Starting

So I decided I wanted to blog everything for this journey.  I already log everything on my own, but putting everything into a blog though takes it to a whole new level of accountability.  Also, I've heard from many people in my life that they need to take these steps and journey as well, so I thought posting what's going on with me will help with support, and I can share things I learn from my trainer and when I see a nutritionist.  I'm not posting my specific weight, but I'll post goals and accomplishments. 

So the first thing I want to talk about in this blog, is the importance of understanding Nutrition Facts Labels.  If you don't understand what the information is telling you, then it's not going to do you any good. 

 

1. So the first thing you want to look at is the serving size.  This is important because a lot of them times, our portion sizes are really much larger than intended.  All the information on the nutrition labels are based on the serving size stated.

2. Calories and Calories from fat- obviously you want things lower in calories.  You should talk to your doctor or another nutritionist for the specific amount of calories you should consume a day.  3500 calories equals 1lb.  You want to opt for more out than in.  Your goal is for the calories from fat to be less than 30% of the amount of calories in the serving.  For the label above it has 155 calories, and 93 of them are from fat.  That's 60% from fat, you definitely want to aim lower.

3. Other fat- shoot for less than 3grams of Saturated Fat and 0grams of Trans Fat

4.  Carbohydrates- One serving of carbs is considered to be about 15grams.  You shouldn't have more than 2-3 servings (30-45grams) of carbs with each meal.  

5. Other information- You also want to look at Fiber and Protein amounts...both of which will make you feel fuller and less likely to eat before your next snack/meal (it is recommended to break up meals into 3 regular meals a day and 2 small snacks in between)  

6. Percentage- Anything with 0-5% of something is low in that nutrient, anything more than 20% is high

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So, I workout with my trainer tomorrow.  I told him to step up the butt kicking several notches this week to make up for the lack of workouts the past week.  

My first posted goal is that I want to be down about 15-20lbs when I go to the doctor next at the beginning of August than I was last time I saw him.

WE CAN DO THIS EVERYONE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!