Introduction
Designing a proper diet is not an easy task. Because of the necessity to take not only the type of food consumed but also the daily intake of calories, one must carry out a vast analysis of the meals eaten in the course of the day. Moreover, food that seems quite harmless, such as milk, may turn out to be the element that has been causing most weight issues.
Analysis of the First Two Weeks
A close two-week analysis of my daily food intake has shown that my eating habits leave much to be desired. Despite the fact that my BMI is within the accepted norm, I am still very close to exceeding the normal weight border and becoming overweight. The fact that my diet is beyond what is considered proper nutrition partially explains the specified data; moreover, the lack of exercise seems to have take its toll over my physical shape, which makes me walk a very fine line between being trim and being slightly overweight. The calculations of my BMI were carried out with the help of the formula below:
Provided by Grodner, Roth & Walkingshaw (2012), the specified formula returned the following result:
One must admit that the specified data is within the accepted range; however, it is also dangerously close to the number that indicates extra weight issues (i.e., BMI = 25). More to the point, the BMI Prime calculations will reveal that the threat of being overweight is approaching. The BMI prime was identified with the help of the formula provided by Grodner, Roth & Walkingshaw (2012):
In accordance with the above-mentioned formula, my BMI Prime makes around 0.92:
Seeing that 0.92 is very close to 1, the necessity to reconsider the current diet emerges. The required alterations will need to ensue from the problems that the current dietary intake has. According to the table of my weekly diet below, I seriously lack the intake of proteins. More to the point, my skipping breakfast regularly triggers the need to refill calories quite soon; as a result, I tend to eat extra food (especially fats and the food rich in starch, such as pasta and pizza).
Despite an obvious abuse of food containing starch and gluten, as well as the food that is rich in fats and cholesterol, I have been maintaining a rather trim shape because of a regular intake of large amounts of fruit and vegetables. Nevertheless, a regular consumption of milk with a high fats concentration (5.5) seems to have had a negative effect on my body.
Creating a New Plan
The SMART plan below displays the key objectives that I will strive to reach in the course of the next week:
Modifications
Therefore, the plan will need to incorporate the products that are rich in vitamins, allowing me to avoid the abuse of starch products, as well as those that contain fats. Seeing that milk is one of my favorite products, as well as that milk contains calcium, an essential element of a proper diet, taking milk out of the plan will be barely reasonable. However, instead of milk with a 5.5% fats concentration, the use of 1%-fat milk, such as LACTAID or Promise, should be encouraged.
In addition, the use of pasta as the key source of starch should be viewed as a rather dubious approach towards designing a proper diet. Instead, the consumption of vegetables that contain enough starch should be considered an option (e.g., rice, potatoes, sweet potatoes, parsnip, plantain, turnip, etc.). Moreover, it is crucial that I should get rid of the habit of skipping breakfast. As researches show, having a decent breakfast means fueling one’s body with energy for the rest of the day; consequently, without a proper breakfast, I will most likely resort to having snacks in between meals, which prevent me from tracking the calories consumed (MyPyramid, 2013).
More to the point, the new plan will have to incorporate a set of exercises that will both be efficient enough for burning calories and simple enough for a person that is new to sport (USDA, 2015). Particularly, the ones involving running, jogging, etc., must be mentioned. Running should also be viewed as an option, as it helps train the key muscle sets and at the same time does not load them too much.
Finally, the necessity to take up regular exercises must be listed among the key priorities for me. It is suggested that the following plan should be implemented in the course of the next week:
The specified diet will help me attain a prowess of defining the best nutrition pattern possible based on the changes that my body undergoes. Among the key goals, the necessity to eliminate the items that pose a threat to my health and replace them with harmless substitutes must be listed as the top priority.
Conclusion
The results of the experiment have provided a lot of food for thoughts. Among the key discoveries, the fact that milk consumption was affecting my weight because of my disregard for the amount of fats in it clearly takes the first place.
Another essential eye-opener concerns the calories calculation. The fact that the number of hours of exercising is in a direct proportion to the number of calories that have been consumed was quite new to me.
Finally, the fact that the essential nutrition elements required for sustaining the key functions of a human body may be found in various types of food may also be described as a major revelation and, therefore, an impressive food forward in shaping my diet. For instance, the replacement of cow milk that I used to drink with soy milk
Reference List
Grodner, M., Roth, S. L., & Walkingshaw, B. C. (2012). Nutritional foundations and clinical applications: A nursing approach (5th ed.). St. Louis, MO: Elsevier Mosby.
MyPyramid. (2013). Food pyramid. Web.
Super Tracker. (2015). Food tracker. Web.
USDA. (2015). Physical activity. Web.