Eat Healthy: Eat More, Burn More

Eat more and exercise less to burn more fat.


Wouldn't it be great? No more starving, nor exercising very hard to lose weight. It would seem a paradox but there's some truth in that statement. However, this doesn't mean that you can eat all you can & exercise as and when you like. Like anything that sounds too good to be true, there's always a catch!


Let me explain. Most people go on strict diet plans to lose weight. They starve themselves and restrict their calories intake to the extreme without knowing that internally the body respond by going into the "starvation mode". It's a innate defense mechanism against starvation. 


Is it a myth or reality?  When you restrict your calories a significant amount, your body reacts by making all the body processes more efficient at making the most of the calories it does get from food and drink. The body will try to protect the fat stores and instead use lean tissues/muscles to provide it with calories it needs to keep functioning. This leads to loss of muscle tissue, which also lowers metabolic rate so that the body requires fewer calories to keep functioning and weight loss slows down. This is good in famine situation but if you are trying to lose those unwanted pounds, it's a disadvantage. On the flip side, some say that "starvation mode" is a myth because extreme lack of food intake e.g in famine will cause massive amount of fat loss.


How much could you reduce calorie intake without going into "starvation mode"? The answer is it varies with individuals taking into account many variables such as sex, age, height, activity levels, current weight, lean muscle mass & bone structure. To lose weight you must create a caloric deficit i.e calorie intake must always be less than total daily energy requirement of your body. You should aim to eat about 300-500 calories per day less than your total energy requirement to safely lose weight at a rate of 1-2 pounds per week. Experts advise that you should not eat less than 1200 calories a day to prevent starvation mode. 

Total daily energy requirement calculation:
Weight in kg
Height in cm
Male: BMR = (Weight x 13.75) + (Height x 5.003) - (Age x 6.775) + 66.5

Female: BMR = (Weight x 9.563) + (Height x 1.85) - (Age x 4.676) + 655.1

Assign activity level: 

Sedentary lifestyle 1.2

Light activity (exercise 2-3 times/week) 1.375

Moderate activity (up to 5 times/week) 1.55

Heavy exercise (at least 6 times/week) 1.725

Multiply BMR by your activity level to obtain daily energy requirement

Wait a minute! Didn't I say in the beginning: eat more to burn more fat? Yes, you could eat more but you still have to create a caloric deficit to lose weight & you should also follow these principles:

• Know the foods that cause accelerated fat burning in your body
• Know the particular foods that are preventing you from burning fat
• Put the right foods together in a certain way to create the fat burning effect

There will another post about the foods that could help you burn fat & lose weight. The take home message is that you should NOT restrict your diet & STARVE yourself to achieve weight loss.

Then what about exercise less? I will go into details about this when I get to  plan #3 (eventually because it's the hardest part, I think). All about exercise! Watch out for it!

To be continued

Eat Healthy: How To Eat

Compared to my previous post, this part 3 of healthy eating is more practical. Let me reiterate. Remember how to "eat smart", it's not just what you eat, it's how you eat. Now that you know what is healthy to eat and what is unhealthy, here are a few ground rules to healthy eating.

1. Stick to 3 meals a day (breakfast, lunch & dinner). Don't stray from it and munch anything in between. Most people tend to overeat if they have 6 meals a day. Once you can control your portion size for each meal then you can go for 6 meals a day plan.
2. Never skip meals. Stick to 3 meals a day no matter what.
3. Avoid sugary drinks/sweet foods/fried foods.
4. Avoid snacking especially junk foods. Snack on healthy food like fruits, wholemeal crackers etc. Drink a glass of water before snacking. You will feel full thus eat less.
5. Indulge in "unhealthy reward" right after a workout to "burn it off".
6. Never binge eat. Never over eat. Stop before you feel full.
7. Reduce your food intake progressively. Cut down your food quantity by about 5-10% every month. 

You should aim to get a healthy eating plate that looks like the image below. BUT I know, it's difficult because culturally Asian diet is different from that of Western. It's not impossible though. Remember the road to success is to make it simple, do it gradually and remember that every change you make to improve your diet matters.

To be continued

Eat Healthy: What To Eat

This part 2 of healthy eating is a very elaborate & complicated. Nevertheless, it's knowledge. Knowing is half the battle!

Healthy eating is not about strict diet plan, losing many kilos of weight or depriving yourself of the food you love. It's about feeling good about yourself, having more energy & keeping as healthy as possible. Your food choices can reduce the risk of all sorts of illness. In addition, learning the habits of healthy eating can boost your energy, sharpen your memory & stabilizes your mood.

How do we eat healthy? It begins with learning how to "eat smart", it's not just what you eat, it's how you eat. The food pyramid can help you plan your healthy food choices.



Here are some tips on how to learn the habit of healthy eating:

1. Set yourself for success
• make it simple- no need counting calories or measuring portions. Think in terms of color, variety & freshness 
• make changes gradually- small changes will become habit
• every change you make to improve your diet matters
• think of water & exercise as part of your diet
2. Moderation is key
• reduce, don't eliminate certain foods
• think smaller portions
3. It's not just what you eat, it's how you eat
• eat with others whenever possible
• listen to your body- drink a glass of water when you feel hungry, stop eating before you feel full & eat slowly 
• eat breakfast, and eat smaller meals throughout the day
4. Fill up on colorful fruits & vegetables- low calorie but rich in vitamins, minerals, antioxidants & fibre
• greens- go beyond dark green lettuce
• sweet vegetables- corns, carrots, sweet potatoes
• fruits- berries, apple, oranges, mangoes
5. Eat more healthy carbohydrates & whole grains
• good carbs- whole grains, beans, fruits & vegetables (digested slowly, feel full longer & keep blood sugar & insulin stable)
• bad carbs- white flour, refined sugar & white rice (digested quickly & cause spikes in blood sugar and energy)
6. Enjoy healthy fats & avoid unhealthy fats
• healthy- monounsaturated (canola oil, olive oil, avocado, almond, hazelnut, pecan, pumpkin, sesame); polyunsaturated fats including omega-3 & omega-6 (fatty fish, sunflower, soybean, flaxseed, walnut)
• unhealthy- saturated fats (red meat & dairy) & trans fat (shortening, some margarines, partially hydrogenated vegetable fat)
7. Put protein in perspective
• try different types of protein- beans, nuts, tofu, soy
• downsize your portions of protein
• focus on quality/fresh sources of protein
8. Add calcium for strong bones
• dairy- milk, yogurt, cheese
• vegetables & greens
• beans- black-eyed beans, kidney beans, white beans, pinto beans
9. Limit sugar & salt
• avoid sugary drinks, processed/prepackaged foods
• try slowly reduce the salt in your diet

To be continued

Eat Healthy: Eat To Live

Eat to live or live to eat? If one is concerned about maintaining a healthy weight, one should follow the former principle. But if one enjoys food, then the latter holds true.

Diet.......what a cliché? Do we have to go on a diet plan to lose weight? When there are so many weight loss diet plans around with their own pros & cons, including Atkin's, Heller's, Pritikin, Paleo, Sugar Busters, Suzanne Somer's, The Zone etc, how do we choose which one to follow?

A meta analysis by Robert H. Eckel, a physician and chair of the American Heart Association's Nutrition, Physical Activity and Metabolism Council stated that "It is also important to note that in most of the studies contained in the analysis, weight loss occurred when study participants were on diets for longer periods, and when they ate fewer calories".

But wait a minute! I am not interested in diet plans. I just want to lose weight & keep it off. Maintain a healthy weight in the long run. The one effective way to lose weight is to eat fewer calories. In addition, we have to burn more calories than we consume. In other words, EAT LESS, EXERCISE MORE. But it's easier said than done!

Malaysian culture & our eating habits could work against us. We Malaysians love food. In our country we celebrate all major festivities with binge eating. Where else in the world could we get "nasi lemak, roti canai & teh tarik" 24/7? We tend to have heavy breakfast. We have heavy lunch. And we tend to have heavy dinner after 8pm & then heavy supper after 10pm. It's no wonder "Malaysia has the highest obesity rate in Southeast Asia and ranks sixth in Asia-Pacific region".

Even though we can't change our culture, we can change our eating habit. How? Just simply healthy eating. The key to healthy eating is balance, variety and moderation. In short, that means eating a wide variety of foods without getting too many calories or too much of any one nutrient.

Fact: One pound is equal to 3500 calories. In other words, you have to burn 3500 more calories than you take-in to lose one pound.

To be continued

Drink More Water

Water is an essential element for all known life forms. It's the stuff of life. Two thirds of our body weight constitutes of water. Without water our bodily functions shut down. While we can survive as long as a month without food, we can live only for 4 to 10 days without water. The problem with our body is that we need water, but we don't crave for it.

Here are a few benefits of drinking more water for motivation:

1. Curbs your hunger: water suppresses your appetite naturally
2. Metabolizes stored fat: your liver works more efficiently
3. Burn more calories
4. Improve skin & tone
5. Release toxins: water helps your body rid of waste
6. Prevent water retention: drinking more water prevents fluid retention & weight gain (paradox huh!)

So it seems that water is probably the single most important catalyst in losing weight & keeping it off. According to the US National Strength & Conditioning Association, appropriate water intake is 2.7 litres to 3.7 litres a day for women and men, respectively. That's a lot of water! Equivalent to 10-15 glasses a day!

How could we drink that much in a day? I have gathered a few useful tips to help me drink more water.

• drink 2 glasses of water immediately after waking up.
• drink 2 glasses at each meal, one before & one after. One glass before each snack so you don't eat as much.
• bring a 2-litre bottle of water to work & try to drink it all before you leave work. If you don't finish, drink it in traffic on the way home.
• carry a refillable bottle at all times and drink during downtime, while watching TV etc.
• after each trip to the restroom, drink a glass of water to replenish your system.
• when you have a junk-food craving, drink a glass of water immediately.

So how to drink water for weight loss?

1. Drink a glass of water before reaching for a snack.
2. Replace sugary drink with water.
3. Drink at least 15 glasses of water a day. Carry a water bottle at all times.
4. Drink a glass of water before & after each meal.
5. Hydrate before exercise & sip water during workout. Avoid extra calories in sports drink unless you are running a marathon!

Making A Plan

"Planning is half the battle"

"To be prepared is half the victory"

"Create a definite plan for carrying out your desire and begin at once, whether you're ready or not, to put this plan into action."

All these quotes stressed the importance of planning. To achieve my GOALS, I need to devise a PLAN to achieve a TARGET.

Goals: 

1. To lose weight

2. To get fit & healthy

Target: 

Lose 15 kg in total

Plans:

1. Drink more water

2. Eat healthy

3. Exercise

These plans seem simple enough to follow but you know what they say "it's easier said than done"! Change is hard. I am not going to make that BIG leap in a single bound. Let me be more realistic. Instead , I will make small, gradual changes and build on small successes. Sooner or later, I may be running the marathon for all you know (.......or maybe not to such extent because I hate running).

In my subsequent blog-posts, I will elaborate on how I am going to put my plans into action.

Appreciate One's Health

One learns to appreciate good health when one has ill health.

Everybody takes good health for granted until they fall ill. That's when they start regretting on what they should have done. Good health is granted to us and we should strive to maintain it by taking care of our body physically & mentally.

I just recovered from pneumonia. Becoming very ill was not fun at all. It was miserable. Just when I was really looking forward to start a more active life in February 2012, the pneumonia put a halt to all my plans of golf & running.

I know I have to start someday. By chance, I came across a Facebook posting about healthy diet today. It led me to a website www.livestrong.com which contains priceless information on fitness, diet & health. With all the information, I will plan my way to a more fit & healthy living. This blog is dedicated to my journey to achieve that goal. At least, it's a start!