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Step 6Food!
A calorie is not an evil gremlin lurking behind your food, infesting it with evil. A calorie is a scientific measurement of heat. That is why we say "burning calories" instead of "hunting down and bashing calories".
Your body burns calories at a constant rate. This rate is called metabolism. A few things to know about your metabolism:
1. Your metabolism slows down with age. At around 17 to 19 years old your metabolism begins to slow. At around 28 to 30 your metabolism slows down at a faster rate. As your metabolism slows, you must limit your food intake, reduce your calories or you will suffer the effects.
2. Your metabolism CAN be changed! By eating many small meals (4 or 5 a day) and not skipping meals, your metabolism speeds up to cope with the constant need to work through the food!
3. Your metabolism is NOT your blood pressure, and it is NOT effected (enough to make any real difference) by caffeine. Caffeine is an addictive substance and should be avoided if possible for long term over all health.
4. Herbal supplements that say that they increase your metabolism do not work! Herbal supplements are not regulated by the F.D.A., this means that they may work, or not, or have undesired side effects, or who knows what, and who knows if anyone is accountable. Also consider that even over the counter drugs come with side effect warnings and a way to get in touch with someone if there is an allergy. What would happen if you were to have an alergic reaction to some bit of an herbal supplement? How long would it take for a doctor to figure out which herb did this to you, in what quantity, and how to fix it, and all this while you are suffering? Don't waste your time. Herbal metabolism boosters are usually caffeine based, some say they block cortisol. Blocking cortisol can lead (in some cases) to weight gain. Don't be suckered into a fad.
Strive for your diet to contain 1500 calories or less, a day. Body shape, and size are not a factor, however your height maybe. People who are overweight taller then 6'5 require more calories, shorter then 5'2 require fewer calories. Consult your doctor.
PAY ATTENTION. This is the most valuable advice I can give. When are you eating? Are you a snacker? Have you thought about what you are doing to your body or are you mindlessly eating?
Every time you put anything in your mouth, THINK: "What am I eating? Will this work for, or against my goals?".
Look at food labels! They can be very deceptive if you do not LOOK for the tricks they contain. A small bag of chips may have 10 grams of fat per serving, but you eat the whole bag. That is NOT a serving. The whole bag may contain as much as 4 servings. That's 40 grams of fat you just ate. Whoopsy. Look at serving sizes. Look at how many servings per container. Multiply the calories by the servings and you get a total for the entire container. Here is a good example: Pringles Original has 160 calories per ounce. There are 6 ounces in one package. If you eat half a package you just ate 480 calories, and you are still hungry. If you ate the whole thing, that would be 960 calories. Think to yourself: "Is this really the way I want to spend my allotment of calories? Am I still hungry after I eat this food?"
You must count the calories that enter your body, there are no calories that are ignored by your body, so why should you?
One of the most often overlooked sources of extra calories are drinks. Soft drinks contain calories, fruit juice does as well, so do milk, coffee and liqueur. In fact alcohol contains TONS of calories. Diet drinks are not good for you. The word "DIET" is a marketing term used to dupe those who are not PAYING ATTENTION. That's not you! Diet usually means "this product does not contain sugar, it contains artificial sweeteners!". Since we are looking at calories, sugar is not the issue. Look out for industry "buzz words" on packages such as: "All Natural", "Low Carb", "Atkins Approved", "Diet", "Lean", "Weight", "Thin", "Healthy", "100%".
You will find that with only 1500 calories a day or less, only certain foods will fill you up, and give you enough energy for the whole day. Mostly fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. Meats are optional. Farmers markets are a great, low priced solution to the grocery bill. Don't be suckered in to the "organic" produce at the store. This may cut down on some harmless chemicals used long before you get the food and most experts agree, they are either washed off by you, or before you get them, and the level of toxicity is so low that it doesn't effect you. "Organic" foods are expensive and they don't taste any different then regular foods.
Remember that a whole tomato has 35 calories, and no fat, a small McDonald's fries has 230 calories and 11 grams of fat.
What do you do with all the fruits and vegetables? Eat them raw, if you are up to it, but there are hundreds of thousands of recipes online that you can use! If you want whole grains, read the label, if the first word of the first ingredients is not "WHOLE" then it is not really a whole grain. Eating WHOLE foods, and RAW foods makes your body process the food, it gives your insides a workout that makes them stronger. It also keeps you regular!
The "cheese trap" is very dangerous. Cheese is an addictive substance and can be difficult to control. Only 4 ounces of cheddar cheese can have 440 calories! 14 ounces of cheese has your entire allotment of calories for a whole day!
Add-ons like dressings and sauces contain hidden calories too! Ketchup, mustard, pickles, mayo, sour cream, and ANYTHING you add to food counts. Chemically a calorie is a calorie, fat is fat, and it all adds up even if YOU CHOOSE not to add it yourself. If you do not count a calorie that you ingest, then you are only cheating yourself. Be responsible!
Budget your calories wisely. The object is to take in FEWER calories then you burn. Your body sees food as chemical energy, basically fuel. The wrong kind of fuel will give you a body that you will not like.
Watch out for the "a little won't kill me" trap. This form of reasoning leads people to the conclusion "I ate healthy for breakfast this week, so I can eat anything I want for the rest of the day and I will still loose weight. Besides, I did 10 minutes of cardio yesterday so I am good.". This is the cycle of thinking that leads to over eating and consuming way too many calories. When you feel yourself slipping into this way of "reasoning out bad decisions", catch yourself, and remember what "a little" really is. Having some food that is bad for you, once every month, in very limited quantity, will not harm you. Having that same food three to four times a week and calling it a "reward" will definitely stop you from reaching your goals. A reward is something that you get for doing well, but if you reward yourself with bad foods, you take two steps toward loosing weight and three away.
A personal experience of mine: I know a girl who has had weight problems for years. She rationalizes bad food as "I can't eat that healthy stuff, it tastes bad." and "I'm just eating six pieces of bread with nothing on it, it's ok because bread is good for me!" and "I weigh more, so I must use more calories, so a diet with 2700+ calories is good.". She has made her choice. The choice to be fat and get blood clots from a sedentary lifestyle. She eats way too much sugar and is at high risk for type 2 diabetes. She reads food labels, but she doesn't care that she is consuming more fat, calories, and salt then is healthy. She wants to change and have her wish to suddenly be thin, granted. I have explained that hard work and years of eating right will get her where she wants to go. This is NOT what she wanted to hear. She is always looking for the next diet fad, pill, powder, or exercise gym equipment. Then she rewards herself with donuts and hot wings and pizza, and she ends up larger. She wonders why she can't get ahead. It frustrates me, but I have learned that no matter how hard to push, no matter how many times someone ends up in the hospital, no matter what education some people are given, you can NEVER change them, they MUST find a way to evolve, or they will die.
Observe the elderly. Those who have made it for 85, 90, 95 years or so. Do you see ANY overweight people? Plan on living long? Don't come back with "you never know how much time you have" to justify poor health. People are living longer, more productive, and healthier lives. Some of the best medical advice was given to me at an early age: Eating right and exercising is really the best medicine, it reduces your risks of disease and allows you to live healthy, and full, productive lives.
A quick word on type 2 diabetes. This is the most common form of diabetes. There are some genetic factors, but for most of the world, type 2 diabetes is 100% avoidable. Eating a diet high in simple sugars, being overweight and not exercising are the factors you need to control. You need never have type 2 diabetes.
Your body burns calories at a constant rate. This rate is called metabolism. A few things to know about your metabolism:
1. Your metabolism slows down with age. At around 17 to 19 years old your metabolism begins to slow. At around 28 to 30 your metabolism slows down at a faster rate. As your metabolism slows, you must limit your food intake, reduce your calories or you will suffer the effects.
2. Your metabolism CAN be changed! By eating many small meals (4 or 5 a day) and not skipping meals, your metabolism speeds up to cope with the constant need to work through the food!
3. Your metabolism is NOT your blood pressure, and it is NOT effected (enough to make any real difference) by caffeine. Caffeine is an addictive substance and should be avoided if possible for long term over all health.
4. Herbal supplements that say that they increase your metabolism do not work! Herbal supplements are not regulated by the F.D.A., this means that they may work, or not, or have undesired side effects, or who knows what, and who knows if anyone is accountable. Also consider that even over the counter drugs come with side effect warnings and a way to get in touch with someone if there is an allergy. What would happen if you were to have an alergic reaction to some bit of an herbal supplement? How long would it take for a doctor to figure out which herb did this to you, in what quantity, and how to fix it, and all this while you are suffering? Don't waste your time. Herbal metabolism boosters are usually caffeine based, some say they block cortisol. Blocking cortisol can lead (in some cases) to weight gain. Don't be suckered into a fad.
Strive for your diet to contain 1500 calories or less, a day. Body shape, and size are not a factor, however your height maybe. People who are overweight taller then 6'5 require more calories, shorter then 5'2 require fewer calories. Consult your doctor.
PAY ATTENTION. This is the most valuable advice I can give. When are you eating? Are you a snacker? Have you thought about what you are doing to your body or are you mindlessly eating?
Every time you put anything in your mouth, THINK: "What am I eating? Will this work for, or against my goals?".
Look at food labels! They can be very deceptive if you do not LOOK for the tricks they contain. A small bag of chips may have 10 grams of fat per serving, but you eat the whole bag. That is NOT a serving. The whole bag may contain as much as 4 servings. That's 40 grams of fat you just ate. Whoopsy. Look at serving sizes. Look at how many servings per container. Multiply the calories by the servings and you get a total for the entire container. Here is a good example: Pringles Original has 160 calories per ounce. There are 6 ounces in one package. If you eat half a package you just ate 480 calories, and you are still hungry. If you ate the whole thing, that would be 960 calories. Think to yourself: "Is this really the way I want to spend my allotment of calories? Am I still hungry after I eat this food?"
You must count the calories that enter your body, there are no calories that are ignored by your body, so why should you?
One of the most often overlooked sources of extra calories are drinks. Soft drinks contain calories, fruit juice does as well, so do milk, coffee and liqueur. In fact alcohol contains TONS of calories. Diet drinks are not good for you. The word "DIET" is a marketing term used to dupe those who are not PAYING ATTENTION. That's not you! Diet usually means "this product does not contain sugar, it contains artificial sweeteners!". Since we are looking at calories, sugar is not the issue. Look out for industry "buzz words" on packages such as: "All Natural", "Low Carb", "Atkins Approved", "Diet", "Lean", "Weight", "Thin", "Healthy", "100%".
You will find that with only 1500 calories a day or less, only certain foods will fill you up, and give you enough energy for the whole day. Mostly fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. Meats are optional. Farmers markets are a great, low priced solution to the grocery bill. Don't be suckered in to the "organic" produce at the store. This may cut down on some harmless chemicals used long before you get the food and most experts agree, they are either washed off by you, or before you get them, and the level of toxicity is so low that it doesn't effect you. "Organic" foods are expensive and they don't taste any different then regular foods.
Remember that a whole tomato has 35 calories, and no fat, a small McDonald's fries has 230 calories and 11 grams of fat.
What do you do with all the fruits and vegetables? Eat them raw, if you are up to it, but there are hundreds of thousands of recipes online that you can use! If you want whole grains, read the label, if the first word of the first ingredients is not "WHOLE" then it is not really a whole grain. Eating WHOLE foods, and RAW foods makes your body process the food, it gives your insides a workout that makes them stronger. It also keeps you regular!
The "cheese trap" is very dangerous. Cheese is an addictive substance and can be difficult to control. Only 4 ounces of cheddar cheese can have 440 calories! 14 ounces of cheese has your entire allotment of calories for a whole day!
Add-ons like dressings and sauces contain hidden calories too! Ketchup, mustard, pickles, mayo, sour cream, and ANYTHING you add to food counts. Chemically a calorie is a calorie, fat is fat, and it all adds up even if YOU CHOOSE not to add it yourself. If you do not count a calorie that you ingest, then you are only cheating yourself. Be responsible!
Budget your calories wisely. The object is to take in FEWER calories then you burn. Your body sees food as chemical energy, basically fuel. The wrong kind of fuel will give you a body that you will not like.
Watch out for the "a little won't kill me" trap. This form of reasoning leads people to the conclusion "I ate healthy for breakfast this week, so I can eat anything I want for the rest of the day and I will still loose weight. Besides, I did 10 minutes of cardio yesterday so I am good.". This is the cycle of thinking that leads to over eating and consuming way too many calories. When you feel yourself slipping into this way of "reasoning out bad decisions", catch yourself, and remember what "a little" really is. Having some food that is bad for you, once every month, in very limited quantity, will not harm you. Having that same food three to four times a week and calling it a "reward" will definitely stop you from reaching your goals. A reward is something that you get for doing well, but if you reward yourself with bad foods, you take two steps toward loosing weight and three away.
A personal experience of mine: I know a girl who has had weight problems for years. She rationalizes bad food as "I can't eat that healthy stuff, it tastes bad." and "I'm just eating six pieces of bread with nothing on it, it's ok because bread is good for me!" and "I weigh more, so I must use more calories, so a diet with 2700+ calories is good.". She has made her choice. The choice to be fat and get blood clots from a sedentary lifestyle. She eats way too much sugar and is at high risk for type 2 diabetes. She reads food labels, but she doesn't care that she is consuming more fat, calories, and salt then is healthy. She wants to change and have her wish to suddenly be thin, granted. I have explained that hard work and years of eating right will get her where she wants to go. This is NOT what she wanted to hear. She is always looking for the next diet fad, pill, powder, or exercise gym equipment. Then she rewards herself with donuts and hot wings and pizza, and she ends up larger. She wonders why she can't get ahead. It frustrates me, but I have learned that no matter how hard to push, no matter how many times someone ends up in the hospital, no matter what education some people are given, you can NEVER change them, they MUST find a way to evolve, or they will die.
Observe the elderly. Those who have made it for 85, 90, 95 years or so. Do you see ANY overweight people? Plan on living long? Don't come back with "you never know how much time you have" to justify poor health. People are living longer, more productive, and healthier lives. Some of the best medical advice was given to me at an early age: Eating right and exercising is really the best medicine, it reduces your risks of disease and allows you to live healthy, and full, productive lives.
A quick word on type 2 diabetes. This is the most common form of diabetes. There are some genetic factors, but for most of the world, type 2 diabetes is 100% avoidable. Eating a diet high in simple sugars, being overweight and not exercising are the factors you need to control. You need never have type 2 diabetes.
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Jul 9, 2009. 10:45 PMPierce777
says:
Organic foods are not just about pesticides... Organic foods are about the quality of the food produced... A lot of the vitamins and minerals in fruits, vegetables, or dairy products develop over time... A lot of non-organic food is forced to mature more quickly than it would naturally and is not as good for you body... Tomatoes, for example, may be gas ripened so that they appear red and tasty before they are actually fully ripe and the best for your body, and a lot of cows and chickens are given growth hormones so that they produce more eggs or milk more quickly than they would normally... I think you may have judged organic foods a little too quickly... There have also been many behavioral studies in people with ADD or ADHD or violent behavioral tendencies who were switched to organic diets and saw complete recovery once these "harmless" chemicals and additives were removed from their diets... Organic food does not have to be a giant cost if you get it at the right places... maybe you should give it another try... A big part of having a healthy body is putting good food into your body and giving your body food that it will be able to get a lot out of, not just calories...
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Jul 10, 2009. 12:47 AMfroSTed (author)
says:
Pierce777, Thank you for your opinion. This instructable deals with facts. I do not believe that any scientific studies have evidenced pesticides, in the quantity ingested after eating foods that have been sprayed, are dangerous to humans. The "organic" debate is a good one, however, this instructable is about weight loss and general health, not religious belief. Thanks.
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1
Jul 19, 2008. 12:01 AMdemolsher502
says:
Your weight is a major factor in the amount of calories you should consume in a day. If you consume too little, it could be very dangerous for you, however, to lose weight you must consume a lesser amount of calories. Talk to a doctor or professional to find out a good calorie intake count.
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Jul 20, 2008. 7:00 AMfroSTed (author)
says:
Please read step #1 demolosher502.
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