our
decision to join the Eat Smart…Play Hard
program to lose weight and become more active is the first step on
the road to a healthy new you! Don’t be
concerned if it seems overwhelming at first. All things get easier with time and
a little patience.
The
Eat Smart…Play Hard program is not a deprivation diet plan, a miracle cure or a magic potion. The
12 weekly sessions are designed to help you lose weight -- and maintain the weight loss -- through making better food choices and incorporating exercise into your everyday life. These suggestions,
however, aren't just for the 12-week program. Adopt them
as your lifestyle habits and maintain a healthy weight for life!
Please take time out now to explore the information
under different buttons on the top frame since you are likely to come back to
it frequently during the course of the program. The button for
Sessions Menu takes you to
the main page where you can access the 12 different sessions, and also
news items and articles related to weight management. Assess Risk highlights the
relationship between your current weight and potential health risks and has an online
calculator to
determine your ideal healthy weight.
Calorie Calculators
help you to estimate calories in food and
drinks you consume, calories your body needs just to function and calories you
burn by exercise. Resources provide
additional support by featuring selected
websites on the Internet on nutrition and weight management. The
FAQs address common questions of people who are trying to lose weight.
Contact
Us is a direct
link to us if you need help or have any questions.
Click here to
review Program Expectations - a quick list
of things you should be doing and those to be introduced in upcoming
sessions. This regular feature may be easily accessed via a direct
link always available on the top of the left frame in each of the 12 sessions.
Getting Started
Let's begin by taking the mystery out of losing weight. Weight maintenance is a simple calorie
balance: the total calories you consume must equal the calories required by
your body to function plus the calories you burn by exercise. But to
lose weight, the calories you consume must be less than the calories
required by your body to function plus the calories you burn by exercise.
Look at this concept in an equation form: But for weight loss to occur the equation must be changed like this: The key factor is that daily calories consumed must be
less than the calories required for daily body functions plus the calories
burned through daily exercise: You lose weight when you eat less and exercise
more. For example, if you consume 2400 calories per day and your
body needs only 2100 calories per day for daily functioning and you burn 300
calories through physical activity, then your calorie use and needs are in
balance. If you do this regularly, you will maintain your weight at the
current level. However, since one pound of weight loss is about 3500 calories,
to lose 1 pound a week you will need to do one of three things: Consume 500 fewer calories per day per week.
Burn 500 calories a day per week through physical activity.
Decrease daily consumption of calories and
increase physical activity to a total of 500 calories per day per week.
Calories Consumed
Daily
(food & drink)
=
Calories Required
Daily for Body Functions
(Based on body size and metabolism)+
Calories Burned
Daily by Exercise
In the above chart, calories in and out are in balance. The calories consumed daily
equal the calories required for daily function plus the calories burned in
daily exercise. When the two sides are equal, you have weight maintenance
-- neither weight gain nor weight loss.
Calories Consumed
Daily
(food & drink)
<
Calories Required
Daily for Body Functions
(Based on body size and metabolism)+
Calories Burned
Daily by Exercise
Action Step 1 - Weight Loss Goal Setting
& Contract
Decide on how much weight you would
like to lose. Experts recommend a weight loss of no more
than 1-2 pounds per week for long term success.
Set a realistic, achievable
weight-loss goal:
| 12 lbs. | 6-12 weeks (1-1/2 to 3 months) |
| 16 lbs. | 8-16 weeks (2 to 4 months) |
| 20 lbs. | 10-20 weeks (2-1/2 to 5 months) |
| 24 lbs. | 12-24 weeks (3 to 6 months) |
| 28 lbs. | 14-28 weeks (4-1/2 to 7 months) |
| *Based on 1 or 2 pounds per week weight loss | |
The point is, it will take awhile to lose your excess weight.
Your weight gain was gradual and over a long period of time.
Similarly, your weight loss should be gradual for your best chance of
long-term success. A 10-15 pound weight-loss goal by the end of this
program is a realistic goal if you stick to the plan and lose 1 to 2 pounds
per week. Expecting more than that is setting yourself up for falling
short of your goal. Repeat this process at the end of the program if
the total amount of weight you want to lose is more than the initial goal
you have set. Click here
to review SMART tips for good goal setting. Use the "Back"
button on your browser to return to this spot.
Before
proceeding further, please click here to review and submit a Personal Contract. Research shows that you're more likely to
keep your commitment to make lifestyle changes when you make a written one.
Also, find a buddy -- someone who can encourage you and offer reminders to
stick with your commitment.
Action Step 2 - Daily Food & Activity
Record
We hope that you see the significance of your
daily calorie balance in losing weight
effectively.
So, starting today, we would like you to keep an accurate,
detailed record of what
you eat and drink and how much you exercise on a daily basis.
Calorie Calculators may be accessed at any time from the top frame to develop better estimates for tracking and recording the 3 key items that go into your daily calorie balance:
|
1. Calories Consumed Daily
|
During the first week in the program you're not to cut calories or start adding exercise. The goal
simply is to identify existing behaviors before
you can make changes. After the first week, we will encourage
you to start substituting
healthier habits for the unhealthy ones.
Each time you eat or drink something enter what it was and what the quantity was into your
Daily Food & Activity Record. This is
very important because
so many of us don't realize how many calories we're truly taking in. A week's worth of information will help you understand your eating habits, what triggers your eating,
when you may be overeating and areas where you can make positive changes.
Click here to
access the Daily Food & Activity
Record form and
also instructions for recording the
information. Use the "Back" button on your browser to return to this
spot.
We encourage you to maintain your Daily Food & Activity Record during the duration of the 12-week program. A written record of your habits over several weeks will further highlight the positive changes you have made, and areas you still might need some work on.
Action Step 3: Baseline Measurements - Microfit Analysis
In order to measure how far you go during the next 12 weeks, and if you meet your weight-loss goal, you need to record some baseline information. In addition to weight this may include measurements such as your blood pressure, heart rate, cholesterol level, waist-size and body fat composition.
During the first week, please go to
your HAWC (Health & Wellness Center) for a Microfit Analysis
which will include most of these measurements.
Click here for more
information and guidelines for the day prior to the Microfit
Analysis.
Please do take the time during this week and every week of the
12-week program to meet
Program Expectations.
At the end of the program - Session 12 - you will be
requested to take a new set of
measurements. Comparing them with the baseline measurements
will highlight areas where you've made improvements.
Good luck!