Tips and Tricks for Maintaining a Healthy Weight Jessi Saxton WKU Dietetic Intern

Breakfast… The most important meal of your day! Starting your day with breakfast is one of the best choices you can make in the morning. Eating breakfast: Starts your metabolism for the day so you begin burning calories Gives you energy to perform at your highest potential

Breakfast continued… Improves concentration May help you eat less throughout the day Provides important daily nutrients such as protein, fiber, calcium and carbohydrates

Portion Distortion Measure your portions and never eat straight from a container Many people have a distorted image of what an actual portion size is of the foods they eat on a daily basis Consuming larger portion sizes can lead to consuming excess calories and weight gain Portion sizes have increased dramatically over the past few decades; however, recommended serving sizes have remained the same

Serving Sizes

Are you actually hungry? Many times when we feel hungry, we are actually just thirsty. Drink 8oz. of water when you are feeling hungry, wait 15 minutes and see if that takes away the hunger cue. Use “The apple test”. When you are craving a certain food, ask yourself if you are hungry enough to eat an apple instead. If the answer is “no”, then you are probably not actually hungry. Do something to take your mind off the craving Ex. Take a walk, play a game on your cell phone, read a book or magazine

Exercise The Center for Disease Control (CDC) and The American Heart Association (AHA) recommend 150 minutes (2 hours and 30 minutes) a week of moderate intensity physical activity (such as brisk walking) per week Ideally, each cardio session should last at least 10 minutes and be spread throughout the week 30 minutes per day, 5 days per week is a great guideline

Exercise continued… 75 minutes (1 hour and 15 minutes) a week of vigorous- intensity aerobic physical activity provides similar health benefits 1 hour of aerobic exercise per day is recommended for weight loss

Use your muscles The American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) recommends strength training for adults to increase lean muscle mass The ACSM recommends 2-3 moderate intensity strength training sessions per week Lean muscle mass takes up less space than fat Lean muscle mass burns more calories than fat

Muscle vs. Fat Muscle tissue has been observed to burn roughly seven to 10 calories per pound per day Fat burns approximately two to three calories per pound per day Gaining even 3 to 5 pounds of muscle mass will burn approximately 15 to 30 calories per day -Dr. Cedric X. Bryant - Chief Science Officer for the American Council on Exercise (ACE)

That's more calories burned per month… Or, 5,400-10,800 more calories burned in a year That's about a 3-pound weight loss, simply by building and preserving your muscle mass!

Sugar Reduce sugar sweetened beverage consumption The average American consumes 22 teaspoons in added sugars per day which contributes to 350 excess calories Empty calories = excess weight gain. Better options: water, milk, diet sodas, tea The AHA suggests an added-sugar limit of no more than 100 calories per day (about 6 teaspoons or 24 grams of sugar) for most women and no more than 150 calories per day (about 9 teaspoons or 36 grams of sugar) for most men.

Tips and Tricks Be goal-oriented. Our brains are motivated by goals so be specific. Set a tangible goal with a firm deadline. Ex: “I will lose 10 pounds by June 1st.” Keep a food journal. Women who do lose six pounds more on average, according to a 2012 study in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. Never go to the grocery store hungry and always use a list. Shop the perimeter of the grocery for the healthiest food options and avoid the center aisles where most of the processed foods are.

Tips and Tricks Bring your own lunch to work. According to a 2012 study in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, dieters who eat out for lunch even once a week lose 5 fewer pounds on average. Start meals with vegetables to naturally eat more of them, become fuller faster, and ultimately reduce total caloric intake. For weight maintenance, weighing daily may help to keep you on track. For weight loss, weighing weekly may help monitor progress without becoming obsessive or discouraging. Eat every three to four hours to keep metabolism running efficiently and to stave off cravings.

National Weight Control Registry Established in 1994 by two physicians as a large scale prospective weight maintenance study Developed to identify and investigate the characteristics of people who lost weight and were successful at keeping it off Currently tracking over 1000 people 80% of persons in the registry are women and 20% are men The "average" woman is 45 years of age and currently weighs 145 lbs, while the "average" man is 49 years of age and currently weighs 190 lbs

NWCR continued… Registry members have lost an average of 66 lbs and kept it off for 5.5 years 98% of Registry participants report that they modified their food intake in some way to lose weight 94% increased their physical activity, with the most frequently reported form of activity being walking.

How they kept the weight off… 78% eat breakfast every day 75% weigh themselves at least once a week 62% watch less than 10 hours of TV per week 90% exercise, on average, about 1 hour per day

Bedtime Set a time to stop eating at Stop eating at least 3 hours before bed "Get six to eight hours of sleep a night. Without it, the appetite hormone ghrelin increases, which could result in weight gain. And schedule at least two three-minute breaks during the day to practice deep-breathing exercises. It will reduce the stress hormone cortisol, which builds fat around your mid-section." —Manuel Villacorta, RD, author of Eating Free