My Eye on Diet: 5 Reasons you Need to Start Calculating Now

So here’s the deal: It’s pretty simple. I’m not going to ask you to go to diet center, or your gym or anything else. I’m going to give you everything you need to start right here. I know how dreadful the decision can be, and how boring counting carbs is for many, that’s why I’m taking a step further and actually giving you reasons I think will convince you that you should do this today, and not tomorrow or the day after. One article, life changing trivial tasks. Fair enough?

Last article in this series, I talked about some of the basics in breif. Today, I wanna  list the reasons that mean you should read a lil’ more into those basics, and apply them in your daily lives. But don’t worry, If you don’t like reading technical articles online, or have a hard time understanding some of the lingo, after I list those reasons, I will discuss these terms in what I think will best help you relate to them (Simple language).I’ve lived in Saudi most of my life, and I think it’s time we had our own understanding of these things, and how to actually apply them, according to our own lifestyles. For example, it’s pretty irrational to tell girls here to go take a 5 K jog on the beach (That’s not counting the fact that you might be reading this from Riyadh).

So without further blabbering, here are 5 reasons you should sit down today (not tomorrow), and start calculating everything:

1) Objective vs. Subjective

Waking up in the morning and looking at your bare body in front of the mirror might make you feel good (or bad), but it simply isn’t a good way to mark  your progress, because it subjective. My eyes are different than your eyes, are different then the next person’s. You need an objective way to mark your progress, that does not have any biase, and will not make any exceptions like: well I had a tough week, that’s why I have these stretch marks, it’s the stress. No, it’s not the stress. It’s the Twix. Calculating would mean that you would have a pretty good way every couple of weeks to look at your self and say: Yah! I’m doing pretty good! Then you can go back to your mirror Broadway theatrics for all I care….

2) It’s never too early

I said this last time, and I will say it again: Most people say it’s never too late, I say it’s never too early. What ever you’re doing today, there is nothing that can prevent you from allocating 15 mins for your health, and doing this one-time deal just this once. I can understand procastination when it comes to assignments your boss wants. But your body is not your boss. You actually love your body.

3) Before you grow grey hair

If you already have grey hair, then I apologize. But the fact of the matter is: The older we grow, the less energy we’ll have to do even day to day tasks, let-alone counting calories and keeping track of your BMI. So if I were you, I’d get real and think to myself: It’s not a matter of if, it’s a matter of when. Let’s face it, with our lifestyles the way they are, we eventually tip downhill when it comes to dietary habbits. The time for control must come, and the time is now!

4) Prevention vs. Drugs

The famous proverb comes to mind (in fact, I won’t even say it). Our prophet has said it, and so have our parents all throughout us growing up. It has to be true. Yes there are drugs that might help you shave off a couple of Kilos, and yes there are procedures than can help you lose major pounds. But for the sake of your energy, money and your liver, don’t put your self through that, and start by prevention.

5) Education vs. Medication

I wrote this slogan down long time ago, and I just fell in love with it. The fact of the matter is, by doing this, you are not only keeping track of what that Kit-Kat is doing to the shape of your bum, but also educating your self more than you think. Pretty soon you’ll be obsessed with labels, explaining this stuff to random people at the supermarket. Don’t call me if you get kicked out…

So there you go. If those reasons are good enough reasons for you to start understanding some of the terms related to diet, and actually applying them to your everyday life, then please scroll down, and let me take you on a simple stroll. Now, I am aware that you know what Google and Wikipedia is, and you don’t need me to define all these terms for you. You’ll find much better explanations online. All I want to do, is explain to you, what these mean practically, to the Saudi average person.

 

Note: I will include the phrase “Which means” ahead of any explanation of these phrases (as opposed to the scientific mumbo jumbo before it). Also, for some of these there are formulas that I will precede by “For Geeks only”

So let’s start with what I think is the word that is mentioned with the word diet the most: Calories. Calories are basically a unit of energy per degree celcius. Which means that we will be using calories to calculate the energy that is going in and out of our bodies. How will we do that? Why by a handy measurement we all know as BMR. So food has calories right? Have you ever asked your self what your body does with those “calories” after you give them to it through your food? There are only two options: It either burns them (good), or stores them (bad). Which is where BMR comes in handy: You need a way to make sure you know that all the calories you are giving your body are being burned, and not crossing over into the margin that forces your body to store them in the form of fat around your tummy. BMR basically means the amount of calories that your body would burn doing regular body functions (digestion,metabolism, etc.) if you lied in bed 24 hrs. And you will then try not to exceed that number of calories all day long. So you can calculate it here on this simple website. Do this before you continue reading please.

For Geeks only:  – Formula for men: BMR = 66 + ( 13.7 x weight in kilos ) + ( 5 x height in cm ) – ( 6.8 x age in years )

                                        –Formula for women BMR = 655 + ( 9.6 x weight in kilos ) + ( 1.8 x height in cm ) – ( 4.7 x age in years )

While we’re on the topic of calories, I’d like to share with you a lil secret that will let you actually trick your body; Negative calories. Basically, these foods make your body “spend” more calories digesting the foods than the actual calorie content of the foods them selves. Start including these foods into your diet today, by clicking this link and viewing a list of the most important of these foods.

The next calculation we’re going to talk about is the BMI. This is a calculation of the distribution of fat in your body according to your weight and height. Do not confuse this with fat percentage calculations. Keeping track of this number will give you a simple indicator of how much you need to control your fat content in your diet. Click here, for a simple online calculator. Calculate yours now, and keep that number handy, so you can compare later on.

For Geeks Only:

Table: Metric BMI Formula

BMI = ( kg/m² )	weight in kilograms
	————————————
	height in meters²

 

Finally, I’d like to let you know that by choosing the right foods, we can actually fight cancer. I’m not saying it will completely prevent it, but by including what are called Antioxidant foods in your diet, you prevent the processes that render poisonous substances (oxidation). By including these foods, you can have a hand in preventing these harmful substances for getting the best of your body cells. Oh, and you’ll feel way more energetic. Click here, for a list of the most important anti oxidants.

Well, there you have it. You’ve survived! Please don’t close this page until you’ve calculated your BMR, BMI and read a lil about negative calorie and anti oxidant foods (which may overlap alot, as you might notice). Whether you decide to include them in your diet today or tomorrow, that doesn’t matter. What matters is, that you’ll have educated your self just enough, to make the informative decision to live a healthy lifestyle and, start…..Calculating !