This week, we'll discuss making healthier food choices & how it impacts weight loss.
Many people can find areas to tweak in their diets. This could be a healthier substitution (e.g., putting skim milk in coffee or munching on veggies instead of chips) or skipping an unnecessary habit (like a slice of cheese on a sandwich or snacking while cooking dinner). As illustrated below, even small changes help weight maintenance or can lead to slow but maintainable weight loss.
Quicker weight loss might require multiple small changes each day, a larger tweak, or using this technique in combination with portion control &/or increased physical activity. BTW, it's okay to have a "non-negotiable" (something you don't want to adjust or give up). Find tweaks that work for you.
We encourage participants to create healthy lifestyle choices that will last long beyond the Weight Loss Challenge!
Examples:
- Substituting a lower-fat dairy product... Using nutritional facts for 8 ounces of milk:
* 4% milk has 156 calories, 9 grams fat, & 8 grams protein
* 2% milk has 122 calories, 5 grams fat, & 8 grams protein
* 1% milk has 102 calories, 2 grams fat, & 8 grams protein
* Skim milk has 83 calories, 0 grams fat, & 8 grams protein
=> Even switching from a reduced-fat (2%) to 1% milk saves 20 calories per 8 ounce glass. With no other changes, this ironically may be enough of a daily caloric deficit to prevent the 1-2 pounds of weight gain that the average American experiences each year... Alone, it would take about 6 months to lose 1 pound, though.
(Tip: Having trouble adjusting to a lower fat content? Try mixing your current milk with gradually increasing amounts of your goal milk. This often helps ease the transition.)
- Substituting 1 can of soda per day with a non-caloric drink (like water, unsweetened tea, etc.)
= saves up to 150 calories per day
=> Making no other change, this could lead to just over 1 pound per month loss.
If you drink larger portions or substitute for multiple servings of sweetened drinks per day, your results would be even more dramatic.
- Substituting a leaner cut of ground beef... Using nutritional facts for a 1/4 pound pre-cooked burger:
* 73/27 ground beef has 350 calories, 30 grams fat, & 19 grams protein
* 80/20 ground beef has 290 calories, 23 grams fat, & 20 grams protein
* 93/7 ground beef has 170 calories, 8 grams fat, & 23 grams protein
=> 93/7 has half the calories, 1/4 of the fat, & more protein than the fuller fat version. Making no other change & eaten every day, the savings in this example could lead to around 1.5 pound loss per month.
Results would be even more dramatic if you eat larger portions. (Who would have thought it was ok to eat a burger while "dieting"?!?!)
As mentioned before, our goal is to eliminate an extra 3,500 calories for every pound of weight we want to lose. To lose 1 pound per week, aim for about 500 less calories per day through portion control, healthier food choices, being more physically active, or a combination of ways.
To review or catch-up on what we discussed during Class 2, check out
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