Eating tips for weight/fat loss

1. Eat six small meals a day instead of three large ones. This provides a steady supply of nutrients and energy & prevents overeating.

2. Eat some fiber at each meal — fiber slows sugar digestion from carbohydrates, resulting in less insulin and greater fat loss.

3. Cut your carbohydrate intake in half at your last meal of the day — Your body releases more insulin in response to carbohydrate-rich food at night, which is correlated with fat storage.

4. Take the carbohydrates you cut from your last meal & include them in either the day’s first meal or a post-training meal. These two meals are when carbohydrates are least likely to be stored as fat.

5. Schedule a cheat day every so often. The key to fat loss is adhering to a program that works. When your will-power wanes and the smell of pizza, burgers and fries begins to drive you nuts, indulge (but do so within reasonable limits)

6. Consume simple sugars after a. workout. Simple sugars are potent releasers of insulin. When you’re resting, high insulin levels mean more fat storage. But, high insulin levels immediately after exercise leads to faster recovery and create a better muscle building environment.

 

The FACTS:

1. WEIGHT MANAGEMENT = ENERGY BAlANCE

energy in > energy out = GAIN

energy in <energy out = LOSS

energy in = energy out = MAINTAIN

2. F1TNI IS A [ NOT A FAD

Nutrition ± Exercise iongterm Fitness, Health and weight Management

3. WEIINESS = BALANCE

Body + Mind + Spirit

4. NOBODY LOSES 10 LBS. OF FAT IN 10 DAYS!

(1 lb. fat = 3,500 calories)

To really lose 10 lbs. in 10 days, you’d have to NOT eat 35,000 calories!!!

5. DIETS DON’T WORK!

 

Weight Management

WHAT MAKES PEOPLE GAIN EXTRABODY FAT?

After you eat, your body breaks down food to use for energy or for building and repairing new cells. If you eat more food than your body needs for these purposes, the remainder is stored as excess body fat to be used later. Unfortunately, many people never use the fat that accumulates, and over time they be come seriously “overweight” or obese.

Some people may be “overweight” when measured on a scale but may not be “overfat” if their proportion of muscle, bone, and organs to fat is greater than average. Your health care team can help you determine your ideal weight.

Three factors can contribute to becoming overweight:

• eating more food than your body can use

• getting too little exercise

• developing habits or life-styles that interfere with healthy eating and activity

Gaining excess body fat can lead to serious health problems. High blood pres sure, heart disease, and diabetes have all been associated with being obese. This booklet is designed to help people who may already have some of these problems. You will learn to control your intake of calories and foods that are higher in sugar. You will also learn to identify and reduce your intake of foods that are high in fat, cholesterol, and sodium.

HOW DO PEOPLE GET THEIR WEIGHT UNDER CONTROL?

There are many gimmicks and fad diets that claim to be effective in helping peo ple lose weight. However, successful, long-term weight control consists of three parts:

• food

• exercise

• behavior changes

Food is important because your body needs it to function properly. But eat ing more food than your body needs leads to the storage of excess body fat. Ex ercise requires calories and helps use up body fat. Behavior changes help you eliminate bad habits and help motivate you to change your life-style permanently to become healthy and stay healthy. Your nutritionist can help you balance these three components, so you can achieve your weight management goals.

 

Principles of Good Nutrition

• Avoid too much fat. The average American adult eats too much fat.

• Too much fat can contribute to heart and blood vessel disease. Eat more fish, poultry (without the skin), and other lean meats. Watch your portion sizes of meats- its easy to eat too much. Eat fewer high-fat foods, such as cold cuts; nuts, gravy, salad dressings, and ice cream. Use more low-fat products, such as skim or low-fat milk, low-fat cheeses, and reduced-calorie salad dressings, and substitute fresh fruit for high-sugar, high-fat desserts. Ask your nutritionist to help you include more low-fat food choices in your meal plan.

• Eat more carbohydrates, especially those high in fibers. Carbohydrate foods are a good source of energy, vitamins, and minerals. Fiber in foods may :help to lower blood-fat levels. It also helps keep your digestive tract running smoothly. Most people should increase the amount of starch and fiber they eat. This can be done by eating more dried beans, peas, and lentils; more whole-grain breads, cereals, and. crackers; and more fresh fruits and vegetables.

• Avoid too much sugar. To control your weight, eat sugar only in moderation. Sugar has calories and no vitamins or minerals, and it may contribute to dental cavities. Foods that are high in sugar include desserts such as frosted cakes and pie; sugary breakfast foods; table sugar; honey; and syrup. One 12-ounce can of a regular soft drink contains about nine teaspoons of sugar!

• Avoid too much salt. Many of us eat too much salt. Even though salt does not contain calories, the sodium in salt can cause the body to retain water and in some people, can affect the blood pressure. If you have high blood pressure, it may increase if you eat too much salt and sodium. Try to use less salt in cooking and at the table.

 

SETTING GOALS FOR YOUR WEIGHT MANAGEMENT PROGRAM

• Individual, realistic goals are very important Each person may have slightly different reasons for starting a weight management program. For one, it might be to control high blood pressure. For another, it may be to look better and feel more energetic Whatever your motivation, keep in mind that your goals should be realistic and achievable. For example, the maximum recommended amount of weigh loss is two pounds per week: Therefore, it would not be wise to set yourself the goal of losing ten pounds each week! The healthcare team can help you set short-term goals that will lead to long-term success.

• Reasonable weight. It is important that you eat the right amount of food to help you reach and stay at a reasonable body weight. The amount of calories you need depends on your size, age, and activity level. Eating the right amount of food is important for several reasons:

• Eating too many calories will prevent or slow down your weight loss.

• Eating too few calories will keep your body from getting enough energy and nutrients to function properly.

Check with your nutritionist or registered dietitian to determine what your reasonable weight goal should be, how many calories you need to eat each day to achieve your goal and whether you need to take a vitamin and mineral supplement while you are following your calorie-controlled meal plan.

Exercise is very important too in addition to helping you lose weight, increases your muscle tone and strength. It is good for your heart lungs, and blood vessels, too :You can increase your activity level by walking, biking, or just taking the stairs instead of the elevator; If you wish to begin a training program, check with your doctor first.

• Good nutrition. It is important to eat a variety of foods each day: Your body works better if you have a balanced meal plan that includes the right amount of vitamins, minerals, carbohydrate, protein, fat, and water. Carbohydrate is the major source of energy. Protein builds muscle tissue and provides some energy. Fat is the storage form of energy. Most foods contain a mixture of these. Carbohydrate contains four calories per gram, and is found in starches, bread, fruits, vegetables, and milk. Protein also has four calories in each gram. Protein is found in meat and milk, and small amounts of protein are found in starches, bread, and vegetables. Fat is higher in calories- nine calories per gram. Fat is found in oils, meat, dairy products, and nuts.

 

Nutrition

Proper nutrition is the basis for physical performance; it furnishes both the fuel for bodily work and the chemicals for extracting and using the potential energy contained within this fuel. Food also provides the necessary elements for the formation of new tissue and the repair of existing tissue. Carbohydrate, fat, protein, vitamins, minerals and water are the six major classes of nutrients. When consumed daily they provide the essential energy to maintain body functions at rest and during exercise. Energy is supplied by carbohydrate, fat and protein. Carbohydrate and protein supply approximately half of the energy that fat supplies:

Carbohydrate 4: calories per gram.

Protein —4 calories per gram.

Fat —9 calories per gram.

While normally active: adults may require 2000 to 2800 calories for weight maintenance, it is not uncommon to find athletes in training with daily food intake in excess of 5000 calories. Vitamins, minerals and water are necessary for tissue growth, maintaining body structure and controlling body processes.

Carbohydrate:

Carbohydrate is the major source of fuel for the red blood cells and central nervous system. It saves protein from being used for energy and assists in the mobilization of fat for energy.

The primary kinds of carbohydrates are sugars and starches, obtained from such foods as fruits, vegetables, breads, pasta and cereals. They are broken down during digestion into glucose, which the red blood cells an central nervous system use for energy. Glucose is also the chief fuel source for the muscles during exercise. When glucose is not used immediately for energy it is stored in the liver as glycogen which is a long chain form of glucose molecules. Glucose that is not used as energy or converted to glycogen is converted to fatty acids and stored as body fat.

Athletes derive the greatest energy for exercise from carbohydrates. During the first few minutes of exercise, glucose is the major source of fuel. After that the body begins to draw upon its supply of stored glycogen for energy. When these glycogen stoics are depleted, the athlete becomes fatigued. Heavy exercise of physical training can deplete the body’s muscles of its stored glycogen. In order to replenish the muscle glycogen used up in training each day, nutritionists suggest eating a diet high in carbohydrates. Generally speaking, 50-65% of the total calories should be derived from carbohydrates.

Fat

Fat is a concentrated source of energy in animals. It supplies essential fatty acids and carries fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E and K. During digestion, fat derived from foods is broken down into fatty acids. Body cells, except red blood cells and those of the central nervous system, can use fatty acids directly as a source of fuel (energy). Fatty acids not utilized as energy are stored as body fat.

While carbohydrates are the major fuel source for the athlete, fat may also be utilized. However, it takes 20-30 minutes from the time the athlete begins to exercise until fat is available to serve much good during exercise. When the body begins to burn fat for energy, less glycogen is used, since there is an abundance of fat stores in the body, this process is important for athletes involved in prolonged endurance-type activities. The drawback of this process is that fat is a less efficient energy source than carbohydrates. It takes more than twice as much oxygen per gram for energy to be released.

The most abundant form of fat in the body is in the form of triglycerides. Triglycerides consist of two components, fatty acids and glycerol. There are two forms, of fatty acid molecules, known as saturated and unsaturated. Saturated fatty acids are found in prime, cuts of meat, poultry skin, shellfish, butter, whole milk products, cocoa butter, coconut oil, palm oil, and hydrogenated fats. Unsaturated fats are generally found in plant sources such as sunflower, corn, soybean, sesame, cottonseed and olives, avocados, peanuts, cashews and their oils. They may also be found in omega-3 fatty acids found in fish (non-shelled).

Nutritionists suggest that fat constitutes approximately 15-25% of a person’s’ total caloric intake, and limiting the amount of fat calories derived from saturated fatty acids to 10% or less.

Protein

Protein is not used as a source of fuel under most circumstances,. However, it is essential for building all cells in the body. Protein is necessary to:

Repair body tissue

Make hemoglobin, which transports oxygen to the tissues

Form antibodies in the bloodstream 

Produce enzymes and hormones

Protein is composed of the “linkage of many smaller molecules known as amino acids. When protein is consumed and digested, it is broken down by enzymes into the amino acids from which it was originally built and used to build muscle, hemoglobin, enzymes or hormones. Amino acids that are not used in these processes are stored as body fat.

Of the 22 amino acids required by the body, 8 (9 in infants and stressed older adults) cannot be synthesized in the body and must be provided in the food we eat. They are referred to as essential amino acids. The remaining amino acids that can be manufactured within the body are called non-essential amino acids. This does not mean that they are not important, but rather that they can be synthesized in the body from compounds ordinarily available. Protein nutrients that contain all of the essential amino acids in the correct form are termed complete proteins (higher quality). An incomplete protein (lower quality) lacks one or more of the essential amino acids. Sources of the complete proteins are mainly of animal origin (eggs, milk, meat, fish and poultry) whereas most vegetable protein (lentils, dried beans and peas, nuts and cereals) are in complete protein.

Despite the beliefs of many athletes, there is no benefit from eating excessive amounts of protein. In fact, excessive protein will lead to storage of fat below the skin and may place great strain on the liver. On the average, a daily intake of 0.0 to 1.0 grams of protein per pound of body weight is recommended. This level of dietary consumption generally constitutes approximately 20-30% of total calorie intake.

Vitamins

Vitamins are organic substances needed by the body in small amounts. They help control the growth of all body tissues and are necessary for the release of energy in the body. The body cannot manufacture vitamins; thus, they, must be supplied in the diet or through manufactured supplements.

A well-balanced diet of various meats, cereals, fruits, vegetables and milk will provide a person with a sufficient supply of vitamins to meet the body’s needs. Because vitamins can be used repeatedly in metabolic reactions, the vitamin needs of athletes are generally no greater than those of sedentary people.

 

WATER.

HOW 8 GLASSES A DAY KEEP FAT AWAY.

Incredible as it may seem, water is quite possibly the single most important catalyst in losing, weight and. keeping it off. Although most of us take it for granted, water may be the only true “magic potion” for permanent weight loss.

Water suppresses the appetite naturally and helps the body metabolize stored fat. Studies have shown that a decrease in water intake will cause fat deposits to increase, while an increase in water intake can actually reduce fat deposits.

Here’s why: The kidneys can’t function properly without enough water. When they don’t work to capacity, some of their load is dumped onto the liver.

One of the liver’s primary functions is to metabolize stored fat into usable energy for the body But, if the liver has to do some of the kidney’s work, it can’t operate at full throttle, As a result, it metabolizes less fat, and more fat remains stored in the body and weight loss stops.

Drinking enough water is the best treatment for fluid retention. When the body gets les water it perceives this as a threat to survival and begins to hold onto every drop. Water is stored in extracellular spaces (outside the cells). This shows up as swollen feet, legs and hands.

Diuretics offer a temporary solution at best. They force out stored water along with some essential nutrients. Again, the body perceives’ a threat and will replace the lost water at the first opportunity, thus the condition quickly returns. The best way to overcome the problem of water retention is to give your body what it needs plenty of water. Only then will stored water be released.

If you have a constant problem with water retention, excess salt may be to blame. Your body will tolerate sodium only in a certain concentration, The more salt you eat, the more water your system retains to dilute it. But, getting rid of unneeded salt is easy just drink more water. Only then will stored water be released.

The overweight person needs more water than the tine one. Larger people have larger metabolic loads.

Water helps to maintain proper muscle tone by giving muscles their natural ability to contract and by preventing dehydration. It also helps to prevent the sagging skin that usually follows weight loss, shrinking cells are buoyed by water, which plumps the skin and leaves it clear, healthy, and resilient.

Water helps rid the body of waste. During weight loss, the body has a lot more waste to get rid of all that metabolized fat must be shed. Again, adequate water helps flush out the waste.

Water can help relieve constipation. When the body gets too little water, it siphons what it needs from internal sources. The colon is one primary source. Result? Constipation But, when a person drinks enough water, normal bowel function usually returns.

So far, we have discovered some remarkable truths about water and weight loss:

1. The body will not function properly without enough water and can’t metabolize stored fat efficiently.

2. Retained water shows up as excess weight.

3. To get rid of excess water you must drink more water.

4. Drinking water is essential to weight loss.

How much water is enough? On the average, a person should drink eight (8) 8-ounce glasses every day. That’s about 2 quarts. However, the overweight person needs one additional glass for every 25 pounds of excess weight. The amount you drink also should be increased if you exercise briskly or if the weather is hot and dry.

When the body gets the water it needs to function optimally its fluids are perfectly balanced. When this happens, you have reached the “breakthrough” point What does this mean?

=> Endocrine gland function improves.

=>Fluid retention is alleviated as stored water is lost.

=>More fat used as fuel b. use the liver is free to metabolize stored fat.

=>Natural thirst returns.

=>There is a loss of hunger almost overnight.

If you stop drinking enough water, your body fluids will be thrown out of balance again, and you may experience fluid retention, unexplained weight gain, and loss of thirst. To remedy the situation, you will have to go back and force another breakthrough.

 

The Right Choices

According to the Cooper Institute for Aerobics Research in Dallas, Texas, an estimated 65 million Americans have spent approximately $32 billion on weight loss products and services, yet it is estimated that over 25% of the adult population in the U.S. is overweight.

These studies should not, be surprising. Just take a look down the aisles in your supermarket The variety of foods we have to choose from is amazing It’s just a matter of making the right choices One helpful hint would be to go to the food store after eating a nutritious meal. The following guideline, along with shopping on a full stomach, might assist you in making the right choices.

Your main emphasis should be on the four basic food groups which are generally located on the outskirts of the market (milk, meat, fruit and. vegetables/grains) The aisles located in between are where you’ll find the unwanted calories, fat and expense, with only a few exceptions.

Try these suggestions on for size:

 

DRINKS
Wrong Choice	Right Choice
- Soda - Whole or 2% milk - Limit coffee/tea (caffeine)	- Water- at least (8) eight-ounce glasses per day - Skim or 1% milk

 

SNACKS
Wrong Choice	Right Choice
- Ice cream   - Cake with icing - Chocolate - Potato chips, Doritos, Fritos, etc.	- Sorbet - Low fat frozen yogurt - Angel food cake - Sugar free hard candy - Unsalted pretzels or air popped popcorn (sorry, no butter!)