Week 5: Wanna Make Some Changes?

Thank you, dear readers, for your input on this journey of lifestyle change. It was brought to my attention that some of you may want to begin making small changes in your own lives, but have lacked the baseline from which I have been making my changes.

I re-read through my manual and found a few quick starting points. Of course, if you are not sure of your health status, be sure to consult with your health care provider to make sure your body can absorb changes such as reduced caloric and fat intake or more movement and increased heart rate.

Here are a few of the assumptions that I make in utilizing the tools of this program:

1)I am motivated to make changes that will have LONG TERM impact. There are no crash diets, funky foods, binging and purging, or endless workouts. I prepare and eat the same foods that I feed my family and friends. I eat 3 regular meals and if I remember, 2 snacks and drink water.

2)I am motivated to see my OVERALL trend in body mass DECREASE. I do weigh myself each day, but I do not have panic-attacks over pounds gained or lost in 24 hours or even in a week.

3)I share my successes and challenges openly so that I and others may learn how to better guide our future choices. Everyone knows something!

4) My goal is to be a healthy, active person for as many years as I have to live.

Now for the nitty gritty:

My baseline consumption of fat grams is based on a researched method to reduce body mass by 7% in 10 months (roughly consuming only 25% of calories in fat). While I am not utilizing a calorie goal at this point, for those who do, I will include that information.

Here are those guidelines.If you weigh :
Below 170 pounds, 33 grams, 1200 calories,
175-215, 42 grams, 1500 calories,
220-245, 50 grams,1800 calories,
250 and above, 55 grams, 2000 calories.

Using these guidelines, a person is expected to lose .5-1 pound per week. If it doesn't happen, don't fret. Increased activity may be the key to helping your body lose excess energy. We have not crossed that bridge yet in our classes, but a general 30 minutes of brisk walking or similar activity is recommended 5 times per week.

Additionally, try to stay as close to the recommended level of fat grams as possible as your body needs fat to function properly. If you binge one day, don't exclude the next, just stay close to the goal, each day.

Stay positive and remember that change is difficult in adult years. Give yourself credit for making adjustments and just measure and choose more carefully the next day.

On a final note, not every food item comes with a label, especially if prepared at home. Remember to use portion control and here are a couple of places to put in recipes for nutritional analysis:

http://www.mypyramid.gov/tools.html

http://ww2.dietitians.ca/public/content/eat_well_live_well/english/recipeanalyzer/recipeanalyzer.asp.

Priatna Apetita!