Weight Loss Tips for Shaping Up this Summer

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Nutrition News
Weight Loss Tips for Shaping Up

By Janet Little CN
Henry�s Farmers Market Nutritionist

Before you begin any weight loss or fitness program, it's important to check with your healthcare professional.

By knowing your BMI (Body Mass Index) and your BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate), you can adjust your dietary and exercise needs to achieve your goals. Here are two equations to get your started.

Know Your BMI (body mass index)
Body Mass Index can be calculated using pounds and inches with this equation:

Less than 18.5 - Underweight
18.5 to 24.5 Normal weight
25 to 29 Overweight
30 to 34 Obese
35 to 39 Severely Obese
Over 40 Super Obese

Know your BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate)
Basal Metabolic Rate can be calculated using pounds and inches with this equation:

BMR = 655 + (4.35 x Weight in Pounds) + (4.7 x height in inches) - (4.7 x age)

Example: If you�re a 30 year old who is 5'5" and weighs 150 pounds, your BMR is:
BMR= 655 + (4.35 x 150) + (4.7 + 65) � (4.7 x 30) = 1472 calories

Improving your Metabolic Motor with Physical Activity
Creating an effective fitness plan is essential to any longterm weight management goal. There are 3 key elements that you need to consider.

1 ) Write Down Your Goals
Be sure that your goal is measurable, specific, and attainable. For example, instead of writing, � I want to lose weight, � direct your goal planning to be more specific, such as: in 4 months I want to lower my BMI by 3 points. Commitment - It takes dedication, consistency, and a determined and purposeful attitude to be successful.

2 ) Cardiovascular Fitness
First chose an activity that you enjoy: walking, running, biking, swimming, or tennis. Engage in your aerobic activity about 30 to 60 minutes, 3 to 5 times per week. Your physical activity need not be strenuous to be beneficial. Staying within your low-key heart rate, 50 percent to 75 percent of your maximum heart rate best develops aerobic activity and is ideal for fat burning weight loss. Be sure to mix up your cardiovascular activity so you don't become bored.

To determine your maximum heart rate, use this formula:
220 � your age = maximum heart rate (MHR)
Multiply MHR by 0.50 and by 0.75 to find your target training zone

3 ) Strength Training
A well-designed weight-training program trains your entire body. First you need to learn proper lifting techniques. A myriad of information is available, books and magazines, or you may want to consult a knowledgeable personal trainer to help you get started. The key is to begin slowly. Chose an appropriate weight when training. If you�re a beginner use light weights and high repetitions � 12 to 17 repetitions ( repetitions are the number of times a particular exercise is performed) .

Building lean muscle tissue ( muscle mass) helps your body to burn more calories.
One extra pound of muscle helps to burn an extra 100 calories daily.
Muscle mass is also denser than fat and weighs three times more than fat tissue. So when you start to lose fat and build muscle, you begin to tone your body which helps reduce your waist size.
Weight training builds connective tissues, strong joints, and strong bones that are essential to help prevent degenerative diseases such as osteoarthritis.

Beginner - 4 week program
Cardio: 3 times per week.
Work up to 30 minute cardio and stay in lower heart rate range.

Weight training: 2 times per week.
Train your entire body with some type of resistant weight training.

Rest body for 1 week: Cut activity by 20 - 50%

Advanced - 4 week program
Cardio: 3 times per week.
30 - 60 minutes, increase heart rate by increasing intensity

Upper body weight training: 2 times per week.
Train entire upper body with a weight that works your muscles

Lower body weight training: 1 time per week.
Use lighter weights and keep reps at 12 - 15.

Improving your Metabolic Motor with Good Nutrition
Focus your diet on a well-balanced, nutrient- dense diet plan. Carbohydrates are needed to fuel the muscles, proteins help to rebuild muscles and tissues, and fats are use as a long energy source for fuel. The value of good nutrition is essential for maximizing your fitness results. You need to properly fuel your body if you want to reach your goals.

Did you know that most of the calories that you consume are used to power your anatomical systems and functions? Only 15-30% of your calories are burned through intentional activities.

Guidelines to keep your motor burning with constant fueling:

A 12 hour fast can decrease your metabolic rate by 40 percent.
When you ship meals, your body goes into starvation mode rather than burning mode.
Large meals should contain approximately 500 - 700 calories
Small meals should contain approximately 200 - 300 calories
Snacks should contain approximately 100 - 200 calories

Tips for Eating Out
1. Watch out for value meals at fast food restaurants. We are often encouraged to buy largersized portions because they provide a better value for our money. But while these oversized portions may be good for our wallets, they are not necessarily good for our waistlines or our health.

2. Order wisely: Instead of an appetizer and main course, opt for smaller portions by ordering two appetizers instead. Plan to share an entree with your dining companion. Likewise, order one dessert and share it with the table. And when at fast-food restaurants, opt for the salads or grilled meat or fish. Ask for salad dressing on the side. Dip the salad into the dressing or spoon a tablespoon of it over the salad.

3. Start with a doggie bag: Often restaurant portions are so huge, it's easy to feel satisfied even if you only eat half of what is served. Ask for the doggie bag to arrive when your dinner is served so you can set some of your meal aside.

Chemistry Connection Between Food and Fat
Set your own � SET-Point � by using a 4 week cycle: 4 weeks of slowly losing weight and 2 - 4 weeks of maintaining the weightloss

After 4 weeks - the trick is to stop losing weight and maintain the weight loss that you experienced within the last 4 weeks. Try to maintain your weight for 2 - 4 weeks.

To help avoid the yo-yo dieting, you need to give your body time to adjust to your new weight. The longer you give your body time to adjust to your new weight, the longer you�ll keep the weight off.

Week 1:

Begin your program with a body detox that cleanses your liver and lymphatic system. Although our bodies have a natural detox defense, it's often overloaded with health-threatening toxins. Your liver is the master cleanser that helps to breakdown fats in our system; a sluggish liver can impair digestion and weight-loss.
Determine your BMR and appropriately adjust your daily calorie needs. For most people a diet of 1200 calories is too low ;It will put your body into starvation mode. I suggest that you don� t go lower than 1500 - 1700 calories a day.
Determine your daily protein needs multiply your body weight by .7 � 1 to determine grams of protein, 20% of your total daily calories should be from good fats, rest of your calories should come from carbohydrates.
Start your activity program

Week 2:

Now that you revamped your diet, let � s get a bit more serious. For the next week keep a food journal. A daily diet journal can help keep you on track, and help you spot any errors with your plan. Adjust your diet plan as needed. Incorporate new foods into your diet. If you find that you � re cheating on your diet each day, review your food selections: are they satisfying your taste buds? Are you eating enough food? Get more from your workouts without falling into the boredom trap. Incorporate interval training, cross-training, different types if training into your fitness program.

Week 3:

Your daily diet should maximize your health. All processed foods should be eliminated from your diet. Tempting foods should be banished from your cupboards. If you can't rid yourself of these tempting treats, then sequester them to a separate area for the family. Give your kitchen a healthy makeover. Stop by Henry's and pick up some local fresh produce and seafood. Stock your cupboards with whole grains, dried beans and legumes.

Week 4:

Be sure that your consuming enough calories each day.
For this last week, consume lots of leafy green veggies to help digest, detox, and eliminate waste.

Supplements That May Support your Fitness Program

Acetyl L-Carnitine: improve mental function, enhances memory.
Acidophilus: friendly bacteria, aids intestinal tract, boost immune system.
Alpha Lipoic Acid: powerful antioxidant, regulates glucose metabolism.
B12: Increases red blood cells formation, recommended for vegetarians and vegans.
Calcium: builds strong bones and teeth, helps to burn fat.
Chitosan: fiber that hinders fat absorption lowers cholesterol.
Chromium: regulates glucose metabolism, helps to build lean muscle tissue.
Cinnamon: regulates blood glucose, lowers triglycerides and cholesterol
Enzymes: aid in digestion, reduces inflammation.
Fish Oil:provides essential fatty acids, supports brain function, helps to support joint function.
Garlic: high antioxidant supports immune system.
Green Tea: powerful antioxidant compounds, aids in fat burning.
Glucosamine Sulfate: supports joint and cartilage repair.
Glutamine: boost immune function, helps to eliminate toxins from the body.
Milk Thistle: supports and protects liver function.
Quercetin: reduces inflammation, improves coronary circulation.
Soy Protein: rich in lignan isoflavones that may protect breast tissue.
St. John's Wort: supports emotional well-being, soothes musclesand nerves.
Whey Protein: highest bioavailability, highest concentration of branched-chain amino acids

These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.

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