The math of energy balance is easy. Calories in = calories out. Consume more than you need and gain weight. Consume less than you need and lose weight. All we have to do is eat less and exercise more to make our obesity epidemic disappear. In reality, it is much more complex because we are talking about a process from what we know to how we think to actually changing what we do.
The list is long when we get into the blame game – food portions, fast food, high fat salty snacks, sweetened drinks, families that don’t eat together, too much television, safe places to walk, genes, etc. It is very easy to be overwhelmed and lose hope. The good news is that impending health crisis is solvable when we intentionally think about the decisions we make. As a research nutritionist for over 30 years, my goal is to help you identify small changes that you can make that have power. It is not about good food bad food. In the wrong amounts, all foods can damage your health. In the right amounts, all foods can lead to health. Go to One Bite at a Time to go figure the power of small food changes over time. Go to "One Step at a Time" to go figure how you can increase exercise for health.
One Bite at a Time
Everyday you make hundreds of decisions about what, when, and how much you eat. Each day, you eat and drink a minimum of 30 foods and beverages. A lunch of a cheeseburger and fries is 10 items with bread, meat, cheese, tomatoes, lettuce, onions, pickles, fries, ketchup, and something to drink. It’s another 10 decisions to choose the portion size. Now, you’re up to 20 decisions. Add in when you eat and how you prepare the food, and you’re talking perhaps 50 decisions for a single meal!
There are general principles that you can follow that can make a world of difference. Let’s begin with the basics of nutrition. Energy or calories come from the food you eat in the form of protein (meats and dairy products), carbohydrate (breads, starches, and sugars) and fats (butter, oils, and fried foods). Protein and carbohydrates provide 4 Calories per gram, while fat provides 9 Calories per gram. That’s right, for an equal weight, fat gives you more than double the calories of either protein or carbohydrate.
One pound of body fat is equal to 3, 500 Calories. If your energy needs are 2,000 Calories per day and you decrease your intake to 1,500 Calories (500 Calories/day) you will lose one pound of body fat in a week. Apply the following tips to identify ways to decrease your intake by 500 Calories.
My goal as a nutritionist is to help you identify the changes that will have the greatest health benefit. It’s a good thing to simply write down everything you eat for just one day. Record the item, the portion, and when you consume the food. Finally, study the tips below to identify things you could change to decrease your energy or Calorie intake. 1. Don’t drink Calories.
Sweetened soda and tea are filled with sugar that turns to fat in the body. Because it is liquid, it does not satisfy. One 12 oz can of soda contains 15 packages of sugar or about 1.5 ounces! Consume this above your basic energy needs, and you’re talking serious weight gain. 2. Decrease fat.
Avoid fried food, extra margarine or fatty dressings. Frying food forces water out and fat in. A piece of fried chicken has easily twice the calories as a piece of chicken where the skin is removed and it is baked. Food preparation is a big deal. Don’t take a beautiful salad and swamp it in fatty dressings! Go to Stirring the Pot for some ideas. 3. Eat lots of fruits and vegetables. Fruits and vegetables are high in water. Water and fat don’t mix, so they contain no fat. They are low is sodium and high in potassium, as well as many important minerals and vitamins. They will help you to feel full. The general recommendation is 5 servings of fruits and/or vegetables each day. We normally consume about 3. However, the American Cancer Society now is recommending 10 each day. We have a long way to go! 4. Reduce portions and leave the table a little hungry. It takes about 30 minutes between when you have eaten and you feel full. You have to allow the time to digest and absorb the food. If you eat until you feel full, you will have over eaten by 30 minutes! So, reduce your portion and leave the table a little hungry. You will be pleasantly surprised. 5. Don’t eat in front of the TV!
Meal time is an important time to share with your family, actually taste and enjoy the food, and be mindful of what you are doing. I try to follow the rule of sitting at the table to eat. Otherwise, I could easily consume all sorts of extra calories standing up when preparing the food. 6. Spread foods evenly throughout the day. This is just another way of saying don’t skip meals. You avoid the ups and downs of blood sugar which can make you consume too much food at one time. If I skip meals, I’m so hungry I could eat the kitchen sink! Planning ahead helps you to avoid the fasting and binging cycle. When you eat too much, your body sends the sugar to the liver, where it turns to fat. In fact, your liver makes enough cholesterol each day equal to 2 dozen eggs! The best way to control blood cholesterol is to control the factory
One Step at a Time
It is January 20, 2008. I am in Naples, Florida visiting my Dad and family. The Lean Team has been faithfully walking the Ravenel Bridge over the Cooper River every Saturday morning, even when it is raining and cold. We get our inspiration from all kinds of places. So, when my nephew Tommy called me up at 6:30 am, I said yes, I’ll pick you up in 10 minutes. We made it to the starting point for the Naples Daily News Half Marathon. The day before, Tommy and I walked to the beach, about a six mile walk when we learned of the Half Marathon. Registration had closed 10 days before, when we talked about the possibility. I took a couple of pictures and we agreed to just start, one step at a time. Long story short, we finished the 26,000 steps in about 3 hours. The only record I broke was "I did it"! Thinking about the event, I began to think about how we move from being couch potatoes to walking 13 miles on a cool morning in Naples. Lifestyle change is a lifetime process. We all know that exercise is a good thing but we constantly come up will all kinds of excuses. Since taking a pill is not an option to exercise, how do we take those first steps? 1. Go figure your present exercise habits. For me, frequently taking 2 mile walks is something I’ve always done. I walked to school. When at the University of Kentucky, that was the most dependable mode of transportation. It helped living at home and seeing the example of my parents. Our dog, Morgan, loved it when we would pull out his walking lead and say the word "walk". We need to follow Morgan’s example of enthusiasm. 2. Set a goal. It is hard to know where you are going until you fix a destination.† My current goal is to do just a little bit more. Well, that sounds good until you begin to measure what you’ve been doing and what is a good goal for you. A pedometer is a great way to begin. You can easily fit it onto your belt and all the steps you take can be counted. 2,000 steps is about a mile. A great goal to set is 10,000 steps each day or about 5 miles. That is the distance of the bridge walk. Lots of steps can be collected by going up the steps, parking your car the greatest distance from the shop, and walking from class to class. However, I must say, that those activities alone may take you to 5,000 steps. To get to 10,000 steps, you must be intentional! 3. Find a buddy. Ruth Singleton is one of my inspirations. She is 90 years old and walks about 6:30 in the morning, 4 times a week. We come from opposite directions then walk together and now have been doing that for a number of years. When I know that Ruth is walking, I just can’t come up with any excuses! So, even when one of us are out of time, I check in. A buddy will encourage you and hold you accountable. Beyond the exercise, Ruth shares a spirit of gratitude which helps to make me a better person. My nephew Tommy is another buddy. He is about 30 and in 2007, walked the Saint James Way, a 500 mile pilgrimage across Spain. He was carrying a backpack as well. One of the best ways to build a relationship is to spend time together. So, when Tommy agreed to the early start, my only choice was an enthusiastic yes. I had to put on my positive, "I can do this" hat and begin. I hadn’t thought about how long it would take or what kind of pace to keep. But something about the excitement 1,800 people doing it got me to push a little harder. I’m much more of a walker than a jogger or runner. Sure, there were plenty of opportunities to turn around, take short cuts and cross over to the runners coming back. I just couldn’t cheat! The Lean Team can be your buddy. Meet us at the bridge, 9 am, at the gravel parking lot just past the Cigar Factory on East Bay. Together we can do just one step at a time. 4. Do some training. I don’t recommend a 13 mile walk for your first time from the couch. It is always good to build up. So, what I have been doing is increasing the distance. I’ve gone from 2 mile walks to adding the weekly 5 mile walk. It’s a good idea to do some stretching exercises as well. Do not be discouraged when lots of people pass you by. About 1,800 people passed me by in Naples. The only person I was competing with was me. 5. Just do it!
Changing behavior is a three step process – knowledge, attitude, behavior. You already know that exercise is good for you for lots of reasons. Having a support system of buddies and inspiring people in your life will help you to change the way you think. Now, it is up to you to change your behavior. "Just do it!"
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