Boots McBlog

For years we’ve had the options to upgrade, supersize and make our meals a biggie .  Some of us have  “valued” our way into a whole new body shape. When faced with having to buy a larger size pants – that 25 cents doesn’t seem so smart after all.    Because most of us want to have our cake and eat it, too- it’s important to know just how big a piece of cake we are talking about.   I have found that controlling portions is perhaps the ultimate secret weapon in maintaining the balance of sanity between what you want and what you should have.

a tennis ball or size of a woman's fist = 1 cup

It’s been years, since The Angler and I have actually ordered separately in a restaurant.  We split everything when dining out – the appetizer or salad, the entree, and when we splurge – dessert.    Yes, some places charge fees.  We pay it happily.  Often times this means they give you an extra serving of veggies.  YAY!   Even with the cost of splitting we often walk away with a few more dollars  in the pocket of our skinnier pants.

a custard cup / ramekin is the recommended ice cream bowl - not the entire pint

Knowing portion sizes also helps you as you log all those calories you are taking in ( and hopefully expending)  By now I hope you’ve had a chance to check out the LoseIt App or FitDay.com for personal caloric intake.     You may also want to check out  www.calorieking.com  which is an excellent resource for telling you just how many calories  your favorite foods are packing.
There are several “rules of thumb” for portion sizes.   Literally  – an ounce of cheese or meat is roughly the size of your thumb.    I often, tell my nutrition clients that the good Lord gave us measuring utensils right at the end of our arms -  if we use them.

More examples:

the size of the palm of your hand and thickness of your hand is  a 3 oz – 4oz serving of meat, fish, poultry.

Your fist is  a cup = for raw vegetables  or a fresh piece of fruit.   or TWO servings of starches such as corn, potatoes,  rice, or grain

Tip of your thumb =  a serving of margarine or butter ( = 50 calories!)

1 oz of meat or cheese is roughly the size of a lipstick tube

Say no to the heapin helpin.  One of my giant pet peeves in the kitchen – is  incorrectly measuring with dry and liquid measuring cups.   Dry ingredients in the dry (silver cups)  and Liquids in the pitcher type measuring cups. This does make a difference in how many calories you are taking in – as well as the outcome of your recipe.   Make sure your measurements are level.  This can be done with the back of your knife or flat edge of a rubber spatula. (Mrs. Gray  – my first home-economics teacher is smiling in heaven right now)

flour, sugar, rice, vegetables = DRY ingredients should be measured in these

Over the last three weeks you’ve set your goals,  you are tracking what you are eating:  Biting it, Writing it and MOVING.   You should be  well on your way to that cute frilly dress.

If you take time to measure (portions) twice – you’ll only have to lose this weight once.

Oh and for the size on that cake -  a two inch by two inch square

Cheers Y’all.

Welcome back, Boot’s Campers!

New Year’s celebrations are behind us.  Christmas decorations are stashed away (well, kinda).  Snow flurries are falling, and I’m thinking about summer and my cute frilly dress.   As I told you before,  I work from basic tried and true methods for health and weight loss.  These methods won’t be quick, but they do work.

Now that you know your numbers,  height, weight, body measurements, and BMI  and you’ve written them down, let’s do a  few more calculations.   We need to figure out our daily calorie needs and what our typical calorie expenditure is.  During my  clinical practice,  I used several different methods of basal calorie calculation ranging from  mathematical calcuations to lab tests measuring volume of oxygen output.  In comparison of the calcuations to the lab tests,  I found the Mifflin St Jeor calculation to be most accurate.   (The wikipedia entry on this is reviting if you should ever feel inclined to read it.  not really).  To simplify all this equation mumbo jumbo,  plug in your age, weight, height and activity level at this site: http://www.calculator.net/calorie-calculator.html.  This will tell you your daily caloric needs to MAINTAIN your current weight at your current activity level or I as mentioned to those of you with iPhones the Lose it! app is ideal and will calculate this for you, as well.

Now that you know this number, here’s your challenge for the next week:

1. If you bite it, you write it.

If you eat or drink it, keep a log of it.  For now don’t worry about measuring portions.  I just want you to  begin to become concious of  what you are eating or drinking and when you are eating or drinking.    Ninety five percent of people who record what they eat and drink report meeting nutritional goals.  Ninety-five percent!

2. MOVE

Weight loss involves a basic premise:  calories in  <  calories out = weight loss.     So,  wherever you are on the athletic spectrum, it doesn’t matter – just MOVE!   If you are sedentary at your desk all day long,  make it a point to move at least 30 minutes per day every day of the work week.   This 30 minutes can be all at once or in separate  3 –  10 minute sessions.  ( I’ve been known to host “walk and talk” meetings with my coworkers/ employees).  Take the stairs  ( even just one flight) instead of the elevator to your destination.  Park further away from your office door.     If you are an athletic superstar, exercise 60 minutes most days of the week is recommended.   Whatever it is – just MOVE! and put it on your daily to-do list.  It must be part of your schedule.

What do you do if you don’t want to move?  Think about the beach or your happy place.  Think about that frilly dress or whatever it is you count as your goal.  and when all else fails – sing a silly song:

Back in my summer camp days we used to sing a song to the “If You’re happy and you know it” tune when diners showed poor table manners:   “Get your elbows off the table, Boots Mc.  Get your elbows off the table, Boots Mc”    I’ve started singing a new version of this to myself when I don’t want to exercise:

Get your tail off the couch, Boots Mc.

Get your Tail off the couch, Boots Mc.

If you sit here like a louse, you’ll be bigger than this house -

Get your tail off the couch Boots Mc.

Its silly, but it works for me.

3. Visualize your Goals

Not only do you need to write down your measurements, calorie needs, and your daily intake,  you also must record your long term goals and your short term goals.  Then – make them part of your daily to do list.   I’ve provided two of your short term goals for this week.  (Recording your intake and moving every work day)   We’ll expand on these weekly goals in the near future.   Now visualize where you will be, what you will feel like when these goals are met.   Are you breathing better?  Are your clothes a little looser?  Are you the annoying, but inspiring friend who says, “let’s just take the stairs?”     I sense you are going to be…and I like it.

I know exactly what it is to balance all of this with real life which is definitely why I don’t want to overwhelm any of us. (I’m frantically working on a deadline this week myself).  We are easing into healthy habits that will be more likely to take hold.  Plus anything that starts off with a bang is sure to fizzle fast.

Hang in there, campers.   You are doing great.   Before you know it, today’s snow flurries will be a memory and we will be frolicking in our smaller, frilly dresses in the warm summer sun.

Cheers and Sunshine, Y’all!

First things first,  let me add this disclaimer:  Boot’s Camp information is based on my personal experience and professional background.  It is not endorsed or sponsored by any person, organization, or product.  Please check with your physician or registered dietitian to make sure this is the right approach for you.  In other words, don’t sue me.

Alright. Deep Breath.  Exhale.  Here we go.

In order to be able to set our health goals for 2010, means we’ll need to face the brutal facts.   We’ll ease the sting of brutality and give it a fancy lil word to make us feel smart:  anthropometry.  Anthropometry is measurement of the body.  This may be controversial to some on the “love my body in any size” campaign.   I am in no way saying that we shouldn’t love ourselves like we are.  Indeed we should.  However,  for those of us trying to reach certain health goals, we must step out of the darkness and survey our personal landscapes.   Some of us have a few more ridges and valleys than we did this time last year.  I know I do.  And these could be leading us down a dangerous path towards chronic disease.

Tools you’ll need:
a tape measure
a bathroom scale
a notebook / electronic equivalent
privacy

self portrait with tape measure...like I'm really going to show me doing the actual measurements

Using the tape measure and in privacy,  you will want to record your measurements that are most important to you.  For me, I typically measure my chest,  my natural waist, and hips.  You may choose to include upper arm measurements, thigh circumference, calf measurements.   I stick with my basic three, as this is typically how most clothing sizing charts are prepared.  There are many websites that will tell you how to properly measure each area.   ( Hint:  if skin is bulging on either side of the tape measure or you are sucking in so much air you might pass out  that is probably not the proper method.) I encourage you to measure wearing fitted clothes or in the way the stork brought you to your momma.  My philosophy is this:  pick what you are going to measure and stick with it, and measure it exactly the same way each time. If you measure in clothes, wear those same clothes every time.   Record these measurements along with the date.  You will check these weekly.    For most of us,  we lose inches quicker than pounds, which is why I far prefer these measurements. Plus when I’m shopping online for a cute frilly dress to reward myself for my efforts,  I’ll know where I fall on that particular designer’s clothing chart.

The cute frilly dress by Oscar de la Renta courtesy of www.neimanmarcus.com

Next,  weigh yourself and record it in your handy dandy notebook. ( I use the Lose it! app on my iPhone)   Let the initial shock wear off.  Remind yourself, you are smart.  Weight is anthropometrics.  Remember how you learned that earlier?   It must be that your brain has gotten bigger and increased that pound number    Now that you’ve picked the date and time of your weigh-ins, keep it consistent. If you weigh Monday mornings, consistently weigh on Monday mornings. I encourage you to weigh in light clothing or in the buff post morning elimination and pre-breakfast.  There are differing schools of thought as to if one should weigh daily or weekly.   If you are prone to a little obsessive compulsiveness – weekly is probably your best bet.  And for goodness sake, don’t hop on the scale every time you walk by it.  You will surely drive yourself bonkers.

Lastly,  we’ll need to assess our individual body mass indexes,  a ratio that determines body fat percentage.   Using your height and your weight, you can plug those numbers here http://www.nhlbisupport.com/bmi/ to see where you fall on the chart.   If your BMI is between 18.6 and 24.9 – good for you!  Your goal is to maintain your current weight.  If you fall in between 25-29.9,  you are not at risk of disease yet – unless you have a family history and will need to discuss with your physician or dietitian your options.   If you have a BMI over 30,  you are at a great risk of developing chronic diseases such as diabetes, heart disease, and some type of cancers.   A 10% weight loss will significantly improve your lab values and decrease your risk.   I typically recommend a 10% weight loss goal over six months.

Now that you know your numbers,  you can begin to formulate your goals.   How may inches do you prefer to lose?  How many pounds lost will give you a healthier BMI?

Of course,  the true measure of a person is not your waist circumference or your weight in pounds, nor is it the clothing size sewn into the back of your designer jeans.   A true measure of a person is when you wrap that tape measure around your heart.   As we complete session one of Boot’s camp let me say,  if this health quest ever begins to make you sad, anxious, or obnoxious to your family and friends – it may be a good sign that you need to step back and measure your heart.  Take a break.  Ease your troubled mind.  Say a prayer.

orange kid leather jimmy choo sandals - image per www.celeblifemag.com

And when all else fails, put on your favorite shoes,  because the best thing about shoes is …they always fit.

Cheers Y’all!

I love food. I come from a long line of food lovers. My mom could be Paula Deen’s twin sister who puts extra cheese in everything. My uncle nicknamed “Yeller Dog” is listed as “one of the original chili celebrities” on the Texas Terlinqua Chili Cook-off circuit. This past holiday, my older brother was left alone in the kitchen with some olives, cream cheese, and carrots for less than 10 minutes and suddenly a colony of penguins was upon us.  We’re foodies.

(colony of olive penquins that arrived on the table Christmas 2009, courtesy of my brother)

I, of course, am the only one deranged enough to make it a full time profession. I am a registered dietitian – which means I majored in food. I have a bachelors degree, a masters degree, and carry the credentials to counsel and treat people with nutritional concerns. I’m what my professional organization likes to call “the nutrition expert” As if that weren’t enough – I went a step further in my studies and became certified in adult, adolescent and pediatric weight management.

For eight years, I helped people achieve their nutritional goals. I helped my clients lose weight – anywhere from 10 pounds to 300 pounds. In the years I counseled clients one on one, I venture to guess that no one really cared if I helped lower their blood pressure or their blood sugars. They weren’t so concerned if there LDL was less than 180 mg/ dl or that their HDL was above 70 mg /dl. I’m sure they did appreciate as they grew leaner, their bank accounts were a little fatter because they weren’t buying as many medications. Mostly, they appreciated that the scale was a little friendlier and clothes fit better. I confess the friendlier scale and smaller clothes are quite the motivator for me personally as well – although as the “nutrition expert”, I should be above such confessions. I’m not.

(this is me in 2007 doing a story for Sync Magazine, picture is courtesy of their archives.   I can’t believe I wore such a blah outfit and carrying my silly notebook. I had no idea she was taking MY picture.  I thought we were just talking peppers. Sneaky photogs)

Interesting thing about being a dietitian is that people treat us like the clergy of food, as if we have a higher calling that makes us supernaturally prone to choose the Omega 3’s and ward off ice cream. When ministers are asked to dinner, people are on their best behavior. When a dietitian is present, the menus are guilt free. “Oh – grilled chicken, steamed carrots, and brown rice. why, gee thanks. Did you get the RD memo this is all we eat?” Or I’m laden with apologies for the decadent cake or salad dressing present. (Dietitians were sworn to a life without blue cheese. Angel Food cake is our favorite. How did you know?)

Here’s the deal. I know dietitians who are completely by-the-book. They are organic, whole food, no-foods-with-a-face kind of folks. I admire that! And then there’s me. I call myself a nutrition moderate. I blame my genetics. (See above) I mean, chili, cheese, and olives – I come from staunch liberal foodies. It’s hard to shake that.

(This is sampler stitched by my great aunt Mable  in 1934 hangs in my kitchen.  She was a foodie, too)

So, over the years, I developed my own method of helping my clients and myself achieve our weight goals while still enjoying our favorite foods. It’s not a revolutionary method. The American Dietetic Association agrees, all foods can fit. Its the practice of balance. I have a more commonsensical approach to weight management and health than the all-or-nothing that seems to overtake most of us this time of year. In a word – Moderation. It’s not sexy. It’s not quick. It just works.

(the Food Guide Pyramid gives an outline to how Americans should eat)

Now here’s my BIG confession.   In 2008,  I was named the Emerging Leader in Dietetics by the Arkansas Dietetics Association.   I joke that it was a very fitting honor because later that year I emerged right out of dietetics.   I accepted a new role as Director of Marketing in a non food environment.   I left my clinic.  I left my food portion models.  I left my scales.  I left my calorie counting ways.  I forsook moderation.    And I gave myself  the past year to live life as a nutrition prodigal.   I’ve eaten what I‘ve wanted.  I may have made it to the gym 2 or 3 times a MONTH in the past year.  (Odd behavior for the girl who used to go twice a day, 5 days a week)   I’ve given no regard to portion sizes or second helpings.  And I’ve ordered tea sweetened with sugar.   REAL sugar.

A year later, like the biblical prodigal, I’m ready to repent of my nutritional wanderings and get back on the narrower path to a healthier, leaner me. ( I have a few pair of jeans that miss me. The feeling is mutual) I will still be able to enjoy my favorites. And I plan to post bi-weekly tips that I will be using personally – the same tips I used to give my clients. If you’re feeling ready for the challenge, I invite you to join me on this journey. We’ll call it Boot’s Camp. Again, it won’t be quick. It won’t be sexy. It will be practical. ( which is a word rarely used to describe anything I do)

(iPhone self portrait taken during one of my few runs in Oct 2009.  Yes,  I take random pictures)

Best thing about Boot’s Camp – I won’t make you get up at the crack of dawn; I won’t yell at you; we won’t have to see each other sweat; and I’ll still give you some delectable “normal” recipes to entertain your family and friends.   So check back often.

Now, enough sitting and typing for me today, I gotta get this Boots walking.

Cheers to a healthier 2010, y’all!