Nutrition Changed my Life
It wasn't until I was 18 years old that I realized the large impact nutrition has on the human body. I grew up eating some fruits and veggies, along with whatever else I could find around my house. Variety of food groups was far from my mind, and I was never taught the importance of healthful eating. It wasn't until I met my current boyfriend that I made the connection between what I ate and how my body functions on a daily basis. He began to teach me what he knew and introduced me to the idea of tracking my macronutrients as well as calories. By macros I mean carbohydrates, fats, and protein which are the basic components of the foods we eat. Six months after reforming my diet I lost ten pounds and I am full of energy.
The first thing I had to learn was the idea of "calories in calories out". In order to stay at the same weight someone must burn the same amount of calories that they ingest. If they desire to lose weight they must burn more calories than they ingest and to gain weight they must consume more calories than they burn. Gaining and losing pounds all comes down to the consumption of calories. A person could eat fast food everyday and still lose weight if they are taking in less calories than they are burning. Before counting calories I calculated my BMR or basal metabolic rate, which is how many calories I burn just staying alive. I found this number to be around 2,100 calories a day. This means at the end of the day my caloric intake had to be around 2,100 to stay at my current weight.
Everyday I would split my daily calories between six balanced meals. The reason I chose six is because eating more often can increase the metabolism and increase weight loss. Another reason why I eat so often is because the time gaps of two to three allows me to work up an appetite, but I never feel like i'm starving. People tend to overeat and binge when they allow themselves to become overly hungry. Being prepared in advance is the most important thing when you eat this often during the day. Cooking meals ahead of time and taking them wherever you go is the best way to make sure you can eat a well balanced diet.
When developing my daily diet I stick to the break down of 20% fats, 40% carbs, and 40% protein. My earlier meals have more calories and more carbs which taper down throughout the day. My first meal is usually around 500 calories and my last meal finishes with 200 calories and no carbs. Carbs are extremely important for daily functioning and energy for activities, but you must choose them wisely. Some carbs digest slower than others, such as brown rice and sweet potatoes. Slow digesting carbs will keep you fuller longer and provide more nutrients. I eat a large amount of protein everyday to support muscle growth. I am an avid gym goer and putting on muscle is very important to me. Lean protein can also be low in fat/calories and keep you full for a long time. Keeping my protein levels high is crucial to creating a lean, strong physique. It may seem odd to many people that I fill 20% of my diet with fats but I have a very good reason for this. There are good fats that the body needs and bad fats that can be detrimental to your health. I identify good fats as being monounsaturated and polyunsaturated. Bad fats are saturated fats and trans fats. Saturated as well as trans fats pile up very easily in the arteries and cause plaque build up. They are also the ones that will most likely be deposited as fat on trouble areas. I will ingest some saturated fats throughout the day but I will never allow myself to consume trans fats. It is important to check nutritional labels for hydrogenated oils to identify if a product has trans fats because the amount does not have to be disclosed if it is under 0.5 grams per serving. I Try to stick with polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats that can be found in nuts and peanut butter as much as possible.
The information above gives the basic breakdown of what I eat and why I eat it on a daily basis. An example meal that I eat in the middle of the day would consist of two ounces cooked chicken (protein), two slices high fiber low calorie bread whole wheat bread (carbs), two tablespoons mayo (fat), and four ounces cooked green veggies such as broccoli (carbs). This meal would give me each of the macronutrients and fill the criteria. My last point is measuring food with a scale in grams/ounces to get the exact serving size instead of estimating will provide you with exact calculations. This makes it easier to calculate your portions and how much you are truly eating at each meal. I find this very useful on a daily basis and I use my scale with every meal. Eating in a nutritious way may seem overwhelming at first but once you start to look at food in the way of macros you will soon become accustomed to evaluating your food choices before you eat them.
The knowledge that I gained about nutrition changed me into a more conscientious and healthy person. Before I made these changes I was always sick with a cold and tired. Now I'm full of energy and I haven't become sick since of changed my diet. Nutrition has changed my outlook on life and helped me to take control of my body and how I feel.
The first thing I had to learn was the idea of "calories in calories out". In order to stay at the same weight someone must burn the same amount of calories that they ingest. If they desire to lose weight they must burn more calories than they ingest and to gain weight they must consume more calories than they burn. Gaining and losing pounds all comes down to the consumption of calories. A person could eat fast food everyday and still lose weight if they are taking in less calories than they are burning. Before counting calories I calculated my BMR or basal metabolic rate, which is how many calories I burn just staying alive. I found this number to be around 2,100 calories a day. This means at the end of the day my caloric intake had to be around 2,100 to stay at my current weight.
Everyday I would split my daily calories between six balanced meals. The reason I chose six is because eating more often can increase the metabolism and increase weight loss. Another reason why I eat so often is because the time gaps of two to three allows me to work up an appetite, but I never feel like i'm starving. People tend to overeat and binge when they allow themselves to become overly hungry. Being prepared in advance is the most important thing when you eat this often during the day. Cooking meals ahead of time and taking them wherever you go is the best way to make sure you can eat a well balanced diet.
When developing my daily diet I stick to the break down of 20% fats, 40% carbs, and 40% protein. My earlier meals have more calories and more carbs which taper down throughout the day. My first meal is usually around 500 calories and my last meal finishes with 200 calories and no carbs. Carbs are extremely important for daily functioning and energy for activities, but you must choose them wisely. Some carbs digest slower than others, such as brown rice and sweet potatoes. Slow digesting carbs will keep you fuller longer and provide more nutrients. I eat a large amount of protein everyday to support muscle growth. I am an avid gym goer and putting on muscle is very important to me. Lean protein can also be low in fat/calories and keep you full for a long time. Keeping my protein levels high is crucial to creating a lean, strong physique. It may seem odd to many people that I fill 20% of my diet with fats but I have a very good reason for this. There are good fats that the body needs and bad fats that can be detrimental to your health. I identify good fats as being monounsaturated and polyunsaturated. Bad fats are saturated fats and trans fats. Saturated as well as trans fats pile up very easily in the arteries and cause plaque build up. They are also the ones that will most likely be deposited as fat on trouble areas. I will ingest some saturated fats throughout the day but I will never allow myself to consume trans fats. It is important to check nutritional labels for hydrogenated oils to identify if a product has trans fats because the amount does not have to be disclosed if it is under 0.5 grams per serving. I Try to stick with polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats that can be found in nuts and peanut butter as much as possible.
The information above gives the basic breakdown of what I eat and why I eat it on a daily basis. An example meal that I eat in the middle of the day would consist of two ounces cooked chicken (protein), two slices high fiber low calorie bread whole wheat bread (carbs), two tablespoons mayo (fat), and four ounces cooked green veggies such as broccoli (carbs). This meal would give me each of the macronutrients and fill the criteria. My last point is measuring food with a scale in grams/ounces to get the exact serving size instead of estimating will provide you with exact calculations. This makes it easier to calculate your portions and how much you are truly eating at each meal. I find this very useful on a daily basis and I use my scale with every meal. Eating in a nutritious way may seem overwhelming at first but once you start to look at food in the way of macros you will soon become accustomed to evaluating your food choices before you eat them.
The knowledge that I gained about nutrition changed me into a more conscientious and healthy person. Before I made these changes I was always sick with a cold and tired. Now I'm full of energy and I haven't become sick since of changed my diet. Nutrition has changed my outlook on life and helped me to take control of my body and how I feel.