Common Sense Dieting

Maybe it's the stress of the past few months or maybe my metabolism has changed again (or maybe it was that box of Thin Mints I managed to eat in two days around Valentine's Day).  In any event, I've easily gained seven pounds since November - enough that my underwear doesn't fit right and I know I'll never get into that dirndl I had custom made last year.  So I began this morning with a jog around the lakes and then set upon finding a reasonable diet guide on the internet.

You can't go wrong with the Mayo Clinic which provides a free online calculator to determine activity level, age, weight and other vital statistics. The calculator reduced my calories by about 450 per day (1650 to 1200) and offered a four page plan with mix and match categories and portion sizes based on the food pyramid.

With all the diet assistance you can find on the web, it amazes me how many people opt for the sketchy diet plans.  But recently I was discussing weight loss with colleagues and they wanted a diet that allowed them to eat anything and didn't require exercise.  They also wanted immediate results which led them to one of the more popular fad diets today, one that involves either injecting or ingesting a hormone and reducing calories to 900 a day.  These otherwise reasonable people would rather pay hundreds of dollars to fly-by-night companies for a quick fix than take the Mayo Clinic's free advice to help them lose weight the natural, healthy way.

It makes sense to me that people of different activity levels respond differently to dieting.  Carbohydrates are great for people with active lifestyles.  But I can't see any sense in a sedentary person restricting their diet to meat and cheese without an exercise plan to clear their arteries of bacon fat and cholesterol.  There's no organic Drano that'll blast through all that gunk - despite what you've read on the internet.  It is simply a matter of balance:  if you take in more calories than you burn, you will gain weight.  Unfortunately it's a lot easier to gain weight than lose it.

So here are some tips to tip the scale in your favor:  Park the car 20 yards farther from your office building.  Take the stairs.  Play outside with your kids or grandkids.  Go for a walk.  Join Curves.  Substitute whole grains for white bread.  Eat more veggies.  Eat more fruits.  Reduce calories.  Reduce portions.  Reduce fat.  Reduce sugar.  Prepare your own lunch.  Drink a glass of water when you feel hungry.  Eat small portions frequently.  Try to get 60% of your daily calories before 2:00 pm.

And one bad food day does not give you license to go back to your old habits.  Keep a food diary.  Familiarize yourself with portion sizes and find out where your weaknesses are.  And if you're going to eat a whole box of Thin Mints in two days (1600 calories), adjust your diet accordingly!

Tips for breakfast, lunch, dinner and in-between

BREAKFAST:  Should include whole grains, fresh fruit, dairy product (milk or yogurt), and water.  Add protein (ham, turkey, egg or egg substitute) a couple of times a week.
TIP:  I am wild about Chobani Greek yogurt.  Unlike most fat free yogurt, it's sweetened with sugar, not Splenda or Aspartame.

SNACK:  Dairy (1/2 cup cottage cheese or 1 cup yogurt) or a small handful of nuts, fruit.
TIP:  Substitute peanut butter for nuts.  Spread on apple halves.

LUNCH:  Lean meat and low fat cheese OR soup and whole grain crackers, combined with fresh fruits and/or vegetables (potatoes!), water.
TIP:  Soup can be very healthy and filling.  Just resist the urge to add salt before you taste it!
Meat portions should be no larger than a deck of cards.

SNACK:  Baked tortilla chips and salsa OR veggies and lowfat dip OR trail mix.
TIP:  Tortilla chips are considered whole grains!  Who knew?!

DINNER:  Stirfry (3 oz meat & 1 cup veggies) over brown rice OR 1 cup pasta with sauce OR beans and rice.  Balance with fresh fruits and vegetables (potatoes!), skim milk
TIP:  Barilla makes Pasta Plus with whole grains, fiber and omega-3.  Looks and tastes just like regular pasta but a healthier choice!

SNACK: Frozen fruit bar OR lowfat pudding OR whole grain crackers with cheese.
TIP:  Have you tried Edy's Antioxidant Fruit Bars?  In pomegranate and acai blueberry!

Jell-O is not a vegetable!

Once when I was feeling a little depressed, I went to the doctor who first asked me what my diet was like.  I told her, and instead of prescribing pills, she told me to change my diet for a couple of weeks.  If I didn't feel better, we could talk about pharmaceutical options.

Changing my diet worked wonders.  Instead of pre-packaged foods and junk and canned soda, I started eating more balanced meals, healthy snacks and drinking lots of water. I felt much better in body and soul.

Years later I learned about a European wellness philosophy known as the Kneipp system.  Sebastian Kneipp recommended a way of living that incorporated care of the body inside and out for maximum physical and emotional well-being.

Hungarian Madonna Fountain, along the Kneipp-Meditation Path, 

St. Radegund, Austria

The first tenet of the Kneipp philosophy is water.  Drink the purest untreated water possible, but also indulge in cold water baths that promote circulation and bolster the immune system.  Water and herbal teas are the only recommended drinks according to Kneipp.  Not surprisingly the second tenet of the philosophy is the use of healing herbs:  not as processed herbal supplements but as teas, herbs added to food, or bath preparations (Kneipp makes several herbal bath products, including Sleep Well with Valerian, Hops, and Lavender).

After exercise comes diet, and the Kneipp recommendations are a little different from the food pyramid in the U.S.  Whole grains are highly recommended as the foundation of daily diet, but so are potatoes (not in the form of French fries!).  Fresh fruits and vegetables of local origin are next, followed by dairy products including milk and yogurt.  All meat, fish included, should be eaten in moderation, as should fats and sugars.

Apple harvest, 2007, Irdning, Austria

In other words, we should be eating as healthfully and naturally as possible, which is difficult in today's society.  Prepackaged meals, while convenient, contain high fat, high sugar, high salt and flavor enhancers that leave you begging for more, and no one's really sure about the longterm effects of gentech ingredients or artificial sweeteners.  So many people today are concerned about their metabolism and the right fad diet for their body type that they have forgotten these simple truths:  If you consume 2x the daily recommended calories, you can expect to gain weight.  And if you eat too much meat, your intestines will start resembling sausage.

So today's balancing act is to plan one week of healthy eating, for you and, if you can manage it, for your family.  I'll post some tips and recipes to get you started!