef or turkey, and 7% fat.  An even better choice would be 99/1 meat.  But I'll warn you ahead of time that the meat comes out much dryer than fattier meat, and takes some practice to cook.  Generally I have found it helpful when browning 99/1 turkey meat for tacos or spaghetti to cook it at a lower temperature.  Adding a little chicken broth to it can moisten it without adding any fat to it.  I also add canned black, navy, or great northern beans to salads, soups, and fish dishes.  And fat free refried beans go great with all your Mexican dishes.  Keep this in mind… a gram of protein has 4 calories, a gram of fat has 9 calories.  That is more than twice as many calories in fat as protein.  So not only is lean healthier, it is also better for weight loss.

Group #3
The third group is fat-free and low-fat dairy.
The milk industry has done a great job of educating us to the benefits to our bones from dairy products.  As we age, eating dairy becomes more important.  When you are younger and your bones are growing, calcium helps strengthen you bones and increase bone density.  Your bones essentially become a calcium storehouse for our bodies.  As we age, the body stops adding calcium to the bones.  But, if your body needs calcium and doesn't find it in your diet, it has no problem taking the calcium it needs that is stored in your bones.  Over time, having a calcium deficiency in your diet will lead to weak and brittle bones as your body siphons from your bones the calcium it needs.  This is not just a problem for women, but for men also.  It is often seen as older people fall and easily break bones that would not have broken from a similar fall when they were younger.  So having the calcium that dairy provides is important.  Dairy also provides us with several other minerals and vitamins that lead to healthier bodies.

But we don't want to get the benefits from the dairy and have to take the calories that come from the fat as well.  That is why I recommend low-fat or no-fat products.  Again, fat has 9 calories per gram.  So just a little fat goes a long way against your daily calorie count.

In our house we have skim-milk(you get used to it pretty fast), no fat cheese slices for sandwiches, no fat shredded cheddar and mozzarella for tacos, spaghetti, etc, low fat yogurt, and low fat sour cream(I'll admit I can't stand the taste of the no-fat kind).

I have read from several sources that the best post-workout drink you can have is chocolate skim milk.  It has the protein and carbohydrates your body needs to recover after a strenuous workout.

Group #4
The fourth group is fruit.  Normally I would encourage you to eat 5 servings a day from this group, but during your weight loss, I would limit it to 1 or 2 servings.  The reason is that the sugar in fruits has the same amount of calories as a spoonful of refined cane sugar.  Where weight loss is concerned, there is no healthier type of sugar.  Not brown sugar, not molasses, not honey.  The calories are all the same.  Still, there are the benefits from fruits such as fiber, vitamins, and minerals.  These benefits are enough that you should include some in your diet as you lose weight, just be sure to find out how many calories the fruit has and include them in your daily count.  Since different fruits contain different micro nutrients, try to have a variety every day.  I usually have a banana with my breakfast and another with as a mid morning or mid-afternoon snack.  I also eat an apple most days.  Other than that, I mix up whatever is in season.  My favorites are strawberries(berries of any kind are a great food to include in your daily diet), watermelon, kiwi, grapefruit, and mandarin oranges.

Group #5
The fifth group is vegetables.  Nearly everything I said about fruits applies to vegetables.  Except that the calorie content in this group is generally so low that you can eat as much as you like.  Add them to meals, or snack on them throughout the day.  Again, a variety is important to get all the benefits of the different micro nutrients that are supplied in this group.  The experts say to focus on having a variety of color.  So you want to look at green such as spinach, yellow such as squash, white such as cauliflower, the orange in carrots, etc.  One thing I would point out about the green group is that I do not include iceberg lettuce in this group, or in any of my meals for that matter.  The nutrition provided by this type of lettuce is so small as to be insignificant.  A slightly better choice for salads is Romaine lettuce, but either spinach or kale wins the nutrition contest for salad.  My salads usually include a mix of Romaine and spinach.

My favorite homemade salad has spinach, romaine lettuce, radishes, cucumber, carrots, mushrooms, no-fat shredded cheese, some canned beans and some canned chicken breast or left-over chicken fajita meat. As a dressing, I recommend Kraft Light Parmesan Asaigo Basalmic Vinaigrette.  It only has 40 calories in 2 tablespoons. This is a very low fat, low calorie meal with a full day's vegetable servings.  It also follows the rule of 3 food groups in a meal.  It has vegetables, lean protein from the chicken or beans, and low fat dairy from the cheese.

One caution about eating lots of vegetables is that they are high in fiber.  While that will do good helping you lower your cholesterol and giving you a longer feeling of fullness, it can also cause stomach problems if you increase your fiber consumption too fast.  So if you haven't been eating lots of ruffage  previously, I recommend starting slowly and adding a little more every few days.  Your stomach will appreciate it.   If you find that you are getting stomach cramps or loose stool(yeah, I said it), cut back on your fiber until your body gets more used to it.

So meals with at least 3 of the food groups might look like this…
For breakfast, a cup of low fat yogurt with granola and sliced strawberries.  (Careful with the granola and check the label.  Some has so much sugar added that it is almost like candy)
For lunch a lean turkey sandwich on whole wheat bread with slice of non fat cheese and a couple of carrots (4 groups there).
For dinner, spaghetti with whole wheat pasta, lean turkey meat, marinara sauce, and sprinkled with fat free or low fat mozzarella cheese.  Have some blue berries sprinkled with Splenda for dessert and you just had a meal with all 5 food groups.

For snacks (I have a mid morning and a mid afternoon snack each day) a toasted whole wheat bagel with some apple butter on it or a piece of fruit is great.  Get a little more daring and try some carrot and celery sticks with some hummus as dip.  Easy on the hummus, though the fat in it is a good fat, the calories still count.

Until next time when we will see why you must read food labels and learn portion sizes, why not do a couple dozen push-ups and sit ups.  They don't have to all be at one time to get the benefit from them, just spread them out throughout the day.

Choosing your fuel

I'll be spending the next few posts talking about diet. Not diet like, "Hey, I'm going on a low-carb diet," but like diet as in all the foods you eat. First, let's understand that although eating is one of life's pleasures, it's main purpose it to provide fuel for your body and the chemicals, minerals, and building blocks your body needs to grow, repair itself, and fight foreign invaders(like bacteria, viruses, and cancerous growth, not the undocumented lawn care specialist type.) If you are restricting you calories, it will be important to pay more attention to the types of food you are eating so that you continue to get the nutrition you need. With a little awareness about what you are eating, you will probably end up getting better nutrition on fewer calories than you were getting before you started trying to lose weight.

Since weight loss is about calories consumed vs calories used, it is possible to lose weight eating nothing but potato chips, ice cream, and sugar packets, as long as the calories from these foods are less than your burn calories. But by eating like this, you would receive almost none of the nutrition your body needs.

Therefore, when you are restricting yourself to a limited amount of calories, you need to make these calories count. That means each calorie should come with a macro or micro nutrient. Empty calories are those that are accompanied by little or no nutrition. An extreme example would be a spoonful of sugar. Though it would provide you with energy(calories), it has absolutely no nutrition. So if you ate or drank 300 calories worth of sugar, that 300 would count against your total for the day. If the total you decided to eat each day was 1800, you would be left with only 1500 calories worth of food and drink from which to get your RDA (recommended daily allowance) of vitamins, minerals, fiber, and macro nutrients. Of course it would be silly to eat a dozen spoonfuls of sugar, but that it exactly what you are doing when you drink a couple of sugared colas. It makes no difference if you eat a sugar packet, or add a sugar packet to your coffee. The calories are still there, and they are still empty.

There is some benefit to sugar. Have you ever tried to eat a bowl full of plain oatmeal? A little sugar goes a long way to helping make it palatable. Oatmeal is a fantastic breakfast, and it is part of my normal breakfast 19 out of 20 days. But I would recommend putting some Splenda in it, or just learning to choke it down. My normal breakfast includes a bowl (a measured single serving) of oatmeal with two packs of Splenda and some cinnamon sprinkled in.

The philosophy we will be developing for our diet while losing weight is to have a diet that is sustainable for life. You can lose weight on a bean sprout "diet" or a low carb "diet", but they are not sustainable for the next 20 years. Now that I am done losing weight, there is nothing different about how I eat now and how I ate while I was losing weight, except I eat more of it(more calories).

Back on my breakfast example, oatmeal was one of about 3 or 4 things I would eat for breakfast while losing weight. Today I still eat oatmeal, but since I no longer need to limit myself to 1800 calories a day, I often add a banana or glass of skim milk. Still the nutritious way I taught myself to eat, but I add another 100 calories to the meal with the banana. The banana also helps me add some electrolytes and fiber.

Next we'll be focusing on the 5 food groups you should be making all your food choices from. Until then, why not go take your family for a 30 minute walk?

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Getting started

I think here is where I'm supposed to insert something like "consult your doctor before starting any exercise program." Though I'm not a doctor, I am confident enough in my knowledge to say that you will become healthier by losing weight and living an active lifestyle.

There are two components to losing weight. The first and many say easiest is by controlling your diet. Going back to the fact that a pound of fat contains 3500 calories, and as you consume fewer calories than you expend your body will use these calories, it is easy to see that by eliminating calories from your diet you will lose weight. Start off with cutting out some easy things you consume every day. They don't have to be big things, small things will add up each day, and the days will add up each month. Cutting out just 100 calories a day adds up to 3500 calories in just over a month. There goes a pound of fat! Ka-Pow! It could be switching from regular cokes to diet cokes, using an artificial sweetener in your tea or coffee instead of sugar, getting the apples with your Subway instead of the chips. Do small things now, and as you get into it, you can get radical with it. I got myself down to about 1800 calories consumed a day. Every day. No exceptions. One thing you need to know about me, I don't believe in cheat days during weight loss. They make it too easy to fall of the wagon, and only postpone you being at a healthy weight.

The second component is exercise. This is the harder part, and is not as beneficial as you might think. Don't get me wrong, you have to exercise, and there are many more benefits to exercise than weight loss. But you can cut about 300 calories from your day by cutting out 2 cokes. That is almost no effort, and takes no time. To burn the same amount of calories on the treadmill, you will have to run 2-3 miles, depending on your body size. That will take you about 20 minutes and may be a lot of effort for you. So never, never, never reward yourself for a good workout by giving yourself a treat. The calorie burn in a 2 mile run can be completely wiped out by just 3 Oreos. There goes all your hard work for about 30 seconds of pleasure. Just don't do it!

Notice the benefit of putting cutting calories and exercise together. If you cut out 100 calories from your diet, you will lose a pound of fat in just over a month. Add to that 100 extra calories burn each day through excersize, and that pound will be gone in just over 2 weeks. Sounds easy right? Just this alone could lead to a 20 pound weight loss in a year. And some of you will be okay with that. But if you are like me, 20 pounds in a year is just too slow. For you, I say get started like this, then crank it up as you settle into it. Cut more calories...excersize more. You'll have to find your own limit on the lowest amount of calories you want to eat. If you try starving yourself, you won't be helping your health, and you will find it very difficult to have enough self-discipline not to binge.


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Calculating your base metabolic rate

When trying to decide how many calories you want to consume each day, it is helpful to know first how many you burn throughout the day. If you sat around watching tv all day, you would still burn a large amount of calories just from breathing, your heart pumping, digesting food, and other metabolic functions. There is a formula that you can use to figure this amount. You can also google "basal metabolic rate calculator" for calculators that will do this for you. Here is the formula:

Women: 655+ (4.3 x weight in pounds) + (4.7 x height in inches) - (4.7 x age in years).

Men: 66 + (6.3 x weight in pounds) + (12.9 x height in inches) - (6.8 x age in years)

As an example, I am 150 pounds, 66 inches tall, and (almost) 39 years old. So my calculation would look like this:

66 + (6.3 x 150) + (12.9 x 66) - (6.8 x 39) =
66 + 945 + 851 - 265 =
1597

So I would burn about 1600 calories just by laying in bed all day!

Of course, none of us lay around all day...

So to modify this number for activity, simply pick a modifier to multiply by from the list below:

1.25 if you are lightly active
1.4 if you exercise almost every day
1.6 if you are a full time construction worker (sorry, operating a backhoe doesn't count) or a professional athlete (not an armchair quarterback).

So in my case again I would multiply 1600 x 1.4 = 2240.

If the math is stressing you, find an online calculator and just plug in your weight, height, and age. Good luck!


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