Basics of Weight Management (part 1)

Basics of Weight Management 
(This is a very broad subject and I will go through one portion/piece each weekend)
(Sorry for the lack of updates, please refer to my previous post!)
(However I do check peoples blogs daily! ;] )

What many people stress over about is their weight. In society people have a hard time losing weight/fat/ whatever their goals are. It is simple. KISS = Keep it simple stupid! One needs to know about Calories in vs. Calories out. The basic fundamentals of losing weight! Here are some easy steps to start out!

1) Find your BMR (Basal Metobolic Rate)

• This is the amount of calories you need to consume to maintain your body if you were comatose (base level)

Here is the formula to calculate your BMR

Men: BMR = 66 + [13.7 x weight (kg)] + [5 x height (cm)] - [6.76 x age (years)]

Women: BMR = 655 + [9.6 x weight (kg)] + [1.8 x height (cm)] - [4.7 x age (years)]

2) Calculate how much food you eat

• Yes, this includes counting calories. Your consumption is VERY important.

3) Have an ideal meal and exercise plan that best fits YOU

• What you eat greatly affects your outcome on losing weight
• Daily Exercise also contributes to a healthy lifestyle

Now that you have all that figured out; you are ready for an example.

Let's say I have a BMR of 2500 calories a day. If I was sitting on my ass all day playing video games, I'd need to consume 2500 calories daily to function properly, WITHOUT losing or gaining weight. Now, 3500 calories equals 1 pound. So if you reduce 500 calories a day, in my case, to 2000 calories a day; in a week, I would have lost around 1 pound. Now what if that isn't enough? That's where the exercise comes into play. If you exercise or work out daily, you'd be burning so many calories! So if I cut back to 2000 calories a day, and I exercise for 1 hour; let's say in this case, I burn 500 calories at the gym today (hypothetically), I'd be cutting out 1000 calories daily. At this rate, I'd be losing 2 pounds a week. 

SIMPLE as that. Next time I'll be going over other stuff! Stay tuned!

College Starting + my current meal plan + suggestions?

Hello everyone, I'm glad that all of you are interested in my blog! I'm so thankful for all my followers. Anyways, my semester is starting up again, and I'll be limited on time. I'll try to update my blog twice a week, but I will update it at least once a week.


What would you like me to post about? I want some suggestions on what you guys want  me to write about. I have things to write up on, but I wouldn't mind making a posts out of requests.


Also I am very much into the healthy lifestyle. Here's a little bit about myself. I started about a year ago, and I was still pretty much a newbie. I was a newb for about 6 months, until I realized that I had no muscle (barely any for my size), and I wanted to get more size, then cut to see more definition. 


Here's my bodyspace on bodybuilding.com
http://bodyspace.bodybuilding.com/pinoykcin/


As of right now, I am on Intermittent Fasting (http://www.leangains.com/2010/04/leangains-guide.html). It's a plan where you have an 8 hour eating window everyday. Here is an example from the beginning of the day. Please also note that this is not a set time, since I have school some days, work some days, and on weekends I coach basketball.


Wake up
12pm - first meal, pre-packed snacks that I made

• 12 carrots
• 32 almonds
• 1/4 cup dried fruit (assorted)
• 1 cheese stick

This packet come to around 500 calories, which I just eye-balled and looking at the nutrition labels. 

1pm-4pm (digest/workout, lasts for 1 hour)

4pm-5pm (or right when I get home from workout) - eat 3-4 whole eggs (yes yolk), 1 table spoon cottage cheese, 1 table spoon plain yogurt. (taste like shit btw). I also add some of this popcorn seasoning (white cheddar, and is only 2 calories per teaspoon), it helps give some flavor. This is about give or take 1000 calories give or take, I'm guessing less than 1000. 

After that eat around 7pm-ish, my mom cooks, and I eat whatever she makes. I just make sure not to eat too much, since by the time my second meal comes, I'm already at less than 2000 calories. So I try to limit myself during that last meal.

So I'm eating between 12pm-8pm. The hardest part is probably waking up in the morning, but I drink water and that helps curve my hunger.

Lastly, I actually like some peoples blogs that I follow. Everyday I won't update a blog posts, but I will be going around and checking out peoples blogs with comments! So I'll hit all you up even if I haven't made a post! Good Luck with your lifting goals in 2011, lift heavy and take a multi!

Let's stick with Water!

Water

Water. One of the indispensable for life and essential for health. The most needed nutrient by the body. It's a combination of hydrogen and oxygen atoms. Makes up part of every cell, tissue, and organ in the body! Most of all, water accounts for about 60% of body weight! Here is an example of a mans body divided into Fat, Water, Protein, Carbs, and Vitamins and Minerals.

Some Basic functions of water in the body.

Water performs many tasks vital to life.

What's the purpose of a beverage?

Beverages are supposed to, quench thirst, provide recreation, medicinal value, and can possess cultural and religious significance.

Here is a table of the Average US beverage consumption.

There are two types of water:

Hard water

• Water with a high concentration of minerals such as calcium and magnesium. From a health standpoint, hard water seems to be the better alternative.

Soft water

• Water containing a high sodium concentration. The ecess sodium adds more of the mineral to out already sodium laden diets. It dissolves potentially toxic substances such as lead from pipes.

Bottled Water

• Not necessarily any purer or more healthful than tap water.
• About 25%-20% of bottled water comes from the same municipal water supplies
• Bottled water may not contain adequate amounts of fluoride
• Increased the use of nonrenewable resources
• Cost mat be 250-10,00 times higher than tap water

Juices 

Best choices for Juice!

• Select 100% fruit.vegetable juice.
• Read labels; not all juices are uniformly beneficial
• Avoid "juice drink", "fruit-flavored drink," or "fruit blend" because these contain little real juice and have added sugars.
• Select the juices that have the most color.

Caffeinated Beverages

• Caffeine is one of a group of chemicals called xanthines
• In the U.S. most caffeine is consumed in coffee and teas, carbonated soft drinks, and energy drinks.
• Reports have linked caffeine to more than 100 diseases but scientists have never confirmed the evidence with the exception of jitteriness.

Here is a basic table of Caffeine breakdown 

Soft Drinks, Energy Drinks, Enhanced Waters, and Sports Drinks

• Nutrition and health issues related to soft drink consumption 
• No indisputable positive health benefits have been associated with soft drink consumption.

• Nonalcoholic beverages enhanced with purported energy-enhancing ingredients.
• Primary ingredients are sugar and caffeine
• Energy drinks tend not to live up to most of the claims made.

• Formulated to replace fluids and electrolytes (minerals) lost through sweat provide energy for muscles.
• What should you look for? 6% carbohydrate, sodium, no carbonation, and no caffeine.

• Most are no healthier than other beverages containing sugar. 
• The only ingredient in "vitamin waters" that your body might use is sugar.

Alcohol

Here is a chart on some effects of Drinking Alcohol along with body weight and BAL (Blood Alcohol Levels)

Health Benefits of Alcohol

• Drinking moderate amounts appears to be healthy for people who do not have problems with alcohol abuse or dependency
• People who consume one to two drinks daily have lower mortality rates than nondrinkers.
• Like any other drug, there is a beneficial dose and a level (dose) that will cause harm
• Most research indicated win consumption to be most beneficial; it appears that the benefits are from the alcohol itself.

Health Risks of Alcohol

• Alcohol affects judgement and slow reflexes, which leads to; increased accidents: falls, motor vehicle accidents, increase in homicide and suicide
• Drug Interactions: drugs, like alcohol, are metabolized in the liver. Drug substances that can modify one or more of the body's functions, liver has limited processing capacity and drugs and alcohol will compete with each other, increased risk of medication side effects.

What is a drink?

Men: No more than two drinks per day

Women: No more than one drink per day

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The Vitamins and Minerals

Vitamins and Minerals

What are vitamins? Vitamins are a potent, indispensable compound that performs various bodily functions that promote growth, reproduction and maintain health. Vitamins and minerals make people's bodies work properly. Although you get vitamins and minerals from the foods you eat every day, some foods have more vitamins and minerals than others. There are two classifications of Vitamins and two types of Mineral classifications; Water-Soluble and Fat-Soluble, and Major Minerals and Trace Minerals.

Here is a very basic table of the different characteristics between Water/Fat Soluble Vitamins.

A very good food source guide to Vitamins

Absorbed from the digestive tract with the aid of fats in the diet and bile produced by the liver.

Transported by protein carriers in the bloodstream. Stored in the liver and body fat:

Do not need to consume daily.

Here is a general chart guide to Vitamins and Minerals

Antioxidant Nutrients

Vitamin C

• Potential role as a chronic-disease fighter stems from its workings as an antioxidant.
• Antioxidant: a substance, such as a vitamin, that is “anti-oxygen” – that is, it helps to prevent damage done to the body as a result of chemical reactions that involve oxygen.
• It’s role in preventing the common cold is insignificant.
• Widespread in the food supply but deficiencies do occur.

Vitamin E

People who run the risk of deficiency:

• Premature infants who are born before vitamin E is transferred to them from their mothers.
• Those who cannot absorb fats as a result of diseases. 
• Those with certain blood disorders.

Vitamin A Precursor: Beta Carotene

• Beta-carotene is a member of the carotenoid family.
• The carotenoids possess antioxidant properties.
• May help prevent age-related macular degeneration and lower risk of cataracts.
• Beta-carotene: an orange pigment found in plants that is converted into vitamin A inside the body. 

Folate (also called folic acid or folacin)

• Coenzyme with many functions in the body.
• Important in the synthesis of DNA and the formation of red blood cells.
• A deficiency makes the red blood cells misshapen and unable to carry sufficient oxygen: Causing a certain kind of anemia. Anemia: any condition in which the blood is unable to deliver oxygen to the cells of the body

Vitamin B12

• Maintains the sheaths that surround and protect nerve fibers
• Works closely with folate enabling it to manufacture red blood cells

Vitamin B6

• Functions as a coenzyme
• Helps makes hemoglobin for red blood cells
• Play a role in protein metabolism

Vitamin K

• Key function: its role in the blood-clotting system of the body
• Works with vitamin D to help regulate the calcium levels in the blood
• Is obtained both in the diet and via the intestinal bacteria, making deficiencies rare.

Iron

• The body's oxygen carrier: bounds into the protein hemoglobin in red blood cells, hemoglobin in the oxygen-carrying proteins of the blood; found in the red blood cells.
• Iron helps transport oxygen of energy from fuels to the cell's work.

Zinc

• Found in every cell of the body and present in enzymes that regulate cell multiplication and growth, metabolism of protein, carbohydrate, fat, and alcohol, disposal of free radicals.
• Involve in utilization of vitamin A, taste perception, thyroid function, wound healing, and zinc's role in preventing colds has been inconclusive.
• behavioral and sleep disturbances, dandruff, delay in wound healing, diarrhea, different kinds of skin lesions such as eczema, psoriasis and acne, growth retardation, hair loss, hang nails, hyperactivity, increased allergic sensitivity, inflammation of your nail cuticles, inflammatory bowel disease, loss of appetite, loss of senses of taste or smell, loss of sex drive, mild anemia.

Vitamin D

• Assists the absorption of dietary calcium.
• Helps to calcium and phosphorus available in the blood so these minerals can be deposited into bone
• Acts much like a hormone, exerting influence on other organs like kidneys and the intestines

Vitamin K

• Works in conjunction with vitamin D to synthesize a bone protein that regulates the calcium levels in the blood
• Bones store 99% of the body's calcium which plays two roles; supports and protects soft tissues, and serves as a calcium bank, providing calcium to body's fluids.
• Calcium is essential for nerve impulses muscle contraction, heartbeat, maintenance of blood pressure and blood clotting.
• Calcium serves as a cofactor for several enzymes

Phosphorus

• Phosphorus is found in virtually all foods and the requirements is easy to meet. A high intake of phosphorus can interfere with calcium absorption.

Magnesium

• Contraction and relaxation of muscles
• Function of certain enzymes in the body
• Production and transport of energy
• Production of oxygen

Thiamin 

• Thiamine (vitamin B1) helps the body cells convert carbohydrates into energy. It is also essential for the functioning of the heart, muscles, and nervous system.

Riboflavin

• Riboflavin (vitamin B2) works with the other B vitamins. It is important for body growth and red blood cell production and helps in releasing energy from carbohydrates.

Niacin

• Niacin assists in the functioning of the digestive system, skin, and nerves. It is also important for the conversion of food to energy.

And finally, a guide to the Vitamins and Minerals for Healthy Bones

Fats--The Lipids

A Primer on Fats

After eating, the body stores some fat as an energy reserve. The body has unlimited potential to store fat. Excess carbohydrates and protein can be converted to fat, but they cannot be made from fat. With that said, one pound of body fat is worth 3,500 calories.

Fats are essential in maintaining health. Without them for a period of time, you would essentially will not be able to live. The reason why many people cut out fats in their diets is because they are very high in calories! People figured out that if they cut out fat from their diets, they would lose weight! Fats have a whomping 9 calories per gram.

Fatty acids can differ in chain length, which affects solubility. These fatty acids can be, shirt-chain, medium-chain, and long-chain. Fat can be divided into three broad groups:

Mono-Unsaturated Fats

These are very good for your health, and are proven to decrease the risk of heart disease. Examples include:

• Avocados
• Olives or Olive Oil
• Nuts
• Vegetable Oil

Poly-Unsaturated Fats

These are those fats that relate to many health benefits, such as blood pressure, heart disease, autoimmune disease, bones, and hormones. Some examples include:

• Omega-3 fats (linseeds, fatty fish)
• Omega-6 fats (sunflower seeds, walnuts, almonds, pecans)

Saturated Fats

Some people think that these are the worst fats. Most people already get these in their regular diet that there is no need to supplement or add extra. Easily found in animal sources like whole eggs, higher fat meals, cheese, milk.

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Essential Fatty Acids

A fatty acid that cannot be synthesized in the body in amounts sufficient to meet physiological need. Omega-3 fatty acids, found in fish oils offer protective effect on health.

Linoleic Acid

Polyunsaturated fatty acids, essential for human beings.

This table shows Sources for Omega-3 Fats for the Diet

The body handles fat by the emulsification by bile.

A) Fats and water tend to separate; enzymes are in the water and can't get at the fat

B) Bile (Emulsifier) has affinity for fats and for water so it can bring them together.

C) Small droplets of emulsified fat. The enzymes now have access to the fat, which is mixed in the water solution.

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Cholesterol

There are two main types of cholesterol; LDL-cholesterol (bad), and HDL-cholesterol (good). The cholesterol in LDLs that is attacked by reactive oxygen molecules inside the walls of arteries. 

Here are some images to show some clean, and clogged arteries! (semi-graphic)

 A normal artery provides open passage for blood to circulate.                                                                                                                                                                              

Plaques along an artery wall narrow the passage and obstruct the blood flow.

A few Charts on Fats (Click on Pic to see full size)

So a quick overview!

• Eat a variety of antioxidant-rich fruits and vegetables
• Choose fat-free or low-fat dairy products
• Consume abundant legumes of many varieties, including soybeans, kidney beans, and lentils.
• Eat a variety of grains, including whole grains.
• Choose skinless poultry, lean meat, and fish, especially those rich in high omega-3 fatty acids
• Limit intake of foods high in calories (added sugars and fast) and low in nutrition.
• Limit foods high in saturated fat, TRANSfat, and or cholesterol.
• Eat less than 2400ml of sodium a day (1 teaspoon)
• and for alcohol, limit 1 drink per day (woman), and 2 for (men)

The Proteins and Amino Acids

Proteins

     Proteins are long or short chains of amino acids. The most important building blocks for the body, and used for numerous of things; some of these things include; the repair and renewal of all your tissues including muscle, blood, skin, hair, nails, intestines, and bones. No living tissue can be built without protein. Protein is part of every living cell. They account for about 20% of our body weight.Having protein in your diet can benefit you as it is helpful to your health. Aside in being important to health, protein is very important aiding in weight loss and athletic goals--help retain health of your muscles and tissue as you lose weight, and can help repair muscle damage during exercise.
     Different proteins varies widely depending on the source of protein (animal or plants/vegetable), and perform many vital functions. Here are some examples:
Lean Animal Sources

• Seafood (fresh, canned or frozen) - tuna and white fish, shellfish* (prawns, crab, lobster, etc), octopus calamari
• Poultry - skinless chicken/turkey breast, egg whites (whole boiled eggs are great too! essential fats from yolk!)
• Dairy - 1-2% fat free cottage cheese, fat-free milk, and live yogurts (froyo anyone?)
• Lean meats - extra lean red meats, lean pork
• Protein Supplementation - whey, casein, milk, and egg

*note, shellfish raises your uric acid, can cause gout, don't eat tooo much!

Fat Animal Sources

• Seafood - salmon, sardines
• Animal - red meats, eggs, full fat dairy, cheeses full cream milk

Plant Sources

• Tofu or soy - soybean or tofu (unfermented)
• Protein Supplementation - now plant made sources such as soy, pea, brown rice

Also take note that Proteins are also stored as energy at 4 calories per gram.

Protein As Energy:
•In the absence of adequate energy, the body will sacrifice protein to provide energy.
•The amine group will be degraded, incorporated by the liver into urea, and sent to the kidneys for excretion in urine.
     –Urea: the nitrogen excretion product of metabolism, generated mostly by the removal of amine groups from unneeded amino acids or from those amino acids being sacrificed to a need for energy.
Legumes : plants of the bean and pea family having roots with nodules that contain bacteria that can trap nitrogen from the air in the soil & make it into compounds that become part of the seed.
The seeds are rich in high-quality protein compared with those of most other plant foods.
Proteins are made up of nine amino acids. There are 20 amino acids needed to make all human proteins

-Nine are essential

-Eleven are non-essential

–Histidine

–Isoleucine

–Leucine

–Lysine

–Methionine

–Phenylalanine

–Threonine

–Tryptophan

–Valine

This Chart Shows the Protein contributed by food groups in the average U.S. diet

Introduction to Calories and Carboydrates

A Calorie  
A calorie is a unit of energy. This energy is from what you eat and drink and the body utilizes these calories for many of things-- function of the body (breathing,function of brain and organs), moving, or even exercise. When someone eats more calories than needed, the excess can be used to build tissue (i.e. muscle/fat/glycogen), which is stored for later use or is simply wasted. If one does not eat enough to fuel their own personal needs, the body used its stored fuel, whether it be fat, muscle, or glycogen, to fill the deficit--thus losing weight.
1 calorie (1 Kcal) = 4.18 kJ


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Carbohydrates
Carbohydrates are a broad group of molecules that are found in a variety of different foods. I'll split them into three different sub sections:

The Primary role of Carbohydrates is to provide the body with energy.Carbohydrates are the ideal fuel compared to other alternatives.
Sugars
Sugars are short chain or single unit molecules. Usually made up of fructose, glucose, and/or   galactose, which can all be combined in a variety of ways to form the sugars maltose, lactose, and sucrose. These are the primer energy for the body and have 4 calories per gram. They can be found naturally in foods such as:

• Fruits - Mainly a combination of fructose, glucose and many different other types of sugars. Examples include, berries, apples, pears, melons, citrus fruits, and all other types.
• Dairy - Usually is lactose, found in dairy products such as yogurt, milk, cheeses, ice-cream etc. The sugar lactose is the main issue in those that are lactose intolerant, and should not be confused with dairy allergy (milk proteins).

Starches
These are long chains of glucose molecules. Consists of a large number of glucose units joined together. This polysaccharide is produced by all green plants as an energy store. Like sugars they have 4 calories per gram. Examples include:

• Whole grains and products (oats, barley, rye, WHEAT, brown rice*(my fav), corn)
• Legumes such as kidney beans, chick-peas, white beans, split peas, black beans.
• Starchy vegetables such as potatoe, sweet potato, taro* and yams* (delicious)

Fiber
This type of carbohydrate can't be easily be used by the body as energy. Compared to starches and sugars it only has about 1.5-3 calories per gram (depends on the type). It is very important for ones health to have high fiber included into your diet. Fiber helps control and prevent a number of diseases, including bowel cancer, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, dementia, and heart disease. This aids also in weight loss, helps to fill you up and keep you full. Fiber exceptionally helps the intestinal lining and the good bacteria in your in your intestines. The fibers are usually divided into two types:

• Soluble Fiber - Good example would by psyllium, found in fruits legumes, vegies, and whole grains.
• Insoluble Fibers - Found in brans, outer coverings of seeds, and grains.