So in deciding to do another diary I was stumped as to what my next topic would be. What I had previously thought would be a good sequence (sort of going through an beginning nutrition grad class) was not necessarily what people were having problems with, nor what the poll results said. I also noticed, which was to be expected, that people were in significantly different stages of change (for lack of a better way of stating it for those familiar with interventions).
Most people that are overweight know that they are and have thought about changing it. By definition, people that responded in my previous diary were beyond that point. And most respondents had made or are in the process of making changes to lose excess weight. As we know it is not easy and takes a significant investment of time and energy. So in deciding what to write about I remembered a comment by a crazy chicken killer [I wouldn't want to mention names;-)] that was familiar with a lot of the previous diary but still found something (educational and worthwhile I hope) that she did not know. So clearly a mix basic info, more advanced info and some hopefully helpful advice seems like the prescription. Hopefully there is something for everyone.
So last diary was about how the energy that you consumed was utilized by your body. But what makes up that energy and what is it used for when it is not used for fuel? And how do I know how much of the nutrients to eat and when? And really, what is a 'serving' of something?
well that leads us to a discussion of macronutrients and there purposes. There are three macronutrients that combine to equal your total caloric intake per day. I assume all of you know them but I will list them anyway: Carbohydrates, Proteins, and Fats (sometimes a fourth is added but we will get to that). It is good to understand their functions and how they are utilized by the body to understand how they can contribute to weight gain.
Carbs (1g CHO = 4 calories): are exactly what the name implies, hydrated molecules of carbon. These come in many forms and from many sources (grains, fruits, veggies), some digestible and others not so much (eg fiber, hence the colonic cleansing effect). Tehre is a short-term energy form that is used for between meals, overnight, and exercise. the exercise point is of note because that is why you are advised to exercise longer than 20 minutes or so because until that point you are 'only' utilizing glycogen stores which will be replenished quickly at the next meal. Beyond 20 minutes or so and you are liberating significant fat for energy. Carbs have taken a pretty big hit in the last couple of years but as to be expected this was overdone.
Protein (1g = 4 calories): are polymers of amino acids, the essential ones are ones that we cannot synthesize within our bodies and must be consumed. The form the structural basis for the body and most of the chemical reactions that go on. Generally speaking proteins are the most important macronutrient and you need a certain amount everyday in order to maintain your lean body mass. In lean times you body can utilize protein for energy but this is not the ideal situation but it does inform the basis for one very popular fad diet. I will give you an idea how to figure how much protein you need a day in a bit.
Fat (1g = 9 calories): did you see that? fat has more than double the number of calories than either carbs or protein. Interesting! Fats are utilized by the body for long term storage of energy but they also aid in the digestion and distribution of fat soluble molecules...and they carry a lot of taste in food! There are good fats (mono and polyunsaturated, Omega 3, etc) and bad fats (saturated). You say "what about transfat"? well the thing with transfat is that it is handled by your body like saturated fat - THAT is what makes it bad not necessarily some alien thingy.
Alcohol (1g = 7 calories): yes this is the 4th. It is not a significant supplier of daily calories to most people but as you can see it does 'bring the noise' per gram as far as energy is concerned. AND because of some interesting (to some) biochem with the enzyme (alcohol dehydrogenase) that metabolizes it utilizing a middleman in CHO metabolism alcohol can have a lipogenic effect, that is fat producing.
Ok, so what do we need each day? Well that depends on a few things: what is your lean body mass (LBM); what is your daily activity rate; how old are you; do you have man or woman boobs (not meant to disparage since I've got a pretty nice set going on right now); what is your intended weight loss; co-morbidities; etc. This can get complicated so you can see how having a personal nutritionist can be really helpful. But for me the process would go like this:
1. Determine weight goal: Current weight - desired weight = amount of weight loss
I don't use ideal body weight because I cannot determine that for you. a doc or nutritionist can using more accurate assessments. There are many ways to figure your ideal body weight and since we are all individuals this will differ. I tend to think checking height v weight scales is ridiculous. But it does give a target. A quick and dirty way is this:
measure your wrist circumference (use the area directly behind your hand as there is usually very little fat) with your opposite hand and see if you thumb and index finger touch. If they touch easily/overlap = small; just touch or not quite = average; not remotely touching = large frame. then if you are a women give yourself 100lbs for the first 5 feet and 5 lbs for every inch above those 60". For a guy 106 lbs for the first 5 feet and 6lbs for every inch above that. Now these give some pretty friggin scary numbers but this is a medical community approx.
For instance: I am 5'8" with a large (no fat around my wrist [android fat distribution]) frame. My IBW is [106 + (8x6)] /.9 = 171lbs that was 7lbs less than my weight at age 17 when I was a college athlete...*IN SEASON*
I say set your own incremental goal and achieve it then be hapy or look to go further depending on your health needs, fitness goals, or aesthetic needs.
2. Determine time period: amount of weight loss / period of time = rate of wt loss
Be reasonable with this. We can all eat what would turn out to be 1 pound of fat in 1 hour but this will take us a week to lose that pound. If you have 5-10 lbs to lose look at 2 months or so unless you are able to bust your ass on the treadmill and hit the weights.
3. Determine caloric needs for rate of wt loss
A pound of fat (only thing you want to lose) is the equivalent of 3600 calories. So, if you need to lose 10 lbs then you need a deficit of 36K calories over whatever period of time you expect to lose the weight. Generally for a healthy weight loss if you are a women look to lose a max of 2-3lbs (7200-10800 calories) per week and it you are a guy look to a max of 3-5lbs (10800-18000 calories) per week. So for a woman you need to run a deficit of about 1000-1500 calories per day and for a guy this would be 1500-2500 calories per day. For a ten pound weight loss this would be achieved in 2-5 weeks depending on the variables. Obviously this cannot be done by diet alone as for 30-ish year old people men eat ~2500/day and women ~1600/day. Basically this would have to be done with big exercise increases. but if you extend the time out to a year you are looking at a deficit of 100 calories per day. I don't advise anyone going below 1200 cals per day unless they are under physician/nutritionist direction and even then it takes a hell of a lot of will power to do this for an extended period of time. Moderate protein deficits with increases in exercise is the way - those are the lifestyle changes. I don't feel that weight loss can be done (well and sustained that is) with food restriction. You need portion control and impulse control to not blow you meal plan. Once you know the value of a calorie you will use them judiciously. Most people don't know the value of a calorie unless they have done a food diary/record/etc or eaten something bad and watched the calories slowly add up to that 100 calories on a treadmill. Calories are expensive.
4. Determine protein needs: generally 0.8 - 2.0 grams protein/kg body wt/day
After you determine your protein needs subtract the prot cals from you caloric needs for the day and then you see what you ahve to play with with fats and CHO's. To make the math easy consider a 100kg guy:
100kg x 1g protein/kg = 100g of protein/day = 400calories of protein /day minimum. for someone on a 2000 cal diet this leaves 1600 calories left to play with, 400 (max) of which (20% of total) from fats. and the rest from CHO's and you can increase the protein a little if you like. I use 60% of CHO and 40 % Protein and 10% fat but that is just me. I have been working out a lot so I have higher protein needs.
Portion Sizes and Impulse Control
Seriously, our portion sizes are ridiculous and our govt doesn't help us here. They allow packaging of good that we all know we eat in one sitting but are labeled according to servings instead of the entire package. I previously used the coke example but this can be extended to snack chips and cookies. I have to applaud some companies that have begun packaging kid's snack for into 100 calories packages. This is admirable regardless of the fact that they were trying to staved off regulation. but taking from the wieght watchers example everyone should weigh/measure their food for a bit to get an idea of how truly small 1 serving of the things they eat actually is. It is usually quite tiny. Of course we can avoid this if we never buy anything in a package but this is unrealistic for most.
Another really big culprit in portion size abuse is pasta. What we consier to be one serving of pasta is usually like 2-3. At ~300 calories per serving this can add up quickly when you intake is 1600-2000 cals per day and your trying to spread it out of 5-6 meals. If you can pay the 5 bucks and get a pasta measure. You will be surprised how many calories it saves you. If you eat out see if you can order that same pasta/rice entre as a side. The side will be much closer to a true 1 serving. This wills save money and future booty.
Eating a salad at the beginning of every meal is a great way to cut down on high cal eating. And if you eat out you should always do this, avoid the rolls or whatever other high cal thing they bring you (chips and salsa - tho salsa is great all around). Also, eat the salad before ordering the entre. You will be less hungry by the time it is entre order time. along these same lines NEVER go shopping when you are hungry. You will waste money and buy high calorie foods. similarly, you should avoid allowing yourself to get too hungry, actually hungry at all.
A really simple but very helpful hint is to not rely on will power to guide you. What I mean by that is to not bring anything in the house that you will fell guilty about eating...all of...in one sitting! No ice cream (mmmm ice cream), little debbies (I hate her. When she is in my house I am guilty of domestic violence), no entemanns, no dunkin donuts (yum) or krispy kremes (yuck - i am showing my damn yankiness here). If it is not in the house you cannot eat it. the more structural controls/barriers we can put up between us and bad food the less likely we are gonna eat it. My microwave just broke last week and it has had a significant effect on how much I am eating. since I am on a semi-regimented diet, ie I am forcing my self to eat, this has made it more difficult to get enough calories. this is interesting. I wonder how the microwave has contributed to the obesity epidemic. Think about it, they both started about 25-40 years ago! Hmmm! Easy preparation may equal more eating.
Well, again I hope this helps a little. As I am getting this out late I don't expect too many replies but I will answer all that I can. (Note to self - begin diary earlier)