Helpful Tips for Weight Control

When Dining at a Restaurant:  Always ask your server to prepare your food “light” i.e. no extra or hidden fats or additives.  Ask for the salad dressing to served on the side instead of on your salad.  When ordering your protein, order it broiled, baked or barbecued .  You could also get a jump on your evening out by having a healthy snack about 30 minutes before going out.  By the time your are ready to order you won’t be as hungry.  Avoid “creamed” soups, pastas or vegetables with cream sauces.

When at the Grocery Store:  Read all labels!  Not only will this prevent your from buying foods high in fat, calories or sodium, it will also make you more aware of the nutritional value of the foods you are eating.  Select non-fat or very low fat dairy products.  Choose vegetables that are fresh or freshly frozen over canned.  Not only will the be better nutritionally but you will avoid any preservatives or sodium.  Choose lean cuts of meat which will have a dramatically low fat content.  Select white meat for turkey or chicken.  If you’re buying canned fish, chicken or turkey, always make sure they are packed in water.   Very importantly, don’t  go to the grocery store on an empty stomach. This will avoid unhealthy or impulsive buying.

When you Travel:  Always bring bottled water with you to ensure that you meet your daily requirement and that the quality of water is acceptable.  Drink lots of water before boarding an airplane.  Cabin pressure in a plane can severely dehydrate you and is one of the main reasons many people feel tired or “jet lagged” after a long flight.  You should also avoid drinking caffeinated or alcoholic beverages.   Order a special low-fat or vegetarian meal when you make your plane reservations.  Not only are these meals an obviously healthier choice, they will most likely have a lower sodium and fat content.

Facts About Fat

* Most North Americans eat about 35% more fat than is considered healthy.

* Dietary fat yields more than twice the calories per gram (approximately 9 kcal/g) as that yielded by carbohydrates or protein (approximately 4 kcal/g each).

*Research has linked high dietary fat intake with heart disease, hypertension (high blood pressure), obesity, gall bladder disease, diabetes, liver disease, cancer of the colon and breast cancer in women.

* Reducing saturated fat intake (from animal products) can help reduce blood cholesterol levels.

* A healthy percentage body fat should be about 17 – 22% in men and 19 -24% in women.  These percentages usually increase with advancing age due to an increased sedentary lifestyle.

* The body’s fat stores are used as fuel for moderate, prolonged exercise.  Thus continuous cardiovascular exercise of greater than 12 minutes duration is the best way to reduce fat stores in the body.

Strategies For Reducing Dietary Fat

*When cooking: boil, bake, steam or microwave instead of frying.

* Try to eliminate all deep fried foods.

* Choose the low fat varieties of mayonnaise, salad dressing and gravy.

*Replace sour cream with yougurt.

* Choose low fat (skim or 1%) dairy products, and add milk to coffee rather than cream.

* Mozzarella is by far the least fattening form of cheese because it is made from skim milk.

*Avoid “fast foods”, which are high in fat and salt and low in fibre.

* Choose lean cuts of meat, cut off visible fat  (including poultry skin), and drain off any fat that cooks out of the meat.

TO MAINTAIN PROPER WEIGHT CONTROL AND OPDTIMAL BODY FAT LEVELS, A LIFETIME COMMITMENT TO PROPER EATING HABITS AND REGULAR PHYSICAL ACTIVITY IS REQUIRED!!