Lasting Weight Loss» calories http://www.weightlossprose.com Blog about Healthy Eating and Living Thu, 17 Nov 2011 19:08:33 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.1.3 Don’t eat away your progress http://www.weightlossprose.com/healthy-eating/don%e2%80%99t-eat-away-your-progress/ http://www.weightlossprose.com/healthy-eating/don%e2%80%99t-eat-away-your-progress/#comments Wed, 02 Mar 2011 22:10:26 +0000 admin http://www.weightlossprose.com/?p=357 Many people fall into the trap of eating away their progress.  You go for a long run or spend an hour in a kick boxing class and then you let yourself overindulge in the evening because you’ve earned it.  If you are looking to lose weight, do not fall prey to this mindset.

Many people overestimate the number of calories they burn while exercising and underestimate how many calories are in their favorite dishes.  This means you can end up consuming more calories in your indulgence than you burned in the gym.

Keep in mind the number of calories you burn also depends on your weight.  The numbers you see on a treadmill or elliptical trainer may not be accurate. Here are some common activities and an estimate of how many calories they burn for someone who weighs 155 pounds doing this activity for one hour:

Running, 5mph pace -564 calories

Walking at moderate, 3mph pace – 232 calories

Stationary bike at moderate pace – 493 calories

Water aerobics -281 calories

Swimming laps, slow pace – 493 calories

Do these numbers surprise you?  How often do you activity engage an activity for an entire hour?  If weigh about 155 pounds and go for a half hour walk at a moderate pace, you’ve only burned a little over 100 calories.  But, in the evening if you let yourself have another scoop of ice cream or a couple cookies you can easily wipe out any progress you’ve made.

Give it a try for a week.  Keep track of the calories you consume – keeping in mind many restaurants now post nutritional information on their websites.  Also, estimate how many calories you are burning when exercising.  There are several websites that will help you do this as well.  Compare the number of calories you burn each day with the number you are consuming.  Learning from this exercise may help you think twice before going for those second portions or help you pick healthier snacks when you are hungry.  This ultimately will help you to lose weight.  After you learn the value or cost of foods relative to the effort you need to exert to burn those calories, it will help you make smarter choices everyday so you can achieve lasting weight loss.

]]> http://www.weightlossprose.com/healthy-eating/don%e2%80%99t-eat-away-your-progress/feed/ 0 Amy’s Frozen Entrees – healthy or hefty? http://www.weightlossprose.com/healthy-eating/amy%e2%80%99s-frozen-entrees-%e2%80%93-healthy-or-hefty/ http://www.weightlossprose.com/healthy-eating/amy%e2%80%99s-frozen-entrees-%e2%80%93-healthy-or-hefty/#comments Wed, 28 Jul 2010 05:44:23 +0000 admin http://www.weightlossprose.com/?p=335 Eating healthy can be confusing because definitions of healthy can vary widely.  Is healthier less calories, less fat, or simply better ingredients?
I was recently on a mission to eat healthier and decided to give Amy’s Kitchen frozen entrées a try.  With all the talk of reducing the chemicals and other additives to our foods, this seemed like a good choice.   Amy’s Kitchen is a line of natural, vegetarian frozen meals.   After trying several meals, and enjoying most of them, one day I happened to look at the nutrition information.  Boy, was I surprised!  My weeks of eating “healthy” were not as good as I had thought they were.
Here’s an example comparing Amy’s Country Cheddar Bowl with Smart Ones Brocolli and Cheddar Roasted Potatoes.  The Amy’s dish has 80% more calories than the Smart Ones meal!  Eighty percent – the Smart Ones entrée is even a slightly larger serving.  The shock doesn’t end with the calories, Amy’s has 200% more fat.

Amy’s Smart Ones
Size (g) 269 283
Calories 430 240
Calories from Fat 191 60
Total Fat (g) 21 7
Cholesterol (mg) 20 20
Sodium (mg) 690 520
Carbohydrates (g) 45 35
Fiber (g) 4 4
Protein (g) 16 10

Take the time to look at the nutritional information – marketing has a way of telling you what “healthy” lunches are, but if you are trying to lose weight, your definition of healthy can be very different!

]]> http://www.weightlossprose.com/healthy-eating/amy%e2%80%99s-frozen-entrees-%e2%80%93-healthy-or-hefty/feed/ 1 Counting calories – why you should give it a try http://www.weightlossprose.com/weight-loss-tips/counting-calories-why-you-should-give-it-a-try/ http://www.weightlossprose.com/weight-loss-tips/counting-calories-why-you-should-give-it-a-try/#comments Mon, 21 Dec 2009 02:51:04 +0000 admin http://www.weightlossprose.com/?p=264 I used to be annoyed by people who are always looking at the nutritional panel of food products.  My attitude was if I want it, I’ll eat it.  But, turns out taking a look at what you are putting into your mouth is actually a good thing.
While I’m not one to constantly count calories or have a goal of how many (or few) calories I consume each day, I think it’s an exercise that everyone should at least try for a while. You could be in for quite the surprise if you start tracking your calories.  Research has shown that most people don’t realize how many calories they eat.  Calories really can add up from large portions, high fat food, and drinks.
The real key to weight loss:  You lose weight when you burn more calories than you consume.   So, either eat (and drink) fewer calories or start burning even more calories.  Of course, a combination of the two is ideal.  As long as you continue to consume more calories than you expend, you will gain weight.
The tricky part is determining how many calories you should be consuming.  There are several variables including age, gender, weight, body composition, and activity level.  If you’ll recall my articles on strength training, muscles burn more calories – so a very muscular person actually needs to consume more calories.
There are several websites that can assist you in determining your ideal daily caloric intake as well as determining the amount of calories in specific foods. Be sure to pay attention to the serving size…just looking at the numbers can be deceiving.   Most restaurants now provide nutritional information on their websites.  Take a look at your favorite meals and you’ll most likely be in for a surprise.  When looking at percentages of intake, keep in mind it’s all based of 2,000 calories a day.

Here are a few examples of some ways you can cut calories by the choices you make.
1 Snickers bar, 266 calories     OR    1 cup apple, 65 calories
12 oz Coca-Cola, 155 calories   OR 12 oz water, 0 calories
Wendy’s: medium french fries, 430 calories OR junior chocolate Frosty, 160 calories
McDonalds: Big Mac, 540 calories OR cheeseburger, 300 calories

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