Lose it! Keep it Off!

I recently read this article in Berkeley Wellness letter about losing weight and keeping it off (stopping the yo yo dieting) and it truly sounded like the workout ‘regime’  I’ve been following with my trainer- Scott Crawford – for over a year. It’s encouraging and exciting to think I will be able to maintain the great results I’ve had – just by continuing to do what I’ve been doing and staying focused. I’ve lost body fat  – and at an accelerated rate when I combined a more structured diet plan with my workouts. We tracked  heart rate, body fat measurements and food journal with Teri Tom, MS, RD – and I dropped from 22% body fat to 16.8% in a month and a half! And the best part about it – I feel great!

The National Weight Control Registry has been looking into information on over 5000 people who maintained a weight loss of at least 30 pounds for more than 5 years.  Here are the successful strategies that these maintainers had for losing the weight and keeping it off:

1. Eat a high carbohydrate, low fat diet. Most calories (55-60%) should come from ‘good complex’ carbs – like whole grains, veggies, fruit and high fiber foods – NOT high sugar foods. 24% of calories come from fat and the rest (16-21%) from protein.

2. Be aware of calories consumed – total calories count – no matter what you eat.

3. Eat breakfast

4. Monitor and watch yourself – weigh yourself once a week and keep a food journal of what you eat

5. Exercise – A LOT – 60-90 minutes a day. Carve out time every day and plan to do something. Look for ways to keep active during the day and walk. Walking is the #1 activity.

And one more point about protein. Most Americans consume way more protein than they need -and you don’t need more protein if you exercise. The Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) for adults is .8 grams/day for each kilogram (2.2 lbs) of weight. That would be 64 grams for a 175# man and 47 grams for a 130# woman. (1 ounce of chicken  or 1 cup milk = 8 grams) …so it adds up quickly.

By Bonnie Crouse

This entry was written by bcrouse, posted on February 24, 2010 at 9:24 am, filed under Experiences, Food, Life is Fitness, Lifestyle and Spa, Nutrition and tagged , , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment or view the discussion at the permalink.

Food Happy

by Melissa Beaugrand, Soma Get Fit Chef

Cooking is something that I started doing at a very young age. My mother started teaching us girls as soon as we could hold a spoon. I have memories for as long as I can remember of being with my family and helping to prepare meals. It always seemed the more people, the more fun when I was young as there was always laughing and talking and teasing.  Personalities really come out during meals, especially if there is a preference (or dislike) for what is being served.

Now that I cook for a living, cooking has a slightly different feel to it for the most part.  I am in a professional kitchen which is VERY different from a home kitchen.   I don’t get to enjoy the meal with the people that I am cooking for, and neither do I get to watch them enjoy it. There is no talking about likes or dislikes, there is no feedback first hand.  Most importantly, I rarely know the people that I am cooking for.

It was so rewarding for me to cook for Edward last month.   We met at the beginning of his stay here at the farmers market, and I tried to get a sense of what he liked and disliked.  Because he was so agreeable and open and easy to talk to, I really feel like I got to know what  his general eating habits were.  I was able to tweak his meals based on what I thought he normally eats, yet make it healthier and more low calorie.

I also got to get feedback!! Yay!  Because of what I learned about him, I added more cilantro, I made sure all the carrots were raw.  I added lowfat cheese.   The feedback was first person – he was able to tell me face to face that he loved something – and it was so rewarding to see his eyes light up thinking about a meal that he had eaten.

I think that is what I am going to enjoy the most with SOMA forthwith.  I will get to not only meet great people, but get firsthand feedback and be able to make them happy with the food that they are going to eat.  Food makes people happy.  Food makes me happy.  Seeing my food make people happy is priceless.

This entry was written by mbeaugrand, posted on January 9, 2010 at 11:31 am, filed under Food, Life is Fitness, Nutrition, Santa Barbara and tagged , , , , , . Leave a comment or view the discussion at the permalink.

Starting the New Year with an Appetite Adjustment

by Bonnie Crouse

There were certainly plenty of reasons I found to overeat over the holidays – but now it’s time for an appetite adjustment. (along with the inevitable decrease in alcohol consumption and increase in aerobic activity!) I came across a few articles on what drives appetite and causes overeating and decided to share some ideas for making changes in behavior and  in your environment that could help keep appetites in check.

Apparently what you eat and how you eat it can affect how much you eat. Some of the physiological factors that are involved:

  • Volume of a meal. We tend to eat the same amount of food regardless of calories – so better to eat high volume, low calorie dense foods like vegetables, fruits, whole grains, beans and lean protein. (choose real foods that occur in nature – not ‘manufactured’.)
  • Food components. Foods high in protein increase satiety. (as my dietitian friend Teri Tom says – ‘always have some protein with that carbohydrate snack’)
  • Palatability. Most people find high sugar and high fat foods more pleasurable – making it easier to overeat these foods. Figure out how much food you need ahead of time – and don’t go back for more.
  • Portion size and visual cues. Many people eat to ‘clean their plates’ and not from hunger cues. Portion out servings in small bowls, plates and cups or small bags if on the go. Eat 5 to 6 small meals spread throughout the day.
  • Distractions. Eating while watching TV, working or driving can lead to over eating – portion out ahead of time if you do.
  • Variety. The greater the variety to choose from – the more we tend to eat. Keep it simple and avoid those “all you can eat” buffets.
  • Emotions and social situations. Certain emotions (sadness, anxiety, loneliness – even happiness and excitement) trigger automatic behavior and lead to overeating – as do certain parties and events. Stay alert and mindful.

By reminding myself to practice more intuitive eating (eating slowly, with pleasure and aware of surroundings and emotions), I’ve begun the new year by replacing chaotic eating with a more structured mindful plan.

This entry was written by bcrouse, posted on January 6, 2010 at 7:46 am, filed under Food, Life is Fitness, Nutrition, Santa Barbara and tagged , , , , , , . Leave a comment or view the discussion at the permalink.

The Minefield of the Holidays

Holiday_Mix

by Melissa Beaugrand, Personal Chef SOMA GET FIT

Why do we overeat?

There are as many answers to that question as there are people that overeat.  Sure, there are some repeating themes, but, for me the answer revolves around comfort, good food, and the joy of celebration and being social.

How does one not overeat?  The answer to that is easier.  It is about awareness and intent.  You must be aware of why you do what you do before you can change it.   If you are not sure about yourself, give yourself a pass this year.  Just behave as you normally would while you go to holiday parties and eat out.  Become “a watcher” of yourself.  No judgment, no beating yourself up, no sacrificing.  Just do as you wish.  The only caveat is that you have to then think.  Your job is to watch yourself closely.  Then later, think about how you felt before, during, and after your actions.  Was it a compulsive non-chewing-get-as-much-down kind of eating, or was it more of an oh-my-god-this-is-so-good-I-want-more kind of eating, or perhaps it was a where-did-all-that-food-go type thing.  It might have even been an instance where you were having so much fun you forgot to eat.   We have to figure out why and when we eat and learn about ourselves before we can make any kind of decision as to how we want to change our behaviour.

Once you are clearer about your emotions and actions, you can see if they are in balance with what your body and your mind want/need.  Hopefully, they are the same with you (they are NOT with me).  If so, your job is easier, because the process becomes then about intent.  It is much easier to be mindful when you are clear as to what you want.  Walking into a party where there is your favorite food is a different experience when all you can think about is how you DON’T want to eat that whole vat of nachos.   If your intent is broader than that in perhaps something like, “I want to have a good time tonight and I don’t want to obsess about the nachos, so I will concentrate on dancing as much as I can and talking to _____ (in other words – fun!) because otherwise it is going to feel like a weight around my neck.”.

As I get older, I realize that it is not so much that I have to eat more to enjoy more during the holidays.  Sure, there is only one Thanksgiving feast a year, but it is EVERY YEAR!  I can enjoy it a little bit without feeling stuffed like the turkey was.  It is not a matter of more is better.  Actually, I have found that I enjoy it MORE when I eat LESS!  It is not my last meal after all, and I used to eat like it was.  Food is a gift, and I love it, but you definitely can have too much of a good thing.

It takes some mental work to become a watcher, then to have the consciousness to want to make changes and the fortitude to make them.

Happy Holidays to all of you.

This entry was written by mbeaugrand, posted on December 10, 2009 at 1:15 pm, filed under Food, Nutrition, Santa Barbara and tagged , , , , . Leave a comment or view the discussion at the permalink.

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