Calories In (Nutrition)

The foods you consume constitute the "Calories In" part of basic weight management equation.  Calorie consumption has the biggest impact on weight maintenance.  A good weight loss program not only looks at improving the types and amounts of foods eaten but also works at modifying behaviors that promote unhealthy and excessive eating.  

Since a combination of lifestyle and dietary modifications are needed to maintain or lose weight, we have listed several strategies to help you make positive changes in both areas:  

Strategies to Modify Diet:

• Follow the guidelines on this website under Nutrition/How to Build a Healthy Eating Plan
• Substitute high calorie foods with more nutritious lower calorie foods
• When planning a meal have 1/4 grains, 1/4 lean protien/beans, and 1/2 fruits/vegetables
• Plan a few meals a week with a vegetable main dish
• Eat a nutritious breakfast.
• Use healthy cooking oils such as olive oil, walnut oil, or canola oil instead of butter or margarine.
• Broil, braise, or grill your foods. These are low-fat cooking methods.
• Use herbs, onions, garlic, or lemon juice to flavor your meals rather than butter.
• Choose lean cuts of meat and poultry. The leanest poultry is white meat from the breast of a chicken or turkey. For beef, choose round, chuck, sirloin, or tenderloin.
• Snack on fresh vegetables and fruit.
• When eating a meal, eat a broth based soup, an apple, vegetable plate, or other low calorie items first to fill you up before starting on other higher calorie foods.      

Strategies to Modify Eating Behaviors: 

To Reduce the Amount of Food Eaten

• Eat slowly
• Put down the fork between bites
• Postpone a desired snack for 10 minutes
• Serve food on smaller plates
• Leave 1 or 2 bites of food on the plate
• Keep a food diary, this will help you become aware of the amount of food you eat

To Reduce Eating Cues

• Eat only sitting down at one designated place
• Leave the table as soon as you are done eating
• Do not eat while doing other activities, such as reading or watching TV
• At a restaurant, limit yourself to one roll from the bread basket
• Fill your cupboards with healthy food choices
• Keep food in cupboard where it cannot be seen
• Shop for groceries after you have eaten a full meal
• Use a list while shopping for groceries
• Plan out meals and snacks
• Substitute other activities for snacking