METABOLISM AND CALORIES: How do we make sense of it?
Metabolism and weight loss: How you burn calories
You likely know your metabolism is linked to your weight. But do you know how?
Common belief holds that a slim person's metabolism is high and an overweight person's metabolism is low. But this isn't usually the case. Metabolism alone doesn't determine your weight.
Rather, weight is dependent on the balance of calories consumed versus calories burned. Take in more calories than your body needs, and you gain weight. Take in less and you lose weight. Metabolism, then, is the engine that burns these calories and is the scale that regulates your energy needs.
Metabolism: Converting food into energy
Stated simply, metabolism is the process by which your body converts food into energy. During this biochemical process, calories — from carbohydrates, fats and proteins — are combined with oxygen to release the energy your body needs to function.
The number of calories your body burns each day is called your total energy expenditure. The following three factors make up your total energy expenditure:
B
asic needs. Even when your body is at rest, it requires energy for the basics, such as fuel for organs, breathing, circulating blood, adjusting hormone levels, plus growing and repairing cells. Calories expended to cover these basic functions are your basal metabolic rate. Typically, a person's basal metabolic rate is the largest portion of energy use, representing two-thirds to three-quarters of the calories used each day. Energy needs for these basic functions stay fairly consistent and aren't easily changed.
F
ood processing. Digesting, absorbing, transporting and storing the food you consume also takes calories. This accounts for about 10 percent of the calories used each day. For the most part, your body's energy requirement to process food stays relatively steady and isn't easily changed.
P
hysical activity. Physical activity — such as playing tennis, walking to the store, chasing after the dog and any other movement — accounts for the remainder of calories used. You control the number of calories burned depending on the frequency, duration and intensity of your activities.
Metabolism and your weight
It may seem logical to think that significant weight gain or being overweight is related to a low metabolism or possibly even a condition such as underactive thyroid gland (hypothyroidism). In reality, it's very uncommon for excess weight to be related to a low metabolism. And most people who are overweight don't have an underlying condition, such as hypothyroidism. However, a medical evaluation can determine whether a medical condition could be influencing your weight.
Weight gain is more likely due to an energy imbalance — consuming more calories than your body burns. To lose weight, then, you need to create an energy deficit by eating fewer calories, increasing the number of calories you burn through physical activity, or preferably both.
Influences on your calorie needs
If you and everyone else were physically and functionally identical, it would be easy to determine the standard energy needs. But many factors influence calorie requirements, including body size and composition, age, and sex.
B
ody size and composition. To function properly, a bigger body mass requires more energy (more calories) than does a smaller body mass. Also, muscle burns more calories than fat does. So the more muscle you have in relation to fat, the higher your basal metabolic rate.
A
ge. As you get older, the amount of muscle tends to decrease and fat accounts for more of your weight. Metabolism also slows naturally with age. Together these changes reduce your calorie needs.
S
ex. Men usually have less body fat and more muscle than do women of the same age and weight. This is why men generally have a higher basal metabolic rate and burn more calories than women do.
Class 3 Week 3
Burning more calories
Your ability to change your basal metabolism is limited. However, you can increase daily exercise and activity to build muscle tissue and burn more calories.
Regular aerobic exercise, such as walking daily for 30 minutes or more, is an excellent way to burn calories. Strength training exercises, such as weight training, also are important because they help counteract muscle loss associated with aging. And since muscle tissue burns more calories, muscle mass is a key factor in weight loss.
Even though regularly scheduled aerobic exercise is best for weight loss, any extra movement helps burn calories. Look for ways to walk and move around a few minutes more each day. Lifestyle activities, such as gardening, washing your car and even housework, burn calories and contribute to weight loss. Taking the stairs more often and parking farther away at the store also are simple ways to burn more calories.
Your metabolism influences your energy needs, but it's your food intake and physical activity that ultimately determine your weight.
Metabolism is the process your body uses to burn calories for energy. Because metabolism naturally slows with age, you may need fewer daily calories as you get older. But your metabolism doesn't dictate your weight. To lose excess weight, include physical activity in your daily routine. The calories you'll burn will help promote weight loss. Second, start a strength training program. Muscle tissue burns more calories than fat tissue does, even when you're at rest. Whether you use hand-held weights, resistance tubing or another type of resistance, you'll reduce your body fat, increase your lean muscle mass and burn calories more efficiently.
Weight loss: 6 strategies for success
You probably know that hundreds of different fad diets, weight-loss programs and outright scams promise quick and easy weight loss. But the foundation of every successful weight-loss program still remains a healthy diet combined with exercise. You must make permanent changes in your lifestyle and health habits to lose significant weight and keep it off.
How do you make those permanent changes? Follow these six strategies.
1. Make a commitment
Permanent weight loss takes time and effort. It requires focus and a lifelong commitment. Make sure that you're ready to make permanent changes and that you do so for the right reasons.
No one else can make you lose weight. In fact, external pressure — often from people closest to you — may make matters worse. You must undertake diet and exercise changes to please yourself.
As you're planning new weight-related lifestyle changes, try to resolve any other problems in your life. It takes a lot of mental and physical energy to change your habits. So make sure you aren't distracted by other major life issues, such as marital or financial problems. Timing is key to success. Ask yourself if you're ready to take on the challenges of serious weight loss.
2. Get emotional support
Only you can help yourself lose weight by taking responsibility for your own behavior. But that doesn't mean that you have to do everything alone. Seek support when needed from your partner, family and friends.
Pick people who you know want only the best for you and who will encourage you. Ideally, find people who will listen to your concerns and feelings, spend time exercising with you, and share the priority you've placed on developing a healthier lifestyle.
Class 3 Week 3
3. Set a realistic goal
When you're considering what to expect from your new eating and exercise plan, be realistic. Healthy weight loss occurs slowly and steadily. Aim to lose 1 to 2 pounds a week. To do this, you need to burn 500 to 1,000 calories more than you consume each day through a low-calorie diet and regular exercise. Losing weight more rapidly means losing water weight or muscle tissue, rather than fat.
Make your goals "process goals," such as exercising regularly, rather than "outcome goals," such as losing 50 pounds. Changing your process — your habits — is the key to weight loss. Make sure that your process goals are realistic, specific and measurable, for example, you'll walk for 30 minutes a day, five days a week.
4. Enjoy healthier foods
Adopting a new eating style that promotes weight loss must include lowering your total calorie intake. But decreasing calories need not mean giving up taste, satisfaction or even ease of meal preparation. One way you can lower your calorie intake is by eating more plant-based foods — fruits, vegetables and whole grains. Strive for variety to help you achieve your goals without giving up taste or nutrition. Cutting back on calories is easier if you focus on limiting fat.
Very low calorie diets aren't a healthy long-term strategy. Fewer than 1,200 calories a day for women and 1,400 calories for men aren't generally recommended. If your calories are too low, you run the risk of not getting all of the nutrients you need for good health.
5. Get active, stay active
Dieting alone can help you lose weight. Cutting 250 calories from your daily diet can help you lose about half a pound a week: 3,500 calories equals 1 pound of fat. But add a 30-minute brisk walk four days a week, and you can double your rate of weight loss.
The goal of exercise for weight loss is to burn more calories, although exercise offers many other benefits as well. How many calories you burn depends on the frequency, duration and intensity of your activities. One of the best ways to lose body fat is through steady aerobic exercise — such as walking — for more than 30 minutes most days of the week.
Even though regularly scheduled aerobic exercise is best for losing fat, any extra movement helps burn calories. Lifestyle activities may be easier to fit into your day. Think about ways you can increase your physical activity throughout the day. For example, make several trips up and down stairs instead of using the elevator, or park at the far end of the lot.
6. Change your lifestyle
It's not enough to eat healthy foods and exercise for only a few weeks or even several months. You have to include these behaviors into your life. To do that, you have to change the behaviors that helped make you overweight in the first place. Lifestyle changes start with taking an honest look at your eating habits and daily routine.
After assessing your personal challenges to weight loss, try working out a strategy to gradually change habits and attitudes that have sabotaged your past efforts. Simply admitting your own challenges won't get you past them entirely. But it helps in planning how you'll deal with them and whether you're going to succeed in losing weight once and for all.
You likely will have an occasional setback. But instead of giving up entirely, simply start fresh the next day. Remember that you're planning to change your life. It won't happen all at once, but stick to your healthy lifestyle and the results will be worth it.
Class 3 Week 3
Think you know your stuff when it comes to losing weight? These pesky myths seem to get the best of many of us. Let's set the record straight before they sabotage your weight loss success.
1.
The best way to lose weight is to avoid eating carbs.
Not exactly. The best way to lose weight is to eat fewer calories while enjoying a nutritious diet that includes a variety of foods. No one particular food group must be avoided to achieve a healthy weight as long as you keep your caloric intake in check. While it's smart to avoid refined carbohydrates as often as possible, foods like bread, rice, pasta, cereal, and fruit, can all be part of a healthful, balanced diet. Just try to pick complex carbs, such as whole grains and beans, over-processed foods (such as white bread) whenever possible.
2.
Genetics ultimately determine your weight.
While research has shown that biological relatives tend to have a similar body weight, that doesn't seal your fate if your parents or grandparents are obese. Those with a family history of obesity may be more likely to gain weight than those with a slimmer family tree, but that doesn't mean a healthy diet and exercise are less effective for you. No matter what, the most important factors affecting your weight are how many calories you eat and how much physical activity you get. So don't use genetics as an excuse to give up.
3.
It's OK to switch from diet to diet.
Well, you may have to go on (and off) a diet or two before you find the right one. That said, yo-yo dieting -- or, weight cycling (meaning you repeatedly lose and then gain back weight) -- definitely isn't a good idea. Weight cycling may lead to certain health issues, such as gallbladder problems, and it's also likely to cause you to feel depressed. Avoid "crash diets" that cause a sudden weight loss; a slow and steady loss of one to two pounds a week is much healthier and far more likely to be permanent.
4.
Fat is to be avoided.
On the contrary, some fats can actually help you with your weight-loss efforts. Of course, eating too much fat overall is linked to disease risk, such as cancer, but we all actually need a little fat in our diets to be healthy. Fat helps the body to absorb important nutrients and to feel fuller longer, which will help you eat less. Trans fat and saturated fat should be avoided, but unsaturated fats are actually good for you. Enjoy foods like fish, nuts, and olive oil, and a fat "fix" can actually do your weight and your health good.
5.
Skipping meals is a good way to cut calories.
Meal skipping can actually cause you to gain weight since it slows down your metabolism. In fact, meal skippers tend to weigh more than people who eat regular meals. This may be due to meal
Class 3 Week 3
skippers' tendency to overeat later in the day to compensate for skipping breakfast or lunch. Rather than cutting out entire meals, shave off a few calories from each meal by controlling portions and finding lower-calorie alternatives to the high-calorie foods that you eat most often.
6.
Switching to reduced-fat or fat-free foods is a sure-fire way to lose weight.
Not necessarily. Even if you have a pantry full of fat-free and low-fat foods -- such as salad dressing, crackers, and cookies -- that does not mean you can eat them to your heart's content. As with all other foods, portion control is the key to losing weight with reduced-fat foods. Even though light versions have less fat than their regular counterparts, they often have as many -- or more -- calories (some diet foods contain more sugar than the regular versions). Always read and compare nutrition labels when making selections.
7.
Following a strict diet will speed up your metabolism.
You can't change your metabolism by following a particular diet plan; what will actually cause an increase in your metabolism is exercise. Following a too-strict diet can make exercising more difficult, if not impossible. In order to have energy to exercise, you must give your body the fuel it needs. Food is that fuel, and when you follow a fad diet that provides too few calories, you're simply not filling up your tank -- you will be too weak to exercise effectively and in the end, your metabolism will stall.
Calorie Worksheet
Target weight_______
Calorie Intake for weight loss________
How many 100 calorie snacks per day would you like to do?____× 100=_____
Calorie intake – calories from snacks = edible calories for meals__________
How much water per day should you drink for optimal weight loss?________
Take your current weight and divide by 2 and that will equal the amount of ounces per day you should be drinking.
One half of your total protein intake divided by two is equal to the amount of soy protein you should get per day – e.g. total protein per day =________÷2=_________
How many grams of soy protein should you get per day?____________
Class 3 Week 2
Snacks: How they fit into your weight-loss plan
Well-planned, healthy snacks can complement your weight-loss plan. Here are creative and healthy ways to satisfy your hunger.
Your stomach is growling, but lunch is hours away. You could indulge yourself with a snack, but you think it's best to avoid treats altogether and wait for lunch. Not so, if weight loss is your goal.
Though you may feel guilty about snacking, snacks aren't necessarily bad. In fact, mini meals several times a day can help manage hunger and reduce bingeing. Eating a healthy snack of low-fat crackers or fruit may stop you from taking second or third helpings at your next meal, dramatically cutting the calories you consume. Also, healthy meals often lose out to busy schedules. A grab-and-go snack could be the difference between some nourishment and none at all.
The key to incorporating snacks into your weight-loss plan is to plan them with variety, moderation and balance in mind.
Choose healthy snacks
Select foods that satisfy your hunger, supply your body with energy and provide important nutrients. Here are some of your best snack picks:
Whole grains. Whole-grain snacks are rich in fiber and complex carbohydrates, which give you energy with staying power. Look for items such as low-fat whole-grain crackers, whole-grain pretzels and whole-grain crispbreads.
Fruits and vegetables. Eating fruits and vegetables provides a feeling of fullness with no fat and only a small number of calories. They also provide vitamins, minerals, fiber and other nutrients.
Nuts and seeds. Nuts and seeds provide protein, so you will feel fuller longer. They can be high in fat, but it's mostly monounsaturated, a healthy kind of fat. Nuts and seeds are high in calories, however, so don't eat them in large quantities.
Low-fat dairy products. Cheese, yogurt and other dairy products are good sources of calcium and protein, plus many other vitamins and minerals. Dairy products can be high in fat, so choose the low-fat versions. Some yogurts have extra added sugar, so look for low-calorie or "light" varieties.
Though snacks can contribute to a healthy diet, they can also be a source of excess calories if not eaten in moderation. For example, a single serving of almonds (about 23 kernels, or a handful) contains 163 calories. But if you eat a cup of almonds, the calorie count jumps to 800-plus calories.
So what are your best choices? Here are several suggestions:
Quick, easy-to-prepare snacks
You'll find it easier to choose good-for-you snacks if you stock your refrigerator and shelves with foods that are fast — not fussy. These ideas for healthy snacks minimize fat and calories and maximize whole grains, fruits and vegetables.
Toast one-half of a whole-wheat English muffin. Top with one slice Canadian bacon, a tomato slice and one slice low-fat American cheese. Microwave until the cheese melts.
Mash half a banana into 2 teaspoons peanut butter and spread onto a mini whole-grain bagel. Large bagels contain up to 300 calories, so choose a smaller 2-ounce bagel.
Class 3 Week 2
Mix 1/4 cup cold leftover chicken or convenience-type chunk chicken with sliced seedless grapes, 1/2 tablespoon sunflower seeds, 1 tablespoon plain yogurt or fat-free mayonnaise, and a dash of curry powder. Stuff into a hollowed-out green pepper or half of a whole-wheat pita pocket.
Spread 1 tablespoon part-skim ricotta cheese over one-half of a minil cinnamon-raisin bagel. Sprinkle with cinnamon if desired and top with a thinly sliced apple.
Layer a 6-inch soft corn or flour tortilla with 2 tablespoons shredded low-fat cheddar or Monterey Jack cheese. Microwave until the cheese melts. Slice into bite-sized pie shapes. Dip into some salsa if desired.
Spread 1 tablespoon ricotta cheese over a brown rice cake. Layer with fresh strawberries or a tablespoon of sugar-free spreadable fruit. Or try using a spread of herbed goat cheese and sliced olives.
Top a small baked potato with 2 tablespoons fat-free plain yogurt and sprinkle with Cajun seasoning.
Spread 1 tablespoon fruit-flavored low-fat yogurt or 100 percent fruit jam over a slice of whole-grain crispbread.
Heed your hunger pangs, but forget the guilt. With planning and a little preparation, you can have healthy foods on hand so that you're ready when temptation strikes.
Class 3 Week 2
Cellular Nutrition
As more and more people hear about Cellular Nutrition, I find them asking certain key questions. ‘What is Cellular Nutrition?’ and ‘What can it do for my health and the health of my family?’
To understand Cellular Nutrition, let’s first look at the role that nutrition plays in modern health. Today, millions of people are aware that nutrition plays an important role, not just in terms of preventing chronic illness that can lead to catastrophic health problems, but that it has a vital role in our day-to-day well-being; how alert and energetic we are and the strength of our resistance to illnesses.
When most of us think of nutritional advice, we tend to think of the general guidelines which have been worked out by health authorities to avoid the kinds of excesses in our diets that can lead to overweight conditions and can compromise the cardiovascular system leading to heart attacks and strokes. Most of this advise takes the form of ‘Don’ts’: Don’t eat so much red meat. Don’t eat so much fat, especially saturated fats. Don’t eat so much sugar, salt etc.
Whereas this advice is very good (although often very difficult to follow) many nutritionally aware individuals are asking questions relating to what they should be eating and how they can be sure that they’re getting all of the essential nutrients and micronutrients, such as proteins, vitamins, minerals and trace elements.
One of the disturbing findings of which we have become aware is that the same kind of eating habits that lead to excesses of fat and cholesterol in our diets also result in deficiencies of key micronutrients which are needed by our cells on a daily basis to maintain health and vitality: to allow the cells to grow and repair, and to maintain the highest level of cell and organ function. The sad truth is for the vast majority of people is the average diet is a kind of double jeopardy. it contains excesses of foods that are harmful and can lead to disease. At the same time it has deficiencies of important vitamins, minerals and other micronutrients that are needed to maintain a high level of health and vitality.
Because of the explosion of health and nutrition information that we read about in magazines and see on television, many individuals find themselves searching for a better health program.
A program that can assure them of getting the kind of nutrition that will lead to better health. At the same time, they want a program which is practical, easy to use and which makes a difference in how they feel on a day-to-day basis. In fact, one of the most important elements that individuals look for in a health and nutrition program is that it will make a difference.
Class 3 Week 2
Countless individuals who are nutritionally sophisticated have tried program after program only to be disappointed in the results, either in terms of how they felt, or how it affected their weight (if they were searching for a weight control program).
They are tired of empty promises and exotic claims. They want results.
It is for these active, searching and interested people that Herbalife has developed its Cellular Nutrition program.
Cellular Nutrition simply means a nutrition program that has been designed so that the cells of our bodies-the tiniest living units-are as fully nourished as possible. This allows the cells to grow and repair and to perform their functions with the maximum efficiency possible.The results are that we feel and look better, we are better able to prevent and fight diseases and to control our weight when necessary.
Assuring proper Cellular Nutrition is considerably more complicated than simply avoiding a few excesses of the average western diet. It’s even more than just adding a few vitamins, healthful foods, juices, etc.
Cellular Nutrition begins by taking in a complete nutritional program that includes all of the essential micronutrients, eating a balanced diet and avoiding the excesses known to be harmful. At the same time it means taking advantage of the wealth of information that has been gained from the botanical world by incorporating health-building, nutritional herbs.
One of the major differences about Cellular Nutrition is that an excellent nutritional program is a good beginning but it is only a beginning. Simply consuming good nutrition will not really make a difference if the body is not able to fully digest and more importantly, absorb all the nutrition that is consumed.
Most of the nutrients we consume are absorbed into our body through the villi of the small intestine. These are small, finger-like projections which specialize in the absorption of nutrients. Most of us take it for granted that our bodies absorb all the nutrition from our diets efficiently and completely. For all to many of us, unfortunately, nutrient absorption may be diminished or impaired as a result of severely compromised eating habits, persistent dieting and other factors which may be due to the severe stress that often accompanies modern life.
This means that many of us are eating well but not getting the full nutritional benefits. One very important aspect of the Cellular Nutrition program is to ensure that our bodies absorb, to the fullest extent possible, the nutrients we do consume. In this way, we can counteract some of the damaging effects of poor eating
Class 3 Week 2
habits, a stressful lifestyle or even minor illnesses and begin a process of regenerating and revitalizing our cells with good nutrition.
Cellular Nutrition even goes a step further. An important part of the Cellular Nutrition program is a group of micronutrients and herbs which helps energize the body’s cells so they can function more efficiently and use the nutrition to further improve health and vitality. This process of ‘Cell Activation’ is the result of the exclusive and balanced micronutrient formula contained in Herbalife's Cellular Nutrition program. The end result is - we feel the difference!
Herbalife’s Cellular Nutrition program is state-of-the-art because it goes beyond the basic nutritional recommendations of what foods to avoid and provides the best herbal and micronutrition possible in an easy-to-use convenient form. It is also designed so that our bodies can absorb the essential nutrition and the cells can use the nutrition as effectively and completely as possible. The natural result of this is that our body’s cells themselves are better nourished.
How do we experience this? We experience this as an increased sense of well-being, energy,vitality and alertness. At the same time, we are assured that our bodies are receiving the kind of nutrition to help prevent and fight disease to the best of their ability.
For most of us who have been eating the average western diet, the results are quite dramatic when we begin Cellular Nutrition. We can actually feel and see the difference. We find that our health moves to a new and more vital level. We feel better and more alive. These results make us more highly motivated and it becomes easier to stick with a calorie reduced program to help control our weight.
It’s difficult to explore all of the nutritional and biochemical aspects of Cellular Nutrition in a few paragraphs. It is easy, however, to try Cellular Nutrition and feel the difference for oneself.
Here is my recommendation. If you are searching for a better nutritional program, one that can help you feel the difference, it’s my belief that you will find what you are looking for in Herbalife’s Cellular Nutrition Program.
Try it!
