Welcome to the Smart Calorie Health Newsletter!

Welcome to the Smart Calorie Newsletter, September Issue. I've continued the current survey about Low Carb dieting, and you'd be surprised at how the tally has changed over the past several months. If you haven't voted yet, feel free to cast your opinion to the left. Use the navigation menu to the left to move to the topics quickly.

If you have questions or topics that you would like to see in our newsletter, please let me know!

The Portion Predicament

Last month's newsletter spoke about low carb diets. This month, we'll look a bit deeper into not what's in your diet, but how much of it you're eating. No matter what "diet" you choose weight loss only occurs if you eat less calories than you use throughout the day in your activities. Whether you eat "low carb" or "low fat," calories matter. Calories translate into not only the types of food we eat, but the quantity of food we eat. That may sound like a "no-brainer," but the fact remains that portion size has a dramatic impact on your health.

Let's start with what is considered a normal portion for different types of foods. Here are some examples:

1. Meat, fish, or chicken: one portion is 3 oz. or the size of a deck of cards.
2. Bread: one slice (Yes, a sandwich has 2 portions of bread).
3. Pasta: ½ cup (Your closed fist is equivalent to 2 portions, or 1 cup)
4. Fruit: one medium sized fruit (tennis ball size) or ½ cup of canned fruit.
5. Vegetables: ½ a cup cooked or canned (tennis ball size would make 2 portions)
.
6. Dairy (milk, yogurt): 8 oz. of liquid or one cup.
7. Dairy (cheese): 1 ounce, or the tip of your thumb.

How many portions should we eat? Though I'm not completely in favor of the current USDA food pyramid, it offers a reasonable guide to the number of portions of each food group you should be eating. However, for weight loss and health promotion, I would suggest you increase the number of portions of fresh fruit and vegetables, and cut back a bit on the portions of breads, cereals, and pasta. If you aren't familiar with the new USDA Food Pyramid, this is the gist (courtesy USDA):

To see a larger version, click Larger Pyramid.

In general, the Food Pyramid and the number of portions per level should be adjusted for the amount of calories we consume. The guidelines for portion number depend on your age, activity level, and gender. For instance, an adolescent boy will require a different number than a sedentary office worker. For weight loss and health maintenance health, I suggest shooting for 1600-1800 calories a day with the following portion guidelines:

1. Fruits: 3-4 portions
2. Vegetables: 4-5 portions
3. Cereal, bread, pasta: 4-5 portions
4. Dairy (lowfat): 3-4 portions
5. Lean meat, fish, beans: 3 portions
6. Fats and Sweets: VERY small amounts.

This recommendation obviously needs to be tailored to activity level as well, and I would tend to add a bit more complex carbs (pasta, rice, cereal) and a bit more lean protein if your lifestyle is more active, or if you are actively exercising to help lose that weight.

To sum it all up, portion and serving size matter, and translate into calories. If you lean toward larger portions of calorie-dense foods (desserts, fatty meats, sweets) and empty calorie foods, weight loss will be difficult, if not impossible to attain. Instead, substitute moderately sized portions of low calorie, nutritious foods like fruit, vegetables, beans (legumes), and lean protein (fish and chicken) and you're on your way to healthier eating and weight loss. I can't emphasize the fruits and vegetables enough, since I think we as Americans don't get enough of these foods. For a terrific source of information on how to get more fruits and vegetables into your diet, check out these sites, run by the National Cancer Institute and Centers for Disease Control. The more fruits and vegetables the better!     Back to the top.

Your Weight Loss Questions

A Question from Sylvia:

Hi, I am 33 years old, am 5'6 and weigh 135 pounds. I work out at home (strength training) and walk for about half an hour almost everyday. I've also cut back on calories and eat 3 meals a day. The thing is, my legs and arms are toned and I don't want to lose weight there. My problem areas are my butt (I have a bubble butt but it can stand to lose some fat) and especially my stomach. My stomach rounds out and makes me look like I'm pregnant; in fact I've had people ask if I am! I've also got the love handles going on. The thing is I do ab excersises and my muscles underneath are really strong, I just don't know how to get rid of the stomach fat!! Any suggestions??

Answer:

Your exercise routine sounds terrific. Keep going with your general exercise and the fat around your abdomen, hips, and bottom will eventually go as well. Exercises aimed at those individual areas will not necessarily make you lose weight in those areas preferentially, but they will tone those areas, and make them stronger and better toned. I have no doubt that your persistence will pay off..   Back to the top.

This Month's Recipe

Barley and Mushrooms with Beans

Great as a side dish, main course, or wrapped in a tortilla with a bit of cheddar cheese. This dish has plenty of fiber and vegetables, and almost no fat. Consider adding sliced red or green peppers to add a bit of color.

Ingredients

1 teaspoon olive oil
3 cups sliced fresh mushrooms
1 cup chopped onion
½  cup chopped celery
2 cloves garlic, minced
½ cup uncooked barley
3 cups vegetable broth
1 (15.5 ounce) can white beans, drained

Preparation

Heat oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat, and stir in mushrooms, onion, celery, and garlic. Saute until tender. Mix barley and vegetable broth into the saucepan. Bring to a boil, cover, and reduce heat. Simmer 45 to 50 minutes, until barley is tender. Stir white beans into the barley mixture. Continue cooking about 5 minutes, until beans are heated. Makes 6 servings. (Per serving: Calories 210, Protein 14 g, Total Fat 1.4 g, Carbs 37 g, Sodium 656 mg.)
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Site News

Smart Calorie and My Deluxe Calorie Diary have been written up in the "Diabetes Forecast" September 2004 Issue. Make sure to peruse their site here: Diabetes Forcast. I'll be adding a press page to the website soon. You just never know where we'll pop up!

Don't forget to sign up for the Smart Calorie Health and Nutrition Support Forum. You can ask general weight loss and diet questions to a community with similar goals and philosophies. Though a public forum, there is also a method to send private messages to individuals as well. Access the public discussion boards and sign up for free. The more who join, the better the discussions!

If you have found My Deluxe Calorie Diary, My Recipe Diary, or the Body Fat Calculator helpful, consider donating here. Any donations in excess of the normal annual maintenance fees for the website are donated to the American Diabetes Association.

Until next quarter....

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If you have comments about this month's newsletter, feel free to e-mail me. If you know someone who would enjoy this newsletter, feel free to forward a copy to them! They can also sign up for their own copy here.

©2004 TMM Medical Consultants