It is a common fact that one of the ways to help lose weight is to start eating fewer calories.  Pero alam ba ninyo that eating fewer calories does not necessarily mean eating less food?

Madalas na iniisip natin that in order to lose weight, we should cut down on the amount of food we eat.  Kadalasan kapag ginawa natin ito, nakakaranas pa rin tayo nang gutom o parang hindi pa rin satisfied pagtapos kumain.  Eto ang usual na nagiging dahilan kung bakit naggi-give up agad ang mga tao when it comes to losing weight. It’s because of the experience of feeling deprived or hungry when they eat less.  Well.. It doesn’t have to be that way.. 

We can still aim for a slow but steady weight loss. We can do this by decreasing our caloric intake while maintaining adequate nutrients and increasing our physical activity.  

The “secret” is by choosing foods which are lower in fat and increasing the amount of fiber-rich ingredients and those with high water content. Example nito ay mga fruit and vegetables.

Tingnan natin ang isang halimbawa.. 

This is a fried chicken sandwich with cheese and 1 tablespoon mayonnaise. This contains at least 480 calories.

Kung papalitan natin ito ng grilled chicken na may kasamang lettuce at vinaigrette dressing para maging salad, pwede pa din itong maka satisfy ng ating gutom and, at the same time, mapababa natin ang caloric content to 300-400 calories.

Batay sa mga pag aaral, ang isang tao ay nabubusog batay sa dami na tine-take in na pagkain, at hindi sa dami ng calories.  So, we can take in the same amount of food, but we can replace foods which are low in calories and with higher fiber and water content instead para filling pa din sa stomach

The key is to eat foods that are filling to the stomach without eating a large amount of calories. 

Successfully maintaining a healthy weight can be quite a challenge.  Isa sa mga technique ng pag-maintain ng healthy weight is a continuous cycle of evaluating our eating habits.

To achieve this, pwede natin i-apply ang 3Rs.  These are:

REFLECT

REPLACE, and 

REINFORCE

REFLECT – to reflect means na kelangan natin pagnilayan o i-assess ang ating mga eating habits — be it good or bad.  We can do this on a regular basis.  Pwede ito after a day’s work we keep a simple diary.  Or pwedeng on a weekly basis.  Focus natin sa mga karaniwang triggers ng unhealthy eating

REPLACE – replace means na palitan natin yung mga unhealthy habits with healthier ones.  We can slowly put in small changes or practical modifications para hindi naman masyado mabigla ang usual routines natin.

REINFORCE – give ourselves credit for the good work that we’ve done.  Of course, hindi dapat food! Also, don’t forget to congratulate ourself for the small successes in maintaining the changes in our habits.

So that’s it! The 3Rs to help change our eating habits.  In the part, we’ll share with you how we can go about assessing our eating habits. 

Our journey to a sustainable more healthy weight involves a change in the way of how we do things.  Pero making drastic and sudden changes to our eating habits, kung minsan, may do more harm than good.  Sure, they can lead to weight loss pero most often, on a short term basis. And more often, the long-term repercussions can lead to more weight kesa nung nag simula tayo.

Para mas maging long-term at sustainable ang ating weight loss journey, kelangan natin ng i-review at i-assess ang ating eating habits.  Meron na kasi tayong mga nakaugalian na pwedeng makatulong sa ating weight loss.  Example nito ang pagkain sa oras at hindi pag skip ng breakfast.  Pero meron din mga habits nakaka-hinder dito.  Halimbawa yung parating inuubos ang laman ng plato natin kahit super busog na tayo.

Kelangan natin i-identify ang mga habits na ito at palitan ang mga nakasanayang bad eating habits.  In other words, the journey to sustaining a healthy weight involves also a constant reflection and improvement in our habits.  Kailangan din kung minsan ng pagbabago sa ating mindset.

On the next part, tingnan natin ang isang simpleng pattern kung paano natin pwedeng mapabago ang eating habits natin.  

Bagong Taon na naman and of course most of us want to take the time to rethink and revisit our health goals. In looking how to improve our health, I’ve looked into some ways on how we can measure our health so we can better ourselves.

Body Mass Index

• Ratio of weight and the square of height.  
• Normal is from 18.5 to 25
• More than 25-<30 would mean either overweight or obese; less than 18.5 means undeweight

Waist Circumference

• Indicator of visceral or belly fat.  And this fat is a predictor of obesity-related disease risk than overall body fat
• The normal waist circumference for females is  less tthan 35 inches and for men is less than 40 inches.  
• Some professionals measure the waist hip ratio.  The normal for males is 0.9 females 0.85€

Level of hydration from amount of water you drink.  

• It is a common notion that 8 glasses is enough but this not always the case
• Lot of factors to consider such as the gender, activity level, climate.  
• More practical to gauge using the color of urine.  It should have pale yellow color or lighter

Blood Pressure

• Increasing blood pressure could be an indication of overall cardiovascular health
• Anything more than 120/80 would mean regular monitoring

Cholesterol Levels

• By age 20, cholesterol levels should be checked at least every 5 years; much more frequent if there are other risk factors

Blood Sugar Levels

• Fasting Blood sugar tells us the amount of sugar that remains in the blood after not eating for 8 hours or so.  FBS of 100 mg/dL is normal
• People with normal sugar levels should get tested about every 3 years

Servings of Vegetables Eaten

• The more servings of non starchy vegetables and fruit eaten each day, the better for over all health
• Eat more vegetables compared to processed food and high glycemic index food
• Half of your meal plate should be filled with vegetable

Time spent Moving

• Exercise and physical activity is important to maintain strong bones, reduce risk of diabetes and improve mood
• Exercise at least 30 minutes a day to lower risk of early death

Amount of alcohol taken

• Excessive alcohol can lead to development ceratin cancers, heart disease, liver disease
• Excessive drinking (CDC) – 3+ drinks in a single occasion for women; 4+ drinks in a single occasion for men; 7+ drinks per week women; 14+ drinks per week for men
• Drinking moderate is equal to one drink a day for women and up to 2 drinks per day for men
• If you don’t drink alcohol, there is no reason to start

Hours Spent Sleeping

• Sleep deprivation may lead to hypertension, daibetes and heart disease
• Adults over 18 should get 7-9 hours of sleep daily

So there you have it. Just by monitoring or looking after these simple ways, you are already helping your body towards being a better you.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Being in your early 20s can be both fun and a challenge.  For many, this stage is the beginning of an entirely new phase of life – the prospects of having your first job, entering into new relationships or family, or continuing the challenges of learning new things.

In every new life phase comes new routines.  And this may cause drastic changes in lifestyle.  People may start to become less active in the gym or sports because of new challenges at work, or in the family.  Food habits change because of different environments like being with different set of people with different food habits.

Although some studies may vary in their conclusions (Proper, Picavet, Bogers, Verschuren, & Bemelmans, 2013), the changes in the lifestyle may pose potential problems for some because this may translate to weight gain if unchecked in the long run.  Financial struggles and challenges resulting from new responsibilities from the emerging independent adult can also predispose to weight gain (Conklin, Forouhi, Brunner, & Monsivais, 2014).

Knowing these issues and not losing focus in maintaining a healthy lifestyle not only prevents weight gain, but also decreases the potential for chronic diseases in the future.  Managing your time schedules regularly to incorporate even short periods of physical activity can help burn excess fat from previous overindulgence.  Incorporating mindfulness exercises during meals may decrease the risk of overeating and overconsumption of calories.  Being in the company of health-conscious individuals can further motivate you in carrying on with your fitness goals.

Choose to make your health a priority while in the prime of life. 

References:

Conklin, A. I., Forouhi, N. G., Brunner, E. J., & Monsivais, P. (2014). Persistent financial hardship, 11-year weight gain and health behaviors in the Whitehall II study: Persistent Hardship Increases 11-Year Weight Gain. Obesity, n/a-n/a. https://doi.org/10.1002/oby.20875

Proper, K. I., Picavet, H. S. J., Bogers, R. P., Verschuren, W. M., & Bemelmans, W. J. (2013). The association between adverse life events and body weight change: results of a prospective cohort study. BMC Public Health, 13(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/1471-2458-13-957