Miller County Newsletters
Haley's Comment
Cutting Calories Pays Big Dividends at Years-End
January 16, 2008
If you have ever tired to lose weight, you know that it seems easier to gain
than take it off. There is a simple solution to losing weight that requires
basic math; you have to burn more calories than you take in, or the result is an
addition of pounds.
Sounds easy enough right? Simply make incremental adjustments to your eating and
exercise habits that can shave calories here and there for maximum impact.
One example would be shaving just 100 calories per day to result in a one to two
pound weight loss in a year. Now if you want to lose more, you will have to take
it a step further.
If you shave just 500 calories a day from your diet, that will result in 3500
calories or 1 pound per week. Five hundred calories a day may seem like a lot,
but it can be as simple as substituting water (0 calories) for a 32 ounce soft
drink (310 calories). Or skipping that regular-size sausage biscuit with egg
(500 calories, 32 grams fat) at the drive thru and opting for a breakfast at
home consisting of: 1 slice whole wheat toast with 2 tsp. of jelly, 1 cup
shredded wheat cereal, 1 cup of 1% milk, three fourths cup orange juice, and 1
cup of coffee with 1 ounce of 1 % milk. You get all of this for only 505
calories and 5.5 grams of fat.
The good news is that you can also slash those 500 calories through exercise
such as walking for 30 to 45 minutes to burn 250 calories. If you weight 220
pounds, jogging one hour burns 825 calories. Remember, you do not have to do all
your exercise at one time, you can break it down in 15 minute segments. Your
results will be small at first, but small changes will yield big dividends over
time.
Wondering what else you can do to cut calories and increase physical activity?
Here are several simple things you can do!
Order two appetizers, instead of an entrée, that is. It's no secret that
serving sizes at restaurants have grown. Thirty years ago, a cheese burger had
333 calories, today according to the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, a
cheese burger (one fourth pound of meat and cheese) has 590 calories. You would
have to lift weights 1 hour and 30 minutes to burn those extra 257 calories. So,
rather than ordering a main course, choose a half sandwich, or pasta dish and
salad or soup from the appetizer column.
Start with salad. Salads when topped with light dressing and low-fat cheeses
provide substantially less calories than an entrée, and provide you with the
valuable vegetable servings you need per day, plus vitamins and minerals without
adding undesired calories. Don’t forget to ask for salad dressing on the side to
avoid a dressing laden salad.
Do you want to eat your calories or drink them? Watch coffee calories. The
specialty coffees today can contain as many calories as an entire lunch. A
16-ounce mocha coffee with whole milk and mocha syrup has 350 calories. Keep in
mind that it would take a 130 pound person 1 hour and 30 minutes to walk off
those 305 calories! If you simply can not do without your daily mocha coffee,
choose skim or 2 percent milk and skip the syrup of choose fat free. Your heart
and waistline will thank you for it.
Sleep well, lose more. A study through the Agricultural Research Service of the
USDA has indicated that even an hour a night of sleep deprivation can boost your
appetite and diminish your ability to control behavior. Getting enough sleep
gives you more energy to be physically active and makes it less likely that you
will overeat.
Keep an exercise journal. Since we know it takes both reduced caloric intake and
increased physical activity, track your progress with an exercise journal. This
keeps you accountable for the goal you have set, helps you focus on your goal,
plus lets you know what you have accomplished. The website
MyPyramid.gov
features both a physical activity journal and food journal to get you started.
Losing weight and becoming physically active have benefits beyond outwardly
appearance. They make you healthy from the “inside out.” So evaluate small
changes you can take to increase your physical activity and reduce calorie
consumption. Your body and your health will thank you for it.
If you are interested in learning more about eating healthy, contact our
office at the University of Arkansas, Division of Agriculture, Cooperative
Extension Service in Miller County. We will send you MyPyramid information to
help you. You may reach us at 400 Laurel, Suite 215 in Texarkana, call
870-779-3609, or e-mail me at chaley@uaex.edu.
You may also visit us on the web at www.uaex.edu or
go to www.MyPyramid.gov.
We appreciate your feedback!
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