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14
OctThe 411 on Calories
Find out how many calories you need to keep your body fueled and fit.
By Krisha McCoy, MSMedically reviewed by Niya Jones, MD, MPHIf you’re interested in nutrition or weight loss, you no doubt pay a lot of attention to calories. But do you know what exactly calories are, and how many you really need?
Calories: The Good, the Bad, and the Empty
There is really no such thing as “good” or “bad” calories. “Your body processes each calorie the same,” says Kimberly Lummus, MS, RD, Texas Dietetic Association media representative and public relations coordinator for the Austin Dietetic Association in Austin, Texas. But Lummus adds that some foods are far more nutritious than others. “We strive to make our calories the most nutrient-dense that we can, meaning that we are packing in a lot of nutrition for a very small amount of calories. You are optimizing your calorie budget, so to speak.”
While calories get a negative rap when it comes to weight control, calories are actually an important source of fuel you cannot live without. “Your body needs calories for energy,” says Lummus. Calories are the force behind everything we do, including eating, sleeping, and breathing.
“Calories are how much energy your body gets from the food and beverages that it consumes,” says Lummus. Most food sources are composed of some combination of carbohydrates, fats, and proteins, and each of these nutrients contains calories. Yet it’s important to stay away from “empty” calories in foods like sweets and soda, warns Lummus.
Calories: Finding Your Magic Number
You must find the right balance of calories every day, depending on your overall goals. “Eating too many calories and not burning enough through physical activities would yield a weight gain, while not eating enough calories [to keep up with your calorie burn] would yield a weight loss,” says Lummus.
The number of calories a person needs depends on many individual factors, including age, weight, height, and activity level. When dieticians counsel clients on calorie needs, they take all of these facts into consideration and come up with a suggestion for how many calories are needed to maintain, lose, or gain weight.
In general, men need between 2,000 to 2,400 calories and woman between 1,200 and 1,500 calories per day. Consuming less than 1,200 calories per day can be harmful to your health, notes Lummus, since it may trigger your body to go into starvation mode, causing your body to actually hold onto calories.
Teenagers’ caloric needs can vary considerably. For example, teenage boys may require up to 3,000 calories per day, while teenage girls usually need around 2,200 calories each day. “For children, calorie needs are going to change a lot more because they are growing so rapidly,” Lummus continues. She says that infants 5 to 12 months of age need around 850 calories daily, 1- to 3-year-olds need roughly 1,300 calories daily, 4- to 6-year-olds need about 1,800 calories daily, and 7- to 10-year-olds require 2,000 calories daily.
“Counting calories is usually not necessary for children,” says Lummus. “You just want to make sure that your child is getting all of the requirements from all of the food groups.”
Both children and adults should get the bulk of their calories from a variety of healthful foods, including low-fat or fat-free dairy products, fruits and vegetables, whole grains, and lean protein sources — the building blocks of a nutritious diet.
(Source: everydayhealth.com)
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14
Oct1. Monitor your calorie intake- Keep a food journal/diary. Find out what your calorie target should be.
2. Watch portion size- An easy way to cut down on portion size, is to grab a salad plate, then your automatically eating smaller portions. Make sure your filling your plate with 1/2 veggies…
(Source: everydayhealth.com)
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12
OctThe Down Low on Beverages
I think this is 1 area that most overlook because these calories are so easily consumed and also calorie counters forget to count these empty calories and wonder why they aren’t losing weight. This blog is going to show you what beverages are a MUST and which ones you…
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Jul"Movement is a medicine for creating change in a person’s physical, emotional, and mental states. ~Carol Welch"
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31
JulGranola recipes
I am allergic to nuts, so I love to find recipies that I can make with the options of no nuts. I became allergic to nuts about 6 years ago, so as you can tell- I used to be an avid nut eater. But I miss my granola mixes, and I have stumbled across a couple of great granola recipes that I would like to share with you.
3 cups rolled oats
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup wheat germ
1/2 cup margarine
1/2 cup honey or corn syrup
1/2 cup chocolate chips or raisins
In a large bowl, combine oats, sugar and wheat germ. Cut in margarine until mixture is crumbly. Stir in honey/cornsyrup. Mix well until combined. Stir in chocolate chips/raisins. Press into greased 9” square pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes. Let cool for 10 minutes. Cut into bars.
2)
4 cups oats
1 cup pitted dates, chopped
½ cup candied ginger, finely minced
½ cup brown sugar
½ tsp. salt
¼ tsp. cinnamon
¼ cup canola oil
¼ cup honey
2 Tbsp. sugar
2 tsp. vanilla
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine the oats, dates, ginger, brown sugar, salt and cinnamon in a large mixing bowl and stir to combine. In another mixing bowl, whisk together the oil, honey, sugar and vanilla. Add to the dry mix and stir until well blended. On a greased baking sheet spread the granola mixture evenly. Bake for 25 minutes, stirring a few times to ensure even baking. Let cool in the pan. Store in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.4 1/2 cups rolled oats
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2/3 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup honey
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
2 cups mixed dried fruits
DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Lightly grease one 9x13 inch pan.
In a large mixing bowl combine the oats, flour, baking soda, vanilla, butter or margarine, honey and brown sugar. Stir in the 2 cups assorted mixed dried fruits.
Lightly press mixture into the prepared pan. Bake at 325 degrees F (165 degrees C) for 18 to 22 minutes or until golden brown. Let cool for 10 minutes then cut into bars. Let bars cool completely in pan before removing or serving. -
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JulSneaking fruit into your everyday foods =]
I love all kinds of fruit, but like most people, my fruit I buy at the store seems to rot before I can eat them. So I have been trying to add fruit to more things that I eat.
1. I love my yogurt, and sometimes eating yogurt by itself can get old. I add raisins and sometimes apples to my strawberry yogurt. Its a nice healthy snack! =]
2. Add some fruit to your cereal, for instance sometimes to my Cherrios or oatmeal, I will add banana’s or raisins or try to eat a peach or apple as my morning snack.
3. Making fruit pizza’s are just amazing! But be careful to use wither reduced fat or fat free cream cheese.
4. Adding fruit to your salads! Apples, mandarin oranges, grapes, raspberries, blueberries- there are so many endless creations you can choose and use!
5. If you like cottage cheese, adding fruit to your cottage cheese is also a great way to get your fruit and your protein from the cottage cheese.
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Jula few things I have done:
Here are a few things that I have done to help with my weight loss journey. I am big on taste, so these things dont hinder the taste of the food, and helps cut calories in the process-which I like!!
1. I switched my bread to light bread and Pepperidge Farm just came out with the deli flat bread, which is pleasantly good!
2. I LOVE cheese! I have tried all kinds of cheese’s but I stick to 2% cheese. I honestly don’t like the fat free cheese, so I sacrifice the extra couple calories, but it is real cheese not processed!
3. I am a HUGE sweets person. So I have stopped buying the junk (my daughter hates it) so I am not tempted, but if I am in the mood for sweets, I will buy the skinny cow ice cream products. They are very delicious and half the caloires and fat of regular ice cream!
4. I count serving sizes. Yes, it sounds annoying, but for instance I love sun chips, but I do not want to consume half a bag, so I will either count out the 16 chips to put in a baggie for a to go snack, or in a bowl. Believe, every extra chip counts!! =]
5. I absolutely love the Morning Star veggie burgers that they have. I eat those instead of lunch meat for lunch. Also, they have an equivalence to hamburger crumbles that I have started using to switch out hamburger in our house. And they are so great, because no one has noticed a difference in the taste! I’ve used it for everything from sloppy-joes to spaghetti! They also just came out with chicken strips, that I use in fajitas!!
These are a few of the things I have done so far, I have started my weight lost journey in June and combined the eating healthier and trying to exercise daily, I have lost 20lbs so far!! =] Little changes can add up in a major big way!
Hope everyone has a great day!
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JulCompensation info on careers/jobs/businesses in Fitness & Health. Many want to get into fitness/health and help others … it’s SO rewarding to help others, no matter what path you choose. But if you choose to become a Independent Beachbody Coach, not only will you have the potential to work less while making more than almost any other career/job in fitness, but it actually allows you to help others make $ too… NICE.
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Jul"YOU CAN NOT motivate another person to lose weight. That comes from within. Just be available.” Chalene Johnson"
Follow me on my journey:
http://beachbodycoach.com/asidders
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