Diet and Weightloss — Start Your New Year Off Right!
FINDING THE PERFECT DIET
Arriving at the Perfect Diet is no quick, simple task in today’s world of fast-paced living. For example, there are several different educational food pyramid plans. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has a food guide pyramid. And the Mayo Clinic, in conjunction with the May Foundation for Medical Education and Research, has their Mayo Clinic Healthy Weight Pyramid. (Lists of pyramids are updated regularly at the USDA site: nal.usda.gov/fnic/Fpyr/pyramid.html .)
Then there are the lifestyle choices to go along with the dietary plans. Lives need to be balanced in order to make the perfect diet effective. For example, depending upon the body type, history, physical and mental make up and other factors, some dietary solutions are more perfectly suitable and / or adaptable than others when working in accordance with day-to-day activities; exercise, nutrition, health, etc.
BASIC WEIGHT MANAGEMENT
The perfect diet should be combined with a healthy weight management or activity program. Weight management may conjure up that dreaded "exercise" word. And exercise to some means pushing the body beyond limits, experiencing painful in joints, muscles, and bones – everywhere. No pain no gain, right? Wrong. Instead, replace the word "exercise" with "activity" and incorporate this in your daily routine. And a general rule of thumb for guidelines about "activity" would be to strive for a minimum of 30 minutes for adults or 60 minutes for children of moderate physical activity daily.
Individual activity goals depend upon each person’s health and weight goals and issues. Begin by checking with your medical advisor or healthcare physician to get a green light on which activities would be suitable for you, what your target weight range should be and a strategic plan to improve your health.
In a nutshell, during activities, calories are burned, pounds are shed in the long run. And the number of calories burned depends upon the duration and intensity or the activity. Slow and steady is the rule of thumb. And note daily progress. For those who have never been very active at all, it may be advisable to begin slowly like with walking 10 minutes each day, gradually building up time and distance with increased "brisk" pacing. Even if you can’t get out walking, biking or swimming, take stairs instead of elevators and escalators. Clean your house. Clean your car. Wash windows. Wash your dog. Check out exercise videos, cassettes and workout books from the public library and put some of their ideas into action. Check out your local fitness centers, YMCA, community center, too, for ideas. Partner up with a neighbor to walk or join a community volleyball team. There are unlimited ways to be active and enjoy life at the same time without using painful weight loss strategies.
Written by Shelley Hitz, Licensed Physical Therapist and Certified NASM Personal Trainer.
Sign up for her free Exercise Advice journal at abs-exercise-advice.com/journal.html or read more of her articles at abs-exercise-advice.com. Get your free unbelievable abs ball workout here!
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How Many Calories Are Too Many
In today’s bustling world we are constantly surrounded by media hype about "Weight Loss" and "Calorie Controlled Diets". As a Nutritional Therapist, I am often asked "How many calories are too many?" The simple answer to this question is that we are all individuals, and we all require a different amount of calories per day.
By following the four steps outlined below, you can determine exactly how many calories you need to consume on a daily basis in order to maintain a healthy and balanced diet.
Step 1:
The amount of calories you require will vary with your age and weight. In order to calculate this place your weight in kilograms into one of the following equations
Age 18 – 29 [(0.062 x weight) + 2.036] x 239
Age 30 – 60 [(0.034 x weight) + 3.538] x 239
Age 60+ [(0.038 x weight) + 2.755] x 239
This will give you the amount of calories you need to consume on a daily basis.
Step 2:
The next item that is taken into consideration is your activity level. This is based on your occupational activity level and your non-occupational activity level. For example if you work in an office all day then your occupational activity level will be light. If however, you take some form of exercise in the evening this will be a non-occupational level of moderately active. See below for details.
Occupational Activity Level – light with a non-active non-occupational activity = 1.4 for both male and female
Occupational Activity Level – Moderate with a moderately active non-occupational activity 1.7 for male and 1.6 for female
Occupational Activity Level – Moderate/heavy with a very active non-occupational activity 1.9 for male and 1.7 for female
To calculate the amount of calories required based on your activity levels multiply your daily calories as per step 1 by the number in step 2.
Example: 1430 calories x 1.4 (light with non-active) = 2002 calories per day
Step 3:
For those wishing to lose or gain weight, the amount of calories required per day will need to be increased or decreased. The best way of doing this is to subtract 500 calories from your daily intake for weight loss and add 500 calories to your daily intake for weight gain. By reducing your calorie intake by 500 calories per day this will allow you to lose 500 grams (1lb) per week. Always remember if weight is lost slowly you are more likely to maintain the weight loss. Crash dieting is not the answer.
Step 4:
The final step in this process allows you to calculate how many grams of fat your daily calorie intake should have and how much should be carbohydrates.
No more than 35% of the calories consumed on a daily basis should be made up of fat. To calculate this, multiply your calories per day by 0.35 and divide the answer by 9. This will give you your grams of fat per day.
At least 50% of the calories you eat should come from carbohydrates. To calculate this, multiply your calories per day by 0.5 and divide the answer by 3.75.
By following these four steps you now have the exact amount of calories you should be consuming on a daily basis. You will soon be losing your unwanted weight and maintaining a healthy and balanced diet in the process.
Amanda Evans is the webmaster for amandawrites.com and has also just published her first book titled From Those Death Left Behind to aid those who have suffered a loss from suicide.
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