Thinking of Food as Energy

[digitS']

I "climbed" on the scales again today. This won't be reported on "Slender as a Thread."

There was something I read the other day, "food is energy." Well, we all know that but what if we ate like that? Could we better control our weight?

You know, I am immediately inclined to talk about how the farther north one goes, the higher the per capita consumption of chocolate one finds. Rather than that, how about if I focus on energy?! Don't you think that would be a good idea?

Steve

 

[Ridgerunner]

Steve Im sure you know weight is a function of calories consumed and calories burned. We all have different metabolisms and different efficiencies in our digestive tracts, but Ive never been able to control my weight that well by diet alone or exercise alone. I can have fluctuations with one or the other but nothing really serious.

My weight goes up this time of year and will go down next spring. Im sure exercise has a lot do with it, but in the summer my snacks are more likely to be something healthy and low calorie. I grow a cherry tomato near the garden gate specifically for my snacks.

Whether it is winter or summer, Ill still eat maybe two candy bars a week. Its been years since Ive had a donut (pretty much since I retired and quit going to meetings), but the next one I have will be filled, dipped, and sprinkled. If you are going to eat a fat pill you might as well enjoy it.

 

[digitS']

I believe that the direction I'm heading with this is counting calories, Ridgerunner.

It requires only 2,000 calories each day for me to move around the house, take a short drive, walk around a little, and come back home.

Yesterday, I had one of my usual walks for this time of year. It is almost exactly 2 miles and all but perfectly level. I have to admit that I almost religiously choose a level route. It took very near 1 hour. That's not very fast but I'm a slow walker these days.

About.com tells me that a "stroll" like this burns 276 calories.

About.com recommends that I use gourmetsleuth.com to convert serving size for various foods to # of calories. Okay, the absolutely delicious bean soup that I made this morning for lunch looks like it has 233 calories . . . now, I've got a start at reasoning this out. Menu planning - it might be retroactive but maybe I can see what I need to be up to on the following day to get control of the weight gain.

I don't worry too much about my "3 servings of fruit for breakfast" rule during the summer. My diet runs to such a high number of vegetable servings during lunch and dinner, I'm sure I'm getting a good amount of nutrition. I am also burning more calories during those more active months of summer. However, I need those nutrient-dense foods instead of calorie-dense foods to avoid weight gain through the off-season. Zero calorie beverages should also help. I think I can do this . . .

Steve

 

[journey11]

Steve, you should take a look at www.myfitnesspal.com . It's really good to log what you eat so you can get a realistic idea of how many calories you consume and if you are eating enough fruit and veggies. It also tracks stuff like carbs, salt intake, calcium, etc. They take your stats...age, height, weight, activity level...and calculate how many calories you need each day. You can log your exercise too. I've used it in the past and it helped me lose 15 lbs.

Now, just so you know--chocolate is not food. It's medicine. Better than prozac, it is totally necessary to sustain my mental health.

 

[digitS']

I see that it was almost 3 years ago to the day that I had a very similar TEG conversation. I better reread it to find out if I'm making a fool outta myself again .

www.theeasygarden.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=29915&p=1

Steve

 

[so lucky]

I heard or read somewhere that your digestion is linked to the daylight hours, just like your sleep cycle is. This theory says that your digestion slows almost to a stop after the sun goes down, so when we eat a big evening meal, it doesn't digest as well or as quickly. (To say nothing of the bloating and discomfort that a big meal causes a lot of people) The key is to eat like a king for breakfast, like a prince for lunch, and like a pauper for supper (or dinner, if that is what you call it at your house). I'm pretty sure this way of eating doesn't allow for bed-time snacks, tho.
I know I just need more exercise, regardless of when I eat.
Don't forget, tho, Steve, that you need fat in your diet to burn for energy. Eat that butter.

 

[ninnymary]

so Lucky, I like the way you put it. It makes sense too. I don't suppose you need a big dinner since you will be going to bed a few hours later. I think I'll try this for a while. What do I have to lose? Ok, I do have 3 pounds I'm working on! It seems so little but it is so frustrating since they won't budge!

Mary

 

[digitS']

Cost of Classic Thanksgiving Dinner Down for 2013 (link)

took a big jump in 2011!

 

[Smart Red]

Zero calorie beverages should also help. I think I can do this . . .

Steve

Of course you can. Eat to live not live to eat is the rule (says this overweight old lady).

Be careful with those zero calorie beverages. Tea, coffee, and my personal favorite, water are all good. The canned and bottled soda or tea-type beverages made with no-calorie sweeteners can be more of a problem than part of a solution. The sweeteners are often responsible for causing eating more throughout the day. Yep, you can't lose with water.

 

[digitS']

So Lucky, eating a bedtime snack is almost a guarantee for me to be waking up with heartburn sometime during the night.

That was what I was thinking, Linn. No, artificial sweeteners - it reinforces my bad habits.

I had 2 mugs of tea this afternoon. I did a lot of this sort of thing last winter and that cut the usual weight gain by half. Thank Heavens because that's how I have added weight over the years: lose 10# in the summer, gain 15# in the winter. If I'd only had a lifespan of a sparrow, that might have been okay.

Some of the simpler herb teas are good choices rather than the frequent snacking. No honey/sugar.

Steve