Congratulations
Congratulations on achieving your goal weight. It is a significant achievement and, as you well know, not done without considerable commitment and will-power. It is a proven fact that people who lose weight feel a lot more confident and have more energy for life. Your next challenge is to ensure that the eating patterns you have built up over the time of the program are channeled into healthy eating habits that will remain with you for the rest of your life. If you revert back to the eating patterns you had prior to your weight loss, you will simply put the weight back on. Remember that you can contact Kate Morgan at anytime, to discuss your weight maintenance, and particularly to share your ongoing success with us.
The Theory of Weight Maintenance
Maintaining your body weight is about matching:
- The energy that your body needs to function properly with
- The energy that your body receives from food (including drinks)
If you eat more food than your body needs to function properly you will put on weight. If you eat less food than your body needs to function properly you will continue to lose weight. The objective of the maintenance program is to match your food volume with your lifestyle and keep your weight stable.
The measure of energy we use is calories (metric version is kilojoules, 1 cal = 4.2 kJ ). Calories can be used to measure both the energy in the food you eat, and also the energy that your body uses to function.
While you were on the Kate Morgan weight management program you had a food intake of about 1200 calories per day. At this level you lost weight because the energy your body needed to function properly each day was greater than 1200 calories. The additional calories were drawn from stored body fat.
We need to work out how much energy your body needs for daily living, then develop a personalised food plan to match this energy requirement. We also need to make sure that the sort of food you eat is healthy, tasty and filling. Let's look at these elements in more detail.
The Energy Your Body Needs
The energy your body needs to function varies depending on your body and your lifestyle. The main factors that determine your energy requirements are your:
- Gender (men need more energy than women)
- Height (tall people need more energy than shorter people)
- Weight (heavier people need more energy than lighter people)
- Age (young people need more energy than older people)
- Activity levels (the more physical activity you undertake the more energy your body requires)
There is a widely accepted standard for calculating your total daily energy expenditure (TDEE) called the Harris-Benedict formula. This formula combines the energy your body consumes at rest, your basal metabolic rate (BMR), with your activity level to give you an estimate of the number of calories your body needs.
Calories needed = BMR * Activity factor
BMR Calculation
The BMR calculation is based on the following formula
MEN
BMR = 66 + (13.7 x weight in kg) + (5 x height in cm) - (6.8 x age in years)
WOMEN
BMR = 655 + (9.6 x weight in kg) +(1.8 x height in cm) - (4.7 x age in years)
Example
- You are female
- You are 30 years old
- You are 167.6 cm tall
- You weigh 54.5 kilos
Your BMR = 655 + 523 + 302 – 141 = 1339 calories/day
| Gender | 655 | |
| Weight | 9.6 x 54.5 | 523 |
| Height | 1.8 x 167.6 | 302 |
| Age | 4.7 x 30 | 141 |
| BMR = 655 + 523 +302 - 141 | ||
Activity Multiplier and Total Daily Energy Expenditure
The BMR calculation gives you the number of calories you need to maintain your body at rest, but it does not make any allowance for your activity levels. Some people do little activity and do not consume much energy above their BMR, while others have physically demanding lifestyles and consume a lot of energy. Have a look at the table below and decide which statement best describes your activity level.
The table below outlines the activity multiplier for the level of activity you conduct in your everyday life. To calculate your TDEE you need to multiply your BMR by your Activity Multiplier.
| Activity Level | Activity Multiplier | Description |
| SEDENTARY | BMR x 1.2 | Little or no exercise (desk job) |
| LIGHTLY ACTIVE | BMR x 1.375 | Light exercise/sports 1 - 3 days/wk |
| MOD. ACTIVE | BMR x 1.55 | Moderate exercise/sports 3 - 5 days/wk |
| VERY ACTIVE | BMR x 1.725 | Hard exercise/sports 6 - 7 days/wk |
| EXTRA ACTIVE | BMR x 1.9 | Hard daily exercise/sports & physical job
or 2x day training, i.e. marathon, contest etc.. |
Example
- Your BMR is 1339 calories per day
- Your activity level is moderately active (work out 3 - 4 times per week)
- Your activity factor is 1.55
Your TDEE = 1.55 x 1339 = 2075 calories/day
The following provides a tool for you to calculate your TDEE
Now I know my TDEE what next?
Once you know your TDEE you should plan your daily food intake to ensure that you eat approximately the number of calories defined by your TDEE. To begin with you should be quite vigilant about this process. It is worth weighing or measuring your food for the first few days until you really understand the quantities that make up a serve.
You need to ensure that on an ongoing basis you maintain about the number of calories equal to your TDEE. If you creep up a couple of kilos over the period of a few months, don't be alarmed, just reduce your daily calories for a few weeks and work back down to your healthy body weight. Similarly, if you lose a few kilos don't be concerned. Just lift your daily calories for a while until you reach your goal weight again. These ongoing fluctuations in body weight are part of normal living, and should be managed over time. Do not become fanatical about your weight, just learn to manage fluctuations over time.
However, there is an important thing to remember. The average Australian is putting on weight every year. If you revert back to an "average Australian" lifestyle and do not control your activity and exercise levels you will put on weight. You can never again let your weight go "unmanaged". You will need to manage it for the rest of your life.
How About Some Exercise?
You may already do regular exercise. Exercise is very good for your body and if you are not already exercising, now is the time to start. Exercise strengthens the muscles, builds the respiratory and circulatory systems, strengthens the heart and builds defences against many health conditions. It also gives you more energy for life. Exercise also stimulates the release of endorphins, a chemical formed in the body which gives a mild feeling of well-being. One of the reasons many people find exercise quite enjoyable is this feeling of well-being they get after exercise. This is a natural state that adds to the enjoyment of life. There are many theories on the level of exercise you need to gain health benefits. In reality all exercise is good and a mixture of respiratory exercise and muscular exercise is the best. Ideally you should reach the "moderate" exercise level; allocate forty minutes a day, five days a week to ensure you get a reasonable benefit and enjoyment out of your exercise.
Managing Your Life
The weight reduction you have already achieved has occurred because of your own willingness to intervene and take control of components of your life. Some of the changes you made did not impact your life much. But some of them influenced not only your own life, but the life of your partner, or family or friends. You had to make these changes to achieve your goal. If you had just "gone with the flow" you would not have lost the weight.
In the future this is going to need to continue. The type of food you need to eat will change forever. Fast-food needs to become a very infrequent treat, and finding time in the day for exercise in an already busy lifestyle can seem unthinkable. You need to decide that the management of your body is important to your life, forever, and that you are willing to make changes to your life to maintain your new body state. You should not feel that this is a luxury. Everybody deserves to be allowed the time it takes to ensure that they maintain a healthy body..
The Food Composition of a Healthy Diet
A healthy diet should be thought of in two parts: calorie intake, as explained in the previous sections, and the type of food you eat. To function effectively your body needs carbohydrates, fats, proteins, fibre, and water as well as essential vitamins and minerals. Your daily meal plan needs to include all of these elements in suitable quantities. But, you also want to eat foods that are tasty, filling and affordable.
We live in a world where food has become very flavoursome and stimulating and we often find unprocessed foods boring or tasteless. Much of the taste in modern foods comes from three sources - salt, sugar and fat - and the appeal of these tastes is much of the reason for our nation's weight crisis. Learning to enjoy food that is not high in salt, sugar and fat is an important step to achieving a sustainable weight. If you have already taken sugar out of your tea and coffee, or butter off your bread, you will understand how quickly you adjust to a new taste.
Food is made up of three types of nutrients, called macro-nutrients. These macro-nutrients are: carbohydrates, fats and proteins and each of these can be used by the body in different ways. Each of the macro-nutrients has a different amount of energy that the body can either use immediately or store for later use.
1 gram of carbohydrate has 4 calories (16kJ)
1 gram of protein has 4 calories (16kJ)
1 gram of fat has 9 calories (39kJs)
Controlling the mix of food types is important in making sure you meet your calorie targets, but also to ensure that you eat healthy foods to make up these calories. The right mix of foods will help you keep healthy, feel full and keep you feeling energetic. The Kate Morgan maintenance program seeks to provide a healthy balance of macro-nutrients to ensure long term health.
Carbohydrates
Carbohydrates are an important macro-nutrient, and should provide about 50% of your daily calorie quota. Carbohydrates are mostly used for providing energy to run your body. Functions such as brain functions and muscle contractions mainly use energy derived from carbohydrates. The quality of a carbohydrate food can be defined on the basis of its glycemic index (GI). The glycemic index is a rating system that compares foods in terms of how they affect blood sugar levels. Low GI carbohydrates release energy into the body at a slower rate than high GI foods. The slower release of energy means you sustain energy levels for longer and also feel fuller for longer. The Kate Morgan maintenance program focuses carbohydrate intake on low GI carbohydrates. You should develop a preference for low GI carbohydrates over high GI carbohydrates as you develop your new eating patterns.
- Low GI foods are foods with a GI of less than 55. They cause a slower and lower rise in blood glucose levels.
- Intermediate GI foods are foods with a GI between 55 and 70. They cause blood glucose levels to go up at a moderate rate.
- High GI foods are foods with a GI greater than 70. They cause a rapid rise in blood glucose levels.
The following table shows the GI rating of some common foods.
| LOW GI
(<55) |
INTERMEDIATE GI
(55 – 70) |
HIGH GI
(70+) |
| Breads
Burgen Soy-Lin PerforMAX® fruitloaf Burgen Oat & Honey Loaf ® Burgen Fruit Loaf
|
Breads
Hamburger Bun, Rye Bread, Croissant, Light Rye, Crumpet, Wholemeal |
Breads
White Bread, Bagel, Blackbread, Wonderwhite®, Gluten Free Bread
|
| Breakfast Cereals
All Bran fruit'n oats All Bran® Porridge Special K® Rice Bran |
Breakfast Cereals
Oatbran Untoasted Muesli Just Right® Nutri Grain® Sustain®, Weet Bix® |
Breakfast Cereals
Sultana Bran® Bran Flakes®, Coco Pops® Puffed Wheat® Rice Bubbles®, Cornflakes® |
| Grains
Barley, Pasta (all types), Noodles, Bulgar, Semolina |
Grains
Basmati Rice, Wild Rice, Sunrice Doongara® Rice, Mahatma Premium® Classic, Couscous, Cornmeal, Tapioca |
Grains
Brown Rice Calrose Rice Jasmine Rice |
| Legumes
All Beans (kidney, soy, baked etc.), peas, lentils |
Legumes
Broad Beans |
|
| Starchy Vegetables
Sweet Potato, Taro |
Starchy Vegetables
New Potato |
Starchy Vegetables
Other Potatoes, Parsnip, French Fries |
| Dairy Foods
Milk, So Good® soy drink, low fat fruit yoghurt, custard, low fat ice cream |
Dairy Foods
Full Cream Ice Cream |
|
| Biscuits
Oatmeal |
Biscuits
Digestives, Shredded Wheatmeal, Milk Arrowroot |
Biscuits
Morning Coffee |
| Fruit
Cherries, Grapefruit, Peach, Dried Apricots, Apple, Pear, Plums, Orange, Grapes, Kiwi Fruit, Banana |
Fruit
Sultanas, Raw and Canned Apricots, Mango, Paw Paw, Raisins, Rockmelon, Pineapple |
Fruit
Watermelon |
Lipids (Fats and Oils)
Fats and oils have almost twice the energy, per gram, of either carbohydrates or protein. In simplistic terms we can divide fats into healthy fats and unhealthy fats. Unhealthy fats are increasingly being seen by health professionals as a major contributor to ill-health.
Unhealthy Fats
Saturated fats are generally regarded as unhealthy. Saturated fats are most commonly found in animal and dairy products and when eaten to excess lead to increased blood cholesterol levels. This is why we should eat them in small quantities only.
Common products containing saturated fats include:
- Cakes, biscuits, pastries
- Pies, hamburgers, pizza, fries
- Fatty meats, offal
- Butter, yoghurt, cheese, full cream milk
- Mayonnaise, sauces, coconut oil
Healthy Fats
Poly-unsaturated and Mono-unsaturated fatty acids are generally regarded as healthy fats. These fats still contain high calorie levels but do not have the same impact on cholesterol levels as the saturated fats. Whenever possible you should seek to substitute products containing saturated fats with products containing unsaturated fats.
Common products containing unsaturated fats include:
- Many margarines
- Fish and fish oil
- Many cooking oils (canola, olive, peanut, macadamia, sunflower, sesame, corn)
- Olives
- Pecans, walnuts, pistachios
- Avocadoes
- Almonds, cashews, peanuts, macadamias
Protein
Protein is needed to help build and repair the body and muscles and to make a whole range of enzymes and hormones. Proteins are made up of amino acids which are important building blocks of our body. Protein that comes from animal sources is called complete protein because it contains the nine essential amino acids that the human body needs. Plant foods also contain protein, but they are called incomplete protein because (with the exception of soy protein) they do not contain all the essential amino acids. Many foods which are high in protein are also high in fat. The Kate Morgan maintenance program is high in proteins but is careful to direct you towards protein sources that are low in fat.
Common products containing proteins include:
- Meats, including beef, lamb, pork and chicken
- Fish and shellfish
- Eggs, milk and cheese
- Peanuts
- Kidney beans
Planning Meals to meet your TDEE
The following pages provide you with some guidelines to assist you with creating a meal plan, to match your TDEE. The tables on the following three pages set out guidelines for meals to match three different TDEE ranges. Most people will have a calorie requirement within these ranges, but if your TDEE lies outside these ranges please work with your consultant to develop a personalised guideline.
You should use these guidelines to develop meal plans for every day of the week. The guidelines have been developed to meet your calorie requirements, but also to provide you with a mix of food that is healthy, tasty and affordable. You will recognise many of the foods from the time you were on the Kate Morgan weight management program, though we have now added more carbohydrate and fats, as well as lifting the overall volume of food. As previously suggested, do spend time to measure or weigh your food for the first few days, until you are confident with what a "serve" represents for each food type.
Good luck with setting your meal plan and with your overall weight maintenance. You have already proved you can do the hard part, so enjoy looking good and feeling good as you continue to maintain your healthy body weight.