What Really Matters What you eat may matter less than how much you eat and why you eat. Being active is essential to good physical and mental well-being. You have to “do the work” to discover the motivations for your current behaviors.

The Reality of Weight Control… . . . in today’s world THE ONLY PLACE TO START IS WHERE YOU ARE NOW. To start “where you are”, you’ll need to do an inventory of what you are currently doing. Current behaviors are the ones resulting in your current body weight.

What You Eat Matters Less Than How Much and Why Fats, carbohydrates, and protein are important for healthy bodies. Foods from each food group have a role: Fats are filling, but are high calorie Protein can be filling, but some meats are high fat Carbohydrates provide quick energy but often provide few nutrients and high sugar content Cutting back on carbohydrate – even for a short time, can help control your appetite. Atkins had a point – but the plan is too extreme. (20 grams carbohydrate/day) Use some food packages with labels to illustrate what 20 grams of carbohydrate per day would include. This low level of carbohydrate requires eliminating milk, yogurt, fruit, bread, cereal, and many vegetables. A more moderate approach is to limit carbohydrates to 80 to 100 grams per day.

What You Eat Matters Less Than How Much and Why Portion sizes have grown and so have we. The biggest culprit for collective girth is increased portions of food in our restaurants and on our supermarkets shelves. According to government reports, physical activity has not changed in the past decade, but food portions have increased dramatically.

Commercial Contribution to Size Cookies are 700 percent larger than USDA standards Muffins are 300 percent larger Bagels are 195 percent larger Plates in restaurants are 12’’ instead of 10’’ One 64 ounce soda can contain 800 calories For example, the size of commercial cookies has exceeded USDA standards by 700%, muffins 333 percent, and bagels, a favorite alternative to sweets, by 195 percent. In restaurants, plate sizes have actually increased from 10 inches to 12 inches. If you buy the “Big Gulp”, a 64-ounce soda available in some convenience stores, could provide as much as 800 calories, almost a third of daily requirements.

What You Eat Matters Less Than How Much and Why In response to stress Due to boredom Because of loneliness Because it’s there and you want to It sure sounds good Being sociable In addition to these reasons, we are exposed to an environment through the advertising media, restaurant that encourages us to over-indulge. In schools , we begin at an early age to tie food to rewards. We used to prepare food from scratch in the home, and eat most meals at home. In our fast-paced modern world, many people eat a substantial portion of their food outside of the home.

Don’t Deny Yourself! Getting rid of whole categories of foods often setup cravings Good to plan if you will indulge or overindulge Need enough fat to feel satisfied Decreasing carbohydrate can help control cravings and overeating Research suggests that denying yourself of favorite foods will likely result in consuming more calories than you would have eaten by having a regular portion of what you crave. If you will be at a buffet, plan to be picky – no need to try everything. Include enough fat and protein to feel satisfied and to feel full longer. Controlling carbohydrate intake can help you control your appetite.

If You Are Overweight or Obese Do not be discouraged Know that a 5-10 percent weight loss has many advantages Physical activity for persons of any weight has many health benefits Have as a goal – slow, steady health improvements rather than rapid weight loss Many people are motivated to lose weight because they want to look better. Entire industries, such as the fashion magazine industry, promote the very thin look. One simple means of having a healthier self-image is simply to stop reading the fashion magazines. You can look good and be healthy even if you are overweight as long as you eat healthy, drink plenty of water and keep active. The main aim of weight reduction should be to decrease the health risk and illnesses associated with overweight and obesity. Fitness can begin at any weight!

Let’s Stop Gaining Weight The average person gains 20 pounds between the ages of 25-55 An increase in caloric intake of 0.3 percent is all it takes! Physical activity that exceeds intake by only 2 percent will result in a weight loss of 5 pounds per year Review points on slide. If you need 2,000 calories a day to maintain weight, and you consume an extra 100 calories per day, that’s 5 percent more than you need. Every 35 days, you will gain one pound (3,500 calories). If you gain one pound per month for 20 years, that is 240 pounds. That extra 100 calories per day sure makes a difference in maintaining body weight.

Being Active Is Essential To Good Physical and Mental Well-being Working up a sweat kicks your metabolism up a notch Walking and running are good for your head – take time to think Begin by being active at least 30 minutes a day, 5 days a week Aim for 1 hour of activity daily most of the week Research shows that being more active is the single best thing to do to get a weight loss program started.

Before you begin your journey, find out where you are Make note of when you eat and why Keep track of how much you eat Review your records Learn about your options Now what? Review points on slide.

For the First Week… Attend program (done) Record baseline data (done) Keep a journal Be food portion aware Be more active Think about why – write it down Review slide points.

A program to teach you basics about eating, activity, and thought behavior change. You will use a design tool to select the behaviors you’d like to try for the second week. By designing your own approach and making informed decisions, you will greatly increase your chances of success.

Professor, Extension Specialist for Food and Nutrition Mention or display of a trademark, propriety product, or firm in text or graphics does not constitute an endorsement and does not imply approval to the exclusion of other suitable products or firms. Stock images by 123rf.com Janet Mullins, Ph.D., R.D., L.D. Professor, Extension Specialist for Food and Nutrition Department of Dietetics and Human Nutrition Family and Consumer Sciences Extension School of Human Environmental Sciences May 2008 Copyright ©2016 for materials developed by University of Kentucky Cooperative Extension. This publication may be reproduced in portions or its entirety for educational or nonprofit purposes only. Permitted users shall give credit to the author(s) and include this copyright notice. Educational programs of Kentucky Cooperative Extension serve all people regardless of economic or social status and will not discriminate on the basis of race, color, ethnic origin, national origin, creed, religion, political belief, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, pregnancy, marital status, genetic information, age, veteran status, or physical or mental disability.