From the Walla Walla Union-Bulletin Online News.
It’s early in the new year and maybe weight management is on your list of priorities. Start by assessing where you are. Do you need to keep weight on, or shed some pounds?
Local experts said it’s all about the calories. To add a pound, you need to take in more calories than you use. A pound of body weight equals 3,500 calories. So, to lose a pound, you need to reduce that number of calories, which for a week is approximately a deficit of 500 calories a day. If you need to put on some weight, then add 500 calories a day. Weight management requires balance as well: in foods eaten, activity levels and attitude about eating regular meals and snacks. Don’t starve yourself, it makes the body unhappy and you’re more likely to binge later.
Michelle Lucas, RD CDE at Providence St. Mary Medical Center, said, “If they need to gain, eat several meals a day. Try to make them higher in fat, that adds calories. The richer, the better.” She suggested adding nutritional drinks, such as Ensure and Instant Breakfast made with whole milk to add calories. “And they’re not just junk calories,” Lucas explained. It’s about the numbers, she explained. To gain a pound, add more calories in a day. “Snacks become important,” she said.
To read the full story, please login at http://union-bulletin.com/user_session/new.