You Are What You Eat

What?  A post?  I know, I know!  It's been ages and even then the posts had been sporadic and lame at best.  I gotcha.  But I figure there's only a few people who actually read this blog; it's mostly for myself anyway.  It's one way I hold myself accountable.  It's one way I stay motivated.  It's a place I keep information on health & fitness for later use.  It's my fitness log.  It's also the start of a new year and though I'm still a couple weeks out from my 6 week postpartum mark, I'm starting to workout again.  And thus the resurrection of GET FIT Ü

I am thoroughly convinced that You Are What You Eat.  I've always hated that phrase.  But it's true!  Those last 3 months of my pregnancy I was on such a strict HEALTHY diet.  And if I only consider how I felt physically {nothing to do with pregnancy}, I felt amazing.  I didn't even feel pregnant most times {besides the heart burn}.  Then, baby arrives, I get the all clear and what do I do?  I gorge on all the things I craved and missed - Carbs, Sugar, Large Quantities... and guess what... I feel like CRAP!  I feel bogged down and sluggish {and I can't blame it on the baby because she sleeps great}.  I can tell a HUGE difference.

So what I'm going to try to do is modify the diet I was given.  The key is to eat lots of fresh produce and monitor portions.  I'm not going to weigh anything or measure anything like I had to on that diet;  but I did get pretty good at eyeballing things.  And though I fully intend on having things that I couldn't have before {like a slice a homemade bread fresh out of the oven} I will have to be really careful at the amounts of those things I have!  Because of having gestational diabetes I have a 50% chance of getting Type 2 Diabetes in the next 5 years so I have to be that much more committed to eating healthy and exercising!

And just because I think it's funny:

Diet or DIET?

Tonight I went over to a friends house.  She had a little class on Nutrition and it was SO good to have a few reminders and learn new things about diet; not the four letter DIET word that I hate.  There is a BIG difference, at least in my book.  DIET is something {may or may not include a drink, pill or magic cure} that someone tries out for a short amount of time {and may even lose - or gain - an enormous amount of weight}, the quick fix.  Diet REALLY should be PRACTICING good eating habits based on what you need to meet your goals.  It's a complete LIFESTYLE, meaning you do this FOREVER, not just until you meet your goals!!!

So here is a quick version of the 2 hours that we were there!

Let's start with caloric intake.  Here's how to figure out how many calories you should be eating every day.   

Body Weight ______ x 10 = ______ BMR {Basal Metabolic Rate} Or go HERE to calculate with more specifics.
BMR x 20% = _______ DAB {Daily Activity Burn}  20% is if you workout for an hour a day!
BMR + DAB + 600 = ________ Energy or Calories Per Day {600 is approximate number of calories you'll burn in that 1 hour workout}

SO.  We're going to get REAL personal here.  I'm going to use MY number to illustrate better what all that means.

Body Weight 132 x 10 = 1320 {the above website says 1303 so it's fairly close}
1320 x 20% = 260 DAB
1320 + 260 + 600 = 2180 Calories Per Day

Once I have that basic number {2180} I have a lot of power.  I can adjust that number to fit my current needs.  Am I working out a lot and need more calories so I have the energy to do so?  Am I gaining weight when I don't want to be?  It's important to know that magic number!!!  Then it's all about logging your actions!!!

It's important to log EVERYTHING.  I'm REALLY good at logging my workouts.  But I am HORRIBLE about logging my caloric intake.  I was really good at it when I was trying to lose weight but then I let it go.  And let me tell you, I KNOW I'm not eating as well as I should; which is why I put on 15 pounds in 4 months and it hasn't come off for the past 3!  So.  I realized I NEED to keep track of what I'm eating whether I'm trying to lose weight or not.

I also was reminded that what you eat is 90% of weight loss/gain is diet!  Think Biggest Loser!  Rulon was working out like an animal but when he was sneaking a bag of potato chips at night.... he wasn't losing the weight!!  It is so important to watch what you eat for you to achieve your weight loss/gain goals!

Active.com has A LOT of different calculators you really should go look at.  BMI, Body Fat, Caloric Needs, Ideal Weight... Knowledge is power and knowing where you are will help you know what changes you need to make to get to be where you need/want to be. 

Let's Move

I read about First Lady Michelle Obama and a new program she is spear heading in the paper today and HAD to find out more. It's called "Let's Move" and it's a program to give the tools to families to work on the problem of obesity, especially in children, in this country. The website is www.letsmove.gov and here is the video from that site:


So... I LOVE IT!! We have a major problem in this country with obesity in both adults and children/adolescents. I think it's super important to teach our kids how to make healthy choices. But I love that this covers nutrition AND fitness! I have high hopes for this program!

There is a link for "Healthy Choices" and there you can find all kinds on links for making healthier choices. Things like eating, shopping, cooking, living and general information. And YES, a I've got some of those links already here on the sidebar but I'll probably add some of theirs as I am able to check them out.

Another link is for "Healthier Schools". I am glad to see this. She really wants healthier foods offered not only for breakfast & lunch but in the vending machines. Our kids spend SO much time at school and they have a lot of crap available. I hope to see some great changes here!

The next link is "Physical Activity". BOO-YEA!!! Kids have NO idea how awesome it is to be active. They are too busy sitting in front of a computer, TV, cell phone or game system! It makes me CRAZY!! Great ideas here.

And the last one is "Accessing Healthy & Affordable Food". There are so many in this country who struggle to keep food on the table. This is there to help find places and programs to help. But it also has info to help increase farmer's markets and coalitions... gotta love THAT!

So regardless of your political opinion on the Obamas, this is a FANTASTIC tool. One I am really excited to find more about!

Weight Loss Secrets

The Reader's Digest had a couple AWESOME articles this month. Today I'm going to highlight their article "Weight Loss Secrets from around the world" by Joe Kita. It's safe to say that we are not the only people who are trying to manage our weight and our health. A global poll was done and these are the results.

Every culture has their own way of managing weight in a sense. There are traditions that govern the way we eat, when we eat, how much we eat and what we eat. I thought is was SO COOL. My family actually buys into a lot of these things already and we are excited to try out a few others as well!!

THAILAND: Like spicy food? Thailand is the place for you. They've got some of the spiciest food in the world! Now I've always known that spicy food raises your metabolism but this article says that it's not just that but that because of the spicy food, you eat SLOWER!! Which is a great habit!!

UNITED KINGDOM: We've all heard about fast food sizes being completely over the top huge right?! Well in the UK you won't be ASKED about super sizing your meal. They prefer smaller portions. A large Coke in the US has 100 more calories than one in the UK!

BRAZIL: Rice and beans are served with practically EVERY MEAL! Low in fat, high in fiber! Brazilians are well known for having beautiful beach bods!!

INDONESIA: Fast. As in, skip a meal or two every now and then. They fast from dawn to dusk. They connect this with breaking mindless eating patterns.

POLAND: {Can I just say that I SWEAR by this one? LOVE IT!} Poles spend about 5% {got that?} of their budget eating out!!! In comparison, the average American family spends 37%!!! Seriously. Knock it off!

GERMANY: {again, one I can't encourage enough...} EAT BREAKFAST!!! 75% of Germans eat breakfast DAILY. Yeah, just 44% of American claim the same! What are they eating? Fruit, Whole-grain cereals and breads.

NETHERLANDS: These people know how to get around... on a bike that is!! BIKES outnumber people! 54% of Dutch use their bikes DAILY!! The average Dutchman pedals 541 miles per year! AND they also consume about 85 MILLION herring per year!!! Herring is one of those oily fishes that has a lot of omega-3 fatty acids.

SWITZERLAND: Muesli: porridge made from oats, fruit and nuts. The Swiss eat it for breakfast or evening dish. Loads of fiber and those ingredients are all linked to better health and weight control.

RUSSIA: Grow your own fruits & veggies! Eat them. Can them. They're SO good for you!

MALAYSIA: Curry. {oh, I LOVE curry} Studies with mice have shown that the ingredients in curry gained less weight. But besides that, curry just rocks!

HUNGARY: Pickled things {cucumbers, bell peppers, cabbage, tomatoes...} can help reduce blood pressure, blood sugar levels and the formation of fat!

NORWAY: I think I need to move to Norway; I'd fit right in!! EVERYONE {no matter the season} goes on a hike on Sunday, well practically everyone! They go walking, hiking, cross country skiing... GREAT; sign me up!

INDIA: Yoga. Yoga is awesome! I love yoga! It is great for stress, flexibility & it facilitates weight loss too!

JAPAN: Apparently everyone in Japan takes a 20-30 minute nap every day! Chronic sleep deprivation raises the risk of weight gain. Who knew?!

FINLAND: Nordic walking. {Okay Norway, I may have to choose Finland instead... sorry}. Basically it's hiking with poles or sticks any time of year. Because you're using poles you are burning more calories too. Plus your OUTSIDE getting loads of fresh air. I'm convinced!!

MEXICO: My husband has been telling me this for YEARS!! 1. Eat breakfast. 2. Eat a BIG lunch {between 2-4}. 3. Eat a SMALL dinner. Well, here it is in writing. Here's the thought. You eat the majority of your calories between 2-4 and you burn them off during the day. Eat a small dinner and you'll be hungry in the morning and actually eat breakfast every day. Makes a lot of sense!

So. There you have it. Tips from around the world! Thank you Joe Kita for this article. I loved it!

Nutrition Facts

My son came home from school with a little card that he got at lunch. It had a few nutrition facts that I thought were interesting.

Each person has about 10 THOUSAND taste buds.

What food group provides the MOST energy to run & play? Bread, Cereal, Rice & Pasta

What fruit tree grows on every continent except Antarctica? The PLUM! They are a good source of vitamin C!

To help heal cuts & keep skin healthy you need to eat foods with what? Vitamin C! A few good sources are oranges, lemons and grapefruits... yummy!

Our bones are made mostly of calcium. That food group has a lot of this? Milk Yogurt & Cheese!