Nutrition and Diet Therapy Essay

As one can see from this table, my calorie consumption was consistently under or at the maximum limit that Supertracker set for me. Compared to the first food journal and diet analysis that I completed this is a drastic  change for the better. I followed my own recommendation to decrease my daily caloric intake from the first diet analysis. As you may recall from my first diet analysis, I exceeded my total calories limit for each of the five days; one day I consumed over 2500 calories. I was proud to see that I was capable of making such a healthy change by using a little self-control. c) According to the â€Å"five-hundred rule†, in order to lose or gain one pound of body fat per week, one must have a difference of 500 kcalories either way (500 more to gain, 500 less to lose) than the body uses per day for 7 days. This adds up to a difference of 3500 kcalories in order to lose a pound (Lutz & Przytulski, 2011). For day one, I consumed 561 kcalories less than my limit of 180 0 kcal. On day two, I ate 789 kcal less than my limit and burned 822 kcal by biking. On day three, again I ate 565 kcal less than my limit and burned 822 kcal by biking. I ate 480 kcal less than my body used on day four. However, day five consisted of almost the full 1800 kcal (1795 exactly) consumed and expended. For the whole week, this adds up to a difference of 4,044 kcal. In other words, I lost a little over a pound during the week of 10/7-10/11 because I ate 2400 kcal less than my body used and burned 1644 kcal by means of physical activity. As you may recall, I did not engage in any physical activity during the first diet analysis, so doing so played a large role in my success. d)  (United States Department of Agriculture). In comparing the meal summary reports from diet analysis one to diet analysis two, I see that I ate less overall during the time period for diet analysis two. For a couple of the days, I didn’t eat very much for dinner and for almost all for the days, I decreased my portion sizes. For example, on 10/10, I only ate one slice of French toast for breakfast. Before I completed my first diet analysis and recommendations, I might have eaten two or three slices at a time. Also, I ate less fast food during the second diet analysis compared to the first; this fulfills another recommendation (decrease fast food intake). Likewise, I can see in this meal summary that I made the effort to eat fruits and vegetables—another recommendation fulfilled. e) I did indeed change my physical activity for this diet analysis. I rode my bike two nights out of the five for an hour each time. This is an improvement compared to my complete lack of physical activity  during the first diet analysis. I think I made the change because of how awful it looked on paper to not have exercised at all for almost a full week. Additionally, it felt good to be doing something healthy for my body and I’m glad I made the effort. f) The three foods highest in kcalories are listed in the table below: Food Number of kcal Macaroni and cheese 672 Chili with beef, beans, and cheese 635 Chicken pot pie 486 From the first diet analysis, the following were the foods highest in kcal and their number of kcal: Food Number of kcal Double cheeseburger 748 Burrito 628 Potato salad 525 Comparing the two, I see that my food with the highest number of calories for diet analysis two was lower than the food with the highest number of calories from diet analysis one. In other words, I improved in that the foods that I consumed for diet analysis two were not quite as high in caloric count. g) I could still use some tips and guidance as to how to reduce the number of calories that I consume in order to continue to meet caloric recommendations. So, upon researching the topic, I found that according to an article by Harms et al. (2012), there are two simple ways of reducing the number of calories in one’s diet. First, eliminating food items that are high in calories and replacing them with food items that are low in  calories can make a big difference in one’s total calorie count. For instance, I could eliminate about 136 calories for every time that I replace a can of Coke for a bottle of sparkling water. This concept and recommendation is more appealing to me and has a better chance of success than my earlier recommendation from diet analysis one of simply eliminating Coke. Another example of an exchange that I could make is switching from 2% milk to skim milk in order to cut the calories in half while still receiving the beneficial nutrients of milk like calcium and vitamin D (Harms, R. W. et al. 2012). The second way that I could reduce my total calorie count is by reducing the sizes of the portions of food that I am consuming. In the article by Harms et al. (2012), there is a good reminder that as the serving size is increased, the total number of calories increases; so, if I eat double or triple the serving size, I am also eating double or triple the total calories. As I stand right now, I do not read food labels. However, if I would read the food labels of the foods that I eat in order to discover the true serving size and calorie count, I am sure that I would be enlightened. An example of a reduced serving size for me could be eating a 4 inch pancake instead of a 6 inch pancake, eliminating more than half of the calories consumed (Harms, R. W. et al. 2012). Reducing portion sizes was also a recommendation from my first diet analysis, yet I did not know the impact it could have on my calorie count. Another step I can take in reducing the total number of calories that I am consuming is by not skipping meals. As I look at my first diet analysis as well as my second one, I can see where I skipped meals just drinking a glass of milk for breakfast or a can of Coke or a bottle of water for lunch or dinner. This is not a wise choice. Skipping meals makes a person hungrier, in turn making it more difficult to limit portion sizes and make healthy food choices at the next meal. Instead, filling up on foods that are high in fiber and water like fruits, vegetables, and soups can help with satiety while controlling and reducing caloric intake. References 5 ways to cut 500 calories from your diet. (2013). Retrieved from http://www.boston.com/lifestyle/health/gallery/500_calories?pg=6 Harms, R. W., Berge, K. G., Hagen, P. T., Litin, S. C., Sheps, S. G., Edwards, B. S., †¦ Pruthi, S. (2012, June 19). Counting calories: getting back to weight loss basics. Retrieved from http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/calories/WT00011/NSECTIONGROUP=2 Lutz, C. A. & Przytulski, K. R. (2011). Nutrition and diet therapy (5th ed.). Philadelphia, PA: F. A. Davis Company United States Department of Agriculture. (n.d.). Meal summary report. Retrieved from https://www.supertracker.usda.gov/MealSummaryReport.aspx