Weight Management

Performance Power Strategies
Fueling Up & Working Out
Food Tips
Burning Calories
Rules of Weight Maintenance

Performance Power Strategies

Weight management - the gaining, losing or maintaining of body fat and muscle - is not just a matter of eating more or less calories. It means eating the right balance of foods in the appropriate proportions to your body's fuel requirements. It is a lifestyle commitment to providing your body with lowfat and high-carbohydrate foods.

Fueling Up & Working Out

Don't forget to exercise! Successful weight control, losing body fat and keeping it off, almost always involves exercise.

Exercise:

• Increases the idling rate of your body.
• Increases muscle which burns calories.
• Minimizes muscle loss with weight loss.
• Improves self-confidence and self-esteem.

The psychological benefits of exercise can be enormous. Studies show that on the days people exercise they eat healthier foods.

Fueling up and working out will get you to your goal and then let you maintain your body's optimum performance weight, making your body fit and trim!

Food Tips

• Don't skip meals. Eat a variety of foods.
• Eat when hungry, not out of habit.
• Microwave, steam, braise, barbecue, roast, boil, poach, or stew.
• Enhance flavors by using spices, vinegars, and citrus juices.

Bread, Cereal, Rice & Pasta: Fill 'er Up

• Choose several servings a day of foods made from whole grains.
• Bread, English muffins, bagels, pita bread, rice and pasta are foods made with little fat or sugar.
• Go easy on the fat and sugar you add as spreads, seasonings or toppings.

Fruit: Fresh is Best

• Avoid fruits canned in heavy syrups and sweetened fruit juices.
• Eat fresh fruits often!

Vegetables: Eat a Variety

• Include brightly-colored and dark-green leafy vegetables and legumes several times a week.
• Watch the fats you add like mayonnaise, salad dressing, butter, and cheese sauce.
• Use lowfat salad dressing.

Milk, Yogurt & Cheese: Choose Lowfat

• Choose skim milk and nonfat yogurt.
• Choose "part skim", "fat reduced", or fat free cheeses.

Meat, Poultry, Fish, Dry Beans, Egg & Nuts:
A Little Goes a Long Way

• Trim away all visible fat.
• Remove poultry skin before eating.
• Nuts and seeds are high in fat. Eat limited portions.

Fats, Oils & Sweets: Use Sparingly

• Go easy on fats and sugars whether in cooking or at the table.

Burning Calories

Burning calories also increases your fluid requirements. Remember to keep hydrated by drinking at least 8-10 glasses of water a day. For every pound of weight lost during exercise, drink 2 cups of water.

Water:

• Cools the body,
• Eliminates toxins,
• Relieves fatigue, and
• Maintains mental alertness.

Rules of Weight Maintenance

To maintain your weight, eat the same amount of calories you burn.

Eat more...you gain weight.
Eat less...you lose weight.
Eat the same...you maintain.

A Matter of Balance

Weight control is a matter of balancing moderate amounts of high-fat foods with lower-fat choices.

1. Substitute low- or nonfat alternatives.

2. Prioritize your foods. If you want to eat a favorite high-fat food frequently, such as ice cream, then balance it by eating a smaller amount.

3. If you want to eat large portions of a high-fat food, then balance it by eating it less often.

Steps Toward Performance Power

1. Balance your day! If your breakfast is bacon and eggs, choose a lowfat lunch and dinner.

2. Balance your week! If one or two days are high in fat, try balancing the rest of the week. Avoid skipping meals or restricting calories too much. This may lower your metabolism and also lead to overeating later. Continue to eat three meals a day, but watch your fat and portion sizes. Cut back your servings by 25 - 33%.

3. Maintain focus! Don't be too rigid in implementing your plan. Expect set backs, and be flexible. Expect the 80/20 Rule: 80% of the time eat healthy, 20% indulge.