The holidays are over, and we’ve entered the time of year when rather than eating a big ole’ turkey, you feel like one. Enter the season of “The Diet”.
Don’t roll your eyes or pinch your belly in frustration just yet. This article is not about a “diet”, at least not how the average American conceives one. A diet is not abstaining from foods, it’s what you eat everyday. You can have a good diet-full of produce and proteins, or a bad diet- full of pizza and beer. As fond as I am of the latter, as a marathon runner and a tri-athlete, it’s just not in the cards. One can also have a diet that is not necessarily bad, but ill-proportioned. This was how my previous diet was, I was eating the right things, but not in the right quantities, so this past weekend I saw a nutritionist.
Despite the fact that I have been running over half my life now, I never really paid attention to what I was putting in my body. I was hungry, so I ate. This, I learned the hard way, works only for people with road-runner speed metabolisms who can eat entire pizzas and look like they are living off life savers, which is not exactly healthy either.
So I went to the nutritionist to find out what I should be putting in my body to keep me healthy, lose the holiday pounds, and properly fuel my body. I spent about an hour and a half with her learning about nutrition and coming up with a plan, and I thought I would share it with you.
Contrary to popular belief, losing weight and staying healthy is not all about calorie counting and saying no to ice cream. What we should be doing is counting servings- dairy, meat, veggies, etc. All of a sudden that nutrition pyramid from first grade made sense.
What you also hear a lot about in dieting is to “eat in moderation” and everything will be fine. It makes sense, but really, what does that mean? The dairy is all the way at the top of that pyramid in a tiny triangle, and the grains take up the entire width of the bottom. Does that mean moderation is a loaf of bread and a cup of milk? This was my problem. I was going by these vague definitions that I basically made up as I went along. Once I learned about serving sizes, and what they were, my problem was solved.
Take a look at the following chart to get an idea. If you want to lose weight, 1,600 calories is ideal. For my marathon training I am doing a combination of 1,600 cals and 2,200 cals.
| Less Acive Women, Older Adults | Children, Teen Girls, Active Women, Less Active Men | Teen Boys, Active Men | |
| Calories | About 1,600 | About 2,200 | About 2,800 |
| Milk | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| Meat | 2 | 2 | 3 |
| Vegetables | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| Fruit | 2 | 3 | 4 |
| Grain | 6 | 9 |
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Now, the next question is, what consists of a serving? Here are a few to guide your way:
Milk:
– 1 cup milk/yogurt
– 1 ½ oz natural cheese (ex cheddar)
– 2 oz processed cheese (ex american)
Meat:
– 2-3 oz cooked lean meat, poultry, or fish
– ½ cup cooked dry beans= 1oz lean meat
– 1 egg= 1oz lean meat
– 2 tbs of peanut butter or ½ cup nuts= 1oz lean meat
Vegetables:
– 1 cup raw leafy vegetables
– ½ cup other vegetables- raw or cooked
– ¾ cup vegetable juice
Fruit:
– 1 apple, banana, orange, pear
– ½ cup chopped, cooked or canned fruit
– ¾ cup fruit juice
Grains:
– 1 slice bread
– about 1 cup ready-to- eat cereal
– ½ cup cooked cereal, rice or pasta
So, now you can figure out meals, etc. but what about all those pesky snack times? Here was what was recommended for me:
Veggies and 2tbs Hummus or peanut butter= 1 serving Veggies, 1 serving Meat (or pita/piece of bread/whole wheat crackers as a grains substitute for veggies)
Apples with peanut butter= 1 serving fruit, 1 serving Meat
Bowl of cereal with skim milk= 1 grain, 1 dairy
Half a can of soup (or a serving as is on the can)
Rice Cakes- 1-2 Grains
Non-Fat yogurt and fruit- 1 Dairy, 1 Fruit
Also, a small bowl of ice cream or some beers here and there are not out of the question- just remember, those things are in the point of the pyramid, which means less.
Now you have been informed, go out and get nutrition-alized! If you would like more info, I received this information in a handout made by the National Dairy Council. Also, there is a website which helps you count calories and servings for free called www.fitday.com that is supposed to be extremely helpful.
Good luck!
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