Making Nutritious Choices Without Sacrifice

     I started this blog because some of the dieting advice out there is just not realistic for college students. We eat out alot, cost, time and convenience are huge factors and sometimes our friends are bad influences. So I'm always grateful when I find plausible tips out there.

     Now that school's back in session, take-out might be tempting. The Center for Science in the Public Interest has compiled the nutrition information for some common Chinese food into a convenient mock menu. The calorie content in some popular dishes is outrageous. General Tso's Chicken can be expected to have 1300 calories, while Shrimp with Lobster Sauce only has 400. Another good tip they suggest: order food lightly stir-fried.

    MSNBC features reasonable advice in "Get Rid of the Guilt! Trade Up to Healthier Treats." For breakfast, it suggests small changes like trading regular cream cheese for whipped. It doesn't expect you to swear off fast food completely, but does point out that if only McDonald's will do, a regular hamburger is a wiser option than a Big Mac. If going out with friends to a Mexican restaurant, choose chicken fajitas over the quesadilla. The article even offers reasonable dessert choices.

     Even with the best of intentions, students aren't going to be preparing themselves three nutritious meals a day, every day. Making realistic food choices, like those featured at CSPI and MSNBC, keep us from spending unhealthy amounts of time planning food intake, and help prevent future overeating. If you don't deprive yourself, cravings won't become overwhelming later. 

After the Holidays, Now What?

     Did you overindulge during the holidays? Let's face it, most of us do. My carefully-orchestrated plan didn't quite work out as planned. I was going to spend only a few days home for the holidays, but ended up going home shortly after finals ended. As a result, I have been surrounded by the savory smells of baking and my family's constant snacking for a week.I have kept up an exercise routine, and I have tried to only give in to foods I will truly savor, like traditional holiday favorites rather than fattening snacks I could have any other time of the year.

     But still, there were times when I did overeat. So I now have to come up with a new plan. As someone who suffered from an eating disorder, I know that dieting, for me, is just not going to work. I will instead try to eat even more healthily than normal, by choosing the healthiest option at each meal. I will still choose foods I enjoy, but when faced with several options, I will choose to most filling for the lowest calorie count. I will probably be eating a lot of soup and salad. But I will no longer allow myself to go hungry as a sort of "punishment" for my sins.

     If you've also had problems with disordered eating and gained some weight this holiday season, you know that it takes 3500 calories to make a pound. Even if a single dinner came to 3000 calories (which would assume you had no reservations about partaking of everything), that still doesn't equal a pound of weight gain. If your weight is up, a majority of it is probably also bloat. Try to eat especially well for a week or so. It will be helpful to get back into a normal weight management routine, and then assess the damage, rather than assuming you've gained weight by believing the scale right now. Remember the average American only gains a pound during the holiday season. And keep in mind that small dietary changes are ultimately more beneficial than any crash diet.

     And even if you've never had an eating disorder, it's really not necessary to diet for a pound. By just resuming your normal diet and exercise plan, one pound will melt away on its own. The stress of school will be here all too soon. Cash and home-cooked meals will soon be scarce. Enjoy the rest of your vacation!

     So have you gained any weight over the holidays? Or were you able to stick to a plan that worked for you? 

Does Exercise Really Lead to Weight Loss?

     It's standard advice: to lose weight, exercise. But there are some who disagree, because physical activity makes you hungry. Or course, exercise has numerous benefits, but what is its real effect on hunger and weight?  

     The American College of Sports Medicine and the American Heart Association even said in a statement that “It is reasonable to assume that persons with relatively high daily energy expenditures would be less likely to gain weight over time, compared with those who have low energy expenditures. So far, data to support this hypothesis are not particularly compelling.”          Research has found that those who lose weight and keep it off tend to exercise. One recent study suggested 55 minutes, 5 days a week (or about 40 minutes every day.) But these studies don't isolate exercise as the sole factor contributing to the weight loss maintenance. In the study I mentioned, for instance, the women who lost weight exercised, but they ate less too.

     So does exercise contribute to weight loss, or do people who have healthy habits tend to exercise? 

     In New York Magazine, Gary Taubes points to Jean Mayer, influential nutritionist and former president of Tufts University,  as the person who pushed the "fitness revolution." Mayer is credited with defeating the current societal belief that exercise was bad for you. He noticed that thinner people exercised more, and concluded that exercise did not necessarily equal increased hunger. But Taubes claims the 2 studies that he used to prove this have never been replicated.

     Recent studies don't suggest that there is no connection between appetite and exercise. But one especially interesting study does suggest that appetite is related to the intensity of the exercise. Researchers studied the effect of high-intensity and low-intensity exercise on appetite in college women. (Low-intensity exercisers took an hour to burn 350 calories, equal to walking, high-intensity exercisers took about half an hour.) They found that high-intensity exercisers ate more after their work-out than low-intensity exercisers and a control group. 

     The study really got interesting when the researchers calculated "relative energy intake," or the calories each group consumed not included the calories they burnt off through exercise. The researchers concluded that there were "no significant differences" between the groups. However, it is worth noting that low-intensity exercises had the lowest food intake when the calories burnt from exercising were subtracted. Low-intensity exercisers consumed an average of 2397 calories a day, but 2100 a day after subtracting calories burnt from exercise. High-intensity exercisers consumed 2580, 2266 for relative energy intake. The control group had 2285. In other words, this study suggest that for those watching their weight, low-intensity exercise is best. 

     Jean Mayer suggested that exercise doesn't have to lead to increased hunger. This study helped show us where the line is. And if you want to engage in vigorous exercise, like I do, at least you'll now be a little bit more informed.

How Many Calories Should I Eat Per Day?

     

     When I first started becoming weight-conscious, I spent entirely too much of my life entering my body weight into calorie calculators on the web, trying to figure out how many calories I needed per day. I wanted to be sure not to eat too much, and rather than choosing to stop eating when I was full, I wanted a number.

     But these calculators were almost as frustrating as the thought of not knowing how many calories I was supposed to eat. At my high school weight and height, I was informed I should eat anywhere from about 1200 to 2500 calories a day.

     With the rise of both Google and informational health websites on the Internet, it is easier to find more accurate ones now. Since Google puts the most popular links on the front page, it seems the most credible ones have found there way there. Still though, I tried out the first few pages of results for "calorie needs calculator," and the answers ranged from 1,586 to 2,622 calories. The results did seem to cluster around a middle range of 1900 to 2300 calories.

     But because the results had such a wide range, and rarely take into account factors besides weight, height, age and activity level (such as genetics), I highly advise against using them. They're so abundant, it can become addictive to try to find the "right" one.

     My problem was that I would be continuously curious, and click on each to find out if what it said was different from the others, but I never found an answer that made me stop. It was never as if one number popped out at me, and I knew "Aha! This is the real answer!" I just kept looking.

     I didn't know which result to choose, because they were just numbers. I am never going to be able to look at a number, and know that it's right for me. The only way I can tell if I ate an appropriate amount of food is by how my body feels. I try to eat three meals a day, with small, healthy snacks, and stop eating a few hours before bed. As a result, my calorie intake tends to be around 1900 calories in the summer, and 2200 when I increase activity during the school year. The calorie calculators don't account for that change. 

     The best way to determine your calorie needs is to determine how many calories you are eating on average over the long-term, and if your weight is stable. If you're maintaining your weight, you're eating the right amount. If not, adjust accordingly. If you're really at a loss, a calorie calculator can be a helpful starting point.( I linked two that gave me very different answers, but answers that represent an appropriate range of calories.) But spending too much comparing them is too much time spent thinking about a way to restrict yourself... and making rules for yourself will encourage you to break them. 

     What do you think? Have you been addicted to using all those calculators too?

Dieting vs. Lifestyle Changes

     I read a lot of diet advice. It is pretty much ingrained in my mind that 3500 calories equal a pound. I realize that to lose weight, I would need to eat less calories and exercise more. Despite the fad diet of the day, the science remains the same. And there's no doubt about it, it works.

     But any time I've ever dieted with the sole goal of calorie restriction, whether it be by 500 calories or by 1500, the same thing has happened. I lose the weight (quickly, because I'm young I suppose), and immediately gain it back upon completion of the diet. Even when the diet doesn't end in a binge. Even when the diet is accepted as "normal," like eating 1500 calories a day. The weight always comes right back.

     The only times in my life when I have lost weight and kept it off were when I permanently changed a lifestyle habit. For example, when I got over my ED, I lost weight because I was no longer binging. But it can be small changes much more subtle than that.

     According to the WebMD metabolism calculator, a 5'4'', moderately active, 18-year-old female who weighs 130 pounds requires 2,226 calories per day. At 120 lbs., she would burn 2,159 a day. That's a 67 calorie difference. Imagine these two theoretical girls in your head. Doesn't it seem like the heavier girl must eat so much more than the other? It's not true.

     If the first girl cut 67 calories out of her day, theoretically, she would eventually weigh 120 lbs. Of course, it would be difficult to monitor your calories that closely, and you would wait a long time. She would need to permanently change her habits, so there would be no need to obsessively keep track of calories. And then, as the weight gradually falls off, it will be gone for good!

      FitDay lists 1 tablespoon of mayo has having 98 calories. 2 tablespoons of Ranch dressing have 147, while two tablespoons of honey mustard have 101 (46 calories less) The difference between a Tall Iced Caramel Macchiato and a Grande Iced Caramel Macchiato is exactly 70 calories. (170 vs. 230) Get where I'm going with this?

     Cutting 500 calories out of your day is hard to do with small changes. Instead, dieters resort to depriving themselves of their favorite foods. They ignore hunger pangs while thinking "it's only temporary." So when the diet ends, they haven't changed how they think about food or altered their habits at all.  They go right back into their old habits. Then, they find themselves dieting again and again. 

     To prevent this cycle, find the areas in your diet in which you won't mind a little compromise. I'm always here if you'd like to share what you decide.

Learn to Keep Track of Calories

      The studies are often quoted. Many underestimate calories! But in this study, participants "almost perfectly estimated the number of calories in smaller meals."

     It was for larger meals that "participants strongly underestimated the number of calories." (By 38% in one version of the study, and 22.6% in the second.)

     So what does this mean for college dieters? Small meals do bode well for the college lifestyle. They also keep your metabolism constantly active.

      But if you must have a large meal, pay attention to portion sizes. I often hear about the benefits of food scales, but even I never went that far. It's just as effective to simply visualize.         

      These are the rules of thumb. Source

1 oz. meat: size of a matchbox

3 oz. meat: size of a deck of cards or bar of soap—the recommended portion for a meal

8 oz. meat: size of a thin paperback book

3 oz. fish: size of a checkbook

Medium potato: size of a computer mouse

2 Tbs. peanut butter: size of a ping pong ball

1/2 cup pasta: size of a tennis ball

Average bagel: size of a hockey puck.

1 oz. cheese: size of 4 dice

     Then, until you memorize the calorie content for the foods you typically eat, use a web calorie counter. FitDay is my personal favorite. Do you use another?

      I like FitDay because it has an enormous food list, which you can add to if needed. You can also figure out calories burned from your activities, the calories you burn in a typical day, and track how you have progressed at your goals, whether you're trying to lose weight, stay within a calorie range, or even eat more iron-rich foods. It's definitely worth checking out.

     I do have a caution. Do not use the site to enter your consumption every day. I check in every once in a while, on a typical day, to see if my diet is missing out on any critical nutrients. Or if I am unsure about the nutrition content of a new food, it's a good resource. But entering your calories every day becomes extremely tedious. Usually, I would just come up with a number very close to the one that I'd already estimated on my own, in a much shorter length of time.  You will eventually become adept at coming up with a figure in your head.  I know it may seem tempting to find the exact number, but it is a lot of time spent when you could be doing something you enjoy.  

     Hope this helps!