Exercise Weight Loss 101

My name is David Chen and I am the exercise specialist intern. My major in college was Kinesiology (a fancy word for Exercise Science). My goal is to combine text book knowledge of exercise, mix it in with some music, add some cool dance moves and other fun activities and come out with daily routines that will be enjoyable and result in a healthier you!! So here are the main points I will be focusing on; take notes, because these are important...

1. Lifestyle Changes- If you want to lose weight, you have to make changes to your life. Unfortunately, there is no easy way to lose weight. Simple changes to your daily routine can result in the burning of a lot of calories. Here are some easy ways to burn some extra calories...
a. Always take the stairs, never take the elevator!! The invention of the elevator made life a lot easier, but it also made people heavier. It might be inconvenient, but when you have the chance, take the stairs.
b. Park farther when you are in a parking lot. Never park in front of a store, park farther away so that you can walk a little extra.

2. Consistency- Weight loss isn't a walk in the park... it's many walks in the park. If you want to lose weight, one long exercise routine once a week will not do too much. You have to be consistent. Professionals recommend that you do a simple exercise (walk, jog, skate, play ball) five times a week for 30 minutes each time.

3. Accountability- How are you keeping up with your goals? I recommend having a partner to keep accountable with. When choosing a partner, choose someone that is encouraging, helpful and understands what you are doing. A good partner would be a parent, a sibling, another Lap-band friend. Keep accountable by being honest with you exercise and eating habits.

If you have question, please email me at David.Chen@choa.org

New Exercise routines will be coming soon!!

What's in your wallet? I mean... lunchbox... :)

So you might be wondering, how can I pack a lunch that I actually want to eat?

Ok, Here's some tips for your lunchbox:

You probably want a range of foods that equal to about 300-500 calories. (Towards the 500 side if you are burning calories by exercising significantly throughout the day...)




Example:
3 oz canned tuna (in water, drained) ~100 cal (Some cans come with 2 serving sizes. Check the labels!)
Whole Grain Crackers (Check for serving size as to # of crackers and make sure they are whole grain!)
1 cup vegetables: carrots, celery, broccoli, tomatoes, etc.
***If you want to dip veggies in dressing BUY FAT FREE DRESSING! Normal Ranch dressing has about 77 calories for 1 Tablespoon where as Fat Free Ranch has about 17 calories per tablespoon***
1 piece of fruit: Apple, Orange, Banana
One 100 Calorie Pack Snack



DRINK WATER! Drinking water can be an easy way to cut out calories throughout the day. If you don't like plain water, remember you can add the crystal light powder for various flavors.

Food labels can be tricky!

SO WHAT IS A "HEALTHY DIET???????

FYI: According to MyPyramid, a Healthy Diet is described as one that:

- Emphasizes fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and fat-free or low-fat milk and milk products

- Includes lean meats, poultry, fish, beans, eggs, and nuts

- Is low in saturated fats, trans fats, cholesterol, salt (sodium), and added sugar

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TIPS:

- Whole Grains: Always check the food label on food products. Look at the ingredients list, usually located below the nutrition information. In breads, the first ingredient should be "Whole Grain Flour." If it claims to say "Whole Grain" on the package, yet the first ingredient is something like "Bleached Four", etc.... then just say no. Examples of whole grains:

[whole wheat, whole oats, brown rice, bulgar, graham flour, oatmeal, whole grain corn, whole rye, wild rice]

Example:

Check out the first ingredient "wheat flour." This almost always means "white flour" (which you want to avoid!), otherwise it would say "whole wheat flour". If the label doesn't say the grain is "whole" you can assume it isn't... tricky little labeling people!

- Added Sugars: Check the food label for things like corn syrup, fruit juice concentrates, honey, molasses, etc. on their ingredient list. Other names for added sugars can include:

[brown sugar, corn sweetener, dextrose, fructose, glucose, high-fructose corn syrup, invert sugar, lactose, maltose, malt syrup, raw sugar, sucrose, sugar, syrup]

Example:

Ingredients are listed from the highest amount included to the lowest... this means that cokes are mostly carbonated water... and a WHOLE LOT OF HIGH FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP!

- Fats: Avoid foods with anything "partially hydrogenated." These suckers contain stinky trans fats! booooo...

Example:

Those Tricksters :(

This label says "No Trans Fatty Acids" (Trans Fats) but STILL HAS PARTIALLY HYDROGENATED CONTENTS!

-partially hydrogenated oil that CAN'T be manufactured without creating trans fatty acids.

-FDA regulations allow rounding to zero any ingredients that account for less than 0.5 grams per serving... So what do they do? They make the serving size super tiny so it looks like they contain no Trans fats when really they do... WHAT ARE THEY THINKING?!?!? Lame...

THINK ABOUT IT:

Know anyone who has had a heart attack? It's a real risk... and unfortunately, the American Heart Society states that "obesity is now recognized as a major risk factor for coronary heart disease, which can lead to heart attack."

Notice the plaque buildup...

Saturated fats, trans fats, and cholesterol tend to raise “bad” (LDL) cholesterol levels in the blood, which increases the risk for heart disease. (If the plaque builds up too badly, it can block blood flow to the heart, causing some big problems: Last time I checked, we need blood pumping through the heart to live!)

Stay away from these...

Your decisions now REALLY DO AFFECT your future.

Why decrease your lifespan over potato chips and frecnh fries?

If you ask me, it's simply NOT WORTH IT.

Grow to be healthy again!

You are beautifully and wonderfully made! Talk to you again soon!

-Katie