Do you give your body the best fuel so it can perform in the manner you wish, or do you fill up with the “cheap stuff?”
Looking at food from a different angle, do you view food as enjoyable or as medicine? Can we have fun eating and still maintain low bodyfat?
Many women eat too little, instead of too much, out of fear of gaining weight. Many normal women think they are fat because of society’s obsession with thinness. The semi-starvation food habits of these women make them vulnerable to nutritional deficiencies, more so than men. It is a woman’s right to concentrate on healthy eating rather than starving oneself to produce a body size you were never genetically programmed for. It is a woman’s right to ban diets, throw away the scale and make being healthy the important factor.
Even without resorting to a fad diet, chronic dieting by severely restricting calorie intake can produce unfortunate side effects.
- Obsession with food and body weight
- A sense of deprivation
- Weight cycling
- Eating binges followed by guilt
- Self dislike
Food becomes and enemy and mealtime the battlefield. Fatigue is also related to poor eating patterns.
You are encouraged to focus on fitness, not fatness, by developing eating and exercise behaviors that will lead to good health. This includes an eating plan you can live with forever. Eating awareness is a lifetime of providing your body with the necessary nutrients it needs: protein, carbohydrates, fats, vitamins, minerals, and water.
How many calories are needed for health and fitness? An easy way to figure this is:
- Multiply your weight by 10 (EX: 130 x 10 = 1300)
This determines the amount of calories needed for your basic body functions. - Add about half that amount for your activities (1300 + 650 = 1950)
- If you exercise daily add an additional 200-300 (1950 + 200 = 2150)
This may seem like a lot of calories, but this higher caloric intake offers adequate energy to function and contributes to successful long term weight (fat) loss. One note: This calorie intake may not work for someone who has dieted for extended periods throughout life or who keeps her weight abnormally low.
The next question is “What to eat?”
- Eat three health balanced meals a day.
- Limit fat, sugar, and salt.
- Increase complex carbohydrates.
- Focus on food that has high nutrient density, which means the food provides more nutrients for fewer calories. (Vegetables are the most nutrient dense food you can eat.)
Carbohydrate rich meals and snacks with some protein and a little fat will energize your body. A good food plan never eliminates an entire food category and the food can be found at the grocery store, not just at specialty food stores.
A food program that encourages making changes in eating habits one small step at a time can be simple and comfortable, as well as very effective.
