Heather Sachs Blattman MS RD CDN

Heather holds a Masters degree in Clinical Nutrition from New York University. She is also the President and Founder of Journey to Nutrition, PLLC, a private nutrition counseling practice in New York City.

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7 Opportunities to Save

More Diet Tips

Ask The Vita-titian (send your questions...click here)

Question:
Dear Heather,
My name is Nancy. I am a teacher, a wife, and the mother of 3 children. My life is extremely busy and I never have the time to take care of myself. After a lifetime of being overweight and failing countless diets, I joined Weight Watchers. So far, I have spent a lot of time reading the message boards trying to learn from the experiences of others. It was on the message boards that I learned about your “Ask the Vitatitian” emails. When ordering my VitaTops on Vitalicious.com I became encouraged after reading about The 7 Opportunities. I was hoping you could tell me a little more about them and where I should begin.
Thanks,
Nancy the Newbie

Answer:
Dear Nancy,
Weight Watchers is an excellent program that teaches you the fundamentals of healthy eating without depriving you of your favorite foods. I am glad you came across The 7 Opportunities; an incredible, yet simple concept which I believe can be the catalyst for great change. Each of The 7 Opportunities shows you a simple way to save hundreds of calories by replacing that high calorie food you crave with a delicious and satisfying low calorie VitaTop or VitaMuffin. By providing an easy and convenient way to cut back on calories not taste, The 7 Opportunities can make those first few steps towards a healthier lifestyle that much easier.

You may think a busy schedule will not leave you the time to plan healthy meals or hour long trips to the gym, but it doesn’t have to be that complicated. A little planning, a couple simple food swaps, and the incorporation of a few minutes of activity into your day are all it takes to begin your journey to a healthier lifestyle.

Thinking about weight loss on a larger scale can be overwhelming and frustrating. In the past I have discussed how I believe we should eliminate the word diet from our vocabulary. For many of us diet means a list of prohibited foods. The word diet actually means the complete opposite. Diet is defined as what you eat, not what you don’t eat. Focusing on what you can eat rather than what you can’t may just be the key to weight loss success.

In basic terms, a pound is equivalent to 3,500 calories. This means that by reducing your caloric intake by 100 calories a day would save you 36,500 calories over the course of 1 year! That’s a 10 pound weight loss!

Exercise is also an important tool to include when thinking about creating a daily caloric deficit. Decreasing your food intake by those same 100 calories each day plus burning 100 calories through exercise will help you reach your weight loss goals that much faster! Wondering how to burn 100 calories without spending hours at the gym? A 15 minute brisk walk is all it takes! Some other quick ways to burn about 100 calories include*:

• 11 minutes swimming laps at a light/moderate pace
• 23 minutes raking the lawn
• 25 minutes of house cleaning at a moderate effort
• 35 minutes of cooking or food preparation
  *estimates based on a 150 pound individual

Bottom line, thinking about weight loss in this simple approach will help you get a jump start on your journey to health and wellness. Losing even 10% of your total body weight can significantly lower your risk for obesity-related medical problems (American Heart Association).

Once you start taking advantage of The 7 Opportunities, you will see their positive effects trickle down into other areas of your life. For example, avoiding unhealthy processed foods and focusing on making nutritious food choices will help your body perform and look its best. With your new found body you may discover a new found confidence that will be evident in everything you do.

With your increase in physical activity will come a feeling of increased energy. This energy that can be spent playing with your children, catching up on chores, and staying well organized. Exercise also exerts its effects on the brain through several mechanisms such as improvement in mood and the release of endorphins. Endorphins are the body’s “feel good chemical” secreted by the pituitary gland in response to pain or stress.

Remember, you don’t have to rearrange your life and miss out on the foods you love in order to live a healthy lifestyle. Healthy living is about making informed choices. It’s this knowledge coupled with the motivation and willingness to change, that will make your goals achievable!

Best of luck Nancy! It sounds like you are off to a great start. Remember to keep a journal to record your food intake and exercise. A recent study run by Kaiser Permanente revealed study participants who kept a food journal lost twice as much weight compared to those who did not. Read more about weight loss tips here in a past NewsBites from the Vitatitian.
Best,
Heather
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