Most people think of weight management in regards to losing weight, but really it can be described in three different ways. Weight management can mean maintaining weight, losing weight, or gaining weight depending on your goals. The most important thing to look at is caloric intake in relation to energy expenditure. Energy expenditure can be defined as the amount of energy (calories) you need in a day to perform normal physiological function such as breathing, digesting food, and physical activity. If you want to maintain weight your caloric intake should be the same as your energy expenditure throughout the day. For losing weight your energy expenditure needs to be greater than total calories consumed in a day. Lastly, for gaining weight your energy expenditure needs to be less than total calories consumed in a day.
Losing weight is not always easy. However, when looking at nutrition there are ways to make the most of your calories in order to help aid in weight loss. Below are tips that can help you with your weight loss goals.
Eat consistent meals throughout the day. Do not skip meals. This could be 3 meals or 5-6 smaller meals/snacks. Do what works best for you.
Watch your portions – I suggest using measuring cups for the first couple weeks. Many times the portion sizes we are used to consuming are more than what we actually need.
Use the plate method; make half your plate non-starchy vegetables (broccoli, cauliflower, green beans, leafy greens, carrots, etc.), 1/4 of your plate a starch, and 1/4 your plate a lean protein.
Eat fruits and vegetables for snacks. They tend to be lower in calories, but packed full of nutrients.
Eat enough protein! When losing weight, you need to eat enough protein to help preserve lean muscle mass. Examples of lean protein sources are skinless chicken breast, fish, 90% or leaner ground meats, pork loin, and low fat or non-fat dairy products such as yogurt, cottage cheese, and string cheese. You should try to eat a protein source at every meal to help meet your protein needs.
Increase your physical activity to burn more calories.
Drink plenty of water and cut back on sugary beverages. If you are somebody who does not like to drink water other alternatives are artificial sweetened beverages that are 0 calorie, black coffee, and unsweetened tea.
Here are some tips that may aid in weight gain.
Eat every 3-4 hours and do no skip meals
Add more heathy fats into your daily meals/snacks such as avocado, peanut butter, nuts, seeds, and cooking food with olive oil.
Try drinking a smoothie daily to help add in calories. In order to make it higher in calories use greek yogurt, plenty of fruit and consider adding in oats, flax seed, 100% juice or peanut butter.
Eat plenty of carbohydrates and protein. In order to build muscle you first need to eat enough carbohydrates. If you are not eating enough carbohydrates then protein will not be able to do its job. I suggest eating a carbohydrate and protein at every meal/snack. Good sources of carbs are fruit, starchy vegetables, and whole grains.
Eat bigger portions than you did before. If you are not eating more than previously you will likely not meet your weight gain goals.
Remember 1-2 pounds of weight gain or loss a week is considered healthy. If you are still having trouble losing or gaining weight I recommend scheduling an appointment with a dietitian.
If you are trying to maintain weight I recommend weighing yourself once a week to make sure you are not overeating or undereating. Remember your total calorie intake needs to be similar to your total energy expenditure to maintain weight.
Kayla Ferber, RD, LD
Full Scale Fitness Registered Dietitian
