Building a Sustainable Diet

Building a sustainable diet and exercise plan is the key to maintaining a consistent weight. This is not easy for many people. It takes will power, knowledge, exercise and energy. Follow these steps:

1) Start counting the calories that you consume in a day so that you become conscious of two things:
a) You need to understand exactly how many calories you are eating on a "normal" day.
b) You need to realize where each calorie comes from -- you need to build a calorie database in your brain so that you know, whenever you eat something, just how many calories it is supplying.
2) Then you need to figure out how many calories you need in a day. To get a rough estimate, times your weight by 12 grams.. Next, pick your "ideal weight" -- the weight that you would like to maintain. Then calculate how many calories a day you can consume to maintain that weight.
3) Compare the two numbers - there be a big difference between the "number of calories you need" and "the number of calories that you take in" in a day. That is where the extra pounds are coming from.
4) Figure out how to bring the two numbers in line. What you will soon realize is that 1,600 or 1,800 or 2,000 calories per day isn't that many. You have to watch and count everything you eat and drink every day and stick to your daily limit.
5) Add exercise to the mix so that you can raise the number of calories you can consume per day. Burning 250 or 500 calories per day through exercise can make a big difference.

What to Eat:
Your diet should include grain products, veggies and fruits. These are emphasized because they are full of vitamins, minerals, complex carbohydrates and other things that you need to live healthily. A good way to get started is to choose foods from the lower levels of the Food Pyramid. Knowing how to read a food label will help you obtain the nutrients you need while helping you monitor your calories, sodium, sugar and fat intake.

Rules of Thumb for Lowering Your Calorie Intake:
* Eat a variety of foods that are low in calories and high in nutrients.
* Eat less fat and fewer high-fat foods
* Eat smaller portions and limit second helpings of foods high in fat and calories
* Eat more vegetables and fruits without fats and sugars added in preparation or at the table
* Eat pasta, rice, breads and cereals without fats and sugars added in preparation or at the table
* Eat less sugar and fewer candies, cookies, cakes and soda
* Drink less or no alcohol

- Choose a Diet Low in Fat, Saturated Fat and Cholesterol
You need some fat for good health. Energy comes from fats and they help your body absorb fat-soluble vitamins. But fat can be too much of a good thing. It can raise your risk of heart disease and some kinds of cancer. Keep total fat to no more than 30 percent of your diet. As for cholesterol, keep your limit at 300 mg per day. (People with existing cholesterol level problem should keep total fat to no more than 20 percent of their diet and limit daily cholesterol to less than 200mg).

- Go Moderate on Sugar
Sugar should be used in moderation by healthy people and sparingly by people with low-calorie needs. Check the calorie count of sugar substitutes to be sure they are low or no calorie.

- Go Low on Salt
Most Americans consume more salt than they need. The recommended daily amount is 2,400 milligrams per day. That's one teaspoon per day. This is the level recommended for most healthy people, as well as those with well-controlled blood pressure.

- Learn How to Shop Healthily:
In order to stay on track when it comes to healthy eating, you'll want your pantry and refrigerator stocked with nutritious, low-fat basic items. Read the labels as you shop and pay attention to serving sizes.
The following items can be part of your selection:

- Fat-free or low-fat milk, yogurt, cheese and cottage cheese
- Light or diet margarine
- Eggs and/or egg substitutes
- Sandwich breads, bagels, pita bread, English muffins
- Soft corn tortillas, low-fat flour tortillas
- Low-fat, low-sodium crackers
- Plain cereal; dry or cooked
- Rice, pasta
- White meat chicken or turkey (remove the skin)
- Fish and shellfish (with no batter)
- Beef cuts including round, sirloin, chuck arm, loin and extra lean ground beef
- Pork cuts of leg, shoulder and tenderloin
- Dry beans and peas
- Fresh, frozen or canned fruits in light syrup
- Fresh, frozen or no-salt-added canned vegetables
- Low-fat or nonfat salad dressings, flavored vinegar
- Mustard and catsup
- Jam, jelly or honey
- Herbs and spices


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Building a Sustainable Diet