Facts About Figures Goal Setting & Getting There Boyd Foster & Karen Rickel Department of Sport and Physical Education

Breaking it Down What do we do? Resolutions/goals for improvement Behavior change Myths versus Facts What is this all about?

What have we been doing? Within 6 months, 50% of people who start an exercise program quit. Within 12 months, 80% quit.

Don’t feel alone… The average woman has been on (and off) a dozen “diets” during her adult life & has lost and regained 30 pounds. The average profit for the self- improvement industry is in excess of 9 billion dollars ANNUALLY.

Resolutions Specific vs. general Positive vs. negative Process vs. product (Behavioral goals vs. outcome measures)

SPECIFIC VS GENERAL “I will go to the gym 3 times a week” “I will eat an apple or orange for snacks” vs. “I will work out more” “I will start eating better”

POSITIVE VS. NEGATIVE “I will eat fruit TWICE a day” vs. “I will not eat any cookies or cake” “I WILL buy a new well-fitting gorgeous dress/suit by my high school reunion” vs. “I will not be the fattest person at my high school reunion”

P ROCESS VS. PRODUCT (focus on behavior) “I will go to the gym three times a week” vs. “I will run 6 minute miles by March” “I will eat three balanced meals a day and a healthy snack” vs. “I will lose 25 pounds by summer”

O THER R ESOLUTION I SSUES : Disregard for OVERALL WELLNESS physical, mental, emotional, spiritual health, intellectual, social Failure to analyze the cause: directly attacking the behavior without seeking out reasons for behavior

Successful individuals have in common….(specific to fat loss) self monitoring appropriate goals diet knowledge and selection stimulus control self reward exercise social support

Goals do NOT have to be… Product oriented Punitive Unreasonable

Goals should be… SMART Specific Measurable Action (Process) Oriented Reasonable -Attainable (success breeds success) Timely Educational/rewarding/for you

Outcomes should be… Measurable in a variety of ways − Not pounds, but inches − Not miles, but minutes − Not intensity, but frequency − Not calories, but portion size, or number of snacks, or food choice Easier if you focus on behavior, can look for many and varied positive outcomes.

Methods for Changing Behavior Analyze: the problem, past and present history, desire to change Discuss: the future, set goals NOTE: goals can be BEHAVIORAL Plan: list strategies for change and choose ones you think will work; coping skills, plan ways to avoid problems before they occur Participate & Maintain: (forming NEW habits)

Staying on the horse… Maintenance is often the point at which it all falls apart: reached the goal, now off the wagon. As you progress, understand the behavior is what breeds the product Once you achieve a certain outcome, to maintain it, you must have achieved a new pattern of behavior.

You didn’t learn bad habits overnight… Learning new ones takes time and practice. Your changes are not about eliminating old habits, but replacing them with new ones. There is no perfect program or perfect person. Choose your changes based on YOU.

Myth v. Truth Myth : “don’t count calories, just do the diet” Truth: calories do count: it is just math: you have to expend more than you take in. A calorie is just a calorie: one calorie of fat is equal to one calorie of carb is equal to one calorie of protein

Myth v. Truth Myth: ALL FOODS ARE CREATED = Truth: Caloric density is the key: Protein = 4 calories/g Fat= 9 calories/g Carbohydrates = 4 calories/g Alcohol= 7 calories/g

Myth v. Truth Myth: skipping breakfast will cut out a lot of calories Truth: BREAKFAST IS “BREAK (THE) FAST”: You do need to eat breakfast, at least within 3 hours. If you wait you’ll be so hungry you’ll overeat later.

Myth v. Truth Myth: You should eat 6 small meals vs. 3 regular meals. Truth: You don’t have to eat 3 meals, six meals…You should have a structured meal plan that works for you. Three seems to be convenient for most people.

Myth v. Truth Myth: carbs make you fat. Truth: overeating makes you fat. Refined/processed carbs are much like sugar: they don’t fill you up and don’t stay in the system long, so you get hungry again sooner. Whole grain bread is more filling and you stay satisfied longer than with white bread…although they have the same amt. of calories.

Myths and Deceptions Myth: Eating salad or a baked potato is always a safe bet Truth: some salads and baked potatos can contain over 1500 calories… what’s in that thing?

THEY DON’T CALL THEM ADD -ONS FOR NOTHING… Sour cream 60 calories, 40,30 1 cup of milk =150 calories,110, 85 Mayonnaise =90 calories or 50 If you went low-fat instead of full….Save =100 calories

Myth v. Truth Myth: fats are to be avoided Truth: fats make you feel full. If you don’t eat them, you tend to be unsatisfied and keep eating trying to find that satisfaction….eventually you will eat more that if you had had the ONE doughnut in the first place.

Myth v. Truth Myth: you must avoid something, cut out at least ONE food (like dessert) Truth: deprivation is the downfall. You will yearn for whatever it is you can’t have. So have the Ben and Jerry’s: just don’t have the whole pint and don’t have it every day. Deprivation will make you go overboard.

Myth v. Truth Myth: just exercise more and eat what you want. Truth: exercise alone generally won’t work (it takes 2 hours of brisk walking to burn off 500 calories).

Myth: Weigh yourself every day and adjust your intake accordingly. Truth: you could weigh once a week as ONE way to monitor. You can use other methods like tape measures, clothes fit, etc. Myth v. Truth

Myth: don’t eat at night Truth: A calorie is still a calorie at 4 pm, 9 pm, midnight… It’s the number of calories you consume, not when you eat them. Myth v. Truth

Myth: don’t snack Truth: pop quiz: when is a calorie not a calorie? Snack if you like, just remember that calories are the culprit, not snacks. Myth v. Truth

Myth: to lose weight, do only cardio Fact: Resistance training builds muscle, which burns calories even at rest. Myth v. Truth

FACTS ABOUT FIGURES In general: figure your baseline (record your diet for 3 or more days and calculate your caloric intake. To lose weight you can try some combination of diet and exercise to cut back 500 cal a day…which would result in roughly 1 lb. of weight loss a week.

FACTS ABOUT FIGURES Men should eat cal a day to lose weight, women

FACTS ABOUT FIGURES No foods can burn fat. Fad diets often do work…at a cost.

LOSE THOSE LOVE HANDLES! There’s no such thing as spot reduction— Except…..

IT’S ABOUT FEELING & BEING WELL Do you play or do you workout? Do you have to exercise or do you GET to? Do you have a buddy? Do you have a healthy habit? What small change can you make? YOU ARE WORTH IT! Figure it out and you’ll have the right figure for you.

Thanks for attending! Any questions?