Tag - weight loss plan

Baby Boomers And Healthcare – Weight Loss Plan

Importance of Walking a Mile a Day for Your Health

Well, you have hit the magic number.  60  You look in the mirror and say “hey, I’m not the same as I was 40 years ago”.  Oh wow, I’ve put a few pounds on around the middle.  Look….Grey hair.  Back then, I looked a lot like that actor Robert Redford, but not so much anymore.  And then, the often used words appear in your brain.  Hey, I’d better start taking better care of myself, if I want to be around another 25 or 30 years.

         Don’t panic, it happens to most of us.  But like most of us, we procrastinate and the years go by quickly.  Soon, you are 65 and then 70 and that is when you think, it is too late.  It is not too late at 70, but much easier at 60.  So whatever age you maybe today, man or woman, today is a good day to start.

       Most of us have already had some health issues, so before starting any new regimen, speak with your doctor or other health professional.  They will help you decide on what regimens are good for you.  And if you smoke, now is the perfect time to quit.  It is really tough, but with the resolve you have for a healthier life, now is the time.

Baby Boomers And Health Care: Weight Loss Plan

         The two most important subjects, we will discuss are (1) the foods we eat and (2) how much we exercise.  These two things alone, if you did nothing else, would add many more years of healthy living.  If you are like most of us, you have tried dieting and exercising, many times throughout our lives and failed.  Now it’s crunch time folks.  You are never going to be as young as you are today.  Let’s not waste another opportunity to save ourselves from being dependent on others to take care of us.

         Here are two tools, I highly recommend.  They will help you in your everyday diet plan.  Download from your computer these two free programs.  Bing Health and Fitness.  Firstly, it will aid you in keeping your daily intake of food and exercise.  2nd is HealthVault.  It has all the foods you will eat and give their values of Protein, Fat and Carbohydrates.  If you download the full version of Bing Health and Fitness, There are great articles to keep you informed and complete exercise programs. 

         Carbaholics Anonymous would like to say good luck on your new adventure. Remember if your a carbaholic, you should be reading this information. God Bless

         Lets start with diet.  To do that, you need to find out your requirement for your daily eating.  How many calories do I need to maintain my weight.  It is important to know that so you can figure out, how much you should eat to lose weight each week.  Go to  Calculator.net  and go to calorie counter.  Fill in your info and find out,how many calories per day to maintain your weight and how many calories to lose two pounds per week.

         As an example, lets say you are a man, 60 years of age, 5’10” tall, 225 lbs. and lead a lightly active lifestyle.  You exercise or play some sports one to three times per week.  Here are your stats.

         1.  You would need to eat 2526 calories per day to maintain your weight.

         2.  You would need to eat 2026 calories per day to lose 1 lb. per week.

         3.  You would need to eat 1526 calories per day to lose 2 lbs per week.

        It is generally recommended that you do not eat less than 1500 calories per day.  Your body thinks it is starving and will not release the fat.  But, if you do this for 30 days, I feel sure you will be thrilled at your success.

         Now let’s talk about protein.  It is so important that you get the necessary protein each day. 

To save you the time, 0.8-1.2 grams of protein per pound of body weight is usually the ideal range for most people.  Or, if you want to get down to 180 lbs, you need to get approx. 140 grams of protein.  Fruit and vegetables alone won’t get you 140 grams of protein, so lean meats will aid in getting you there.  If all those foods don’t get you there, then a good protein shake will.

With calories and protein set, we’re still not ready for carbs just yet.  Fat is actually the next most important part of your diet. To save you the time, usually about 25% of your total calorie intake should come from fat in most cases.  These should consist of good fats like olive oil and avocados.  Instead of mayo on a sandwich or salad dressing , try avocado.

With all of that out of the way, we’re finally up to the least important part of our diet… carbs. Surprised how unimportant they are? Don’t be. Calories are the key to controlling our weight, and protein and fat are the only macronutrients that are truly essential to the human body. Good carbs are the answer.  Fresh fruit and vegetables are the key to a successful diet.  Examples of good carbohydrates are:Vegetables  Fruits  Beans  Brown Rice  Oats  Potatoes (sweet, white, etc.) and Various Whole Grains & Whole Grain Products.  These are called complex carbohydrates.

Now comes the part, we all hate to think about.  Exercising.  If you are or have not been a exercise program, you should start slowly and add more as you go along.  Depending on your health condition, I recommend starting on a treadmill.  Treadmills have 2 basic programs.  Weight loss and Cardio.  Start off on the weight loss program.  Try waking for 30 minutes at 2 mph.  This is an excellent starting point and if you can, slowly add time and speed.  You may want to make your 1 month goal, to get to 60 minutes at 2 mph.  Try it every other day or more, if you feel like you can.  If you get tired, you know it is time to stop.

If you have any questions, please go to our “ask a question” page.  We will be happy you, any way we can.  Thanks again for coming to Carbaholicsanonymous.  Tell you friends about us.  We really appreciate it.