Tuesday, November 17, 2009

Good,Old-Fashioned Counting Calories

One of my favorite people (although I don't know her personally, ) is Dr. Laura. (Dr. Dora-my daughter calls her, the second I turn it to her show on the radio while I run errands) She gets right to the point. When callers call in and lament about how they have tried to lose weight and haven't succeeded, she says quite bluntly that in order to lose weight you have to eat less and move more. Yes, that is exactly right, but I needed something more specific. I had no idea where to begin. I did a lot of research on the Internet about counting calories. It really does make the most sense to me out of all the diets out there. As I have learned, you have to burn more calories than you take in if you want to lose weight. Well, I think my other attempts had failed because I didn't know how many calories I was taking in. It's time consuming and it takes patience to add them all up and keep track of everything you eat, but it's worth it. If you google BMI, (body mass index)enter your height, weight,desired weight and activity level, it will tell you exactly how many calories you need to eat to lose the exact number of pounds you want to lose. It will also tell you how many calories you need to maintain your current weight if that is what you are looking to do. (shape.com has a great BMI calculator) More tips I learned and liked are to keep your diet simple, overestimate your calories by a few 100 if you are guesstimating the amount. So, I'm just an average girl that found something that worked! So, here are my tiny little pearls of wisdom to dispense, hopefully it helps!


The Basics of Weight Loss
(another gem I found on the Internet, some of them might seem obvious, but the specifics are helpful in making your weight loss plan a success)

Snacking:
1. Choose fruits
2. Choose snacks low in added sugar (lean meats,low fat cottage cheese)
3. Choose snacks high in protein (reduced-fat yogurt,slices of turkey,mozzarella cheese,skim milk with berries,hard boiled eggs, raw almonds)
4. Choose snacks high in fiber/low fat (cherry tomatoes,baby carrots,celery sticks,raw broccoli or cauliflower dipped in fat-free ranch, 2 dill pickles,add dried cranberries to yogurt, scrambled eggs with whole wheat english muffin)
5. Keep portions small

Another nice thing about this method I have found is that you can keep it simple, but you really don't have to just eat celery all day long in order to lose weight. I found a few sample 1200-1300, calorie diets that I have gotten many of my ideas from. The nice thing about these sample meal plans is that they use everyday foods. They are simple, realistic and easy to follow. You don't have to experience burn out by eating the same thing every single day. I started out simple and then later added some different dinner recipes, that fit into however many calories I had left for dinner. The good news is that you really don't have to eat boring stuff for the rest of your life in order to lose or maintain your weight! You can still have choices! I used to think that was the case, and it frustrated me because I knew there was no way I could do that for the rest of my life. Cooking and eating good food is supposed to be fun! I think it's best when you decide to lose weight, not to "feel" like you are on a diet. I tried the deprivation method and I totally sabotaged myself!

Day 1

Breakfast: 1 plain waffle,1 t. maple syrup, 8 oz.water,1 tsp, butter or margarine

Lunch: 1 c. skim milk,1 salad with romaine lettuce, 1/2 c. each carrots,green peppers, cabbage, celery. 1 tbs. light dressing,1 whole grain roll

Afternoon Snack: 1/2 c. sliced strawberries,6 oz. fat-free flavored yogurt

Dinner: 3 oz. sirloin steak, lean only, broiled or grilled w/out added fat. 1 c. rice, 1 tsp.butter or margarine,1/2 c. cooked carrots,1 mixed green salad,2 t. fat-free dressing

Evening Snack: 1 Orange

Day 2

Breakfast: 2 pancakes, 4 "round, 1 t, fruit spread or maple syrup

Morning snack: 1 c. skim milk, 1 peach

Lunch: 1 salad with mixed greens,1 t. fat-free dressing,6 saltine crackers,3 oz, tuna fish-albacore,water packed. 1 apple

Afternoon Snack: 1/2 oz. chocolate (about 4 chocolate kisses)

Dinner: 1 c. cooked pasta, 1/2 c. spaghetti sauce,meatless,1 mixed green salad, 1 t. fat free dressing

Evening Snack: 1 c. skim milk, 1 whole graham cracker

2 comments:

  1. Gonna try some of these this week! Thanks Rach :)

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  2. Okay,how CUTE is it that your picture is of a Hello Kitty calculator?!? I can't wait to see you next week! YAY!!!

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