How to Achieve One Pound of Weight Loss

Want to lose weight? Then you have to do a little math: To lose one pound of body weight, you need to subtract 3,500 calories from your diet or burn that amount of calories.

By Dennis Thompson Jr.

Medically reviewed by Lindsey Marcellin, MD, MPH

Weight loss is a numbers game. One pound of fat contains 3,500 calories. To lose one pound of fat, you need to tip your personal energy balance so you're burning 3,500 more calories than you are eating.
"To lose one pound a week you would have to put yourself in a 500-calorie deficit every day," says Sari Greaves, RD, registered dietitian with the Step Ahead Weight Loss Center in Bedminster, N.J. and a spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association. "It's the whole 'eat less, move more' guideline to help you lose weight."
Weight Loss: Doing the Math
To lose one pound a week, you need to have a good idea of how many calories you burn (use for energy) on an average day. Men burn 1,900 to 2,500 calories per day, depending on their level of activity, Greaves says. Women burn 1,600 to 2,000 calories per day.
To get a more accurate idea of your daily caloric requirements, you can turn to an online basal metabolic rate (BMR) calculator. BMR calculators take into account your height, weight, age, gender, and level of activity to work out exactly how many calories you need to eat every day, just to keep your weight constant.
Once you know your current daily caloric requirement, you can create your own formula for losing one pound a week. The idea is to create a 500-calorie deficit each day by eating 500 fewer calories, working off 500 more calories through exercise, or any combination of the two actions that equals 500 calories. For example, you might choose to eat 250 calories fewer than your daily caloric requirement, and then do a workout that burns another 250 calories. Some days you might feel like burning off 500 calories with exercise alone. Other days you might cut your intake by 500 calories. If, at the end of each day, you achieve that 500-calorie deficit, you'll lose one pound in seven days.
 Weight Loss: Easy Does It
Keep in mind that one pound a week is just one goal. If you want to speed up your weight loss, then make your caloric deficit larger. If you don't feel like pushing yourself, go for a smaller deficit. "Simply cutting 100 extra calories from your diet every day can lead to up to 10 pounds of weight loss in one year," Greaves says.
Experts say healthy weight loss involves losing a maximum of two pounds per week. More than that and you probably are not burning fat. Instead, you're cutting into your lean muscle mass and dropping water weight, neither of which provide sustainable weight loss. You'll gain all the weight back eventually, and feel tired and worn out in the meantime.
Weight Loss: Diet and Exercise
Whatever your weight-loss goal, losing one pound should ideally involve both diet and exercise. Pursuing one without the other is setting yourself up to regain the weight later on. "Exercise is not a free ticket to eat more,” Greaves says. “My motto is, 'Work on what you put in your mouth first.' Although physical activity is an essential component to a healthy lifestyle, you also have to eat less to see the numbers on the scale drop."
One way to help keep yourself on target is to start keeping a diary that notes every calorie you eat. The diary also should include calories you are burning through exercise.
Weight Loss: Diet and Exercise Tips
These diet and exercise tips can help you create the daily caloric deficit that will help you burn that one pound of fat:

• Cut down on fatty foods. Fat contains nine calories per gram, compared with four calories per gram for carbohydrates or proteins. Cutting a lot of fat out of your diet can cut hundreds of calories a day.
• Eat whole grains. They fill you up and take longer to digest than the simple carbohydrates contained in processed flour or white rice. Choose whole-grain bread, brown rice, and oatmeal. Whole grains also contain lots of healthy fiber.
• Think before you drink. Sodas and fruit juices contain tons of calories. Just sticking to water and diet drinks can decrease your caloric intake effortlessly.
• Eat regular meals. Skipping meals can make you so hungry you'll overeat later on, and also can cause your metabolism to slow down. Stick to three meals and a snack per day.
• Mix up your routine. Keep yourself from getting bored with exercise by pursuing different activities. Combine outdoor sports with fitness classes. If you're a jogger, ride a bicycle once in a while. If you like aerobics, try yoga now and then.
• Do regular strength training. Muscle at rest burns more calories than fat at rest. Increasing your muscle mass helps you lose weight more efficiently. The more muscle you have, the more fat you will burn.
• Break it up. You should do at least 30 minutes of exercise a day, but research shows that you don't have to do it all at once to gain weight-loss benefits. Take a brisk 10-minute walk around the block in the morning, and a 20-minute bike ride later in the day. This way, even the busiest of people can squeeze in calorie-burning activities.

Now that you know what it takes to lose one pound of fat, your weight-loss plan will be more effective and you’ll start building the motivation to lose more and more.

The Ten Commandments of Weight Loss

1. Thou shalt honor thy health and good spirits above all else.
2. Thou shalt not go on crash diets; therein lieth the way of madness.
3. Thou shalt not clean thy neighbor's plate.
4. Thou shalt not eat when thou art miserable, for food is not a medicine unto the soul.
5. Thou shalt eat not when thine eye lusteth, but only when thy stomach requireth sustenance.
6. Thou shalt sup chiefly on the fruits of the earth, the grains and vegetables thereof; on the fowl of the air and the fish of the seven seas, whence donuts cometh not.
7. Thou shalt take exercise daily, for why else hast thou sinew and bone, legs and sneakers?
8. Thou shalt be patient but not forgetful.
9. Thou shalt take delight in every good friend and good song, in every good walk and good day, for to enjoy them more is why these commandments are given unto thee.
10. Thou shalt not knit thy brow if thou transgress a commandment, but forgive thyself, for it is written, nine out of ten is not bad.

FIBER ONE does it again!!!!

AS IF THE FIBER ONE GRANOLA BARS WEREN'T AWESOME ENOUGH....NOW THEY HAVE OUTDONE THEMSELVES & INVENTED FIBER ONE BROWNIES!!!!    I'M IN HEAVEN!!!  I CAN'T WAIT TO TRY THESE LITTLE GEMS!!!   LET ME KNOW IF YOU TRY THEM & WHAT YOU THINK  =)

10 Worst Food Additives....YIKES!?

WHAT THE HECK AM I GOING TO EAT????    YIKES!?

Additives permit longer shelf lives and cheaper ingredient costs, which mean increased profits for food manufacturers. The vast majority of them are safe. But some are not...and others haven't been adequately tested.
Here, in alphabetical order, are our "Ten Worst Additives."
1. ACESULFAME-K
The public is waiting for an artificial sweetener that is unquestionably safe. This one isn't it.
Acesulfame-K, which is sold under the brand names Sunette or Sweet One, was approved by the FDA in 1988 as a sugar substitute, primarily in packet or table form. The manufacturer, Hoechst Celanese, has asked the FDA to approve acesulfame-K for use in soft drinks and baked goods.
But the tests on which the FDA based its approval show that the additive causes cancer in animals. And that means it may increase the cancer risk to humans. In 1987, CSPI urged the FDA not to approve acesulfame-K, but we were ignored. After the FDA gave the chemical its blessing, we asked that it be banned. The FDA has yet to rule on our request.
2. ARTIFICIAL COLORS
The color of a soft drink--or any of hundreds of other foods--rarely comes from the food itself. Artificial colors, which may be naturally derived or synthetic, are much cheaper--and usually more stable--than the real thing.
Naturally-derived colorants like beta-carotene (which is used to color margarine) and beet-juice extract haven't generally been well tested, but we presume them to be safe (beta-carotene is actually good for you). Most food, though, is colored with combinations of synthetic dyes like Blue No. 2, Green No. 3, Red No. 40, and Yellow No. 5.
For decades, scientists have suspected that synthetic dyes cause cancer. Over the years, many have been banned. And safety questions surround the eight that are still being used.
But public opposition was enormous. Diet-conscious consumers wanted to continue buying saccharin-sweetend foods, and (egged on by industry advertisements) they convinced Congress to override the FDA's decision and exempt saccharin from regular food-safety laws.
The FDA has banned Red No. 3 from many cosmetics and some foods because it causes thyroid tumors in rats. And although the dye may eventually be prohibited in all foods, 180,000 pounds of it were approved for use in 1990. (It's what makes maraschino cherries and pistachio nuts red.)
Several other artificial colors, including Blue No. 2 and Red No. 40, need to be studied more closely to see if they promote cancer.
Currently, only Yellow No. 5 (the second most popular artificial coloring--after Red No. 40) must be listed on ingredient labels. That's to warn the estimated 50,000 to 100,000 Americans who are sensitive to it. (For some reason, most of them are also sensitive to aspirin.) When these people eat a food that contains Yellow No. 5, they suffer from hives, a runny or stuffy nose, and, occasionally, severe breathing difficulties.
3. ASPARTAME
When aspartame (which is sold commercially as Nutra-Sweet or Equal) was approved for use in soft drinks in 1983, it was hailed by dieters who had soured on saccharim's unpleasant aftertaste.
One problem is that one out of 20,000 babies is born with phenylketonuria (PKU), which means it is unable to safely tolerate phenylalanine--one of the two amino acids contained in aspartame. If too much phenylalanine accumulates in the blood of a baby with PKU (which can happen even before birth), it can result in mental retardation.
Because of the PKU problem, the FDA requires all packaged foods that contain aspartame to carry a warning.
Some scientists are concerned about a potentially broader problem--that aspartame might cause altered brain function and behavioral changes. Hundreds of people have said they suffer from dizziness, headaches, epileptic-like seizures, and menstrual problems after using the sweetener. These allegations deserve careful study. (If you think aspartame affects you adversely, avoid it.)
Another concern is a study that found an increased risk of brain tumors in rats that had been fed aspartame. Because the sweetener is so widely used, the FDA should have required the manufacturer to repeat the study years ago.
4. BHA & 5. BHT
BHA and BHT are two closely related chemicals that prevent oxidation and retard rancidity in foods that contain oil.
The International Agency for Research on Cancer considers BHA (butylated hydroxyanisole) to be possibly carcinogenic to humans, and the State of California has listed it as a carcinogen. The FDA is currently reviewing its approval. Meanwhile, the additive appears in hundreds of processed foods.
As for BHT (butylated hydroxytoluene), some studies say that it causes cancer while others say that it prevents the disease.
The bottom line is that BHA and BHT are unnecessary. There are safer ways to prolong the shelf life of foods (but not with propyl gallate, which is closely related to BHA and BHT and which may also be a problem).
In some cases, something as simple as a dark bottle is all that is needed. With other packages, air can be replaced by nitrogen gas. With still others, vitamins C and E can be used to retard rancidity.
And many of the foods to which BHA or BHT are added need no preservative at all. Some brands of potato chips used to use them. Today, few do.
6. CAFFEINE
Caffeine is a stimulant and one of the only drugs that are added to foods.
Excessive intake can cause nervousness, nausea, and insomnia. In addition, it may cause or aggravate fibrocystic breast disease (benign breast lumps) in some women.
Caffeine may also interfere with reproduction and affect the developing fetus. The FDA is concerned enough to have issued this warning: "Pregnant women should avoid caffeine-containing foods and drugs, if possible, or consume them only sparingly."
Caffeine is mildly addictive, which is why many people experience headaches when they stop drinking it. And that's probably one reason soft-drink manufacturers love to add it to their products. One good thing about caffeine: It doesn't appear to initiate or promote cancer.
7. MONOSODIUM GLUTAMATE (MSG)
Too much MSG (monosodium glutamate) can lead to headaches, tightness in the chest, and a burning sensation in the forearms and the back of the neck ("Chinese restaurant syndrome").
The MSG industry has frequently claimed that reactions to MSG are overrated -- or non-existent. But in 1972, Robert Kenney of George Washington University, in industry-sponsored research, proved that many people do react to MSG, and that the higher the dose, the greater the likelihood of reacting. (Kennedy also found that many people who thought they were sensitive to MSG in fact were not.)
(MSG must be listed on all packaged foods that contain it. The USDA has twice delayed a rule that HVP -- hydrolyzed vegetable protein, which contains MSG -- also be listed. HVP can appear simply as "flavoring.")
8. NITRITE
Sodium nitrite and sodium nitrate have been used for centuries to preserve meat. They maintain the red color, contribute to the flavor, and inhibit the growth of botulism-causing bacteria.
Nitrate is harmless. But it is easily converted -- by bacteria in foods and in the body -- to nitrite. When nitrite combines with compounds called secondary amines, it forms powerful cancer-causing nitrosamines. Nitrosamine formation occurs most readily at the high temperatures of frying, but may also take place in the stomach.
Bacon is a special problem, since it is thinly sliced and fried at a high temperature. Hot dogs, bologna, ham, and other processed meats pose less of a risk.
In the 1970s, following pressure from CSPI and Ralph Nader's Center for the Study of Responsive Law, the USDA banned nitrate from most processed meats. It also lowered the permitted levels of nitrite.
And although research sponsored by the USDA has developed a method that eliminates the need for nitrite in bacon, the USDA has never required processors to adopt it. Instead, it requires bacon makers to cure their meat using ascorbic acid (or its safe relative, erythorbic acid), which inhibits the formation of nitrosamines.
9. SACCHARIN
This sugar substitute has been around for nearly a century. Until the early 1970s it seemed that saccharin's only drawback was its bitter aftertaste. But then several studies linked it with cancer in laboratory animals. After further studies, the FDA banned saccharin in 1977.
 10. SULFITES
Sulfites are used to prevent discoloration in dried fruits and fresh-cut potatoes, to control "black spot" in freshly caught shirmp, and to prevent discoloration, bacterial growth, and fermentation of wine.
Sulfites, which have been used for centuries, were always considered safe. But in 1982, CSPI uncovered six studies that showed that they could provoke allergic reactions. We asked the FDA to ban sulfites.
Our request generated tremendous publicity. Ultimately, we and the FDA identified at least a dozen fatalities that were linked to sulfites. A typical reaction is difficulty breathing within minutes of consusming sulfites. Most of the reactions and all of the deaths occurred among asthmatics, although only 5 to 10 percent of asthmatics are sulfite-sensitive.
(If you are not sensitive to sulfites, whether or not you have asthma, you need not be concerned about eating foods that contain them.)
SAFE AT THE PLATE
Not all food additives are bad. Ascorbic acid is safe. So are some others with strange-sounding names (EDTA, mono- and diglycerides, and calcium propionate, for example). Here are a few more:
* Simplesse, an additive developed by the NutraSweet Company, is made largely from milk or egg protein, and is being used in fat-free frozen ice-cream-like desserts. It can't be used in foods that must be cooked, though.
* Kraft General Foods is replacing the fat in many of its products with vegetable gums.
* McDonald's is using water and carrageenan, a carbohydrate made from sea-weed, in its new reduced-fat Maclean Deluxe.
Olestra, a synthetic fat substitute made by Procter & Gamble, is another story. It has caused worrisome liver changes, and possibly tumors, in rats. Olestra hasn't yet been approved, and CSPI has urged the FDA not to approve it until all safety questions have been resolved.

Michael F. Jacobson "The ten worst additives". Nutrition Action Healthletter. 

5 Reasons You’re Always Starving

Article By: Karen Ansel, M.S., R.D.

 

A foolproof plan to keep hunger from gnawing away at your weight-loss goals.
You’re driving along on your way to work, to the gym, or to pick up the kids and—bam—it hits you—that overwhelming gnawing hunger. The next thing you know, you’re pulling into a drive through and ordering up a storm.

Tips

• Eat on Time. Scientists say that failing to eat regularly scheduled meals can boost the body’s output of insulin, which can, in turn, increase appetite and slow calorie burn.
• Plan Ahead. Don’t wait until you’re starving to think about food: Tuck portable snacks like granola bars or string cheese in your purse so you’ll be ready when hunger strikes.

Isn’t it fascinating (and frustrating) how the “I have to eat now!” feeling can hit even if you’ve been making good nutrition a top priority? Experts are discovering that when you eat, what your food tastes like, and even how much you drink can have a major impact on how often hunger pangs strike.
We asked leading nutritionists to share with us the five most common reasons you’re frequently famished, as well as their top tips for maximizing satisfaction and keeping hunger at bay.
1. You eat the right foods at the wrong times.
Eating at different times every day can make it difficult for you to tune in to your body’s hunger signals, says Cindy Moore, MS, RD, director of Nutrition Therapy at the Cleveland Clinic. Haphazard eating can hurt your metabolism as well. When British researchers asked women to eat meals at either the same time or at different times each day, those who followed a predictable pattern ate less and burned more calories than those who ate at a different time every day.
The Fix: Plan ahead.
Reviewing your Tracker helps you zero in on when you’re most likely to fall prey to eating at erratic times. (If you haven’t been tracking your food consistently, try doing so for a few days.) Then, says Moore, create a schedule that focuses on eating within 2 hours of waking up and every 3 to 5 hours after that for the rest of the day. If you tend to lose track of time, set your watch or digital organizer to beep when you should eat.
2. You eat breakfast, just not the right kind.
Although any breakfast is better than none, the foods you choose can have a major impact on how satisfied you feel for the rest of the day. Take that convenient cereal bar: It might appear to be a healthy choice when you don’t have time for a sit-down meal, but its mega-dose of simple sugars may have you rummaging through the fridge well before lunch.
The Fix: Build a better mix of nutrients.
The key to making your breakfast hold your appetite at bay until lunch is building a morning meal that contains both protein and carbs. “It’s important to combine some protein along with some complex carbohydrates to provide sustained energy throughout the morning,” says Bonnie Taub-Dix, MA, RD, a Long Island–based dietitian in private practice. Opt for no-fuss choices like a slice of cheese on whole-wheat bread, egg whites on toast, whole-grain cereal with low-fat milk, even half a turkey sandwich .
3. Your diet is flawless but flavorless.
If grilled chicken and steamed veggies are staples on your dinner plate, you could be headed for trouble. “If you don't switch up your menu, you’re going to get bored and eventually have difficulty sticking with your weight-loss plan,” says Lona Sandon, MEd, RD, assistant professor of clinical nutrition at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas.
The Fix: Spice it up.
Getting creative in the kitchen will give your stand-by recipes new life—and keep you more satisfied in the long run. “Experiment with fresh, flavorful herbs, like basil, gingerroot, oregano, and mint,” suggests Moore. Also, adding acidity (a dash of lemon juice or balsamic vinegar) and sweetness (a teaspoon of honey or brown sugar) can make your staple dishes more complex in taste—and more satisfying. Texture is also key: Aim for combinations of creamy, crunchy, and chewy. Try tossing chopped nuts on your greens or mixing granola into your yogurt.
4. You stockpile your calories.
Do you often eat so sparingly during the day that by the time dinner rolls around you’re famished? That strategy can backfire, leading to uncontrollable overeating in the evening. “When you skip meals it’s harder to think straight, so you’re less concerned with the implications of what you eat,” says Taub-Dix.
The Fix: Frontload those calories.
Eating earlier in the day is a must to head off disaster later on. Limit the size of your evening meal so that you wake up eager for breakfast. Even if you’re not hungry, be sure to eat something—even a small bite. “Treat yourself the way you’d treat your kids—you wouldn’t let them skip meals,” says Taub-Dix.
5. You drink your meals.
With the ever-increasing popularity of lattes for breakfast and smoothies for lunch, many of us are drinking our calories away. But drinking too many caloric beverages can ultimately leave you feeling unsatisfied. When researchers at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana, gave study participants 450 extra calories daily in the form of either fluid or solid food, those who ate the extra solids ate less later in the day whereas those who drank the extra fluids did not. The reasoning: Chewing causes the release of hormones that signal fullness, and solid food is digested more slowly than liquids.
The Fix: Rethink convenience.
Slurping down a meal might seem fast and easy, but in the time it takes to drive to the coffee shop, stand on line, and pay for that latte, you could have had something just as quick—and far more satisfying. “Try a slice of toast with peanut butter or a cup of yogurt with some fruit,” says Lona Sandon. If it’s the comfort of a hot drink you crave, go ahead and have that latte—just order it with fat-free milk. And instead of sipping it solo, enjoy it with a few whole-grain crackers or a banana. In other words, focus on food combinations that will get you through to your next meal—no starving required.

The 411 on Calories....The Good, The Bad & The Empty

Find out how many calories you need to keep your body fueled and fit.

By Krisha McCoy, MS

Medically reviewed by Niya Jones, MD, MPH

If you're interested in nutrition or weight loss, you no doubt pay a lot of attention to calories. But do you know what exactly calories are, and how many you really need?

Calories: The Good, the Bad, and the Empty
There is really no such thing as "good" or "bad" calories. "Your body processes each calorie the same," says Kimberly Lummus, MS, RD, Texas Dietetic Association media representative and public relations coordinator for the Austin Dietetic Association in Austin, Texas. But Lummus adds that some foods are far more nutritious than others. "We strive to make our calories the most nutrient-dense that we can, meaning that we are packing in a lot of nutrition for a very small amount of calories. You are optimizing your calorie budget, so to speak."
While calories get a negative rap when it comes to weight control, calories are actually an important source of fuel you cannot live without. "Your body needs calories for energy," says Lummus. Calories are the force behind everything we do, including eating, sleeping, and breathing.
"Calories are how much energy your body gets from the food and beverages that it consumes," says Lummus. Most food sources are composed of some combination of carbohydrates, fats, and proteins, and each of these nutrients contains calories. Yet it's important to stay away from "empty" calories in foods like sweets and soda, warns Lummus.

LOW-FAT MACARONI & CHEESE

Quick Info:

Servings
Contains Wheat/Gluten Contains Dairy Vegetarian Most Popular GERD-Friendly Diabetes-Friendly

Nutritional Info (Per serving):

Calories: 203, Saturated Fat: 1g, Sodium: 331mg, Dietary Fiber: 1g, Total Fat: 3g, Carbs: 28g, Sugars: 6g, Cholesterol: 14mg, Protein: 16g

Exchanges: Starch: 2, Lean Meat: 1

Carb Choices: 2

Recipe Source: Reproduced with permission from "ADA Cookbooks"© American Diabetes Association ®

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup(s) milk, fat-free evaporated
• 1 cup(s) cottage cheese, low-fat
• 1/2 cup(s) cheese, ricotta, low-fat
• 1/2 cup(s) cheese, cheddar, low-fat
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg, ground
• 1 dash(es) salt and black pepper, to taste
• 1 teaspoon cheese, Parmesan
• 1 tablespoon bread crumbs, fine, dry
• 1 pounds pasta, elbow macaroni, cooked

Preparation

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Heat the milk in a saucepan over low heat. Add the cheeses until they melt, stirring constantly.
2. Stir in the nutmeg, pepper, and salt. Remove the cheese sauce from the heat. Add the cooked pasta to the cheese sauce and mix well.
3. Pour the mixture into a 2-quart casserole dish. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and bread crumbs. Bake the casserole for 15-20 minutes until bubbly and the top is browned.