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In the News - January 2008
Cutting calories pays big dividends at year's end
TEXARKANA, Ark. - If you have ever tried to lose weight, you know that it
seems easier to gain than remove.
"There's a simple solution to losing weight that requires basic math; you
have to burn more calories than you take in," says Carla Haley, Miller County
agent with the University of Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service.
Sounds easy enough right? Simply make slight 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 1- to
2-pound weight loss in a year. Now if you want to lose more, you will have to
take it a step further, Haley said.
"If you shave just 500 calories a day from your diet, that will result in
3,500 calories or one pound per week," she said.
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 it
can be as simple as skipping that regular-size sausage biscuit with egg (500
calories, 32 grams fat) at the drive-through and opting for a breakfast at home
consisting of a slice whole wheat toast with two teaspoons of jelly, a cup of
shredded wheat cereal, a cup of 1 percent milk, three-fourths cup orange juice
and a cup of coffee with an ounce of 1 percent 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.
Remember, Haley said, you don't 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. Instead
of 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. 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. If you simply can't do
without your daily mocha coffee, choose skim or 2 percent milk
and skip the syrup of choose fat free.
- 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. The Web site, MyPyramid.gov, features both a physical activity journal and
food journal to get you started.
For more information about diet and exercise, contact your county extension
agent or visit www.uaex.edu and select Health and
Nutrition. The Cooperative Extension Service is part of the U of A Division of
Agriculture.
January 25, 2008
Media Contact: Lamar James
Extension Communications Specialist
U of A Division of Agriculture
Cooperative Extension Service
(501) 671-2187 or (501) 753-0207
ljames@uaex.edu
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