Chic-Shuk Secrets

Some say good things don’t come easy especially dieting or reaching sertain weight lose goals.  Reduce your calorie intake and increase your activity level is a strategy that’s always successful. But you need to know your specific calorie requirements and keep a record of your daily food intake to make it work. For someone like myself, keeping a daily track of my calorie intake is a hassle. Yes, it maybe hard, however, like said before is extremely important!
First, I record all of my food consumption and activity on a daily basis . I keep a simple daily food log by searching for database that gives caloric information for different foods I eat, and write down all exercises or activities I go throughout the day in order to help myself keep track of my calorie intake and expenditure. Then, I determine my net caloric intake, every day, using the following equation:

Net caloric intake = (calories consumed) – (calories expended)

I`m doing everything is my ability and strive to keep my net calorie intake within 50 calories of my daily caloric intake for weight loss.  On a weekly basis, reevaluate I daily caloric intake for weight loss until I reach my optimal weight.

As mentioned in my previous post, in order to really succeed on your diet and weight loss goals it is very important to first determine your basal metabolic rate (BMR), which is basically an estimate of the amount of calories your body would expend in a day if you did absolutely nothing. Using this appropriate simple formula will give you an idea:

If you are a woman, your BMR =

655 + (4.35 x weight in lbs.) + (4.7 x height in inches) — (4.7 x age in years)

If you are a man, your BMR =

66 + (6.23 x weight in lbs.) + (12.7 x height in inches) — (6.8 x age in years)

Next, you would need to determine your daily caloric need based on your activity level, then add these results to the basic amount of calories you burn. Choose your appropriate activity level from the following and get your approximate numbers based on these formulas:
1. Sedentary (little or no exercise): Calories = BMR x 1.2
2. Lightly active (light exercise/sports 1 to 3 days/week): Calories = BMR x 1.375
3. Moderately active (moderate exercise 3 to 5 days/week): Calories = BMR x 1.55
4. Very active (hard exercise/sports 6 to 7 days a week): Calories = BMR x 1.725
5. Extra active (very hard exercise/sports & physical job or twice-a-day training): Calories = BMR x 1.9

Once you have that number you can determine the number of calories you would need to cut per week/day using the following equation:

Calories cut per week = (optimal weight loss per week, in pounds) x (3,500 calories)

Calories cut per day = (calories cut per week) / 7

How to keep track of your net caloric intake on a daily base and keep your weight lose goals? find out in my next post: Keeping track of your diet- that`s the secret!  Coming next!

We all know dieting isn’t a simple. However, if you have some basic knowledge of mathematics calculation, and I`m talking really simple math, you have a better chance to succeed in achieving your new weight goals! Once you realize everything we eat, drink, snack, “just a bite” or, lets put it this way- every little thing that goes through our mouth (accept pure water, of course) is literally adding numbers to the equation. those numbers are obiously calories, and we wanna make sure the total will be lower then the number of calories our body burns during the day.  Reaserches proved that losing a pound of fat requires a 3,500 calorie deficit, which you can achieve by cutting calories from your diet or burning more calories through exercise.

So? How do we know how much calories we burn during the day?

Discover it in my next post to come : 

How much do we really burn?

Coming next!   

Dieting has never been an easy thing for me especially since loosing weight comes slow even when I`m really trying to keep a healthy, light lifestyle routine AND exercise at least 4 times a week… Apparently, there could be a hidden factor in weight control such as: Bacteria. Everyone has bacteria in their digestive system, but if you’re overweight, it may be because the blend of those bugs is causing you to absorb more calories from the food you eat!
Adding healthy bacteria and “Getting more pro-biotics in your diet can change the balance of bacteria,” says Steven Pratt, M.D., author of SuperHealth, and that can lead to more efficient weight loss! Eat more Yogurt which contain probiotics, such as acidophilus and take control of your weight-loss like I did… (and yes, it worked..)

Trust me- I know what it`s like. I`v been there, done that- yes, my many diet mistakes, especially while working eight or more hours a day in a public office. Agree with me on that one- It can be very difficult to eat healthfully and stick to your diet routine and the secret is simple: plan your desktop snacking- ahead of time!
Research shows that eating every four hours helps in keeping your metabolism charged and your energy level high, however before you turn into the vending machine, which normally contains fatty snacks that can easily ruin your healthy diet, plan ahead and stash low-calorie, high in fiber, nutritious snacks in your cabinet, drawer, or even in your briefcase. Each of these snacks will normally be less than 200 calories and/or 5 grams of fat and will keep you full and satisfied throughout the work day, before and after lunch time, right when the craving hits!

My favorite recommended office snacks are:

When I crave for REAL Chocolate, I pick one Kudos Milk Chocolate Granola Bar that has only 100 Calories and 3.5 grams of fat per one snack! I buy the large variety pack that contains 50 bars with different original flavors which last a few months and make sure its handy!!!

When I feel like something salty I grab a bunch of Special K Crackers! You need up to 17 of them in order to reach 90 calories!  They are multi-grains with fiber and dont taste like diet ones!!!  

If I more into crunchy or salty snacks then popcorn is the perfect low calories option (when you choose the right kind!)
Orville Redenbacher- Gourmet Microwavable Popcorn, the  Butter Light kind, is my favorite one since it is low calorie and low fat yet tastes very real and buttery! love it! I simply through it in the microwave for 2 minutes and I get a bag full with diet snack!!!!