Dieting tips for the Holiday’s and beyond!!

Malignant Mesothelioma

It’s that time of the year again, you know, the one that gives everyone the right to eat their heart out with wild abandon but if someone notices the typical response is � Hey, give me a break, it’s the holidays!” Most people have that mentality including myself, we typically say that we are enjoying ourselves and figure “Hey, that’s what my New Years resolution is for; I’ll get back to my diet then.” Well it doesn’t have to be that way. The four letter word we know as D-I-E-T doesn’t have to be intimidating or restricting. I like to look at it like this, if all you eat is pizza then your diet consists of pizza. If you’re a vegan then your diet consists of vegetables. Diet is what you are already eating regardless of what it is, good or bad. Everyone’s weight loss or weight gain principally boils down to calorie consumption, but more importantly how many calories do you need on a daily basis. Take in too many and you gain weight, not enough and you lose weight, right? Well it’s more complicated than that because everyone is different.

What the determining factor of weight loss or gain, is our Basic Metabolic Rate. You might say “What does that mean?” Well plain and simple it means the calorie cost of being you. A more comprehendible statement might be; the amount of calories you burn at rest. The only way to for sure to determine this is to see a doctor or a registered nutritionist. As your age, current weight, current diet, and current activity level all have a factor in this. I have a general formula to give you to determine your BMR but it won’t be 100 % accurate due to everyone having individual needs. Here it is:

Step 1: Take your current weight and multiply it by 11. That will start you off to give you your basic calorie needs. It tells you the calorie amount you would burn without eating or exercise.

Step 2: Take your basic calorie needs (number from step 1) and multiply it by activity level percentage.
ACTIVITY LEVEL AGE
>30 30-40 >40
Mostly Sedentary 20% 30% 25%
Moderately Active 30% 40% 35%
Dedicated Exerciser 40% 50% 45%

So for example you’re a 29 year old that weighs 150 pounds that is mostly sedentary it would look something like this:
150 x 11= 1650 (your basic calorie needs)
1650 x 30%= 495 (caloric cost of your activity level)
Step 3: Basic calorie needs + caloric cost of activity level.
1650 + 495= 2145 (calories required per day to maintain current body weight)

So that is a basic formula to figure out your daily calorie needs. In a perfect world if that person would take in less calories they would lose weight and if they consumed more they would gain weight. For the most part that is true but it varies with the above factors. So once you determine your calorie needs you can add or subtract accordingly whether you want to gain or lose weight. Even though it is quite challenging it is best to keep a food journal and write down EVERYTHING you consume each day. There are great websites that can help you determine the calorie content of everything you are eating so you know your calorie amount. Now you don’t have to keep a food journal forever but until you can gauge calorie content of what you’re eating then it is a good idea to keep one. Also you should determine what you re going to eat by what you will be doing for the next three hours. Light activity eat light, more activity eat a little more. I try to have 5-6 meals a day. This will keep your blood sugar under control but also help to speed up your metabolism. Some of the best things you can consume for a snack are low fat yogurt, string cheese, fruits, raw vegetables, nuts, organic peanut butter, and whole grained products. Foods with fiber in them are excellent as well as they take longer to digest and give you that full feeling longer shoot for 20-30 grams a day. Also pay attention to labels and try to avoid high fructose corn syrup and anything that contains the word hydrogenated, as your body easily converts these to fat.

Another thing you can do is to substitute different foods for ingredients when making certain dishes. Plain yogurt is a great alternative to sour cream or mayo when making dips or sauces. Olive oil is great to use in cooking as it contains good fats and enhances flavor. Whole wheat pasta for white pasta, sweet potato’s for white potato’s, lean turkey in place of ground beef, and whole grain bread for white bread. When it comes to veggies fresh is better than frozen and frozen is better than canned. Another tip to help you eat less when you sit down is to drink an 8 ounce glass of water before you begin eating. Speaking of water you want to consume 64 ounces a day and of course more if you are upping activity level and sweating, make sure you are hydrated as it is easy to mistake hunger for thirst. Also it takes your brain roughly 20 minutes to register that you are full, so make sure you’re portioning your meals properly so you don’t overeat. I hope this will give all who read it a little more insight into the horrible world of dieting and will give you some tips on eating to improve your weight and overall health. Also make sure to consult with your physician before changing your diet or if starting an exercise program. Future articles on exercise to follow soon so stay tuned!

-AngryDago-