How much should I eat?
Experts and common sense tell us that if we don’t move much, or spend calories, we should not eat much. Easy said, but we still get hungry! A practical way to go about determining how much to eat to maintain weight is figuring out our approximate calorie expenditure and eat to match it, in other words, consuming as much energy as we spend. It follows that if we want to lose weight, we will consume less food energy than the energy spent in movement, or we need to move more! On average, women need about 2000 calories a day to maintain body weight, varying depending on build. To lose a pound a week you will need to create a deficit of about 500 calories, which can be a combination of calories spent in exercise and food calories that you cut back. In general, of the 2000 calories about 60 percent is spent on basic bodily functions, which leave about 800 calories to play with. Do not cut back to fewer than 1,200 calories a day without medical supervision.

Here are some helpful on-line tools to assist you with evaluating your calorie expenditure and calorie needs so that you can set reasonable goals. Write down your calculations and your thoughts on how you will implement your changes; keep it simple. Remember small changes go a long way!

To determine your daily calorie needs to maintain your weight visit the American Cancer Society website at http://www.cancer.org/docroot/PED/content/PED_6_1x_Calorie_Calculator.asp

To find out if your weight is healthy based on your height, use the Body Mass Index Calculator which is a general measure of body fat content http://www.cancer.org/docroot/PED/content/PED_3_1x_Body_Mass_Index_Calculator.asp?sitearea=&level

To determine how many calories you need to lose weight calculate your Basal Metabolic Rate or calories needed at rest, and your Active Metabolic Rate or calories needed to support your activity level at http://preventdisease.com/healthtools/articles/bmr.html

For other general calculations related to weight, Health A to Z provides a section called “Healthy Weight Tools” at https://www.healthatoz.com/healthatoz/Atoz/common/standard/transform.jsp?requestURI=/healthatoz/Atoz/tl/cooltools.jsp  where you can determine a healthy weight for your frame size with the Healthy Weight Calculator, and calories burned while exercising with the Calories Burned Calculator among others.

Of course, all of these calculations mean that you will have to learn the approximate calorie values of foods. A good resource for getting a sense for the calories you consume is www.healthyweightforum.org/eng/calorie-counter/   

A word of caution, getting overly involved with calorie counting may take away your zest for the positive change you are undertaking and cause you to become somewhat obsessed with food. You may want to rely more on portion control, healthy food substitutions, and selecting foods and timing your meals to control your appetite.

An important part of your success with changing eating habits and establishing new healthy habits is your willingness to raise your level of consciousness regarding portion control and your commitment to practicing it. Please take the quizzes available at http://hp2010.nhlbihin.net/portion/index.htm under Portion Distortion I and Portion Distortion II to learn about the difference between a portion and a serving and how much you would have to exercise to burn off what you eat.

Translating this information into action can be as simple as cutting your meal portions in half such as eating half of your breakfast, lunch and dinner, (assuming you are eating full size meals), sharing it with someone or saving half for later, and timing your snacking to a mid-morning (if needed) and a mid-afternoon healthy, low-sugar, small, pre-packaged snack. This will provide you with sensible portions at breakfast, lunch, dinner and two snacks (use the link to calculate daily portions below, and the tips on using your hand to measure portions provided in the previous issue). You will be surprised how quickly you can cut calories by eating half portions. Keeping a diary of the foods you eat each day will help you understand your problem areas and to make adjustments as you go. Add a half hour of movement everyday, a dose of commitment and some compassion for the effort and you are on your way to eating less calories and spending more energy on movement.

What should I eat?
Use common sense when it comes to choosing food and pay attention to the portions; beware of serving sizes. Here are some simple suggestions:

To calculate the daily portions of each food group you should consume, visit http://www.mypyramid.gov/mypyramid/index.aspx 
Choose low-fat or non-fat dairy product alternatives when possible. Limit your intake of cheese to no more than two slices a day. Choose frozen yogurt instead of ice-cream in a mini-size without toppings. More information at http://www.mypyramid.gov/pyramid/milk_tips.html 

Choose larger portions of raw, or sautéed vegetables instead of pasta, potatoes, bread, or rice. If having either pasta, rice, potatoes or legumes limit yourself to one cup serving. If you must have second servings, choose salads and vegetables with little or no salad dressing or sauces. Use lemon and a dash of olive oil for flavor, and vinegar if you like. For more information visit http://www.mypyramid.gov/pyramid/vegetables_tips.html

Choose lean meat, and poultry cuts. If you don’t know what they are, ask the butcher at your supermarket, or look for the words “lean cut” printed on the packaging. Or visit http://www.mypyramid.gov/pyramid/meat_tips.html for more information.
Order grilled fish, chicken or meat when eating out, stay away from anything fried. For more ideas on this topic visit http://www.cancer.org/docroot/PED/content/PED_3_2x_Restaurant_Eating_Tips_Mar_03.asp?sitearea=PED 

Choose legumes and vegetable soups over beef and creamy alternatives. More on grains and legumes at http://www.mypyramid.gov/pyramid/grains_tips.html 

Choose low-fat, baked crackers and chips instead of the fried and fatty varieties.
Choose fruits instead of desserts, cookies, and chocolates. If you must have dessert, enjoy some Jell-O or banana pudding from a small pre-packaged container once a day. More tips at http://www.mypyramid.gov/pyramid/fruits_tips.html 
Choose low-fat, low-sugar snacks pre-packaged in small portions instead of “open box” snacks.

Choose water, unsweetened teas or plain coffee over sodas, shakes and fruit juices.

Avoid fast foods.

What you eat is an important factor that will affect how much you eat in a day. For example, if you choose to eat French fries as opposed to a salad with light dressing for lunch, you will have to eat much less throughout the day to stay within your desired calorie intake. In essence, you can eat more throughout the day and in each serving if you choose low-fat content foods. Please take a look at http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/~dms/foodlab.html to learn how to read food labels; concentrate on the section on calories from fat.

It is important to remember that if you are cutting back on your eating you may feel hungry. This is a normal human response to decrease food consumption, and it does not signal an emergency to eat. A person who is aiming to lose weight and lower body fat content will have to learn how to manage this signal. Some of the foods that can help you control your appetite and will not add significant calories to your diet are:

Leafy dark green vegetables with lemon and a dash of olive oil, or cooked in chicken broth, or stir fried with garlic and onions for taste and a dash of water and soy sauce. The fiber in the veggies will suppress your appetite.

Chicken broth and vegetable broth eaten as soup can also help you manage your appetite since they each contain protein and fiber and will give you the feeling of being satiated.

An apple or a banana can help take away cravings for sweets and the fiber in them will make you feel full, especially if you eat them slowly.

And finally, there is water. Sipping water or sucking on ice cubes slowly can help you manage cravings, appetite and feelings.
Educate yourself on an area you have identified as needing improvement from the diary you are keeping, and apply that knowledge for several weeks until you feel comfortable with the change. Only then proceed to address another issue in the same manner. Keep it simple, one step at a time, practice what you learn, share it with others so that you can remember it, and maintain a sense of wonder over any improvement your body will deliver for your enjoyment.
 

When should I eat?

After figuring out approximately how many calories and what types of foods to eat in a day, you need to figure out how to distribute them throughout the day so that they provide you with a constant supply of energy. Now that you have determined your caloric intake, let’s take a look at the best way to portion it out. This rationing out will keep you from being hungry and overeating.

There is much talk about eating frequent small meals for weight loss and not eating after certain time in the evening. Intuitively, small portions at regular intervals make sense when it comes to appetite control and managing the uneasiness that comes from cutting back portions; the key here is small portions. As far as not eating late at night, it also makes sense that you would have your smallest meal early in the evening since your metabolism is slowing down for rest, hence any food consumed in the evening will not be spent on activity, just on maintaining your basic metabolic functions.

A simple way to keep your calories delivering for you throughout the day while cutting back to lose weight is to put yourself on a schedule regarding meal times at frequent intervals, and a plan regarding portions and content, and trying this out for about six weeks. Pay attention to what you eat and how long it sustains you before the next meal. Keep a food journal for at least the first two weeks of this plan to help you recognize low-calorie food combinations that work for you and to identify problem areas such as binging and emotional eating. Following a schedule for each meal according to your work schedule or daily activities will assist you with refining your efforts as you incorporate healthy changes into your life in small doses. As with any change, pay attention to what works for you since there are no secret paths to success in this arena. Don’t forget the other part of the equation, at least 30 minutes a day of any kind of exercise.

Easy Ways to Burn 100 Calories Activity Minutes Needed Gardening 20 Washing the car 20 Walking the dog 20 Pushing a stroller 20 Bicycling 25 Aerobic dance 15 Skating 15 Jogging 15 Based on a 150lb person Source: American Dietetic Association Knowledge Center, www.eatright.org

Take your time going through this information and select one or two items for change. Be realistic. Plan the how of the change in detail by writing it down, implement it consistently, keep track of it in writing, evaluate its effect in four to six weeks. Be flexible. Adjust or select another change to incorporate into your daily life. Be sensible with a sense of adventure. In the next issue of LATINA Style we will talk about how to cope with emotional eating and exercising for pleasure. Keep up the good work and stay firm on your commitment to unveiling the best of you! A complete version of this article can be found at www.latinastyle.com. Direct links to tools and resources will assist you with performing the calculations mentioned in this article. Also learn more about healthy eating as you visit the various Web sites.

Ana Castro is the National Project Manager for UnitedHealthcare’s Latino Health Solutions Division. Latino Health Solutions is leading the way with its commitment to building diversity and promoting opportunities for Latinas in the workplace.

By Ana Castro