Friday, April 1, 2011

Calories & Diet

Jamie Eason - I get a lot of my advice from her!

Tiffany asked me about counting calories and how many she should have per day. There are indeed several different theories and ideas out there regarding this so I can't say that my advice is the best. However, the first thing I suggest you commit to your memory is that it’s not just the number of calories, it’s what’s in those calories! Don’t eliminate certain food groups. Many fad diets emphasize the elimination of certain food groups or eating primarily only one or two food groups. Your body needs a balanced diet that supplies you with the diverse nutrients that will keep you healthy.

A general rule for counting calories, because that's your only option besides getting medical testing done, is to take your goal weight and multiple that by 10 to get the bare MINIMUM you should possibly ever eat. Then add 300-400 calories for a sedentary lifestyle, 400-700 calories for those of you that weight train and 800-1,000 calories for hardcore runners and people trying to put on weight.

So, in my case I would say my goal weight is approximately 130 pounds. That's 1,300 calories plus 400-700 more because I lift weights 6 days a week. That would make my daily goal somewhere between 1,700 and 2,000 which is exactly what I aim to get. I'm typically somewhere between 1,800 and 2,000 a day. I do this by eating 6 small meals a day.

Please remember, the average woman should never eat less than 1,200 calories a day and the average man should never eat less than 1,800 calories per day. 

The average diet (it's NOT a diet, it's a lifestyle) should:
  • Emphasize fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and fat-free or low-fat dairy
  • Include lean meats, poultry, fish, beans, eggs, and nuts
  • Be low in saturated fats, trans fats, cholesterol, sodium and added sugars
  • Stay within your daily calorie needs 

If you feed your body natural foods, then you'll have no need to go hungry. You can pretty much eat all of the fresh fruits and vegetables you want and it will not adversely affect your weight. Also, raw nuts, olive oil and avocados are a rich source of nutritious and healthy fats. Look closely at the foods you buy and stay away from hydrogenated fats.

It's natural for anyone trying to lose weight to want to lose it very quickly. But evidence shows that people who lose weight gradually and steadily (about 1 to 2 pounds per week) are more successful at keeping it off.





I recommend reading one or all of Tosca's Eat-Clean books. She is an amazing woman and gives great tips on boosting your metabolism, strength training, reading labels and stocking your pantry.




Finally, if I can stress one thing and one thing only, GET ENOUGH SLEEP!!! You should be getting a minimum of 6 hours per night, but ideally more like 8-9 hours.

As always, if you have anymore questions please ask. I'm not an expert but I'm very passionate about nutrition and fitness so I have gathered enough information from all different sources to share with anybody who wants to know!

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