Keep an eye on expanding waistlines by knowing your caloric needs.

Over the past several decades Americans have steadily gotten fatter. Although our increasingly sedentary lifestyles are partly to blame, a big reason for our national weight gain is that we're simply eating more.

"The real reason we seem to be eating more [calories] is we're eating often," says the lead author of the study, Barry Popkin, Ph.D., a professor of nutrition at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. "The frequency of eating is probably, for the average overweight adult, becoming a huge issue".

Keep an eye on expanding waistlines by knowing your caloric needs.

Don’t eat in front of the TV

Step away from the nuts

Nuts have heart-healthy fats, but they’re also high in calories:

Use smaller plates

You’ll eat 20 to 25% less—and save up to 500 calories

Count your chips

Don't eat snacks' from a large bag or box because it’s tempting to eat until the bag is empty.

Don’t clean your plate

Leave 25% of your food on the plate at every meal, says weight-loss expert James O. Hill, PhD, author of The Step Diet.
If you normally eat 2,000 calories or more each day, you’ll cut 500 calories.

Kick the soda habit

A 12-ounce soft drink has about 150 to 180 calories. If you down two or three a day, you’re getting lots of extra calories.
Quench your thirst with water and save as many as 540 calories.

Ditch that buttered movie popcorn

The large popcorn at the concession stand weighs in at a whopping 1,005 calories.

Walk everyday

Even if it’s for just 10 minutes around the block

How many calories can I eat each day to loose one pound in one week.

Women

655 + (4.35 x weight in pound) + (4.7x height in inches) –

(4.7 x age)

Example: A 47 year old woman, 5’7” and 150 pounds.

655 + (4.35 x 150) + (4.7 x 67) – (4.7 x 47)

655 + 652.5 + 314.9 - 220.9 =1401.5 BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate)

BMR X activity level

If no exercise BMR x 1.2

Lightly active BMR x 1.375

Moderately active BMR x 1.55

1401.5 x 1.2 = 1681.8

Total number of calories needed to maintain current weight.

One pound of fat = 3500 calories, by reducing this number by 500 calories a day will result in one pound lost a week.

To loose weight

16181.8 – 500 = 1181.8

The number of calories I can eat each day to loose one pound in one week.

Men:

66 + (6.23 x weight in pounds) + (12.7 x height in inches)-(6.8 x age)

For the few luck people out there who want to gain weight, you will need to add 500 more calories above your daily calories needed to maintain weight, to gain one pound a week.

Disclaimer: The information provided here is for reference purpose only, and is not intended as medical or professional advice.

Cholesterol is not the real Culprit in Heart Disease

Many people have been warned by health authorities that the primary cause of heart disease is an elevated level of cholesterol, due to either a poor diet or, more often than not, hereditary factors.

Some call this a myth. I call it a lie!
The Great Cholesterol Lie

An abundance of scientific evidence indicates that cholesterol itself is not the real culprit in heart disease - and in some cases plays no part at all.

Why is this information being kept secret?

Because the food industry and pharmaceutical companies would otherwise stand to lose billions of dollars in revenue, they continue to promote the cholesterol myth.

By changing the types of fats used in food processing, marketing so-called "heart healthy" vegetable oils and selling drugs that lower blood cholesterol levels, these businesses have reaped enormous profits.

4 Diet mistakes that age you

What if the fountain of youth were in your own kitchen? While we’ve come to expect certain physical and mental changes as an inevitable part of getting older, the fact is that the foods we eat—or don’t—may speed those processes along, aging us before our time. The reason is simple: “We eat too many processed foods,” says David Katz, MD, director of Yale University’s Prevention Research Center. “They’re often high in calories and low in nutrients such as vitamin B12 and omega-3s, so we end up with islands of deficiencies in a sea of excess.” These inadequacies can result in symptoms we tend to assume

are due to aging, such as the four below. Work with your doctor to determine whether adjusting your diet or adding a supplement can help you look—and feel—younger.

Organic foods worth your hard earned money
Mistake #1: You avoid all animal protein.
Why it’s aging you: You may lack of vitamin B12. which is essential for energy.
Found only in foods that are derived from animals, this nutrient helps regulate your metabolism and energy production and is key to maintaining a healthy brain and nervous system. “Fatigue is a classic sign of B12 deficiency, which usually occurs in people who don’t eat very much animal protein,” says Danine Fruge, MD, associate medical director of the Pritikin Longevity Center & Spa in Miami. Chewing a lot of antacids to relieve heartburn can also lead to B12 deficiency because antacids interfere with B12 absorption.

Eating Fast Food

Eating Fast Food

Fast food is not the reason for obesity, most places provide menu so you can look and make choices based on your caloric needs.
McDonalds provides the caloric content for every menu item on the underside of tray liners.

McDonald’s

Egg McMuffin 300 Calories

Hash Browns 150

Cheeseburger 300

Southwest Salad with Grilled Chicken 320

Low Fat Balsamic Vinaigrette (1pkg) 40

Vanilla Reduced Fat Ice Cream Cone 150

Wendy's

Grilled Chicken Sandwich 300

Side Salad 60

Grilled Chicken Salad 200

Domino's Pizza Crunchy Thin Crust 12" Cheese

273

Chick-fil-A” Chargrilled Chicken & Fruit salad 220

Light Italian Dressing 15

Chick-fil-A” Chargrilled Chicken Sandwich 260

Fruit Cup (medium) 70

Burger King

WHOPPER JR. Sandwich 380

Cheeseburger 340

TENDERGRILL BLT Salad (no dressing) 360

EAT TO LIVE NOT TO GET FAT

BREAKFAST SAMPLE

½ cup oatmeal 150 calories

1 cup of 1% milk 110 calories

Total calories for breakfast 260.

First I did not like it, but now I love it and have no need to add salt butter or sugar.

1 cup skim milk 110

½ cup mixed berry 70

One scoop of whey protein 110

Total calories 290.

In a blender, combine the mixed berries, milk, whey protein and blend until smooth.

1 cup cheerios 100 calories

2 Tbsp ground flaxseed meal 60

1 cup milk(1%) 110

Total calories 270

½ Cup Fiber one Bran Cereal 60 calories

2 Tbsp Wheat Germ 50 calories

1 Cup soymilk Light 70 calories

½ Cup Blueberries 35 calories

Total calories 215.

LUNCH

1 cup Plain yogurt 200 calories

1 cup blueberries 70

Total calories 270.

In a blender combine the yogurt and blueberries blend until smooth.

2 slices of bread 200 calories

2 Tbsp of creamy peanutbuter 200

Total calories 400

SNACKS

Food Calories

Apple (Fuji) small 60

Blueberries ½ cup 41

Cantaloupe diced 1 cup 54

Orange 1 small 45

Mango ½ cup diced 60

Papaya 1 cup cubed 54

Pineapple ½ cup 60

Plum sliced ½ cup 47

Strawberries 1 ½ cups whole 60

Tangerine 1 medium 50

DINNER

1 cup rice 170 calories, 2 boiled eggs 140. 1 cup frozen mix veggies broccoli, carrots, water chestnut 35 calories. Total calories 345.

Tilapia 8oz 200 calories

1 cup frozen mixed broccoli, cauliflower and carrots 30 calories

1 cup of rice 170

2Tbsp of salsa 10 calories

Total calories 410.

Edamame & Rice

1tbs extra virgin olive oil

½ cup chopped yellow onion

3 cloves garlic

1 cup long grain rice

1tsp ginger

½ tsp ground Turmeric

1 cup Edamame shelled soy beans

On a pan, add oil and onion cook until onion gets soft (about 4 minutes) add garlic, one cup long rice, 1tsp ginger and ½ tsp of ground Turmeric. Cook and stir for 3 minutes.

Stir 2 cups of boiling water cover. Cook on low heat for 12minutes.

Stir 1 cup frozen edamme shelled soybeans. Cover cook 10 more minutes or until rice is tender.

Disclaimer: The information provided here is for reference purposes only, and is not intended as medical or professional advice.