Where to start with
DIETING and maintaining a healthy lifestyle
1300 calories? Really, My Fitness Pal? Are we talking about
breakfast?
Let me introduce myself. My name is Betsy Lane. I am a
second year Doctor of Physical Therapy student at one of the top programs in
the country. I have my bachelor’s degree in biology and psychology, where I
became fascinated with nutritional sciences and the emotional relationship
between people and food. I am also a national level figure competitor, weight
loss coach, NASM personal trainer, and Violate the Dress Code enthusiast!
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However, this blog isn’t really about me. It’s about you,
and getting your crap together, if you are clueless about dieting. How do most
people diet? Slash their calories. OR cut out entire macronutrients from their
diet (i.e. carbs, fats, protein…) which only leaves you hungry as hell, and
usually gaining weight in the end, because your diet is not realistic or
sustainable. I like to say: “If you can’t see yourself eating that way a year
from now, then don’t start.” Getting lean and staying lean is not a
destination; it is a lifestyle commitment.
Programs such as My Fitness Pal are going to give you an
incredibly generic formula for weight loss, which does not take into account
your metabolism baseline, genetic makeup, past dieting history, age/ weight/
height/ gender (not really…). What’s more is that such programs do not take
into account where the calories or coming from; it serves the mind set:
“calories in vs. calories out,” by which all calories are created equal, and so
long as you are burning off more calories than you’re taking in, you will lose
weight.
Well… yes and no.
There are so many
factors to creating your SUSTAINABLE, long term weight loss formula, that one
cannot simply generalize such a generic response to weight loss.
Will you lose weight by engaging
in a caloric deficit? Yes. But slashing your calories is not sustainable, nor
will it make you happy. In fact, you are likely doing more damage in the long
run, making it harder for you to lose body fat. Secondly, where are those
calories coming from? Let me paint you a picture:
Subject A slashes his calories to
1000 calories/ day, and all of those calories are comprised of baked chicken.
Subject B slashes his calories to
1000 per day as well, but all of his calories are coming from lard. Will both
subject lose weight? Sure. Will they look the same??? While neither of these
approaches are acceptable, it does demonstrate the issue at hand quite well.
Not all calories are created equally.
Okay, so then what do I do? You
don’t need a nutritionist. You just need to do a little research. This is
general, and does not take metabolism or genetics into account, but it’s a good
place to start:
1- Track
your calorie intake for 2 weeks, to find out how many calories you need to
maintain your current weight.
2- Average
the total calories over 14 day span (total calories/ 14). This is about how
many calories you are taking in each day to maintain your weight.
3- To
start, subtract 15% of those daily calories. For instance, if you found that
you are eating an average of 2,200 calories per day: 0.15 x 2,200 =330
calories. Therefore, you should begin to take in (2,200- 330=) 1870 calories
per day. To be more aggressive, subtract 20- 25% of those calories.
4- Next,
you should focus on what percentage of those calories should be from carbs/
fats/ proteins. For a general health and/ or weight loss goal for an active
individual, I suggest 40% protein, 40% carbs, and 20% fat. This is how you do
that:
1870 calories:
-CARBS: 40%
So… 0.4 x 1870 =748.
Then, because
carbs are 4 calories per gram, divide 748 by 4. That gives you 187 carbs. You
should not be taking in more than 187 carbs per day, although I suggest lower
if you are very sedentary.
-PROTEIN: Because
you are also taking in 40% from protein, and each gram is also 4 calories per
gram, you will also get 187 g protein.
-FAT: 20%
0.2 X 1870 =374.
Then, because
there are 9 calories per gram of fat, divide 374 by 9. You get 41.5 grams of
fat.
Your carbohydrate
sources should come from mostly slower digesting, fibrous carbs, and fewer from
sugar; for example, oatmeal, sweet potato, brown rice, broccoli, etc. Protein
sources may be egg whites, protein shakes, grilled/ baked chicken, extra lean
ground turkey, lean lunch meats (for convenience), Greek yogurt, lean beef (92%
or greater), and fish, for instance. Fat sources may be nuts, avocadoes, olives,
coconut/ macadamia/ olive oil, etc.
Try this for a
month! If your weight starts to stagnate, gradually decrease calories from
carbohydrates, 15- 20 carbs at a time. As your weight drops, your caloric needs
will change again.
Don’t be afraid
to eat. Carbs are not your enemy! Move more, eat better! Combine this caloric
deficit with a cardiovascular and resistance training program for best results
and optimal health! Don’t rely so much on the scale; take pictures every week
or two to chart your progress. You may see body composition changes far more
often and rapidly than you see movement on the scale. In fact, just throw the
darn thing out the window J
Again, this is
general, but it’s a great place to start- hope this helps!
-Betsy Lane, aka
Mighty Mouse
www.violatethedresscode.com
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