Continued Success!

Yesterday I again obtained my goal of staying under my personal recommended total calories.

My Total Intake for Feb. 12th: 1,241 Calories

So why do I feel so glum today? I'm hoping the weather has something to do with it. It's cloudy and somewhat chilly out today.

Today's tip: Keep up on your vitamins so the weather doesn't get you down!

Vitamin A:

Essential for normal growth, integrity of the skin, and bone development. Lack of Vitamin A can lead to infection of the cornea, conjunctiva (the red part of the eye), trachea (windpipe), hair follicles, and renal system. Deficiency can also cause night blindness. Vitamin A is found in butter, butterfat in milk, egg yolk, some fruits (prunes, pineapples, oranges, limes, and cantaloupe), green leafy vegetables and carrots.

Vitamin B Complexes:

• Vitamin B1 (thiamine) affects growth, appetite, and carbohydrate metabolism. Alcoholics can be especially deficient. B1 is found in whole grains, nuts, egg yolk, fruits, and most vegetables.
• Vitamin B2 (riboflavin) affects growth and cellular metabolism (the ability of the cell to take in food, make energy and discard waste). Found in liver, meat, poultry, eggs, milk, and green vegetables.
• A deficiency in Vitamin B6 (niacin) will cause pellagra, which is associated with the "four D's": dermatitis, diarrhea, dementia, and death. Found in liver, meat, poultry, and green vegetables.
• Vitamin B12 (biotin, folic acid, and cyanocobalamin) is found in leafy green vegetables, organ meats, lean beef and veal, and wheat cereals. A deficiency will result in pernicious anemia and neurological problems, including numbness and weakness.

Vitamin C (ascorbic acid):

Necessary for the formation of connective tissue between cells as well as maintenance of the "cement" that secures cells to membranes. A deficiency will lead to scurvy (shallow complexion, loss of energy, pain in legs and joints, bleeding gums, and muscle pain). Vitamin C is found in raw cabbage, carrots, orange juice, lettuce, celery, onions, tomatoes, and all citrus fruits.

Vitamin D:

Necessary for the development of bones and teeth, a deficiency can lead to rickets and tooth decay. It is essential in the metabolism of calcium and phosphorus, two of the most important constituents of bone and teeth. Vitamin D is manufactured in the skin with exposure to sunlight, and is also found in milk, cod liver oil, salmon, egg yolk, and butter fat.

Vitamin E:

Although the exact function of this vitamin is not clearly understood, it is essential to humans and has been related to the healing of scars. A deficiency is extremely rare, as Vitamin E is found in many foods.

Vitamin K:

Essential for blood clotting, Vitamin K is found in fats, oats, wheat, rye, and alfalfa.

Success!

After feeling terrible about going over the average recommended calorie intake, I finally met my goal!

My Total Intake for Feb. 11th: 1,206 Calories

I also did some housework and cleaning yesterday (which counts as exercise), so I burned off 185 calories, leaving me with a net total of 1,021 calories.

How did I accomplish such a low number?

• I ate small portions of food low in calories throughout the day like rice cakes, cereal, and fruit
  
• For dinner, I ate 2 servings of chicken, carrots, broccoli, and half a serving of cottage cheese. I honestly didn't realize that vegetables were so low in calories; only 30 and 50 calories respectfully per serving!

Let's just say I'm super excited and I feel much better today than I did yesterday.

Today's tip: be sure to check the nutritional facts of every food you consider eating before you eat it. It may be low in calories, but the serving size may differ from what you believe it is.

Subway Failure

Yesterday wound up to be a big bust! I was doing well, logging the foods I had eaten and monitoring my calorie intake. I stayed under my daily recommended allowance all day, and then dinner hit. The guys wanted Subway. I thought, OK, this shouldn't be too bad. WRONG! I ordered a Chicken and Bacon Ranch sandwich. Big mistake. That sandwich contains 580 calories per 6-inch sub. Yikes! Since I ate the entire sandwich (I was hungry!) I wound up being 342 calories over the normal recommended amount and 1,089 calories over my goal.

My Total Intake for Feb. 10th: 2,342 calories

I felt so defeated after I entered that meal into the calorie calculator. It's definitely time to make better, more educated choices.

Today's tip: Eating at Subway can prove to be beneficial, but you need to make the right choices. Here are a list of steps to take when eating at Subway.

1. Before you even get in the car, visit www.subway.com, click on the menu/nutrition tab, and check out the nutrition facts. Subway posts nutritional facts on all of their menu items for the benefit of the consumer.
2. Check out the list of sandwiches with 6 grams of fat or less. Be sure to stick with the basic ingredients, adding condiments like mayo and cheese will hike up the fat and caloric value.
3. For more flavor and less calories, pile on the vegetables. Vegetables are much more nutritious than the fatty content of cheeses, mayo, and other condiments.
4. Even though the wrap sounds like a healthy option, it contains more calories and fat than any of the 6" breads.
   
5. If you insist on having chips with your sandwich, choose those that are "lite" or "baked". These bags of chips usually contain 100 calories per serving.
6. Skip sodas and deserts all together. Sodas (as we discussed yesterday) contain 100 calories for every 8 ounces. That's a lot of calories in a large sized container. Subway's cookies and deserts contain around 220 calories and between 10-12 grams of fat per cookie.

In the end, it proves difficult to eat healthy at Subway to lose weight like Jared. It takes thought, planning, and daily exercise, which is not always advertised.

It's Time For a Little Structure

After reading some of my colleagues' blogs, I have noticed that my previous blogs have lacked structure. So in this blog, I will also include updates on my daily diet, the daily record of calories ingested and workout routines. Workout or diet tips may also be posted. And of course, any fallbacks will be posted as well. We're all human!

Set a Calorie Goal...
based on several factors, including your age, height, weight, and your daily activity level.

My total calorie intake for Feb. 2nd: 2,179

My new recommended daily calorie intake: 1,252

You can track your own diet and exercise plan at Livestrong.com. Trust me, yesterday I thought I was eating healthy. After logging the foods I had eaten yesterday, I've been shown that I had eaten more in calories than I believed.

Today's tip: Soda drinks like Pepsi and CocaCola contain 100 calories per serving...that's 8 ounces per 1 serving. For those of us getting 12 ounce cans of soda from vending machines, we are ingesting 150 calories per can. It adds up fast.

Why This Post?

Lately I've been feeling that as a full time student, making time to eat right and exercise deems difficult to work into my schedule. It is far easier to pick up some fast food between work and classes than to plan and pack an entire day's meal in the morning. It's time to take health and well-being seriously, and utilizing this tool will play an important part in doing so.