Diet or Meal Planning? Part 4

Balancing Calories To Manage Weight

FBG - 107 this morning.  I am enjoying the cookies.  I was getting down on myself on being in the hundreds but then I look back once in a while to see where I have been to see how well I am doing going forward.  I do not take the time to journal much at the moment with everything going on but will start again.  

Looking back I noticed that 130+ was my morning readings and now being around 100 and lower sometimes - is not bad and I should not be too hard on myself.  I say this, not knowing where you are in your journey - we all need to reach around and pat ourselves on the back once in awhile.  If we do not - who will?

I have discussed many times, this is my body and my disease to manage.  Therefore, it only makes sense to say it is also probably myself who needs to let myself know when I am doing okay and when I am not.  At the moment, I am doing okay.  I can look for better numbers and better times ahead - but I am a baby just learning to crawl - I have a long ways to go.

Before getting into the post, I do have a couple of special people I need for you to lift up to your higher power and that is Gabby, Marty's husband.  He had another bought with his breathing yesterday and is struggling with that.  As yesterday's post mentioned, so many times a diabetic has more than one disease and Gabby is one of those people.  I also have an associate whose Dad had a stroke and things are tough and going poorly.  So if you could lift up Dr. Bayne's Dad that would be great and thank you.  By the way - many people know you do this and they are grateful.

Get you attention yesterday?  It sure did mine.  I found that little touch of information a little frightening and makes me glad I am trying to get on the right path.  Us diabetics have something every disease must want - TOO MUCH SUGAR!  We are just so sweet that all the diseases want to come and live with us!

We will continue with Chapter two of the FDA nutritional guide lines.

Calorie Level?

"Maintaining a healthy body weight and preventing excess weight gain throughout the lifespan are highly preferable to losing weight after weight gain. Once a person becomes obese, reducing body weight back to a healthy range requires significant effort over a span of time, even years. People who are most successful at losing weight and keeping it off do so through continued attention to calorie balance."

Okay, this blog is about diabetes not losing weight.  Or is it?  Many of us diabetics have to admit we are over weight for what our bodies can handle.  Once we have lost the weight it is even harder to keep off.  So I was 224 pounds and 5'11" tall.  Most people did not think I was over weight - I carried it in my gut.  I lost 50 pounds and down to 175 (okay close) but I have added back 5-6 pounds.  I am not worried as I am adding a lot of muscle back in the gym.  So it is not truly about weight - it is about the weight being fat or muscle.  You will have to decide for yourself and use resources to get you where your body wants to go.

Understanding calorie needs

"The total number of calories a person needs each day varies depending on a number of factors, including the person’s age, gender, height, weight, and level of physical activity. In addition, a desire to lose, maintain, or gain weight affects how many calories should be consumed. Table 2-3 provides estimated total calorie needs for weight maintenance based on age, gender, and physical activity level. A more detailed table is provided in Appendix 6. Estimates range from 1,600 to 2,400 calories per day for adult women and 2,000 to 3,000 calories per day for adult men, depending on age and physical activity level. Within each age and gender category, the low end of the range is for sedentary individuals; the high end of the range is for active individuals. Due to reductions in basal metabolic rate that occurs with aging, calorie needs generally decrease for adults as they age. Estimated needs for young children range from 1,000 to 2,000 calories per day, and the range for older children and adolescents varies substantially from 1,400 to 3,200 calories per day, with boys generally having higher calorie needs than girls. These are only estimates, and estimation of individual calorie needs can be aided with online tools such as those available at MyPyramid.gov."

Table 2-3.

Gender	Age (years)		Sedentary		Moderately active		Active
child (female and male)	2–3		1,000–1,200c		1,000–1,400c		1,000–1,400c
female	4–8		1,200–1,400		1,400–1,600		1,400–1,800
9–13		1,400–1,600		1,600–2,000		1,800–2,200
14–18		1,800		2,000		2,400
19–30		1,800–2,000		2,000–2,200		2,400
31–50		1,800		2,000		2,200
51+		1,600		1,800		2,000–2,200
male	4–8		1,200–1,400		1,400–1,600		1,600–2,000
9–13		1,600–2,000		1,800–2,200		2,000–2,600
14–18		2,000–2,400		2,400–2,800		2,800–3,200
19–30		2,400–2,600		2,600–2,800		3,000
31–50		2,200–2,400		2,400–2,600		2,800–3,000
51+		2,000–2,200		2,200–2,400		2,400–2,800

So I am age 60 and I am spending 2 hours in the gym each day.  I spend one hour on the treadmill and it shows I am burning 600+ calories.  In addition I lift weights for 30 - 45 minutes which burns another 300+ calories.  I also walk my dog twice daily and each walk is about 45 minutes.  So I might be burning a 1,000 calories per day.  This tells me I should be looking at 2,400 calories to maintain my weight properly.

There is no way I am consuming this many calories.  I wonder what the effect on a diabetic is when they are not getting the right balance?  Oh yeah - that is why we are at this post - making sure we plan what we eat and allowing our bodies to function as best it can - it will never be normal.

Placing individual food choices into an overall eating pattern

"Because people consume a variety of foods and beverages throughout the day as meals and snacks, a growing body of research has begun to describe overall eating patterns that help promote calorie balance and weight management. One aspect of these patterns that has been researched is the concept of calorie density, or the amount of calories provided per unit of food weight. Foods high in water and/or dietary fiber typically have fewer calories per gram and are lower in calorie density, while foods higher in fat are generally higher in calorie density. A dietary pattern low in calorie density is characterized by a relatively high intake of vegetables, fruit, and dietary fiber and a relatively low intake of total fat, saturated fat, and added sugars. Strong evidence shows that eating patterns that are low in calorie density improve weight loss and weight maintenance, and also may be associated with a lower risk of type 2 diabetes in adults. The USDA Food Patterns and the DASH Eating Plan, described in Chapter 5, are examples of eating patterns that are low in calorie density."

This is moving towards our end game - how to eat balanced meals - takes planning.

God help me to manage my weight and know that it too is an overall part of my journey.  Help me to understand my body structure was designed to manage a certain weight level and help me stay at that level.

Bob,