• EN    |    TH
  • +66 2-038-5115

Weight loss Part 2. Nutrition for weight loss

  • Diet
  • Read Time - 12 Min

Weight loss Part 2. Nutrition for weight loss
 
Nutrition adjustment
An important goal of nutrition adjustment is to maintain a negative energy balance from food (calories) every day. This means that the calories from the food you eat are lower than the calories your body burns each day which are considered separately into two parts: calories in and calories out

1.    Calories in 
Set a calorie goal. The lower you set, the more weigh you loss but also the even more difficult it gets. such as
1.1    Regular calorie formula. Set a goal of 1,200 calories a day.
1.2    Moderately low calorie formula. Set a goal of 800-1200 calories a day.
1.3    Very low calorie formula. Set a goal of 800 calories a day. There is no evidence showing greater benefit for weight loss from setting lower calorie beyond this point. And strict fasting should be avoided which is to starve yourself below 200 calories per day. Doing so can lead to dangerous ketosis from nutrient deficiency.

2.    Calories out 
Calculate only the number of calories you burn at rest (basal metabolic rate: BMR) which is proportional to your body weight at 22 calories per kg. e.g. body weight of 80 kg, calories out are = 80 x 22 = 1,760 calories,  however, this exclude additional calories burned, e.g. exercise other than daily activities, etc. This shows that the more weight loss, the less calories burn, making weight loss in the late stage more difficult than the early stage. In addition, for anyone who is 30 years and over, the number of calories burned is reduced by 10 additional calories per person per each additional year, making the elderly more prone to excess calories every year if there is no adjustment to reduce calories or increase exercise. 

Practical steps for controlling incoming calories 
Step 1. Set your calorie goal. It is usually recommended not to be lower than 800 calories per day, otherwise, it may not be possible to achieve the goal. However, it should not exceed 1,200 calories per day, as it may lead to an ineffective weight loss.
Step 2. Learn to assess calories contained in the food that we eat on a regular basis each day till it becomes a habit.  It may be evaluated as simple, as looking at food labels or open the food analysis tables by the Nutrition Division, Department of Health, where I cut in brief part of them that are often used as attached at the end of this document. These data from the Nutrition Division analyze calories specifically from 100 grams of eatable food. 

The principles that will help make it easier to assess calories from food are as follows
1.    Learn to estimate the weight of 1 gram which is approximately equal to the volume of 1 cc, or 1 cm wide, 1 cm long, 1 cm high. If it is in liquid form, one teaspoon will scoop 5 cc or about 5 grams, one tablespoon will scoop 15 cc or about 15 grams.
2.    All kinds of meat without fat and bone. One slice of 100 g provides approximately 150 calories and 20% protein (20g). 
3.    100 grams of steamed rice (about 7 spoons) provides about 140 calories. 
4.    100 grams of dessert provides approximately 250 calories. However, it also depends on the amount of water in the dessert. Sweets with less water have more energy.
5.    Fruits with a lot of water, such as watermelon, apple, provide about 20 calories per 100 grams. Fruits with firm flesh but not very sweet, such as guava, raw mangoes, oranges provide about 50 calories per 100 grams. While a sweet or oily ripe fruit, such as bananas durians, provide about 150 calories per 100 grams which is around the same calories as from cooked rice. 
6.    Almost all kinds of vegetables provide about 20 calories per 100 grams. 
7.    Dishes cooked by stir-frying or frying will contain approximately 250 additional calories from fried oil per 100g of meat. 
8.    Practice reading the label of ready-made food to learn how many unit of consumption (servings) in each purchased package or can and how many calories are provided in each serving.

Step 3. Write a diary, record the food we eat in 1 day and calculate the amount of calories received.

Step 4. Analyze the food currently eaten.

Analysis of the nutritional value of food. There are four important points to be analyzed as follows:
Calorie intake is optimal or too much.  If too much, from which food where the calories are from. 
1.    Is amount of fruits and vegetables sufficient to provide the body enough vitamins and minerals?  This is considered enough if the body receives up to 5 servings of fruits and vegetables a day. 
2.    Is the amount of protein that the body received enough?  WHO standard recommended optimal daily protein intake for the average person should not be less than 0.45 g of protein per 1 kg body weight. According to the US-RDA standard, it is recommended not to eat more than 0.8 g of protein per kg. 
3.    Is amount of sodium or salt too much? The US-RDA recommends that the average person shouldn't get more than 1.5 grams of sodium per day. 

Step 5. Formulate your own food.
Diet formulation is to set up a menu to start diet plan that will look like a food diary that we have already made but only the details of the food that we intend to eat will change.

Example of nutrition adjustment
Ms.Sudsuay who has a height of 155 cm and wants to lose weight to 55 kg (unknown current weight) makes dietary adjustments by
Step 1. Ms.Sudsuay sets a goal of nutrition adjustment, here which, is 1,200 calories per day.
Step 2. Ms.Sudsuay must learn to assess calories contained in the food that she eat on a daily basis.
Step 3. Write a diary, record the food she eats in 1 day and calculate the amount of calories received.

1 Nov. 2010

Time Food list Calories received
8.00 Coffee with 1 spoon of creamer, 2 scoops of sugar 3+20+32 = 55
  3 cookies (1 ounce each) 402
10.00 1 small cup of coffee 55
10.00 4 pieces of fried bananas, 100 g.  326
12.00 Pork Fried Rice with Egg 300 g 534
  1 can of soft drinks 8 oz. 105
12.00 Taro Bua Loy 150 g. 228
16.00     One chopped guava 100 grams 50
18.00 Basil Chicken Rice 300 g. 573
  Chocolate Cake 2 oz 208
  Small cans of soft drink, 8 oz. 105
  Total day 2,641

Step 4. Analyze the food you currently eat.
1.    Total calories received are 2,641 calories per day. But the target is only 1,200 calories, so there are 1,441 extra calories per day, and found that a lot of calories received are from sugar, soft drinks, creamer, cookies, cakes and cooking oils. 
2.    Amount of fruits and vegetables received all day is much below the standard that should be 5 servings.
3.    The total protein intake is 32 grams per day, which is neither too small nor too much. So in the new diet plan, there is no need to deliberately increase or decrease amount of protein as much.
4.    It is difficult to count how much sodium we get in practice, as the detailed sodium count is only one way possible through calculation from the analysis table. A practical way is to avoid salty foods and stop the habit of adding chili fish sauce.

Step 5. Formulate your own food.
Reduce the amount of incoming calories. Reduce sugar intake, soft drinks, powdered fat (solid fat or trans-fat) such as creamer, cakes cookies, etc. Avoid stir-fried and fried foods, triple amount of fruits and vegetables.  However, as there are a lot of excess calories, it may be necessary to cut down on non-protein foods and more on fruits and vegetables. For example, stop eating dinner, etc.

New dietary plan for Ms.Sudsuay
2 Nov. 2010

Time Food list Calories received
8.00 Coffee Nothing added 3
8.00 1 apple 100 g 53
10.00 Coffee 3
10.00 Cavendish banana 100 grams 140
12.00 Papaya salad 200 grams 54
  Large grilled chicken 2 pieces 100 grams 150
  Sticky rice 100 grams 145
12.00    Sliced papaya and watermelon 200 grams 20
16.00 One chopped guava 100 grams 50
18.00 Steamed rice 1 scoop 100 grams 140
  Northern style sour soup pak choy 100  grams 56
  2 steamed eggs 150 grams     320
  Small dish of sliced papaya 100 grams 56
  Total day 1,187

The above is just an example. In real life, a person who want to lose weight must take action to set up their own diet.  Be diligent in reading food labels. Be diligent to compare. Learn to cook by oneself as much as possible. Choose to buy food more carefully until able to summarize into a well-balanced diet chart that is consistent with the above four principles to be used for own self.

Appendix Table: Example of nutritional analysis of Thai food
Group 1. Cereals and products

No. Name of food (content of 100 grams) Calories received
01002 Thin Noodles, Fresh Noodles, Without Water   220
01004   Rice noodle, fresh flour cooked 90
01012 Steamed Rice (Cooked or Steamed) 141

 

Group 2. Starchy roots, tubes and products.

No. Name of food (content of 100 grams) Calories received
02008 potato 73
02010   Dry Tapioca Starch 351
02014 Beets (Radish), fresh 22

Group 3. Hard shell fruits, seed plant, dried beans and products

No. Name of food (content of 100 grams) Calories received
03012 White Tofu, Soft      46
03013 Yellow Tofu    150
03014 Fried Tofu, Puffed Tofu   354
03067 Dried vermicelli  (from mung bean)    337
03048 Soy milk   72

Group 4. Vegetables and vegetable products

No. Name of food (content of 100 grams) Calories received
04011 Red Basil, Leaves   46
04012  Cauliflower 13
04013 Cabbage 16
04052  Cucumber 15
040977 Chinese cabbage 11
04111  Kale    31

Group 5. Fruits and fruit products

No. Name of food (content of 100 grams) Calories received
05004 Cavendish banana    132
05014 Muang Phet rose apple   28
05023 Monthong Durian   163
05026 Guava, round wheelbarrow 43
05043 Kiaosawoey Mango, raw 61
05056 Papaya, raw   24
05057 Papaya, ripe 53
05060 Mangosteen 82
05074  Orange, Tangerine    42

Group 6. Meat

No. Name of food (content of 100 grams) Calories received
06001 Chicken Fillet 165
06021 Fresh beef 134
06023  Fried Lean Beef   412
06030 Pork, fresh   1 108
06039 Pork sausage, fried     409

Group 7. Seafood

>

No. Name of food (content of 100 grams) Calories received
07002 Black tiger shrimp, shrimp fillet     92
07023 Mackerel, fresh 140
07063 Mussels    53

Group 8. Eggs

No. Name of food (content of 100 grams) Calories received
08001 Chicken eggs, including egg yolk, egg white 100 grams     160 (one weigh 70 g)
08005 Duck eggs, including egg yolk, egg white 100 grams 186 (one weigh 75 g)

Group 9. Milk and products

No. Name of food (content of 100 grams) Calories received
09003 Sweetened condensed milk, recombined   324
09006* Fermented milk, Yakult   54
09022* Fresh milk, UHT 65

Group 10. Ready-made meals and single dishes

No. Name of food (content of 100 grams) Calories received
11006  Thin noodles, pork, liver 100g dry 227 (1 dish = 230g)
11004 Pad Thai noodles 100g egg    239 (1 dish = 250g)
11010   Large noodles, 100 grams of pork noodles 113 (1 dish = 310g)
11011 Large noodles, , stir-fried soy sauce with eggs 100 grams 195 (1 dish = 320g)
11051 Pork Fried Rice with egg 100g     178 (1 dish = 300g)
11052 Chicken Rice 100g 199 (1 dish = 300g)

Group 11. Sweets

No. Name of food (content of 100 grams) Calories received
12001  Lady Finger banana, in syrup 241
12014 Cononut flavored sticky rice   285
12017 Thong Yord 340
12025 Egg custard   177

Related Articles

Four diet recipes (Atkins, Zone, LEARN, Ornish)

Dr.Ornish a cardiologist who focus on vegetarianism with only 10% calories from fat

read more...

Weight loss Part 2. Nutrition for weight loss

Nutrition adjustment is to maintain a negative energy balance from food

read more...