Guy LeMasurier is a former student of mine with his M.Sc. in exercise physiology. He has been employed by the Los Angeles Kings of the NHL for the past four years to look after the exercise and nutritional needs of the players. He is a welcome new contributor to WELL.

Martin Collis

by Guy LeMasurier, M.Sc. – Fitness and Nutrition Consultant for the Los Angeles Kings

The first law of thermodynamics states that, the total amount of energy in the universe remains constant, although the form of energy may change.

With or without knowing this law, the road most traveled by people looking to lose weight is to reduce their caloric intake and hope for happiness, only two sizes away. Are we really on such a torso track that we have forgotten about our health in this process? In this article I will provide you with some information and valuable resources to use when considering a weight management program. It won't make you slim in a week, but it can improve your lifestyle forever.

For body weight to remain constant energy expenditure must equal energy intake. If more food energy is taken in than expended through the body's natural processes and activities throughout the day, we will gain weight or be in what is referred to as positive energy balance. On the other hand, if our energy needs exceed that produced by the food we eat, a negative energy balance occurs.

You can see that if your goal is to lose weight you can reduce the amount of energy you take in, increase the energy you expend or perform a combination of the two. The latter two choices will provide the best opportunity to eat well and lose weight as well as improve your health and well being.

We must be overeating as a society if North Americans are fatter than ever, but we are also moving less as technology moves forward. (At this point in the article you should stand up, stretch high to the sky and perform a few side lunges.) So how do you know how much food energy you consume in a day? How much food energy do you need in a day to maintain your current weight, lose weight or increase your weight? Does a 25 minute walk allow you to have that decadent dessert? Are you getting the recommended daily amounts of vitamins and minerals? Fortunately, health and fitness websites are leading the way to provide you with easy to use, fun and informative tools that help you answer these questions and allow you to develop meal plans for weight loss, healthy eating and promote an active lifestyle...for FREE!

Of course when getting health information off the internet you must consider the source (Just as when you're counting calories you should consider the sauce). I have researched a few reliable sources including Prevention Magazine's website healthyideas.com, Dr. Koop's (former Surgeon General of the U.S.A.) website drkoop.com and cyberdiet.com. Be very skeptical of sites that suggest supplementation, diet pills or other gimmicks that can be purchased with the click of a button to enhance your diet plan for weight loss. Caveat Emptor!

At this point in the article you should stay online to experience these helpful diet tools for yourself.

"Tell me, I'll forget. Show me, I'll remember. Involve me, I'll understand."

Confucious

Let's go to healthyideas.com and start planning your weight management program. At healthyideas.com, part of Prevention Magazine's website, they offer free health tools that you can click onto under the HEALTH TOOLS heading. Three tools that I think are useful, fun and easy to use are:

1. Daily Meal Planner
2. Calorie Calculator
3. Food Evaluator/Scanner

Once you have selected the Daily Meal Planner under the HEALTH TOOLS heading, click on GO.

The Daily Meal Planner will ask you to select your current weight (displayed in pounds, divide by 2.2 for kilograms), your desired weight, your activity level (sedentary, active, very active) and your gender.

When you have done this click the button continue, the daily meal planner displays your daily calorie intake that you should follow to reach your weight goal and provides you with a point and click screen to select foods and beverages for three meals and a snack. As you add food items to your daily menu the calories are added up under your prescribed calories for the day. You may add or take away items with the click of a button, and the daily meal planner lets you know when you are close to your daily calorie intake. Don't worry if you go over, you can make that up tomorrow or you can go to the Calorie Calculator under the health tools to find an activity that will burn those extra calories. If you can't find the exact foods you eat substitute something close to give you an estimation. Some of the items on the menu are foreign to me, I thought Noisettes were a female hard rock band.

Losing 1-2 pounds (.5-.9 kg) per week is an acceptable rate. A carefully planned diet paired with regular activity will maximize fat loss and minimize muscle and water loss. Extreme caloric restriction can lead to the metabolism of, not only fat, but also protein, in the form of muscle tissue. This was evident in the prisoners in the concentration camps during the 2^nd World War. (Incidentally, early use of anabolic steroids was to help ex-prisoners rebuild muscle tissue). Muscle is metabolic tissue, and muscle loss leads to a decreased ability to burn calories. Therefore, any optimal weight loss program needs caloric restriction combined with exercise, which will enable you to retain and maybe increase muscle mass.

The Calorie Calculator asks you to enter your weight, select an activity and the duration of that activity to provide you with an estimation of the calories you will burn. This screen is fun because you can select activities from cycling to housework, select the duration of the activity and a calorie value is provided instantly. This is a simple way to see how extra activity allows you to increase caloric intake

Used in concert with the daily meal planner you can approach your own weight management program from the energy intake or the energy expenditure side of the equation. Burning carbohydrates is better for everyone than burning hydrocarbons.

Using the Daily Meal Planner, you have determined how many calories you need per day and developed a menu plan. How do you know your choices are healthy?

Without getting complicated you can count on these 5 standards that nearly all nutritionists and health professionals agree on:

1. Decrease saturated fat intake
2. Enjoy 4-6 servings of fruits and vegetables per day
3. Add fiber to your diet (recommended fiber intake is between 25-35 grams per day)
4. Moderate your red meat intake (use meat as a condiment rather than a centerpiece for a meal)
5. Surround yourself with water and drink it (at your desk and at the table)

The Food Scanner allows you to look at your food choices in many ways including:

1. Serving size and calories
2. Nutritional information (grams of fat, carbohydrates and protein, % of RDA for vitamins)
3. Strengths of the food (vitamins and minerals)
4. Foods that compliment your selection (taste and health perspective)
5. Caution for preparing (will you cook out the vitamins?)
6. Allergy Alert
7. Selection (how to select good fruits and vegetables)
8. Serving (how to prepare items, links to recipes)
9. A Better Idea (ways to create the same item using low fat or less saturated fats)
10. Rating (Food Scanner rates the foot item as very good, neutral or poor choice)

Healthyideas.com does a nice job of allowing you to explore your options for weight management and healthy eating. I found their serving sizes to be on the low side of caloric intake. It also does not allow you to double up on servings or consider the extras such as spreads and dressings. Cyberdiet.com allows you a little more flexibility with serving sizes and more varieties of foods for menu choices. It also keeps a running tally of the fat grams in your diet.

Drkoop.com has some of the same calorie calculators, but also has some unique tools that provide useful information and a reliable guide for healthy eating. The cholesterol, carbohydrate and protein calculators are just a few available on this site. If you want to know how to reduce LDLs and increase HDLs, the bad and good cholesterol, or the amounts of carbohydrates and protein in grams that you require each day, log on and get informed.

Whatever the percentages, grams or serving size your best bet for weight management is through healthy eating and activity. Follow the '5 standards' and start to move your body. Remember the first law of thermodynamics. If you are going to indulge or overeat, don't worry be active. Health and wellness is a dynamic process that is constantly changing as we go through life. Participating in the process will provide you with the experience to know what works for you and what doesn't. It certainly helps to be armed with a little information that allows you to make educated decisions about your health. In the age of information it's only a click away.

Just a healthy reminder:

Food should be enjoyed along with the people you share it with. Don't get too caught up scrutinizing your skewers or confused with your kabobs, keep the pleasure in eating. After all, burning it off is only a couple of clicks (kilometers) away!