Alright, here is another one on the list of debunking some of the so called nutrition facts. Fat is not the big evil nutrient that packs on the pounds. It also plays a vital role in our health. Like everything, please use in moderation.
Please be aware that fat is important but that most of us take in way too much of it and of the wrong kind. Most Americans
take in 35% fat in their diet which is plenty (too much). Taking in that amount of fat blows any calorie intake up and makes weight loss almost impossible.
What are “healthy fats”? Healthy fats are usually mono- and polyunsaturated fats that you can find in vegetable oils. Saturated and considerably more unhealthy fats are connected to higher cholesterol levels and are usually found in animal fats, chocolate candies, fried foods and high fat dairy products.
Facts about Fat:
- Your intake should be around 15-30% of your daily intake
- Your fat metabolism is dependent on carbohydrates to complete the metabolic cycle. That tells you: Keep eating carbohydrates to lose weight!
- Fat supplementation in athletes does not benefit performance, quite the opposite it reduces performances significantly. Add fat only if the food intake should be >4000 kcal/day!
- Omega -3 and -6 fatty acids help with healthy skin, neural functions and reduce the risk for heart attack and stroke. You can find these fats usually in cold water fish (salmon, albacore tuna, atlantic herring)
- The average person has at any time roughly 50 000- 100 000 kcal of fat stored. That would allow that person to walk 500-1000 miles
- There are an additional 2000-3000 kcal of fat stored in muscle tissue.
Let me know if you have any questions regarding this. If you are interested in getting lean, flat abs and toned. Check out our personal training and our boot camps.
Michael
Alright, as a personal trainer I have seen many things. People have so many reasons to eat it is amazing. Here some things that you can do to start modifying your eating habits!
- What are your food triggers?
- If fights makes you eat, try to clarify the situation as soon as you can. It is not worth sulking if it makes you eat 500 kcal of junk.
- If you are stressed at work and would go for the candy drawer (I know a person or two who do that J ) get up and get some water.
- Boredom eater. Instead of sitting in front of the TV flipping channels, go and organize your closet, you do something productive and you don’t eat.
- Don’t shop for groceries if you are hungry!
- If you have the tendency to pile food on your plate until it is overflowing, grab a smaller plate or grab food that is low in calories.
- Goals
- I have said it many times: make sure you set reasonable goals. Don’t go all out and try to lose 10 lbs in a week. Yes, you might have heard people do that but that is never just fat unless they were exercising all day long. A reasonable goal is 1-2 lbs a week. Initially, it might be a little bit more but then it is water as well. Remember one pound of fat is 3500 kcal that need to be burnt/consumed less. Try to get a steady 30-45 min workout/walk in almost every day and you are making headway.
- Setting unreasonable goals that we don’t achieve often trigger our desire to eat. So you are better off, setting goals that are achievable and don’t tempt you to eat your frustrations.
- Do it like the Tour de France
- Like I said before, work in stages, set yourself short, middle and long term goals. Big goals will also trigger big hunger. Working in stages definitely helps, call it chunking.
- Leave Track marks… on a piece of paper!
- Write down “before” and “after” measurements. Don’t measure every day, once a week is sufficient
- Make sure you know your height, body fat, BMI,
- Log your food. This is the single BIGGEST MISTAKE people trying to lose weight make. Knowing what you are eating and how much will get you to your goal faster and you can calculate in some of the “naughty” stuff you like to eat here and there.
- Be nice to yourself
- Treat yourself with a present for achieving your goal but please, don’t let it be food. A massage is great, or some new clothes.
- Don’t be hasty. I know it is easy to eat fast nowadays, but make sure you drink a sip of water between every bite and you will see the weight comes down faster.
These are just a couple of tips that are really helpful for losing weight. I know it is not easy. Come to my personal training studio or give me a call and we can see how we can help you get to the new you! Check our website for Boot Camps and Personal Training options!
