Special Needs For Fat Loss

If weight loss is necessary, the meal plan will need to change. It takes the equivalent of just one extra slice of bread per day to result in a pound of weight gain in a month. Fat loss 4 idiots requires following these rules:

1. The intake must be less than the energy output.

2. The food intake must be distributed throughout the day.

3. Food intake should be limited to the daylight hours, and food should not be eaten later than 2 to 3 hours before bedtime unless the person is on insulin (in which case there should be a bedtime snack).

4. A vitamin supplement is recommended if the total caloric level is below 1,200 calories/day. (Any plan below this level will have difficulty meeting the recommended daily requirements of vitamins and minerals.)

5. Liquid-protein diets are recommended only for the greatly overweight person, and any person using such products should be closely monitored by a physician.

6. An exercise program must be carried out on a daily or every-other-day basis.

Elevation in cholesterol or triglycerides requires a careful monitoring and restriction of fat intake (and, especially for triglycerides, restriction of alcohol intake). Again, exercise is helpful for both of these conditions. For triglyceride problems, the normalization of blood glucose levels is helpful. If hyperlipidemia (high fat content in the blood) is a genetic rather than a dietary problem, the physician will prescribe appropriate medication dosages to assist in normalizing the cholesterol and/or triglyceride levels.

Hypertension (high blood pressure) may require a decrease in salt intalce. This problem may be due to diabetic kidney disease or to other factors, such as age and weight. If you have complications from your diabetes, hypertension may aggravate these. In any case, normalizing your blood pressure is accomplished by taking the medication prescribed by your physician and eating nutritiously, both in amounts and choices. Keep the salt shaker off the table. Refrain from eating salty foods such as hot dogs, TV dinners, most canned soups, and potato chips. Although salt substitutes may be used, fresh foods usually contain enough sodium chloride (table salt) for body needs.

Preventing hypoglycemia means that you need to carry some form of simple sugar or food with you at all times. Foods to carry might be dried fruits or preprocessed packets of crackers. Granola bars or small cans of juice would also be helpful to have at hand. These foods could be used when there is an unexpected increase in i activity level, for planned extra activity, or when low blood-glucose levels need treatment (that is, when blood sugar is higher than 40 mg/dl [2 mmol]). Below that level, simple sugar is needed.

Food intake during illness varies. If someone is experiencing nausea, with or without vomiting, clear liquids will be needed. Some health professionals recommend that the clear liquids not contain any sugar until the blood-glucose levels are below 300 mg/dl (17 mmol). Others say that the calories are still needed for the energy requirement to combat the illness, with insulin supplements given to compensate for the elevation in blood-glucose levels. Almost all physicians agree that during an illness accompanied by nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea, a patient with blood-glucose levels in the 200 mg/dl (11 mmol) range or less requires clear, sugar containing liquids for 24 to 48 hours. The person may then progress to eating crackers and dry toast. If the crackers and toast are tolerated, soups and other light foods may be tried.

If the activity level is decreased, then fewer total calories are needed. For illness, the usual recommendation is to take 20 percent fewer total calories than you usually need on an active day. This level would be increased when the activity returns to its usual level. The principles to remember are these:

1. Fewer calories are needed when the body is at rest.

2. Simpler foods are easier to digest.

3. Fluid intake (noncaloric or low-calorie beverages) should be encouraged unless nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea are present.

4. If in doubt, contact your health(Health-and-Fitness - Supplements) professional.

Each different change in health level or activity level needs individual attention at the time of the change. If you have not been educated to make the appropriate changes, contact your health professional for advice.