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Everything Your First Grade Math Teacher Taught You Was Wrong!

Everything Your First Grade Math Teacher Taught You Was Wrong!
Losing weight is not just about eating fewer calories.

It would seem that if a pound of fat was equal to 3500 calories then if you cut your calories by 3500 you should lose a pound. After all 3500 minus 3500 equals zero right? Not necessarily. There is something to reducing your calories, but it is also about the quality and makeup of those calories. Naturally if you eat 3000 calories per day and your body only needs 2000, you will gain weight so you need to reduce your intake of calories to lose weight. The problem comes when you reduce your intake too much, dropping your caloric intake below your basal metabolic rate (BMR). The BMR is the basic number of calories your body needs in order to stay alive (i.e. keep your heart beating). When you eat less than this number the body gets scared and starts becoming more efficient at using calories. Efficiency may sound good, but in this case it is not. You want your BMR to stay as high as possible. This way you can eat more and still lose weight.

If you are all about counting calories, use the following BMR formula to determine an approximate number of calories you need to stay above every day to maintain your BMR and lose weight:

Women: BMR = 655 + ( 4.35 x weight in pounds ) + ( 4.7 x height in inches ) – ( 4.7 x age in years )
Men: BMR = 66 + ( 6.23 x weight in pounds ) + ( 12.7 x height in inches ) – ( 6.8 x age in year )

*These formulas are based on averages. Those with very high muscle will need more calories and those with very high fat and little muscle will need fewer calories. There are formulas that determine your caloric needs by lean body mass, weight and age. These are more accurate. If you have access to your lean body mass, you will want to use a different formula.

If you don’t want to count calories, as it is a lot of work and very time consuming, take the following suggestions into consideration and you should be able to start dropping the pounds. Even if you do want to count calories, consider the following as guidelines of how to obtain the calories.

1. Drink lots of water-Drink a minimum of 64 oz per day. Some even recommend ½ your body weight in water per day. Remember goal setting. If you are not drinking water now, just starting to drink some every day is a good short term goal.
2. Stop drinking soda, cream and sugared coffee and energy drinks (even the low-calorie ones)-these are wasted calories. Replace them with water. In the case of “diet” drinks, there may be few or no calories, but they are still causing your body harm and may even cause you to gain weight.
3. Eat lots of veggies-Vegetables are great sources of fiber which will keep you full and satisfied. They are also very low in calories and high in nutrients so they are a great munchie.
4. Eat often-It is important to eat every 3-4 hours to help your body maintain its glucose/insulin levels.  If you can keep these in check it will help with preventing food cravings (especially sugary and starchy foods). This will also keep you from binging on too much food. When you deprive yourself all day long and then eat, you can easily eat double your daily caloric needs in one sitting.
5. Choose only lean sources of protein-Lean sources of protein include skinless chicken breasts, skinless turkey, beef sirloin, fish, and egg whites. It is important to get enough protein to support your muscle through weight loss. When we calorie restrict the body looks for energy wherever it can. Far too often it will look to protein when energy is in short supply. For this reason you can protect your precious muscle (muscle increases your BMR) by being sure to get enough protein from low-fat sources.
6. Have a cheat day-Cheat days are important. If you tell yourself “I will never eat an Oreo again”, you are setting yourself up to eat an entire package of them. It is human nature to want most the thing you cannot have. A cheat day should be the same day every week and should be approached with wisdom. If you eat 10,000 calories on cheat day because you can you will regret it. You will put and extra three pounds on your body that could have been gone. So be smart; enjoy a little treat, not a BIG one.
7. Moderation, moderation-Everything in moderation. A small treat on cheat day is okay. A big treat is not. Eating a cup or so of carrots is okay; eating a two pound bag is not. Whether it is a “good” food or a “bad” food, if you over-eat it you will be sorry. Learn what proper serving sizes are and stay within them.

Nutrition can be the most challenging part of weight loss. Most of us love and are addicted in some way to food. But if you equip yourself with knowledge and empower yourself with positivity and goal setting, you can conquer your addictions. If you want help designing an appropriate eating strategy with meal planning, recipes and general direction, please call to set up your appointment today. I would love to help you on this journey you are taking. You can learn everything you need to know by doing the Healthy3 Weight Management Solution. I am offering a free seminar to find out more on March 25th at 6:00 pm. Call (231) 750-2525 or e-mail heather@shorelinenaturalwellness.com to register.