For anyone who has struggled with controlling their weight over the years, the word "diet" creates bland images of cottage cheese and tomato slices. While it is true that in order to take off pounds you have to burn more calories than you take in, to embark upon a weight loss plan doesn't have to be going from one bland food to another and leaving yourself unsatisfied.
A large part of weight gain is the result of making habitual poor food choices out of convenience due to daily hectic schedules. I found that when I closely examined my daily eating habits, I found that there were things that I did, that could have resulted in tremendous weight gain if I carried on the habit for an extended period.
For instance, I really enjoyed having a toasted sesame seed bagel with butter (490 calories) and a 12 oz Frappuccino (180 calories) each morning before work to start my day. That hardly seemed like a feast but it actually amounted to 670 calories a day! Had I continued that habit for a full year (without making any reductions in the balance of my diet or increasing my level of activity), that habit would have amounted to about a 50-pound weight gain over the course of the year. (670 calories x 5 days/wk x 52wks =174000 calories) Generally 3500 calories consumed or expended results in 1 pound of fat either gained or lost. So over the course of the year 174,000 calories consumed/ 3500 calories= 49.77 pounds gained.
The point here is to avoid makings habits out of poor food choices. There is nothing wrong with occasionally going for the buttered bagel and frap, as long as it is not a daily habit.
Before you start on your weight loss journey, keep a daily food journal for about 1 week. In this journal identify everything you eat each day. Keep track to every stick of gum as well as the make up of each meal and beverage you drink.
For example, if you have a "turkey sandwich" be sure to describe the type of bread, whether the size of each slice was "average" or "large", whether the sandwich was "grilled" or toasted, the type of spread on the bread (i.e. Mayo, mustard, butter etc) and any condiments or additions such as Cheese or bacon. If you have a "salad" be sure to describe its make up and identify whether it was a "dinner salad" or a "chef Salad" or "Cobb Salad" "Caesar salad". Also indicate the type of dressing and the amount.
At the end of the week, sit down and analyze your journal entries with an on-line calorie counter to help you get an idea of your average daily intake of calories. Get an estimate of your daily caloric needs and compare that to your actual intake. If your weight has been fairly stable, these two numbers should be within 100 calories of each other. There are many free online calorie intake calculators available on-line. If your actual caloric intake exceeds you calculated needs by 300 to 500 calories, you are on track to gain 1 pound a week.
Look for items in your diet that your habitually eat on a frequent basis. Then challenge yourself to find a lower calorie substitute for that item to eat in its place. If you regularly use a particular salad dressing, check out the caloric content and find a lower calorie substitute. Try to find as many such items as you can and try to lower you net intake of calories by 300 to 500 calories per day and this will go a long way to helping you keep your weight under control, and possibly lose a few pounds (depending on how close your current caloric intake is to your calculated needs).
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Bruno_Barbaro
A large part of weight gain is the result of making habitual poor food choices out of convenience due to daily hectic schedules. I found that when I closely examined my daily eating habits, I found that there were things that I did, that could have resulted in tremendous weight gain if I carried on the habit for an extended period.
For instance, I really enjoyed having a toasted sesame seed bagel with butter (490 calories) and a 12 oz Frappuccino (180 calories) each morning before work to start my day. That hardly seemed like a feast but it actually amounted to 670 calories a day! Had I continued that habit for a full year (without making any reductions in the balance of my diet or increasing my level of activity), that habit would have amounted to about a 50-pound weight gain over the course of the year. (670 calories x 5 days/wk x 52wks =174000 calories) Generally 3500 calories consumed or expended results in 1 pound of fat either gained or lost. So over the course of the year 174,000 calories consumed/ 3500 calories= 49.77 pounds gained.
The point here is to avoid makings habits out of poor food choices. There is nothing wrong with occasionally going for the buttered bagel and frap, as long as it is not a daily habit.
Before you start on your weight loss journey, keep a daily food journal for about 1 week. In this journal identify everything you eat each day. Keep track to every stick of gum as well as the make up of each meal and beverage you drink.
For example, if you have a "turkey sandwich" be sure to describe the type of bread, whether the size of each slice was "average" or "large", whether the sandwich was "grilled" or toasted, the type of spread on the bread (i.e. Mayo, mustard, butter etc) and any condiments or additions such as Cheese or bacon. If you have a "salad" be sure to describe its make up and identify whether it was a "dinner salad" or a "chef Salad" or "Cobb Salad" "Caesar salad". Also indicate the type of dressing and the amount.
At the end of the week, sit down and analyze your journal entries with an on-line calorie counter to help you get an idea of your average daily intake of calories. Get an estimate of your daily caloric needs and compare that to your actual intake. If your weight has been fairly stable, these two numbers should be within 100 calories of each other. There are many free online calorie intake calculators available on-line. If your actual caloric intake exceeds you calculated needs by 300 to 500 calories, you are on track to gain 1 pound a week.
Look for items in your diet that your habitually eat on a frequent basis. Then challenge yourself to find a lower calorie substitute for that item to eat in its place. If you regularly use a particular salad dressing, check out the caloric content and find a lower calorie substitute. Try to find as many such items as you can and try to lower you net intake of calories by 300 to 500 calories per day and this will go a long way to helping you keep your weight under control, and possibly lose a few pounds (depending on how close your current caloric intake is to your calculated needs).
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Bruno_Barbaro
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