Tuesday, July 28, 2009

Smart People

I can't tell you how much I love having a friend nearby with a background in dietetics who not only helps me figure out what the heck is going on with my body, but can also explain all the information to Jason using scientific terms so that he actually believes her. Because I've been saying the same things to him for years, only I don't know the jargon so he blows me off. Annoying.

Sunday night the three of us spent hours talking about health care reform, the need for farm subsidy reform, and then Rachel helped us figure out what to do to get healthier. I showed her my SparkPeople nutrition and fitness charts and she said, "Hmmm, I still think your calories are too low." Lately I've been shooting for an average of 1800 calories per day, and when we averaged up last week as a model, it turns out I'm eating more like 1700 calories per day. And that's too low?

We then figured out my BMR, with the added factor of my activity level. Result: 2500 calories. Then we figured out Jason's, with HIS activity level. Result: 2500 calories. So basically, all my working out gives me the BMR of a not-skinny, 6 foot tall man. Awesome.

Rachel thinks I should be averaging about 2100 calories per day to keep me at a healthy deficit and get my body losing again. This week I'm giving that a go.

We're starting with baby steps for Jason. Step one: eat breakfast. He never eats breakfast unless I make smoothies for us. He might have a Fiber One granola bar, but Rachel told him to shoot for about 300 calories and the Fiber One bars are only 140 calories. Also, Fiber One bars are not really the breakfast of champions (neither is Jason's other favorite, Lucky Charms). I had a mini discussion with him yesterday morning about how whole foods are best. Fiber One bars are okay on occasion, but when the ingredient list takes up half the packaging, there's a problem.

3 comments:

Amazon Alanna said...

Wow! Getting hubby to join the food reform movement? Not only do you get a thumbs-up for revamping your eating, but a second for getting Jason to do it. That's a double thumbs up!

author said...

I need a friend like that. And an activity level like that.

Kelly said...

Alanna, well it helps to have someone explain it to him in terms he actually believes. Because heaven forbid he take the word of someone who has managed to lose 45 pounds in the last several years (and then 15 pounds for the last few summers, which I put back on because I got lazy).

Nicole, baby steps. Rachel recommends the Harris-Benedict BMR calculation as the most accurate. Then you multiply the result by a certain factor to get your BMR with your activity level. It's pretty cool. If you Google Harris-Benedict, there are several sites with calculators.