FIT TO RIDE

Lesson Two

Developing a healthy eating plan

Congratulations! You’ve come this far.

You’ve made the decision to take control of your health to benefit both you and your horse.

This decision is your commitment, and shows you are now ready to take charge of your future!

You can do this! You can meet your S.M.A.R.T. goals! You can be successful!

There are no quick fixes. Books, magazines and weight loss control programs that promise miracles will only make their authors wealthy. The business of weight loss is often more misleading, than sound advice.

It is not necessary to be perfect in your eating habits every day. The key to a successful, healthy diet is through variety, a balance of exercise and moderation. Removing your favorite treat from your diet permanently could leave you feeling deprived. Feeling deprived is no way to live! It might even encourage you to overindulge.

Follow an overall healthy diet and you will be successful.

Changing your lifestyle may take some time.

Results will not happen overnight. Keep reminding yourself to put your health first.

Implementing healthy changes to your nutritional intake will make you feel better, look better, have more energy and help your horse.

Meal planning is essential to effective weight management. Make sure you have healthy meal alternatives in your cabinets and your refrigerator at all times. Eliminate foods that are a problem for you, such as snack foods that you can’t resist. Expecting that you will have the self-control to not eat tempting foods, while the rest of your family is indulging, is unreasonable.

Healthy eating habits should be for the entire family.

Skipping meals will only cause you to overeat at another time. It may even make you cranky. (Think about how your horse behaves when you’re late with his breakfast!)

The body does not burn fat when you skip a meal. Instead, it turns to the next available source of energy – the breakdown of muscle tissue. Muscle tissue is important for a strong metabolism. Planning to eat three healthy meals a day will help you to feel full, have energy and manage your weight.

Calories are found in the three nutrients: protein, carbohydrates and fats. These nutrients are essential for sustaining life and each performs a vital purpose in our diet. They help to grow, maintain and repair all cells in the organs and tissues of the body and maintain body temperature.

Calories are also found in alcohol. Alcohol is not a nutrient. Alcohol does not aid in the growth, maintenance or repair of body tissue. The calories per gram of protein, carbohydrates, fats and alcohol are varied.

1 gram protein = 4 calories

1 gram carbohydrate = 4 calories

1 gram fat = 9 calories

1 gram alcohol = 7 calories

The Food Guide Pyramid is helpful as a general guide toward a lifestyle of healthy eating and weight control.

Eating a combination of the three nutrients will aid in the digestion and absorption of food. This will help you to feel full. All of these foods are found at your local grocery store.

Stay away from special foods and drinks for the sole purpose of weight loss. They will not help you in your long-term healthy lifestyle goal.

We have now determined that to lose 1 pound of body fat through diet, you must remove 3500 calories from your consumption of food. To determine a daily caloric intake appropriate for weight loss, use the following formula:

Determine your target weight in pounds. Multiply it by 10 for light activity, 15 for moderate activity, 20 for heavy activity. Subtract 100 calories if you are between the ages of 35 and 44, subtract 200 calories if you are between the ages of 45 and 54, subtract 300 calories if you are between the ages of 55 and 64, and subtract 400 calories if you are 65 or older.

For example: A 38 year old person with a moderate activity level has a target weight of 150 pounds.

150 X 15 = 2250

2250 – 100 = 2150

2150 calories per day would be an appropriate average goal for this person.

In order to determine how many calories you are eating per day, it is necessary to read the nutrition-fact labels found on the packaging of all foods. These labels will list serving size, calories per serving, fat calories per serving and nutritional information in addition to other information. It is important to decide if the serving size that is listed on the label is realistic for your needs.

Making one small change to your daily eating habits is an easy and attainable goal. Starting the day with a healthy breakfast would be a SMART idea.

A Specific goal might be to have carbohydrates and protein every morning.

A Measurable goal would be to keep a daily food log of what you eat every day for breakfast.

An Action-oriented plan could include low fat or fat free dairy for protein, such as milk or yogurt.

A Realistic goal could be to change from croissants, donuts or muffins to bagels or cereal for quality carbohydrates.

The Time to take to implement these changes may take one or two weeks. It is easier to make small changes over time than to change everything overnight. Small changes can become a good habit. Once you’ve developed a good habit for breakfast, then it will become easier to work on a healthy eating plan for lunch.

There are many alternatives to choose from for a healthy lunch.

Many fast food restaurants are now offering a variety of low fat, healthy meal options. Salads with low fat or fat free dressing, and broiled chicken sandwiches (hold the mayonnaise,) are among the options now available almost anywhere. Make the choice to eliminate unhealthy, high calorie food choices such as fried foods, French fries and chips, from your meals.

There are numerous low calorie, fat free canned soups available that can make a quick, nutritious and tasty lunch.

Sandwiches, made at home, are an easy way to choose a healthy lunch. Breads are available with low fat options along with 100% whole wheat and high fiber. Fat free mayonnaise, ketchup, mustard or salsas are the best choices for spreads.

Be wary of deli meats that end in a vowel. Pepperoni, salami and pastrami are often full of fat while chicken, turkey and ham can always be found in low fat varieties. Top your sandwich off with lots of dark green lettuce, tomatoes and pickles and you’ve got a healthy, low fat, low calorie meal.

Remember to be SMART when implementing a new lunch option plan. Take the time to develop good lunch habits before moving forward to dinner. It is important not to become overwhelmed.

Once you are comfortable with the choices you’ve made for breakfast and lunch, it’s time to concentrate on dinner.

A colorful plate of food is a great source for high nutrition and low calories. A variety of multi-colored vegetables will help you to feel full and reduce the total calorie count of your meal.

If plain vegetables just aren’t your thing, consider topping them with salsa or calorie free spray butter.

Chicken, without the skin, fish cooked on the grill, baked or broiled, or low fat meats are a good choice for protein.

Potatoes, with fat free sour cream or spray butter, are a great source for carbohydrates.

Rolls and breads will only add excess calories.

If you’re going out for dinner and are confused with the menu options, don’t be afraid to ask your server to recommend a low-fat choice. Often restaurant portions are huge. A good way to control your portions is to ask your server to put half of your dinner in a take home container before bringing it to the table.

And don’t be afraid to ask the server to eliminate rolls and butter; that solves the problem of having enough self-control to not eat them.

Appetizers and desserts add an enormous number of calories. Make a SMART goal not to eat them!

Snacking can be SMART too! Make sure you have healthy snack alternatives in your cabinets.

Eliminate snack foods that are a problem.

Fruits, sugar free applesauce, raw vegetables, fat free frozen yogurt and fat free popcorn with spray butter are all SMART choices for a mid-morning, mid-afternoon or after dinner snack.

Changing your eating habits will take some time. Developing healthy eating habits will require some commitment. Take charge of your future and be S.M.A.R.T!

Click here for a daily food diary chart.

Click Here To Take Quiz

Assignment:

Submit a 3 day food record including 1 weekend day and 2 “typical” weekdays. Please record everything consumed - both food and beverages - down to the measurement in cups and ounces, if possible.

Show the approximate calories for each item listed. Include time of day, where you were when eating and what kind of mood you were in at that time.

On a scale of 1 (ravenous) - 10 (completely full to the point of discomfort) how hungry were you when you were eating.

Also include the approximate amount of fiber and protein for each meal and total per day.

Do the foods you've eaten fit in with your plan to become "fit to ride"? Report on your observations.

Please e-mail answer to norma_fay@yahoo.com

Include ‘Fit To Ride Lesson Two’ in the subject line.