Carbs, Fat and Protein - The Good, the Bad, and the Misinformed

Yep. You can no longer avoid it. I'm going to tell you that you SHOULD be eating carbs... and fat! It's all about consuming the right proportions of each nutrient, from the proper sources. Each "macronutrient" (Carbs, Protein, and Fat... some would add water) is essential to your body's proper functioning, and each serves a different and necessary purpose.

Carbs, Protein and Fat provide your body with calories, and although we often think of calories as our enemy, they are needed to maintain body temperature, and facilitate growth and repair of organs and tissues. We just don't want to continually consume more calories than our body needs to function.

Each macronutrient supplies a certain number of calories per gram of nutrient:
CARBOHYDRATES: 4 calories per gram
PROTEIN: 4 calories per gram
Fat: 9 (NINE) calories per gram
Therefore, if you eat the same sized morsel of fat as you eat of a carb or a protein, you are consuming MORE THAN TWICE the number of calories from the fat morsel. Hence, a weight gaining problemo.
FYI, Alcohol contains 7 calories per gram and does not provide any nutritional benefit.

Now, what do each of these macronutrients do for our body? In the (perhaps surprising) order of how much you should consume:

1. CARBOHYDRATES = 55% of your caloric intake
Uses in body: body's preferred source of energy (broken down into glucose), THE ONLY ENERGY SOURCE THE BRAIN AND NERVOUS SYSTEM CAN USE
Types: simple vs. complex carbs
- complex carbs (starches and fiber) take longer for body to break down, and provide fiber (keeps you feeling full longer by slowing the emptying of the stomach, reduces cholesterol and glucose, regulates bowel movements)
healthy options include: bread, rice, cereal, vegetables, beans, nuts
- simple carbs are rapidly digested and absorbed, causing you to have a sugar high and then a crash.
examples include: fruit, milk (good sources), soft drinks, cakes, cookies, candy (not great sources)
*You will want to get most of your carbohydrate nutrients from complex carbs.
*Try to make at least half of your grains whole (first ingredient listed says WHOLE grain or WHOLE wheat). Check on mypyramid.gov to see how many ounces of grains you should eat each day.
*Aim for 25 grams (women) - 35 grams (men) of fiber a day.
*All adults and children need at least 130 grams of carbohydrate a day to produce enough glucose for the brain to function (source: Hales, An Invitation to Health, p.148)

2. Fat = no more than 30% of your caloric intake
Uses in body: source of energy, fatty acids are necessary for growth and hormones, carries fat-soluble vitamins (A,D,E,K) into the body, regulates body temperature, provides protection around organs, enhances the flavor of food.
Types: unsaturated vs. saturated vs. trans fat
- unsaturated (mono or poly) fats are known as the "healthy" fat. For the most part, they provide your body with the necessary nutrients without negatively affecting your cholesterol. Some unsaturated fats can actually help reduce the LDL (bad) cholesterol in your body.
Examples: vegetable oils such as canola, olive, soybean, safflower and sunflower oils, also nuts, seeds, wheat germ, fish
- saturated fats will negatively affect your cholesterol and can lead to heart disease.
Examples: animal fats (meat and dairy), coconut oil, palm kernel oil; saturated fats are often solid at room temperature
- trans fats are often processed (hydrogenated) in order to have a longer shelf life. They are thought to be TWICE AS DAMAGING as saturated fats.
Examples: many baked goods and fried foods. Look for words like "hydrogenated" or "partially hydrogenated" in the ingredient list... it may say it has 0 grams of trans fat, but that is not true if either of those words are listed.
*Choose unsaturated fats for all of your fat intake.
*Saturated fats should be avoided as much as possible, but definitely should make up no more than 8-10% of your fat calories.
*There is no recommended level for trans fats, avoid as much as possible.

3. Protein = 15% of your caloric intake, or .8 grams per kg of body weight
Meat eaters have no problem achieving this amount and often eat more protein than their bodies can utilize.
Uses in body: provide amino acids our body is not able to produce on its own which are the body's major building material (repairs and decreases soreness of muscles after workouts), makes up our brain, muscles, skin, hair and connective tissue, needed to make hormones and antibodies, can also be used as a source of energy.
Types: Complete vs. Incomplete proteins
- Complete proteins each individually provide all of the amino acids your body needs. Examples: meat, fish, poultry, eggs, dairy products (note they are all animal proteins)
- Incomplete proteins do not provide all of the amino acids individually, but may provide high levels of certain amino acids. Combining two incomplete protein sources usually does the trick in creating a "complete" source (note: this is necessary for vegetarians).
Examples: vegetables, grains, nuts, dry beans
*Vary your protein sources to make sure you are getting all of the necessary amino acids.
*Aim for leaner meat sources such as fish, turkey and chicken (limit red meat).
*Avoid red meat and processed meats (bacon, hot dogs, lunch meat) as they can increase your risk of colon cancer.

Each day, at every meal, check your plate to see if you are getting an adequate percentage of your calories from each of these nutrients. You will find that with certain meals/snacks, you may be consuming more of one nutrient than you should. Not every meal will be perfectly proportioned, but aim to balance it out by the end of the day.

You should not need to go on a special diet that limits or takes out any of these nutrients. If you eat the proper portions every day and increase your physical activity, that is the safest way to lose weight AND KEEP IT OFF.

Restrictive diets aren't realistic lifestyle plans, and eventually you are going to have to learn to work with life, and you CAN BE successful!

Have a HEALTHY day!
~FitBritt

The Numbers that Drop the LBs.

Well? Have you done last week's assignment and found out how many calories you should be consuming each day? If you are looking to maintain your current weight, stick to that number and tweak it as needed (remember, because a calculation was used, this number is not 100% accurate). You can even add in a little more exercise (you should already be doing at least 30 minutes most days of the week) to give yourself a little more flexibility (ie: room for dessert) in your diet.

It truly does come down to the following scale:

If you want to lose weight, you will have to negate some calories by eating less and/or working out more. Let's break down some numbers:
- There are 3,500 calories in one pound of fat.
- Your goal should be to lose no more than 1-2 lbs a week (any more and you risk losing water and/or muscle weight instead, and it will most likely be more difficult to keep off).
- A healthy weight loss goal is to start with no more than 10% of your body weight (in the number of weeks it would take at 1-2 lbs a week).

So back to that pound of fat being 3,500 calories. That means to lose one pound a week, you would need a daily deficit of 500 calories (500 x 7 days a week = 3,500 calories). Likewise, to lose two pounds a week, that would be a 1,000 deficit each day (let's be honest, that's pretty challenging).

Remember that this deficit can (and should) come from a combination of taking some calories out of your diet and adding in more exercise. The good news is this can be flexible day by day (and this is how weight management becomes realistic to your lifestyle - no more yo-yo dieting!). Some days you just won't get an opportunity for a good calorie burning workout... on those days you'll have to eat less. On days you know you want to eat dessert or go out for drinks (more on the ridiculous number of empty calories in alcohol later), you'll need to plan extra workout time.

Please note: unless you are on a medically supervised weight loss plan, women should not go below 1200 calories a day, and men should not go lower than 1500 calories a day. As much as you might think "the lower I go the more weight I'll lose," the truth is your body has a limit where your thyroid and metabolism will significantly slow down when you starve yourself. Even with intense exercise, if your body is not getting an appropriate number of calories you will not lose weight (but will risk your health). Also remember that if you are breastfeeding or pregnant, you will need to a lot more calories for your body's and your baby's needs.

Up next: Carbs, Fat and Protein - The Good, the Bad, and the Misinformed. What percentages of each nutrient you should be consuming each day, the benefits of each nutrient and suggestions for healthy sources.

Have a HEALTHY day!
~ FitBritt

Counting Calories

Have you ever tried counting your calories? What number are you aiming for by the end of the day? How did you come up with that number? Why does everyone think they need 2,000 calories? Read on for some tools that will help you figure out your individualized caloric intake!

Your caloric intake will depend mostly on your metabolism, but also on your daily activity level as well as your ultimate goal (gain, lose, maintain weight). Your metabolism is also very unique to you and is dependent upon many factors including:
Weight
Body Composition
Age
Gender
Genetics
Hormones
Drugs
Stress

Therefore, two females the same height and weight could have very different compositional make-ups, and therefore would have completely different metabolic rates!

Because it is so dependent on each of these factors, it’s best to actually have your metabolism tested in a fasted state to truly understand how your body works. This requires finding a place that offers testing with either a handheld device (such as the BodyGem which is less accurate but less expensive) or the full machine (metabolic cart) in which you lay in a “bubble” for twenty minutes and your oxygen and carbon dioxide exchange is analyzed. These tests give you your resting metabolic rate, or the number of calories that you burn each day just laying around and staying alive.
From this point, calculations can be done based on your activity level throughout the day, as well as your weight management goals to come up with a number of how many calories you should consume each day. Finally, you can make the caloric intake more flexible by adding exercise to burn off some of the additional calories that you consume (however don't make this the only reason you exercise - you'll be missing out on many great health benefits!).
This is the best approach to knowing exactly what your body needs and having specific numbers to help you reach your goals. Check with your gym or with a nutritionist to see if either of these tests are available. If you live near a university, it is very likely they have the equipment, it's just a matter of whether or not community members can pay or volunteer to take the tests.
So... how many calories can you safely subtract for weight loss and at what rate is weight loss most successful? You’ll have to stay tuned! In the meanwhile, I’m giving you an assignment to come up with a general idea about your caloric intake, since it is unlikely many of you will be able to have your metabolism tested.
Have you checked out the "new" food guide pyramid? Go to www.mypyramid.gov and spend as much time as you can clicking around this site. Your specific assignment:
1. Click on "I want to... Get a Personalized Plan" on the right side.
2. Fill out the needed information.
3. If it gives you the option of selecting a program for your current weight or for moving to a healthier weight... I, of course, suggest to move toward a healthier weight.
4. Keeping in mind that this does not take into consideration many individual factors, you now have a suggested nutrition program! Your suggested caloric intake should be written on the top line in bold. Below that is a breakdown of the proper proportions for each nutrient to add up to your calorie count.
5. If you scroll down you'll see a yellow bar for Fat and Discretionary calories. This gives you the number of calories in your plan that you can use for oils, condiments, salad dressings, dessert, etc.
6. Play around with it! Next to each colored tab you can click on "tips" to get suggestions for eating the healthier options for each category (wheat vs. white grains, etc.) Once you've clicked on tips you can also click on "What counts as one ounce" on the right side to get a better idea of the amount you should ingest daily.
7. You can also print a PDF of your plan to keep posted on your fridge, and also PDF checklists to see how close you come to meeting your plan each day.
8. If you are really excited about the record keeping, you can even click on MyPyramid Tracker to log your food and exercise. You can see many charts for how you are doing throughout the day that will help you know when you've eaten too much fat, not enough grains, etc.
**Alright all you moms out there... did you see that there is also a link for kids as well as for moms? There's even a pregnancy and breastfeeding link.

Check it out and let me know what you think! Next week we'll discuss altering your caloric intake and adding exercise in a safe and effective way to lose weight.