Day 10: Carbohydrates

How did you do with your fats yesterday? Did you avoid the bad ones, and have enough of the good ones?

Today we are talking about carbs, which should consist of 40% of the calories you eat. Now don't take this as a invite to gorge on bread, pasta and other refined carbs. While bread and pasta are oaky
in moderation, you don't need it with every meal and keep an eye on your serving sizes. (And if you are eating pasta skip the breadsticks or garlic bread) the key is to eat balanced meals.

Instead I want you to focus on getting your carbs from fruits and vegetables. There is a reason we are supposed to get seven servings a day! Try eating a couple fruits and or veggies with your three main meals and having a two part snack once or twice through out the day.

A two part snack is one protein and one fruit or veggie. This will help keep you full and satisfied all day long. Now remember I am not telling you, you can't have grains. I am telling you that the largest majority of your carbs on most days should come from fruits and veggies. Try to limit breads and pastas to one meal a day or take baby steps by cutting it from one meal at a time.

You can do this!

Day 9: Fats

How did you do yesterday with your protein? Today we are going to focus on fats. Typically you should base your macro-nutrients off 40/30/30  plan. Meaning, that, of the calories you eat 40% should be carbohydrates and 30% each should be fats and protein. You can use the estimator here to determine those numbers just adjust the percentages at the bottom of the screen.

Here is the thing with fats, I know you're thinking but I need to cut fat or go low fat to lose weight. This isn't true, we need fats for our brain to function properly. The key is getting good fats, instead of bad ones. Why? Good fats eat bad fats. See I told you you wanted to eat that fat ;)


The Bad Fats
Avoid and limit these

• Saturated fat comes mainly from animal sources of food, it raises total blood cholesterol levels and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol levels.
• Trans fat occurs naturally in some foods, especially foods from animals, but most are made during food processing through partial hydrogenation of unsaturated fats. This process creates fats that are easier to cook with and less likely to spoil than are naturally occurring oils. These trans fats are called industrial or synthetic trans fats. Research studies show that synthetic trans fat can increase unhealthy LDL cholesterol and lower healthy high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol.

The Good Fats
Incorporate these daily to get your fat goal

• Monounsaturated fat is found in a variety of foods and oils. Studies show that eating foods rich in monounsaturated fats improves blood cholesterol levels, which can decrease your risk of heart disease. Research also shows that MUFAs may benefit insulin levels and blood sugar control, which can be especially helpful if you have type 2 diabetes.
• Polyunsaturated fat is found mostly in plant-based foods and oils. Evidence shows that eating foods rich in polyunsaturated fats  improves blood cholesterol levels, which can decrease your risk of heart disease. PUFAs may also help decrease the risk of type 2 diabetes. One type of polyunsaturated fat, omega-3 fatty acids, may be especially beneficial to your heart. Omega-3s, found in some types of fatty fish, appear to decrease the risk of coronary artery disease. They may also protect against irregular heartbeats and help lower blood pressure levels

Courtesy of the Mayo Clinic.

Visit this website to see an example of good and bad fat food sources.

You can do this!

Day 7: Calories

How were your calories yesterday? They should be no lower than 1200, the human body needs 1200 calories minimum for your body to perform all its necessary functions.  With that being said you may need more calories than that for weight loss depending on gender, muscle mass, and activity level.

For example when I first started my healthy, active lifestyle journey I was set at 1200 calories a day. About a year later, after I had dropped 40 pounds, I began exersising five times a week. Suddenly the weight stopped coming off and started going on! My coach told me to up my calories to 1500-1800 a day and suddenly the weight started coming off again.
 

Women need about 12 calories per pound of body weight

• For example: I weigh 143 lbs so I need about 1716 calories to maintain my weight

Men need about 14 calories for every pound of body weight

• For example: My boyfriend weights 190 lbs so he needs about 2660 calories to maintain his weight

Once you have your calorie needs subtract 500 for weight loss, but do not go below 1200. If subtracting puts you below 1200 aim for 1200 calories and some exercise. 

Once you cut your calories pay attention to how full you feel through out the day and if you are losing or not. Losing weight is a science that you have to tweak until you get it right. Add calories back on until you start to lose again.

I know its a hard concept to grasp because people don't understand that to lose weight you have to eat enough. If you consume less calories than your body needs it goes into starvation mode and hangs on to everything you eat, storing it as fat. The key is to eat enough that your body gets enough fuel so it doesn't need to store back up fuel.

You can do this!