Ask any health fanatic and they will tell you that in order to get those six pack abs, you must control what you eat. Exercise is still very important but if you are not eating healthy then you are sabotaging your efforts. In order for you to see your abs developing you must get rid of that overlapping layer of fat that builds up due to age, pregnancy, stress or poor diet. With Kandie’s Health and Fitness Project, you have been learning how to build healthy habits a little at a time over eleven weeks. The goal has been to introduce your body to healthier foods one at a time and not focus so much on counting calories. Plus, you should be a little more familiar with serving/portion sizes and reading labels.
Many people don’t like to count calories, but in order to begin seeing some major results you do have to be aware of how many calories you are consuming. Assignment One Week nine called for you to begin noticing how many calories you were consuming. If you notice that on food labels they always say that the food measures or percentages are based on a 2000 calorie diet. Since I have been paying attention to calories but not obsessing over them, I have noticed how quickly you can rack up 2000 calories.
Once you become familiar with proper portion sizes and what is considered a serving, you won’t have to count your calories as much. But, for now it is important that you know how many calories you need to consume at your current weight in order to create a calorie deficit to begin losing weight. You have already set the foundation for incorporating more whole grains, fruits, vegetables, and legumes into your daily meals. Now its time to learn how to create low-calorie, healthy and good tasting meals according to your individual taste. There are numerous ways to calculate what your caloric intake should be to start seeing weight reduction.
Here is a very simple calculation from Eating Well.com:
Determine how many calories you are consuming daily and then cut that by 500 calories a day in order to lose 1 pound per week. Also, this can be calculated based on your current weight. Multiply your weight (in pounds) by 12 and subtract 1,000. Then select the calorie level that’s closest to your answer. They also give you a 7 day meal plan based on the calorie level you calculate for your weight loss whether it is consuming 1400, 1600, or 1800 calories. You can follow the plan or create your own using some of the health tweaks from this fitness project.
It still may seem a little daunting as to how to put together a healthy meal plan even with the tidbits of health information presented here. How can you be creative and still stick to your desired calorie intake level?. Learn how to create your plate using the four categories of food. It should consist of fruits, grains, legumes, and vegetables.
Four Categories of Food:
1). Fruits: fresh, frozen or canned in water or juice not syrup. Chose a variety of colors. One serving is a medium piece of fruit or 1 cup cut up. (2-4 servings)2). Grains: breads, rice, pasta, cereal and other whole grains like corn, millet, barely, bulgar, buckwheat and tortillas. One serving is about ½ cup cooked and 1 cup dry like cereal or 2 slices bread. (6-11 servings)
3). Legumes: beans, peas and lentils. This includes your protein, meats and nuts/seeds and dairy. These can be canned, frozen or dried such as chickpeas, edamame, kidney beans, refried beans etc. Choose a variety of legumes. One serving of dairy is about 1 cup for milk, 1 ½ oz for cheese, 3oz for meat. (2-3 servings meat, beans, nuts and 2-3 servings of dairy)
4). Vegetables: choose a variety of colors whether fresh, frozen or canned. Dark green vegetables like Kale, broccoli, collard greens. Dark yellow or orange vegetables like carrots, sweet potatoes, winter squash. One serving is 1 cup cooked or 2 cups raw vegetables. (3-5 servings)
The USDA Food chart has been revamped from the old Food Pyramid to the new Choose My Plate. This change gives you a better visual representation of how your meals should be constructed and the proper food serving amounts.
Once you determine what level you are and your calorie level, then you must begin focusing on exactly what to put on your plate based on your daliy caloric needs. Most people will lose weight on a 1500 calorie diet in which they can safely lose 1-2 pounds a week. Refer to Nicci Micco’s book Eating Well 500 calorie dinners. A 1500 calorie meal's basic break down is as follows: Breakfast 300-350 calories; Lunch 325-400 calories; Dinner 500 calories; leaving 250-375 calories left for snacks or add to dinner.
Here are some sample menus based on a 2000 calorie diet that you can tweak the portion sizes to fit your calorie needs:
Breakfasts:
2 cups fat-free vanilla yogurt
1/3 cup crunchy barely-nugget cereal (similar to grape-nuts)
1 cup pomegranate juice
1 ½ cups cooked oatmeal (made with 1% milk or soy milk)
2 tbsp chopped dates
1 tbsp dried sweet cherries
2 tsp brown sugar
1 cup orange juice
1 toasted whole wheat English muffin
2 oz lean meat (turkey sausage, seitan/tempeh)
1 oz slice reduce fat cheddar cheese
1 cup ruby-red grapefruit juice
2 whole grain pancakes (if from a mix use egg substitute and 1% milk or soy milk)
1 cup fruit puree or mashed fruit (peaches)
½ tsp ground cinnamon
1 cup 1 % milk or soy milk
1 cup orange juice
Blueberry Smoothie:
1 ½ cups blueberry Kefir
¾ cup blueberries
¼
1 cup 1% milk or soy milk
1 cup fresh raspberries or 1 banana
Sausage & Egg Burrito:
1 whole wheat tortilla filled with:
1 scrambled egg or egg substitute
2 tbsp soy sausage-style crumbles
¼ cup shredded Mexican blend cheese
2 tsp cilantro
2 tbsp salsa
Serve with: 1 cup cranberry juice
Lunches:
Chicken Spinach Strawberry Salad:
3 cups fresh spinach leaves
3 oz cooked chicken strips
¾ cups fresh strawberries
2 tbsp honey-roasted almonds
3 tbsp light raspberry vinaigrette dressing
Serve with: 6 multi-grain crackers
Soup and Salad:
2 cups lentil soup, canned
Toss veggie salad:
2 ½ cups mixed greens
6 grape tomatoes
¼ cup sliced mushrooms
¼ cup chopped cucumber
8 whole grain croutons
3 tbsp light Italian vinaigrette
Serve with: 1 cup papaya chunks
Basic Deli Sandwich:
2 slices hearty whole grain bread
3 oz extra lean deli meat
3 romaine leaves
2 slices tomato
1 tsp zesty mustard
Serve with:
1 cup shredded coleslaw mix blended with 1 tbsp light coleslaw dressing
1 tangerine
1 cup green tea
Veggie Cheeseburger:
1 soy veggie burger
1 oz slice low-fat cheddar cheese
6 fresh spinach leaves
2 tomato slices 1 tsp zesty mustard
1 whole grain hamburger bun
Serve with:
12 baked ruffled potato chips
1 cup fresh blueberries
Super Spaghetti & Meatballs:
1 ½ cups cooked whole wheat or rice spaghetti
1 cup pasta/marinara sauce
5 Italian style soy meatballs
1 tbsp grated parmesan cheese
Serve with:
1 cup cooked broccoli florets
Garlic Mozzarella toast: 1 slice Italian bread, toasted and topped with 1 tsp light butter 1/8 tsp garlic powder and ½ oz slice mozzarella cheese
Fiesta Stuffed Baked Potato:
1 large baked potato
Top with:
½ cup black beans, drained
1/3 cup sweet corn, drained
1/3 cup low-fat Mexican blend cheese
2 tbsp salsa
Serve with:
1 cup pineapple chunks
Pizza[2 slices sausage & pepperoni]
1/3 cup pasta sauce
2 tbsp meatless sausage crumbles
6 slices turkey pepperoni
1/3 cup mozzarella
¼ cup chopped mushrooms
1 tbsp chopped onion
12 inch whole wheat pizza crust
Top crust with sauce and remaining ingredients and bake. Share or save leftovers
Serve with: 1 peach or nectarine
Dinners:
Savory Salmon:
3 oz grilled or baked salmon cooked with:
1 tsp honey
1tsp lime juice
¼ tsp salt-free garlic & herb seasoning (Ms. Dash)
Serve with:
¾ cup whole wheat couscous sprinkled with parsley
1 cup cooked asparagus spears
1 whole wheat dinner roll with 1 tsp light butter
1 plum
Steak & Potato:
3 oz grilled or broiled sirloin steak
1 medium sweet potato baked and topped with 2 tsp light butter and ½ tsp cinnamon
1 cup cooked broccoli spears tossed with 1 tsp butter & sprinkle of garlic powder
1 cup mixed berries (blackberries, blueberries, raspberries and strawberries)
Apple Walnut salad:
2 cups mixed greens (romaine, radicchio, spinach, arugula)
½ sliced Gala apple
¼ cup toasted walnuts
2 tbsp light raspberry vinaigrette dressing
Serve with:
3 oz tuna/salmon steak grilled with 2 tsp lemon juice and salt-free onion herb seasoning
1 small acorn or butternut squash cooked with 2 tsp light butter and sprinkle of cinnamon
1 whole wheat dinner roll with 1 tsp light butter
Easy Chicken Parmesan:
3 oz cooked boneless skinless chicken breast
1 oz slice mozzarella
Serve over:
1 ½ cups whole wheat angel-hair pasta
1 cup tomato basil pasta sauce
Serve with:
1 cup fresh spinach sautéed with 1 tsp olive oil and ½ tsp minced garlic
Thai Peanut Sauce Penne & Chicken:
1 ½ cups cooked whole wheat penne
Tossed with:
2 oz cooked chicken breast strips
3 tbsp prepared Thai Peanut Satay Sauce
1/3 cup shredded carrot
½ cup chopped broccoli
1 tbsp chopped red bell pepper
2 tbsp chopped green onion
Sprinkle with crushed red pepper flakes
Pecan Mustard-Crusted Fish:
4 oz white fish fillets coated with 1 tsp Dijon mustard, 2 tbsp finely chopped pecans
Serve with:
1 cup cooked brown rice seasoned with 1 tsp light butter, sprinkle of cinnamon, ½ tsp orange zest
1 cup cooked brussel sprouts with 2 tsp light butter
1 cup papaya chunks
Salmon Ceasar Salad:
3 cups chopped romaine
3 oz grilled salmon
1/3 cup marinated artichoke hearts
8 whole grain croutons
2 tbsp shredded parmesan cheese
3 tbsp light Ceasar dressing
Serve with:
1 Anjou pear
Here you have seven different breakfasts, seven lunches and seven dinners to give you a better idea of how you can easily begin to throw together simple tasty meals that fit into a healthy lifestyle. Don’t forget to put some flax on it and add in things like nuts and seeds, switch to lower fat versions, and go organic when you can. These meals are courtesy of Prevention. EatingWell also has some very well put together meals based on calorie levels to help take out the guess work. But once you know the caloric value of your favorite foods and correct portion sizes, it becomes easier to put together meals around 500 calories or less. Don’t be afraid to opt for the easy way out by purchasing frozen meals like Healthy Choice or Lean Cruisine, just add a side salad, some more vegetables or fruit until you get the hang of it.
This is the half way mark for Kandie’s Health & Fitness Project. So from this point on its time to really buckle down and become aware of your caloric intake. Don’t be frustrated if you don’t stay within your calorie level right away, because this is a learning process designed to become a healthy lifestyle and there is no failure when choosing to eat right. Practice makes perfect. Your body will thank you for making a conscious effort to be healthy.
Assignment
To help you learn how to create your plate your assignment is to design a basic meal template for breakfast, lunch, dinner and your snacks. For instance: for breakfast your basic template could look like this: oatmeal, fresh or dried fruit, sweetener, nuts or seeds, served with fresh juice. Another example, basic breakfast sandwich template: whole grain bread (bagel, English Muffin etc.) lean meat (turkey sausage, veggie sausage etc.), egg white and low-fat cheese slice, served with fresh fruit or juice. Lunch template could be soup & salad served with either fresh fruit or whole grain crackers. Another example is a basic deli sandwich consisting of whole grain bread, deli meat, lettuce, tomato, low-fat condiment served with side of vegetables and piece of fruit. A very basic dinner template could be a serving of legumes/protein, whole grain (rice, couscous, pasta etc…), serving of vegetables and serving of fresh fruit. However you decide to construct your basic templates depends on your individual taste, dietary needs and caloric needs. Check with your doctor to make sure that your new meal plan is right for you.
Weekly Checklist
Drink 8 glasses of water every day
Eat a Hearty Healthy breakfast
Get movin’ by walking or aerobics
Eat an Apple or Pear everyday
Say no to your poison, ditch the junk food
Go a little nuts by eating a handful of nuts
Toss Up a Big Bowl of Salad
Take Your Vitamins
Pump It Up!!!
Trade Up Your Drinks
Sprinkle Some Flax on It
Abs are made in the kitchen
References
“The Lean - A Revolutionary and Simple 30 Day Plan for Healthy, Lasting Weight Loss” by Kathy Freston
“What does a 1500 calorie, meal plan look like?” By Nicci Micco, M.S., Deputy Editor of Nutrition
http://www.eatingwell.com/nutrition_health/weight_loss_diet_plans/what_does_a_1500_calorie_day_look_like
“Reference Values for Nutrition Labeling”
http://www.netrition.com/rdi_page.html
“USDA Unveils New Food Chart: No More Pyramid Schemes” by Amy Scattergood
http://blogs.laweekly.com/squidink/2011/06/usda_food_pyramid_new_chart.php
“7-Day Weight-Loss Diet Meal Plan”
http://www.eatingwell.com/nutrition_health/weight_loss_diet_plans/diet_meal_plans/7_day_weight_loss_diet_meal_plan?sssdmh=dm17.643683&utm_source=EWDNL&esrc=nwewd011013
“Portion Control & What Is a Serving?” EatingWell's Brierley Wright, M.S., R.D
http://www.eatingwell.com/videos/v/62445178/portion-control-what-is-a-serving.htm?sssdmh=dm17.643683&utm_source=EWDNL&esrc=nwewd011013
Picture References
Choose My Plate
http://hcrl.wustl.edu/oziomanews/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/OziomaR41-01.jpg
Food Servings
http://www.kygrow.org/uploads/4/3/7/9/4379685/8647805.png?477
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