Elevate Your Diet: Nutrition Blogs

I do calorie counting as part of my services as a dietitian / nutrition coach. But, calorie counting is my least favorite part of my job and I really wish I can delegate this to someone else, like to my clients or with the use of apps or software.

There are actually apps and websites that do calorie counting and I wish I can recommend these to everyone. The problem with calorie counting apps is that when you lack knowledge about serving portion measurements, estimation, conversion and food compositions, there’s a good chance that calorie counting using apps and websites will lead to erroneous results.

For example, you might plug in 1 cup rice when in fact what you ate is actually 1.5 cups. Or, you might mistake 1 tsp to what is actually 1 tablespoon. Therefore, you have to have an idea on how 1 cup, 1 lb, 100grams, 1 teaspoon etc actually look like.

Also, ingredients, recipes and cooking methods make a lot of difference in their total calories. 1 serving of Fried Chicken is different from 1 serving of Chicken Pastel because you have to consider additional ingredients and sources of fats. This is actually very daunting! Ugh my heart!

Aside from ensuring the accuracy, another reason I still do the calorie counting for my clients is because I want to protect them from being too obsessed with calories and numbers. I can’t imagine myself having to count calories of every food I eat everyday. No way! So, despite me not really enjoying the calorie counting thingie, I have no choice but do it for my clients’ well-being.

So, if you’re someone who do calorie counting, please note that

Calorie counting is a tried-and-tested strategy in weight management

However, please make sure that your numbers are accurate by being aware of portion sizes, weights and other measures, ingredients and methods of cooking.

Also, if you find yourself getting negative emotions (frustration, worrying, anxiety, perfectionism, etc) as a result of calorie counting, please step back, breathe and check the quality of your overall diet instead:

variety

colors

freshness

flavor

These cannot be quantified. So while numbers and calorie counting are important in weight management, please don’t forget the bigger picture:

How you feel

Your relationships

Your overall well-being.

Alright?

Powerful Lessons for Weight Loss

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Have you ever wondered what makes some dieters successful at losing weight and keeping it off?

Let me share with you some powerful lessons in weight loss ? that I have learned from being a nutritionist-dietitian and personal trainer who helped clients lose weight, and from writing my thesis about weight management.

Habit No. 1: Achieve caloric deficit

You may wonder if there is such a thing as the “best diet” for weight loss and sometimes you are tempted to rely on testimonials and popularity when choosing a diet to follow. But, if you look closely at these diets you’ll realize that these diets are effective only when they help you achieve a caloric deficit, that is, to eat less calories. For example, intermittent fasting seems to be effective in helping you lose weight simply because you limit the window of opportunities for eating. The Ketogenic diet, on the other hand, is very high in fat and very low in carbohydrates – this limits your food choices and fatty foods make you feel full for a longer period of time thereby making you eat less. Therefore, the real “magic” in these diets is the calorie restriction that comes with them.

Habit No. 2: Aim for long-term

As I have mentioned in my previous Facebook post, adherence to a diet is a much better predictor of weight loss success than the actual type of diet a person follows. In other words, it’s not just the foods you eat but more importantly, how long you can stick to eating those foods. Any diet can work for you if you can successfully stick to the reduction in calories most diets create. This is where fad diets become problematic – their long-term effects on health is questionable, if not downright dangerous. So, even if you can stick to a diet long enough to see a drop in your weight but your doctor is telling you to stop because it’s messing with your health, chances are you have no choice but to stop. If you want to live longer, that is.

Habit No. 3: Account for individual preferences

To achieve Habit #2, the diet you choose to follow should be in line with your food preferences, health concerns, lifestyle, and culture. For example, the Mediterranean diet is widely accepted for its effects on weight management and general health but if you Google it, most of the foods included are olive oil, Greek yogurt, salads, berries, salmon, almonds, etc. It may work easily for people living in Western/Mediterraniean countries but the challenge is how to make it work for Pinoys given that our palate (and our wallets ☹) are not accustomed to these foods. If the diet you follow doesn’t take into account you as a person and your lifestyle, there is a good chance you won’t be able to stick to it long enough to see a significant weight loss.

Habit No. 4: Address behavior

We often underestimate the importance of individual autonomy and our capacity to self-regulate our own health. This is where behavior modification becomes essential in preventing and treating obesity. Think of weight management as an iceberg – the weight lost is the tip of the iceberg while the biggest chunk – the foundation – is our knowledge, attitudes, behavior and system towards weight management. You can address the tip of the iceberg by temporarily changing your diet, as in fad diets, but without enough knowledge and with negative attitude towards healthy weight loss, your iceberg is bound to melt in the ocean of frustration.

Habit No. 5: Exercise for weight maintenance

Unfortunately, according to studies, exercise only modestly contributes to weight loss in overweight and obese adults. The good news is that physical activity may decrease abdominal fat, increase cardiorespiratory fitness and may help with maintenance of weight loss. This is where exercise becomes important – when the getting gets tough with your diet, exercise may just save the day and give you that push towards sustainable weight loss.

Habit No. 6: Aim for fat loss, not weight loss

I once met a client who has the same height and weight as me but she looks “flabby” and I look a lot slimmer compared to her. She was baffled and calmed down only when we compared our body composition analysis. My body fat percent was 20% (at that time ?) and hers was 29%. It is possible to lose weight and still have a high body fat percent – by losing muscle and water weight, which is common to crash dieters. Even if you lose weight if you still have a high body fat percentage, you will not look as slim as you wanted to be. I bet you want to lose weight to look good NOT on top of your weighing scale but in front of the mirror, right?  It’s not the weight lost per se that will make you look good – it’s your body fat percentage, and a little bit of dressing up maybe.

Habit No. 7: Slow and steady

In the first few weeks of dieting, weight is usually lost but is almost gained back even if you continue doing the things that made you lose weight in the first place. This is because losing too much weight rapidly puts your body in a “defensive mode” where it fights to maintain the weight range in which it is used to function at its best. This does not mean that efforts to lose weight is futile. It means that you need to give your body enough time to adjust to its new weight for it to go down further and stay there. If you don’t, your weight might just go up and down but not going anywhere – like a yo-yo. So, if you want to lose weight for real and for good, don’t hurry. You didn’t become overweight or obese in a month so don’t expect to be skinny in a month either, right? Work on achieving and sticking to good health habits as you wait for that elusive goal weight.  

In life as in weight loss, we are what we repeatedly do. Weight loss success is not a once-in-a-lifetime transformation but a product of your daily habits. Looking at your daily weight management habits, do they point towards success or do they lead you down the doughnut hole?

Additional readings:

Atomic Habits by James Clear

The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen R. Covey

You have probably heard enough OPINIONS, so let’s just get down to the FACTS, shall we?

Fact #1: We NEED carbs

The primary role of carbohydrates is to provide

1. Energy to all cells in the body

Carbohydrates are the primary energy source for physically active people. If you are sedentary, your carbohydrate needs may be lower but should not be less than 55% of your total calories[1].

2. Dietary fiber

Fiber is essential to human health because it helps improve blood lipid levels, regulate blood glucose and responsible for making us feel “busog” which prevent us from eating more than necessary.

Fact #2: Carbs ALONE do NOT cause obesity

According to recent systematic review and meta-analysis (a.k.a a study of many studies) about carbs and obesity[2], it cannot be concluded that a high-carbohydrate diet or increased percentage of total energy intake from carbohydrates increases the odds of obesity. There are many other variables that cause obesity – total calorie intake, physical activity level, age, gender, and the type of carbohydrates most frequently eaten. In short, carbs alone do not cause obesity but the quality of carbs eaten might play a role in the development of obesity. As of now, there is no clear evidence to support that severe restriction of dietary carbohydrates promote either long-term health or weight reduction.

Fact #3: NOT all carbs are created EQUAL

According to the latest National Nutrition Survey [3], the prevalence of obesity among Filipinos has increased from 16.6% in 1993 to 29.9% in 2013, with 31.1% of adult Filipinos being overweight or obese. Also, Filipino adults lack fiber, Vitamin C, potassium and Vitamin B6 in their diet.

According to this survey, most of the calories Pinoy adults eat come from foods with low nutrient density such as WHITE RICE and SWEETS [4].

BUT, it does NOT mean that just because rice and sweets are carbs, we should skip carbs altogether.

We need to understand that not all carbohydrates are the same. Take Rice vs Potato for example.

1 cup of white rice [160grams] contains about 200 calories, less than 1 gram of dietary fiber, 55mg potassium, 0.1mg Vit B6 and zero vitamin C [5].

1 medium-size [148grams] potato with skin has only 110 calories and contains 2grams of dietary fiber, 620mg potassium, 0.2mg Vitamin B6 and 27mg vitamin C [6].

See the difference?

With the same amount in grams, potatoes have less calories and more fiber, potassium, vitamin C and vitamin B6. So, if you reduce your overall carbohydrate intake to less than 20% of your total calories, there’s a good chance you won’t be getting enough of these nutrients that help you maintain good health. Plus, low-carb diets promote heavy consumption of meats and fats which may put you at risk of developing certain diseases.

Bottomline:

Do NOT skimp on carbs. Instead, eat nutrient-dense carbs like potatoes, brown rice, fruits, and vegetables because these contain more fiber, vitamins and minerals. Eat less processed carbohydrates such as sweets and sugar-sweetened beverages.

In short, the answer is NO.

References:

[1] Slavin, J., & Carlson, J. [2014]. Carbohydrates. American Society for Nutrition. Adv. Nutr., 760-761.

[2] Sartorius, K., Sartorius, B., Madiba, T. E., & Stefan, C. [2018]. Does high-carbohydrate intake lead to increased risk of obesity? A systematic review and meta-analysis. BMJ Open

[3] Angeles-Agdeppa, I., Sun, Y., Denney, L., Tanda, K. V., Octavio, R. D., Carriquiry, A., & Capanzana, M. V. [2019]. Food sources, energy and nutrient intakes of adults: 2013 Philippines National Nutrition Survey. Nutrition Journal.

[4] Department of Science and Technology- Food and Nutrition Research Institute [DOST-FNRI]. The 8th National Nutrition Survey [2013] results – dietary survey; Philippines; 2013.

[5] Department of Science and Technology – Food and Nutrition Research Institute [1992]. The Philippine Food Composition Tables. Metro Manila, Philippines.

[6] FDA Food Labeling Guide. Appendix C: Health Claims. www.fda.goc/Food/GuidanceComplianceRegulatoryInformation/GuidanceDocuments/FoodLabelingNutrition/FoodLabelingGuide/ucm064919.htm.

Additional readings:

Lamothe, L. M., Le, K.-A., Samra, R., Roger, O., Green, H., & Mace, K. [2017]. The scientific basis for healthful carbohydrate profile. Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition, 1058-1070.

Full disclosure:

This post was sponsored by Potatoes USA – Philippines, but all opinions stated above are my own.

I remember when I was about 4 or 5 years old, my cousins and playmates keep telling me that I am smart. Do you have any idea why?

Because they said I had a huge hairy forehead and to them a person with hairy forehead means a smart person. So, I asked my dad about it and he told me that I am indeed smart because I got if from him, so I believed it. Back then, it felt good to regarded as something positive – being smart. So, I took that as my identity and embraced it. I took that identity with me as I went to school. True enough, I consistently belonged to the top 5 of the class from Kinder to 4^th year high school – because I believed I was smart.

That belief was put to test when I moved on to college at the University of the Philippines Diliman. It turned out, most of the students there are way smarter than me, and the lessons are far too difficult for my intellectual capacity. In my first year I failed Algebra and Trigonometry and Chemistry. I thought to myself, maybe I’m not as smart as I thought I was.

However, I grew up with that belief – that I am smart – so it was difficult to shake off. It was already my identity – weaved into my very being. So, I held on that identity, picked myself up, and moved on. Eventually, I graduated from UP, no honors but I made it to the Top 10 of the 2008 Nutritionist-Dietitians Board examinations. Now, I am taking up Master’s degree under a scholarship grant and after this I plan to take up a doctorate degree under a scholarship grant again. And I believe I can do these because I believe I am smart enough.

What if nobody told me that I am smart in the first place? What if I was told differently – that I’m lazy, stupid, good for nothing? What if I was told these negative things by my peers and my family? What if I believed them and took those as my identity? Do you think I would have ended up differently?

Have you ever been called something positive – that you are kind, friendly, strong, intelligent, witty? If yes, please believe it. It’s their gift to you – accept it humbly and hold on to it. Hold on to it with your dear life that when the world says otherwise, you know which is true.

Likewise, when you meet people whether a kid, a friend, a colleague, a family member – always see the good in them and make sure that you tell them that. That’s your gift to them. Who knows, they might as well accept that gift, embrace it and identify with it, and then do the same to other people. Imagine the good things that can result from that very simple act. And that, my friend, is how we can change the world.