Anyway, I worked really hard to lose that weight after my son was born, but looking back I did it in all of the wrong ways. I went back to what I knew, which was eat less, or hardly anything, and I'd run a couple of miles every day, this began when my son was about 2 weeks old. Well, if any of you are mothers, or have breast fed a child, you KNOW the importance of not just your nutrition but also hydration!!! I won't go on about the particulars, but as you can imagine, likely the only reason I lost the weight was mainly due to my young age and the high stress and demands I was putting on myself. It was in no way a healthy route.
So, almost 15 years later and armed with a lot more knowledge, and my doctorate, I am able to confidently tell my patients, or anyone looking for some help, where to begin.
First and foremost, HYDRATION! Most people eating the western diet here in the U.S. are not drinking enough water, rather, they're filling their day with coffee, soda, tea, gatorade, etc. This is a mistake, this is where a lot of people fail to recognize the impact of water. Water is our lifeline, do you realize you can only survive a few days, to at most a week without it? Depending on age, our bodies are on average 60% water! Blood is 92% water, the brain and muscles are 75% water, and bones are about 22% water. So yeah, it's kind of a big deal! This leads to the question: how much water should I be drinking? I'm glad you asked, my go to answer is 1/2 of your body weight in ounces of water. For example, a 200 lb man would need to drink 100 ounces of water daily. Now, to some that might seem like a lot, but everyone has to start somewhere and I would encourage you to make that your goal. There are times when you need to increase your water intake: when breastfeeding your baby, also when you're exercising for more than an hour at a time, and when it's very hot out and you're spending time outdoors, to name a few. Our bodies do NOT require coffee, tea, soda, or other sugary drinks. People always tell me they stay very hydrated because they drink a lot of gatorade...I will wait for another post to go batshit crazy go into depth as to why this is counter productive, and give you better ways to replenish electrolytes without the excess of up to 35 grams of sugar! For now, the take home message...get your water in, then you'll have less room to fill up on the other crap!
Moving On...
So since this is just a nutrition 101 discussion I won't get too deep here, but I want to help give you some direction. The food we eat breaks down into 3 categories of macronutrients for our body to utilize. These three macronutrients or 'macros' for short are: Carbohydrates, Proteins, & Fats. Our bodies need fuel from each of these sources for proper nutrition and balance, omitting any of these categories will eventually lead to some serious health issues.
Carbohydrates: these guys started to get a bad reputation years ago around the time when people who were looking to lose weight found a book by Dr. Atkins published in 1972. This is around the same time the push to cut carbs out of our diets, or following a low-carb lifestyle caught on, and yet still today people equate carbs with something we shouldn't eat. We can dedicate an entire blog to this discussion, but for today's purposes just know this: there are many differences between sources of carbohydrates some good (fruit, sweet potatoes) & some not so good (oreos, donuts). EASY PEASY. Focus first on taking in more of the good sources of carbs and filling up first on healthier options, because then you're less likely to eat as many 'bad for you' carbs.
Protein: proteins are required for the structure, function, and regulation of the body's cells, tissues, and organs. (www.medicinenet.com) Proteins are the building blocks for our bodies and bodily functions. Good quality protein is very important, and you can get it from animal & plant sources. Examples: Steak, fish, eggs, lentils, black beans, quinoa.
Fat: dietary fat is the fat we eat found in food sources, it is not the same as body fat, and eating fat does NOT make you fat. Again, this is something I will elaborate on at another time, but for now, be not afraid of the fats! Dietary fat is necessary for building healthy cells including those that are part of the brain, spinal cord, and nerves. Fat helps the body utilize vitamins, they regulate hormones, provide healthier skin, and form a protective cushion around our internal organs. Fats are also great at producing energy. They also have a bad reputation because of the fat-free, low-fat food craze that swept swiffered the nation & left people thinking they'd be fat if they ate any dietary fat. Again, we'll go in depth another time, but for now, just know, fat is a necessary macro and it won't make you fat.
A great balance of these macros for an average person is: 40% carbohydrates, 30% protein, & 30% fat. First you need to figure out how many calories you should be eating in a day, and then you can work these percentages accordingly. There are many great apps that help keep track of your daily food intake and can break down the percentages of macros as well. My personal favorite is www.myfitnesspal.com. You can use the website or download the app on your smart phone, they have an extensive library of foods that you can search and apply to your various meals. They also have a great feature where you can scan the barcode on the food just like at the grocery store and add the food item to your daily intake. It's very user friendly. Okay down to the nerdy math fun good stuff. There are many different methods you can use to calculate your daily caloric needs, the method I'll show you here is the Harris-Benedict Formula: (you can do a google search and plug in your numbers if math isn't your gig)
1. Calculate your BMR (basal metabolic rate):
*Women: BMR = 655 + ( 4.35 x weight in pounds) + ( 4.7 x height in inches) - ( 4.7 x age in years)
example: for a 35 year old woman who is 5'0 and weighs 120 lbs
BMR = 655 + ( 4.35 x 120 lbs) + ( 4.7 x 60 inches) - ( 4.7 x 35 years) = 1294.5 calories
*Men: BMR = 66 + ( 6.23 x weight in pounds) + ( 12.7 x height in inches) - (6.8 x age in years)
2. Multiply your BMR by the appropriate activity factor, as follows:
- Sedentary (little or no exercise): BMR x 1.2
- Lightly active (light exercise/sports 1-3 days/week): BMR x 1.375
- Moderately active (moderate exercise/sports 3-5 days/week): BMR x 1.55
- Very active (hard exercise/sports 6-7 days/week): BMR x 1.725
- Extra active (very hard exercise/sports & physical job or 2x training): BMR x 1.9
3. Your final number is the approximate number of calories you need each day to maintain your weight.
* This would also serve as a jumping off point to manipulate your calories by creating a deficit if you want to lose weight. Starting with a deficit of 250-500 calories would be safe for MOST people. If you are new to diet/exercise, always consult with your doctor first.
TO BE CONTINUED...
www.beachbodycoach.com/DRJENNCHICOINE
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