by Tangerine Manning
Last month I
stated that there is no magic pill or miracle diet.
What I can
tell you that is true is basic physiology. If losing
body fat is your goal, or even if gaining muscle is
your goal it is all about calories in, and calories
out. I wish there was an easier answer, but it is
truly about calories and exercise.
So in this month's
article I would like to take the time
to educate you on portions and servings.
Let us pretend
we are discussing an individual that is trying to
lose body
fat. This particular person would need to consume
1600 calories a day in order to lose body fat successfully.
Next let's say this individual is planning on having
dinner at a common franchised Italian eatery (we will
not mention any names), and orders a pasta dish with
chicken and red sauce. Did you
know most restaurants serve anywhere from 4 to 6 cups
of pasta per dish?
Do you know
that 1/2 cup of pasta yields 100 calories? So now
we are talking
800 to 1200 calories per pasta dish, and that does
not even include the chicken and red sauce. That makes
a 1600 calorie plan for the whole day very difficult
to maintain.
In order to
understand portions and calories better I always recommend
to my
clients to keep their foods they eat through out the
day in a food journal, and to get a book that has
foods listed with size amount, calories, fat, protein,
and carbohydrates.
Also, to help you understand
weights and measures
of foods it is helpful to buy a food scale, and also
to use measuring cups.
What is also helpful
with a food journal you can better
understand how certain foods make you feel. When I
first started recording my foods I found any red meat
made me feel very sluggish, and nauseated.
I
also learned that peanut butter gives me amazing energy,
and keeps me full for a long period of time. So now
if I know if I need energy for an extended period
of time I will eat peanut butter in some form. The
journal will also teach you timing and balancing of
your meals.
It is very important
to eat every
four hours when trying to lose fat or gain muscle.
Finally, you might also
learn who you eat with may be what influences you
to eat certain ways.
Through the
years I have learned some visual techniques that are
helpful when
eating out in restaurants, like 1 cup of rice usually
looks like the size of a tennis ball.(268 calories
long grain, 200 calories instant). A 200 calorie baked
potato is usually the size of a baseball. Be aware
baked potatoes from some restaurants are oversized,
and can be around 300 calories. 3 ounces of meat looks
like a cassette tape or a deck of cards. One ounce
of cheese
looks like a 1 inch cube, or 1/4 cup shredded (110
calories).
