Healthy Weight: Don’t Let the Scale Determine Your Calories

Watching your food intake is critical to achieving and maintaining a healthy weight.  If you eat more food than you burn – whether through exercise or normal body functions – you will store unused calories as fat.

This is just normal physiology:  Match your caloric intake with your energy output.

Seems simple, right?  Just cut calories and exercise more and the weight will come off!

So, why isn’t this working for you?

You’re eating less, exercising more, but the scale won’t budge.

Part of the problem is that you may be cutting too many calories.  If you’re eating less than what your body needs to function, your body will slow down to meet your caloric intake.

You see, we all have something called a basal metabolic rate (BMR), which is the number of calories consumed and metabolized at a normal resting state over a 24-hour period.

So, if you just sit and do nothing all day, your body only needs enough fuel to support low-energy activities such as breathing, digestion, elimination and other bodily functions.

If you get up and start tidying up the house, your body then needs additional fuel to support these ‘medium-energy’ activities.  Then if you exercise or perform manual labor, you require more fuel to support these ‘high-energy’ activities.

This is matching your caloric intake with your energy output.

The problem is that most people don’t know the amount of calories their body burns at rest.  So when you start dieting, you pick a calorie count based on previous diets, or a generic number based on age, sex, height, weight, and physical activity.

The problem with these methods is that they don’t look at your unique physiology – specifically, your muscle mass.  The basal metabolic rate is based on lean body tissue, or muscle.  Since muscle is more metabolically active than fat, a person with more muscle is going to have a higher basal metabolic rate.

For example, you have two people standing next to each other – both 40, female, 5’4” and 135 lbs. You may decide from these parameters that they need a 1,300-calorie diet to lose weight.  But if you were to look closer, you’d find that one woman’s 135 lbs. is made of muscle, whereas the other woman’s 135 lbs. is made of fat.

This is a very important distinction.

If we were to test their basal metabolic rate, we may find that the woman with more muscle burns 1,500 calories at rest, whereas, the woman with more body fat burns 1,300 calories at rest.

If we stuck with the generic parameters and fed them both a 1,300-calorie diet, the woman with more muscle would be eating LESS than what her body needs to perform normal body functions.  As a survival mechanism, this woman’s metabolism would slow down to meet the 1,300-calorie diet.  This then slows down the rate at which she burns fat to lose weight.

In order to lose weight effectively and foster a healthy metabolism, it’s best to know your individual basal metabolic rate.

Many health specialists have machines that measure your exact muscle mass through Bio-Impedance Analysis, commonly known as B.I.A.  This is a method of assessing your body composition, which is the ratio between fat and lean body mass.

This analysis sets your specific caloric intake, by determining your BMR and measuring it against your level of physical activity.  With this information, you can now eat the proper amount of calories to burn fat, maintain (or gain) muscle, and improve your overall metabolism.

The B.I.A. is also a more effective way to measure your progress than simply watching the scale.  When you stand on a typical scale, it measures your total body weight.  So if your weight goes up or stays the same, you think your eating plan is failing you. If your weight goes down, you believe you’re on track.

What the scale doesn’t measure is how this weight is dispersed in your body. Remember, your body composition includes fat and muscle, with muscle weighing more than fat.  So sometimes the number on the scale may reflect a loss or gain in muscle rather than a loss or gain in fat.

Here’s an example.

If you lose weight on the scale, and then test your B.I.A. and see that you’ve lost muscle and gained fat, this is an undesirable result.  If you gain weight on the scale, and then do your B.I.A. to find that you’ve LOST body fat and GAINED muscle, this is an ideal scenario!  If you’d simply measured your weight on the scale and seen that you’d gained weight, you’d think your ‘diet’ wasn’t working and so you’d cut more calories… and, we know where that leads!

If you want a healthy weight, make sure you’re eating the proper amount of calories for your specific metabolism.  You can increase your metabolism (to have a higher basal metabolic rate, thus affording your more calories) by adding resistance exercises such as power yoga, Pilates, kickboxing, sculpting or swimming. In addition, eat small meals every 3-4 hours to prevent low blood sugar resulting in muscle depletion, and eat plenty of fruits and vegetables to get high-density nutrition through low-density calories.

*To find out your BMR, and to determine your unique caloric intake, please contact Julie at juliehammerstein@gmail.com to schedule a B.I.A.  Julie will be offering a discounted analysis to anyone local to Denver through August 30^th.  If you are not local to Denver, Julie can get you in touch with practitioners in your area that use the B.I.A system.

Ingredients

• 1 medium yellow squash, sliced lengthwise
• 1 medium zucchini, sliced lengthwise
• 1 medium eggplant, sliced into 1/2-inch thick rounds
• 1 red onion, sliced in 1/2-inch thick rounds
• 2 Roma tomatoes, sliced in 1/2 lengthwise
• 1 red bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, and quartered
• 1 yellow bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, and quartered
• 2 portabello mushroom caps
• 3 green onions
• Kosher salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar

Preheat grill to high.

Prepare all vegetables. Place vegetables in a roasting pan with green onions. Season vegetables generously with salt and pepper, and toss with the olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Place vegetables, cut side down, on the hot grill and cook for a couple minutes on each side, or until tender and nicely marked by the grill.

Remove from grill and toss with an additional 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Ingredients:

4 six-ounce fillets of rainbow trout.
¼ cup of canola oil.
2 tablespoons of fresh lime juice.
1 tablespoon of ginger root, minced.
1 teaspoon of grated lime peel.
1 teaspoon of crushed red pepper.

Directions:

In a suitably sized saucepan over medium heat, sauté the minced ginger and grated lime peel in the canola oil, until just lightly browned and aromatic.

Remove the saucepan from the heat, then stir in the crushed red pepper.

Once the oil has completely cooled, gently whisk in the lime juice and reserve.

Heat the grill to a moderate temperature.

Brush the grill pan with some oil to reduce sticking, and grill the trout fillets with the flesh side down for about 2 minutes.

Gently turn the fillets and grill for 2 minutes more, or until the trout turns opaque.

Serve the trout immediately with a splash of the ginger/lime mixture.

The Real Nutrition Q & A Show, on The Real Mom TV network

That’s right, you can now come into the chat room and ask me all your nutrition questions…online, on-the-spot, no charge. Think of it as a modern-day nutrition hotline – helpful and sincere, yet with the fun and flavor of a lively talk show. Join me for 30 minutes every Wednesday, and learn the secrets for eating healthy with more ease!

Please join me in July for my phenomenal guests, light-hearted conversations and lively cooking demos:

July 7th – Q & A: Special 45-minute segment with celebrated author and psychic medium-to-the-stars, Rebecca Rosen. We’ll be talking about Rebecca’s new book, Spirited, which shows readers how to draw on the power of their intuitive gifts to connect with spirit energy–loved ones who have passed–to provide the clarity necessary to master real-life issues.

In her colorful and youthful vibrant voice, Rosen recalls how she discovered her psychic gift and recounts her experiences helping thousands of clients, which have included Jennifer Aniston and Courteney Cox Arquette.

In this special RMTV interview, Rebecca will share her personal health journey, and how she freed herself from a negative self-view and the trappings of a unique relationship to food. She’ll show YOU how to live into your full health potential, by listening to your body, trusting your intuition and calling in the ‘guides’ all around you.  You don’t want to miss this show - we’ll be giving away signed copies of Rebecca’s book to viewers who join the chat room!

July 14th  – Q & A:  Live from the RMTV Kitchen – Want to get your man interested in cooking…or at least willing to try his hand at a few recipes?  Join me as foodie, Dad, and chef extraordinaire Andrew Labbe shares four basic sauces that serve as the basis for extraordinary meals! Come with your questions to the chat room!

July 21st  – Q & A: What are Omega 3’s and What Do They REALLY Do For You?I’ll be talking with Rally Ralston, founder of Salba Smart, who will share the latest information on the ancient Salba Seed and it’s immense health benefits.  Rally will explain the differences between Chia and Salba, and how research proves that Salba helps to lower the risks of heart disease and diabetes.  We’ll be making fun smoothies with Salba and sharing recipes for tasty breads – including gluten-free varieties!  Come with your questions about Salba, Chia, flaxseed, fish oils and anything you’d like to know about essential fats and your health.

July 28th – Q & A: LIVE from the RMTV Kitchen – DELECTABLE, DECADENT AND DELICIOUSLY HEALTHY DESSERTS – Each month I’ll show you how to make a yummy dessert, with natural ingredients (yes, some of them will have sugar) that will please any palate.  Join me this month for an intense, flavorful Chocolate Mousse J - you’ll be shocked at what I put in this recipe that makes it taste SO good!

Morning Tea Talk:

Enhance Your Family’s Health

You’re Invited!

Come share in the simple solutions that improve your family’s health by:

• Supporting the immune system;
• Decreasing cellular aging caused by stress and poor diets;
• Delivering key antioxidants to protect you against illness, weight-gain, fatigue and other common health issues.

Thursday, July 8th

10-11am – Tea, Coffee & Smoothies

Kids Welcome

530 S. Emerson Street, Denver 80209

Rsvp to Julie H.:  303-885-1818 or juliehammerstein@gmail.com; or Julie L.: 303-513-4713 or Julie@papillonlife.com

Sponsored by

You’re Invited!

Come share in the simple solutions that improve your family’s health by:

• Supporting the immune system;
• Decreasing cellular aging caused by stress and poor diets;
• Delivering key antioxidants to protect you against illness, weight-gain, fatigue and other common health issues.

Wednesday, July 21st

6-7:30pm – Wine & Healthy Snacks

Kids Welcome

530 S. Emerson Street, Denver 80209

Rsvp to Julie H.:  303-885-1818 or Juliehammerstein@gmail.com or Julie L.: 303-513-4713 or Julie@papillonlife.com

Special 45-minute segment with celebrated author and

psychic medium-to-the-stars, Rebecca Rosen.

In this special RMTV interview, Rebecca will share her personal health journey, and how she freed herself from a negative self-view and the trappings of a unique relationship to food. She’ll show YOU how to live into your full health potential, by listening to your body, trusting your intuition and calling in the ‘guides’ all around you.  You don’t want to miss this show – we’ll be giving away signed copies of Rebecca’s book to viewers who join the chat room!

We’ll be talking about Rebecca’s new book, Spirited, which shows readers how to draw on the power of their intuitive gifts to connect with spirit energy–loved ones who have passed–to provide the clarity necessary to master real-life issues – including body image and weight.

In her colorful and youthful vibrant voice, Rosen recalls how she discovered her psychic gift and recounts her experiences helping thousands of clients, which have included Jennifer Aniston and Courteney Cox Arquette.

Here’s the Scoop:

What: Real Nutrition Q & A – A Modern-Day Nutrition Hotline.

When: Wednesdays, 9am PST/10am MST/12pm EST – 30-minute show.

Where: Online at The Real Mom TV Network – an internet-based TV network that let’s you watch, and interact, from your home or office.

Why: Because my Small Change, Big Impact tips are designed to demystify food, so that you can make healthier choices with more ease.

How: Click Here and watch LIVE (you can also use this link to watch the recorded version).  If you choose not to enter the chat room during the show, please email me your questions in advance at juliehammerstein@gmail.com.

Julie Hammerstein is a nutritionist, mom, and one of the country’s leading health experts. She’s helped thousands of people take back their health through her philosophy Small Change, Big Impact TM. With this simple yet profound message, Julie dispels the negative beliefs about food, and eradicates the mindset that being healthy is hard. Her educational DVD series Max’s Minutes: The A-Z’s of Healthy Living, which she produced with her son Max, gives parents and kids a fun and unique look at how to create a healthy home. Her new book, Fat is Not a Four Letter Word: 14Daily Lessons to Break Through Your ‘Fat Kid Mentality’, debuts in 2010 and will radically transform the way people approach dieting and weight loss for life.

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa.-To get a child to eat more vegetables, serve them as the first course of a meal, says researchers from the Center for Childhood Obesity Research at The Pennsylvania State University (Am J Clin Nutr 91: 1237-1243, 2010). Researchers Maureen K Spill, Leann L Birch, Liane S. Roe and Barbara J Rolls concluded increasing the portion size of a vegetable served as a first course can be an effective strategy for increasing vegetable consumption in preschool children.

They investigated whether increasing the portion size of vegetables served at the start of a meal lead to increased vegetable consumption and decreased meal energy intake in children. In a crossover design, 3- to 5-year-old children in a daycare center were served a test lunch once a week for 4 weeks (n = 51). In three of the meals, a first course of raw carrots varied in portion size (30, 60 or 90 g), and no first course was served in the control meal. Children were at liberty to consume as much of the carrots as they wanted, and then were served a main course of pasta, broccoli, applesauce and milk, where they were also allowed to eat as much or as little as they liked.

The researchers found total vegetable consumption at the meal increased as the portion size of carrots increased (P < 0.0001). Doubling the portion size of the first course increased carrot consumption by 47 percent, or 12 ± 2 g (P < 0.0001). Tripling the portion size of carrots, however, did not lead to a further increase in intake (P = 0.61).

However, the amount of calories the children consumed were not significantly affected by the amount of carrots served in the first course. The effect of portion size on intake was not significantly influenced by the children’s age or body weight status.

A Colorado Celebration  Of Women in Transition

Saturday, September 11, 2010

Denver Botanic Gardens

8:30 to 4:00 PM

Keynote Speakers:

Julie Hammerstein – Family Wellness and Nutrition Expert

www.juliehammerstein.com

Debra Fine- Internationally recognized speaker and author of The Fine Art of Small Talk.

www.debrafine.com

Julie Pech – Chocolate Therapist

www.thechocolatetherapist.com

Mitch Powers- Growing Your Investments

www.investsg.com

Deb Sheppard- Finding Clarity and Peace

www.depsheppard.com

A Wildflower Women’s Makeover

Clothes by Bling of Castle Rock

Hair and Make up by Ed Gillespie, Over The Top Salon

The $75 tax-deductible ticket price includes a catered lunch, silent auction, and admission to the Botanic Gardens.

For more information and to order tickets, please go to www.wildflowerwomensfoundation.org and click on Events.

]]> http://www.juliehammerstein.com/2010/06/julie_speaking_wildflower_womens-event/feed/ 0 http://www.juliehammerstein.com/2010/06/crunchy-strawberry-cream-roll-ups/ http://www.juliehammerstein.com/2010/06/crunchy-strawberry-cream-roll-ups/#comments Tue, 22 Jun 2010 22:42:16 +0000 Julie Hammerstein http://www.juliehammerstein.com/?p=825

*A great snack to make with kids after school!

Ingredients:
• 1 whole wheat wrap
• 4 strawberries OR small handful of raisins
• I ½ tablespoons low fat cream cheese
• 4 teaspoons granola
• Drizzle of honey

Directions:
Split the wrap into 4 equal long sections
Spoon cream cheese into middle of each section
Cut up strawberries into quarters and place onto cream cheese OR sprinkle raisins
Sprinkle one teaspoon of granola and drizzle with a small amount of honey
Roll up your 4 mini wraps and enjoy!
Makes 2 servings