Category Archives: Questions For A Nutritionist

Still More Answers From A Nutritionist

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Did you read what Mary Schreiner had to say about protein, carbs and ‘mixing it up’ the other day?  And about metabolism?

Mary Schreiner, MPH (Masters in Public Health) has worked in the weight management arena since 1990 with both the American Heart Association and the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center. Besides teaching weight loss classes, she’s been involved in several Low-Carb vs Low-Calorie studies. Since she was overweight into young adulthood, she knows how difficult the struggle with weight control can be. It’s more than just eating less and exercising more. She speaks on several health related topics like:

~ Nutrition and Diet in Disease Prevention: Heart Disease, Diabetes, Alzheimer’s

~ Weight Loss Tips and Tricks

~ Women and Heart Disease

~ Exercise – The Fountain of Youth!

Here is another question I asked her.

• If you’re trying to keep your calories in check so you can lose or maintain your weight, how do you know how many calories you should be eating every day?

When trying to lose weight, I often advise people to find out their Resting Metabolic Rate (RMR) and use that number as the number of calories you should be eating each day. Then, the more you move = the more calories you burn = the quicker you will lose weight.

We all would love to lose 30 pounds in a week and never have to diet again. However, our bodies do not work like that. It is better to lose slowly (1 pound a week equals 52 pounds in a year!). And if done in a slow fashion, that usually indicates a person is:

1 – eating enough calories each day so they do not get too hungry

2 – are possibly making some lifestyle changes (choosing leaner protein, using low fat items, eating more fruits and veg for snacks) that they will continue after the diet

3 – getting added activity most days, even if just a 10-minute walk at lunch time and parking farther away from the office or store.

4 – has created an eating plan that includes a mid-morning and a mid-afternoon snack

Mary has generously offered to review one lucky reader’s food journal so tell me why you’d like feedback on your diet, either by leaving a comment or privately through the ‘Contact Me’ page. Creativity counts, as would tugging at my heartstrings and/or making me laugh. You’d have to do a few days of writing down EXACTLY what you eat — including quantities — so Mary can give you good feedback. I’ll also want to post the journal and the feedback so that others might learn, too. I don’t have to post your name, though.

Let the commenting begin! *insert royal sweeping arm motion here*

I’ll have more questions for Mary in the future, but what about you? What do you want to ask a nutritionist? Do you do the four things to lose weight slowly? Do you want your food journal studied?

More Answers From A Nutritionist

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Did you read what nutritionist Mary Schreiner had to say about protein, carbs and ‘mixing it up’ the other day?

Mary Schreiner, MPH (Masters in Public Health) has worked in the weight management arena since 1990 with both the American Heart Association and the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center. Besides teaching weight loss classes, she’s been involved in several Low-Carb vs Low-Calorie studies. Since she was overweight into young adulthood, she knows how difficult the struggle with weight control can be. It’s more than just eating less and exercising more. She speaks on several health related topics like:

~ Nutrition and Diet in Disease Prevention: Heart Disease, Diabetes, Alzheimer’s

~ Weight Loss Tips and Tricks

~ Women and Heart Disease

~ Exercise – The Fountain of Youth!

Here are some more of the questions I asked her.

• We blame a lot of our weight gain on our metabolism. Can you talk about metabolism and how it relates to our weight gain or loss?

Metabolism refers to how many calories a person burns on a daily basis. RMR or Resting Metabolic Rate indicates how many calories a person burns at rest. In other words, if you were sick in bed all day, you would still be burning calories.

Most people’s metabolisms are determined by their size. The larger a person is, the more calories he/she will burn just in maintaining their current size. And, when a larger person gets some exercise, he/she will burn more calories than a smaller person doing an identical activity.

There are some people who seemingly have a higher metabolism. They seem to be able to eat anything and everything and never gain weight. Maybe they are blessed, but they may actually be moving more than the average person. These often are the people who swing their leg while sitting, or tap a pencil on the desk. In other words, some part of their body seems to always be in motion and therefore burning calories.

For the general population, metabolism slows down as we age. This occurs because most people are not getting daily exercise and are not doing any activity that encourages muscle strength. We slow down first, then the metabolism slows. Muscle burns a lot more calories than fat. As we age, our body fat increases as our muscle mass decreases… so there goes our calorie burning mechanism.

But this does not have to happen. Getting some aerobic activity (walking, swimming, biking, dancing, etc) 5 or 6 times a week will help burn the body fat. Doing some weight training, carrying your groceries, walking up stairs, even gardening will help to maintain the muscle you currently have. And you can build muscle by doing weight training at the proper intensity. Those one-pound weights will not do the trick.

How do you know that you are at the right intensity to get the muscle building benefit? A couple of sessions with a personal trainer at a local gym or recreation center will set you up with a safe and appropriate routine. It is worth the investment.

When losing weight, you will lose water, fat, and muscle. That is one reason that dieting alone will make you fatter. If you diet, then gain the weight back, you will gain back fat and water. So your weight might ultimately be the same as before the diet, but now your body fat percent is up and your muscle mass percent is down. Exercise is essential during, and even more essential after, losing weight. You want that muscle back!

• Is there a way to accurately test our metabolism to know exactly what our resting metabolic rate is?

There are several good websites that can help you determine your Resting Metabolic Rate, and they often will let you see how many calories you burn while doing certain activities like walking, swimming, house work, etc.

Many of these sites have good tips for losing weight, offer food diaries for your use, and will even look up the calories for you if you tell them what and how much you are eating.

Calories Per Hour : look for the RMR calculator. It will ask for your gender, height, weight, and age then will give you a pretty accurate number. It will also show you how many calories you would burn by becoming more active. Good motivation.

Spark People : lots of good information especially about exercise, diet, and weight loss.

Calorie King has a book where you can look up the calories in almost any food, but their website lets you track you calories and exercise, and lets you know if you are really burning more calories that you are eating … a Reality Check!

Okay … Here I go to figure out what my RMR is. What about you? Is this information you want to know about yourself? Do you think it will help or hinder your weight loss goals?

Answers From A Nutritionist

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I attended a workshop presented by Mary Schreiner, MPH (Masters in Public Health) and liked her common sense approach to good health. I figured you would too, so she graciously agreed to answer some of my current questions about weight management and good health.

Mary Schreiner has worked in the weight management arena since 1990 with both the American Heart Association and the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center. Besides teaching weight loss classes, she’s been involved in several ‘Low-Carb vs Low-Calorie’ studies. Since she was overweight into young adulthood, she knows how difficult the struggle with weight control can be. It’s more than just eating less and exercising more. She speaks on several health related topics like:

~ Nutrition and Diet in Disease Prevention: Heart Disease, Diabetes, Alzheimer’s

~ Weight Loss Tips and Tricks

~ Women and Heart Disease

~ Exercise – The Fountain of Youth!

• I’m a big fan of protein at breakfast, but I was wondering if you advocate also having carbs or do you think it’s a better idea to save your carbs for lunch and dinner?

We need protein, carbs, and fats every day for our bodies and minds to function properly and remain healthy. Many people find that they are :

1 – eating too many carbs so are therefore taking in too many calories

2 – overdoing their meat consumption and not eating enough of the plant forms of protein, such as beans and nuts.

3 – choosing the wrong fats (cheese and processed foods), or are avoiding all fats so therefore are not getting enough good fats from avocados, nuts, seeds, olives and olive oil.

Having a good form of lean protein for breakfast is great. It keeps you mentally alert and it satisfies your hunger. However, your brain runs on carbs, so having a small amount is not a bad idea. Here are a few samples:

1 – scrambled eggs with a piece of whole wheat toast

2 – yogurt with crushed nuts and a fruit

3 – a small tortilla wrapped around scrambled eggs, or filled with peanut butter and chopped banana.

Carbohydrates, especially those from grains such as cereal, breads, pasta, rice, can make you feel a bit dull mentally. This occurs especially if you eat a large serving of them, or if you do not add a protein to them. So, having a lot of carbs at lunch might make you sleepy and less sharp in the afternoon.

Saving those carbs for the evening meal when you want to start relaxing and unwinding from the stress of the day makes sense. Also, having complex carbohydrates in the evening might help you to get to sleep quicker, and stay asleep throughout the night. A bowl of pasta with vegetables will work well for you. Having that big steak might taste good, but it will interfere with your sleep, and might get stored in your fat cells and arteries.

• I’ve heard we should “mix it up” with our food choices much the same way we’re told to not to get in a rut with our exercise routine. But I’m such a lazy creature of habit. Can you talk about that? The mixing it up, not my extreme laziness …

I am not as concerned about people eating a variety of foods as I am about their specific food choices.

We are creatures of habit because it is easy and mindless. If you are eating fruits and vegetables daily, getting some lean protein in at breakfast and lunch, and are adding nuts and seeds to your day, then keep doing what you are doing.

We have found that people trying to lose weight are actually more successful being “monotonous.” Variety often leads to overeating.

Mary has generously offered to review one lucky reader’s food journal so if you’re the first to tell me, either in the comments here or privately through the ‘Contact Me’ page, I’ll set it up. You’d have to do a few days of writing down EXACTLY what you eat — including quantities — so Mary can give you good feedback. Let me know if you want to have your diet dissected!

I have more questions for Mary for the future — next up, metabolism and how to figure out how many calories you should eat every day — but what about you? What do you want to ask a nutritionist? Wasn’t it nice that she validated my extreme laziness? Food rut, how I’ve missed you ….

Questions For A Nutritionist

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I will be setting up a series of interviews with various smart people, and a nutritionist is high on my list. There are a zillion things I have questions about, but I’d like to add some of your questions too.

If you know a nutritionist or dietician who would make a good interview subject, please email me their info.

Thanks!

So, tell me … what would you like to know about nutrition, diet, healthy foods, fad foods, portion control or whatever else you think a nutritionist could explain to you?