God's Family Serving Christ with Love

Getting Started

Set a date to begin
Focus on the postive benefits of losing weight
Make weight control/nutrition changes a priority in your life
Make a realistic plan of action that fits your lifestyle
Plan for events/triggers and other things that may get in your way
Make changes slowly, don't change everything at once.
Tell friends and family who will support you in a positive way.

Estimated Calorie Needs

25-30 calories per kg body weight (divide pounds by 2.2 to get kg)
3500 calories = 1 pound
Example 150 pound person : 1700-2040 calories
Subtract 500 calories daily to lose one pound per week
Other more detailed formula’s available: http://www.mypyramid.gov/ http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/calorie-calculator/NU00598

Use this chart to estimate the number of calories you need in a day.

Weight Management Tools

To help manage your weight loss program here are some tools you many want to look and use. They are not a substitute for professional dietiatian advice

Weight Management Progress journal (.DOC format)

Estimating Calorie Worsheet (.DOC format)

Your beauty...should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight.

1 Peter 3:3-4

Need more nutrition information or support contact the Parish Nurse, Janice Petersen, 608-742-8502.

Suggestions for Long-Term Weight Loss and Management

1. Make a Commitment and Get Started!! Permanent weight loss takes time and effort and a lifelong commitment. Make sure that you're ready to make permanent changes and that you do so for the right reasons

2. Keeping a journal. Writing down everything that you eat has been demonstrated to be one of the most effective means to control and reduce you food intake. It also gives you insight into what you eat, how much and when you eat.

3. Setting Realistic goals. Make sure that your goals are SMART: specific, measurable, attainable, relevant and time limited.

4. Pay attention to Portion Control. What really is a portion? Learning how big a serving size should be is important to understanding intake.

5. Learn to eat healthy, not just focus on weight. Change your mind set to think about selecting foods that will help your body's health Learning to eat right is a life changing habit, and if you just center on weight when you reach the goal and return to old habits many people regain the weight they have lost.

6. Motivation/Behavior Changes. Only you can choose for yourself to lose weight and make the changes. These attitude changes aren’t just about denying food, but changing your attitude about yourself and food.

7. Join a Weight Loss Support Group. Strength comes in numbers, and getting support from a friend or local group can help you achieve your goals.

8. Maintain an active lifestyle. Getting enough exercise is important and keeping fit by incorporating it into your everyday life is vital. Picking activities you can do and enjoy every day.

9. Find out why you overeat. All too often overeating is triggered by stress, boredom, loneliness, anger, depression and other emotions. Learning to deal with emotions without food is a significant skill that will greatly serve long term weight control.

10. Change your Perspective After assessing your personal challenges to weight loss, try working out a strategy to gradually change habits and attitudes that have sabotaged your past efforts. And you have to move beyond simply recognizing your challenges — you have to plan for how you'll deal with them if you're going to succeed in losing weight once and for all. You likely will have an occasional setback. But instead of giving up entirely after a setback, simply start fresh the next day. Remember that you're planning to change your life. It won't happen all at once. Stick to your healthy lifestyle and the results will be worth it.

Nutrition and Weight Management Links

ChooseMyPlate

FREE!! Personalized on-line nutrition guide to tract calories and activity..

Move

Government site filled with wonderful handouts that have wonderful information on diet, exercies and behavior advice.

Prescriptive Solutions

Website full of nutrition handouts for general nutrition and Diabetes and High Blood Pressure nutrition management.

NIH Body Weight Simulator Tool

This is a weight loss tool that you can use in with your weight loss plan to see how diet and exercise will impact a weight loss program. It helps to adjust for changes in metabolism. It also shows how small changes can add impact.

Eating Plans

Dash Eating plan

Lower your blood pressure with the DASH eating plan. This is the complete guide from the National Heart and Lung Institute

Healthy Menu Plans

Downloadable guide from Louisville Public Health with basic calculations calorie estimations and menu plans at 1200, 1400, 1700, and 2000 calories.

Meal Plans based on Exchange

Downloadable guide from University of Florida Extension with basic meal plan based on exchanges. Easy to follow with food guide.

Nutrition Information

American Dietetic Association

Basic nutritional information from assocation of dietitians

Harvard Public School: The Nutrition Source

Great source for up-to-date nutritional information. Provides sound and practical advice that you can use.