I’d like to spend a few minutes talking about SMART goals. Goals are important tool for success in any endeavor. They provide a way for us to measure success and should provide constant motivation to continue to work to achieve them, especially when things get tough. They provide focus for our efforts and keep us from getting side-tracked on less important things. Goals that are nebulous and not clearly defined don’t provide the benefits that they should and can even become discouraging because we never can tell when or if we have achieved success.  It can be like we set ourselves up to fail. So how can we set goals properly that provide motivation and direction to our efforts?

The best goals are SMART goals. SMART is a handy acronym for the five characteristics of well-designed goals. If  you search the Internet for SMART goals, you will find a few variations of the acronym SMART, but they are all very similar and effective. Here’s how I define SMART goals:

A SMART goal is:

• Specific
• Measurable
• Achievable
• Relevant
• Time-framed

Let’s look at each of these in turn and how they relate to fitness and fat-loss goals.

Specific

Goals must be clear and unambiguous. An example of a non-specific goal is “I want to lose weight”. A better goal might be “I will lose 20 lbs of fat by my next birthday”. Specific goals provide clear direction and progress toward completion can easily be measured. They provide a clear target that tells us exactly what we are expecting of ourselves.

Measurable

SMART goals are measurable. A measurable goal allows us to set milestones along the way. For example, a goal to lose 30 lbs of body fat in  30 weeks, allows us to set a mid-point of 15 weeks and 15 pounds. If we reach the mid-point and are not on track, we can take corrective action. By the way, weight is not the only thing we might want to measure. How about circumference measurements (belly, hips) or body fat percentage? A goal might be to fit into a certain pair of jeans. Since body composition is important, not just weight, I like to set a goal for weight AND body fat.

Achievable

We need to set goals that challenge us, but setting unrealistic goals is just setting ourselves up for failure. A goal of losing 30 lbs in 30 days is not an achievable goal. A goal of 1 to 2 pounds of weight (fat) loss per week is reasonable. About 1/2% of body fat per week is also a good goal. Remember we are in this for the long run. Anyone can lose weight, we want to keep it off permanently.

Relevant

What is your ultimate vision? Health? Fitness? To have a pleasing figure? Whatever your ultimate vision is, your goals need to match up with it. Your goals also need to be aligned with the most important, most effective activities for your weight loss efforts. In most endeavors, 80% of the benefit comes from 20% of the possible actions. This is called the Pareto principle after the Italian Economist Vilfredo Pareto. Concentrate on the things that will provide the greatest impact.

Time-framed

Let’s go back to the first example goal “I will lose 20 lbs of fat by my next birthday”. This is a time-framed goal. Goals without a time-frame tend to be overtaken by the cares of everyday life. How long should the time-frame be? I believe it is best to set long term, mid term and short term goals. For example, when I first started on my journey from Fat Dave to Fit Dave, I set a long term goal of 40 lbs. I set mid-term goal of 20 lbs coinciding with a vacation we had planned. My short term goal was to lose 1 lb per week. The weekly goal let me chart my progress and make any corrections quickly. The mid range goal gave me something tangible to reach for and to celebrate when I hit the mark (to celebrate my changed life, I surprised my wife by shaving off my beard!). The long term goal gave me a target to continue to strive for and defined the finish line for this phase of my fitness journey.

Setting SMART goals is important to clearly and properly define your target and to track progress. Its like having a well-written map to your destination with waypoints along the way to help you chart your way. Take a little time to think your goals through and see if they match the SMART criteria. Spending a little time defining well-written goals will go a long way to ensuring ultimate and lasting success.

 

2 can tomatoes, crushed 1 can tomato paste 1 med   onions 1/2   lg bell peppers 2 tbsp olive oil 1 tsp oregano 1 tsp thyme

1 tsp rosemary 1/4   cup basil 1 pinch   cayenne pepper 1 tsp black pepper 3 clove garlic 1/4 cup red wine 1/4 tsp stevia

Servings: 6 

 

1	Start pot of water for pasta if needed.
2	Heat oil in deep over medium heat. Chop onions coarsely and add to oil, followed by bell peppers and garlic. Cook until onions are soft.
3	Deglaze pan with wine.
4	Add crushed tomatoes and tomato paste to pan. Stir thoroughly. Add remaining spices, except for basil.
5	Add pasta to boiling water. Drain when done. Cook sauce over low heat, stirring occasionally while pasta cooks and drains.
6	Roll basil leaves into long bundle and slice on an angle. Serve sauce over pasta and top with basil and parmesan.

 Cooking TimesPreparation Time: 10 minutes
Cooking Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes Nutrition Facts

• Be certain to cook sauce over low heat, once tomato products have been added to the pan.
• Add ground beef for a quick bolognese sauce
• Use Italian frying or Cubanel peppers instead of green peppers
• If using fresh herbs, increase amounts accordingly
• Basil must be fresh.
• For the wine, use what you drink. Poor wine makes for poor sauce.

One of the questions we all wonder when we are thinking about losing weight is “How much should I be eating each day?”. The only proven way to lose weight (more properly lose fat) is to reduce the amount of calories consumed in proportion to the amount of calories burned. The FDA’s report “Calories Count: Report of the Working Group on Obesity” (http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/~dms/owg-toc.html) states:

Fundamentally, obesity represents an imbalance between energy intake (e.g., calorie intake) and energy output (expended both as physical activity and metabolic activity; see text box on Calorie (Energy) Balance at Appendix B). Although there is much discussion about (1) the appropriate makeup of the diet in terms of relative proportions of macronutrients (fats [lipids], carbohydrates, and protein) that provide calories and (2) the foods that provide these macronutrients, for maintenance of a healthy body weight it is the consumption and expenditure of calories that is most important. In other words, “calories count.”

No matter what we might see on a late night infomercial or read on the Internet, this fundamental truth is the foundation of healthy eating and fat loss. There is no magic diet or device that can breach this scientific bulwark. When a diet claims that you will lose weight by eating this or that, or taking this supplement, I’ll bet that if you research the eating plan carefully, you will see that in fact, there is a significant reduction in calorie intake. It is the reduction in calorie intake (vs. calorie expenditure) that causes the fat loss. As the report states, the most important factor in realizing weight loss is calorie control, not the manipulation of macronutrients (e.g. a high protein, low carb diet). Low carb diets work because overall calorie consumption is reduced, not primarily because carbs are restricted.

That said, how can we determine what amount of calories to eat to meet our goals? Actually, the concept is quite simple and just takes a little calculation. To determine how much to eat each day we need to determine how many calories we are burning. We do that by calculating 2 numbers: our BMR and our TDEE. Don’t worry, it isn’t hard.

BMR stands for Basal Metabolic Rate and it represents the number of calories burned in a day if we were asleep or in a coma as it were. It is the amount of energy used by the body to sustain life. This number is the basis for finding out how many calories we burn each day and it accounts for 60 – 70% of total calories burned. It also represents another important concept: the least amount of calories we should consume in a day. If we consistently consume much lower calories than our current BMR, we run the risk of triggering a “starvation response” in our body and effectively lowering our metabolic rate. This makes it more difficult to lose weight and keep it off in the long run.

The next important acronym is TDEE: Total Daily Energy Expenditure. This is your BMR plus the amount of calories burned through activity such as work, chores and exercise. You determine TDEE by applying a factor to your BMR dependent on your activity level. TDEE also represents that amount of calories you should consume to maintain your current body weight. Your BMR will change as you lose weight – it will reduce along with your weight. For example, a 30 year old male who is 6 feet tall and 200 pounds has a BMR of about 2022 calories. If that man loses 40 pounds for a new weight of about 160 pounds, his BMR will be about 1773. That’s almost 250 calories difference per day.

OK, I am going to share the formula for calculating BMR and TDEE but first I’ll share an easier way to do all the number crunching. You can visit my website where I have an easy to use calculator that will handle all of the heavy lifting for you! Here are the links:

BMR Calculator (Harris-Benedict)

So, how many calories should you eat in a day to lose fat? A pound of fat is equal to about 3500 calories. Therefore to lose a pound of fat in one week, a caloric deficit of 500 calories per day would be about right. Well, if 500 calories per day equals 1 pound per week, then consuming 1500 calories less per day is better because that equals 3 pounds, right? NO! NO! NO! To lose fat AND keep it off, it is important to make sure we don’t trigger a starvation response in our body (and cause our metabolism to slow down). In addition, unless you have a large amount of fat weight to lose, if you are losing 3 pounds per week, some of that weight is likely coming from lean body mass (muscle). This is not good. Muscle loss results in a metabolism slowdown. Each pound of muscle burns about 30 – 50 calories per day.  You want to lose fat and keep your lean body mass intact.

So here are some guidelines:

• Never eat less than your current BMR
• Eat 500 – 750 calories less than your TDEE or
• Eat 15% – 20% less than your TDEE (a moderate reduction in calories)

Another good rule of thumb may be to eat what you will eat when you are at your target weight. Simply enter your target weight into the calculator and view the calories for your target activity level. If you eat this amount now, eventually you will level off at your target weight. And here’s the best part – you will never be on a diet! You will simply change your lifestyle to that of someone at your target weight. If you do that, you will not only lose the fat, but you will KEEP it off. Of course, to lose the last few pounds it is likely that you will want to dip below your TDEE at your target weight for a while, but you’ll ease back up to your maintenance level after you meet your goal.

Alright, here is the formula for men:
BMR = 66 + (13.7 X wt in kg) + (5 X ht in cm) – (6.8 X age in years)

And for women:
BMR = 655 + (9.6 X wt in kg) + (1.8 X ht in cm) – (4.7 X age in years)

Keep in mind that these calculations are approximations. If you are eating with a 500 calorie deficit (and you are correctly logging your calorie count and correctly estimating your activity level), but are not losing weight after 2 or 3 weeks, try reducing the calories or better, increasing your activity level. If you still can’t seem to lose the pounds, check back with your doctor (you did check with your doctor before starting a weight loss program, right? If not, stop everything and do so now…). You may have a medical condition that may need attention in order to reach your goals.

I know this post is longer than usual, but hopefully you found it useful. I will be posting recipes in the near future and will be talking about ways to jump start your metabolisim by changing when you eat and perhaps even by eating more than usual!

Have a great day!

What does this have to do with the Healthy Gourmet? I had a chance to get some feedback on the book’s concept. It was encouraging to hear that others see a need for a book like this. My belief that there is a story to tell that will help others change their lives and be healthier and happier was definitely shored up. Lately I’ve been pondering what the emphasis of the book should be: Should it be a recipe book or should it emphasize the fitness aspect and have the recipes be one tool to leverage? The feedback I received leads me toward the second choice. I will definitely include a large number of recipes and cooking techniques, but much more also.

To give you a little teaser of the book, one chapter will be entitled “Weight is not the problem, it is the symptom”. One foundational truth I discovered is that while being overweight causes problems, it is often not the problem. There are reasons why we become overweight. For some it might well be a medical issue and that’s one reason why any weight-loss endeavor should start with a visit to your primary care physician. For many though, there are other, non-medical causes. I discovered my personal causes. Once they were clear to me, and only then could I form a plan to change my life. A life-change is what we seek, not just to lose weight because if we lose weight but don’t correct the true cause, we will likely gain it back. That’s the classic yo-yo effect of diets. Diets aren’t the answer, but they can be a tool for some. For me, I wanted a life-change. I set reasonable goals and made permanent changes to my life to achieve those goals and then make them my normal state of being. No diets for me. They have never worked, though I’ve tried several. Life-change is what I sought after.

A year ago this month, my wife Vicky were on vacation in the Bahamas. She earned a free vacation to Atlantis on Paradise Island through here excellent sales in her Arbonne business(http://vranck.myarbonne.com). We did have a great time, but it was not as good as it could have been. I weighed about 206 pounds, which is quite a bit more than I should weigh. I was out of shape, my back was hurting (I have a history of back injuries) and I was not happy. I was embarrassed to be in a swimsuit. All of this affected my demeanor and colored everything in my life. I had an over-abundance of stress in my life and I managed this stress, in part, through food. I didn’t overeat greatly, but I ate badly. I consumed the wrongs things and did so at the wrong time (late evening). I knew my life was out of balance, but didn’t know how to put things right again.

It wasn’t until the Christmas holidays that my journey towards fitness and better health began. While having our morning coffee, my wife and I watched an infomercial for a popular home gym. We decided then and there to purchase it and begin a life-change. We had begun to improve the manner in which we were eating by certain changes to our diet. We ate more whole grains and less refined grains for example. That morning though, I came to a conclusion: I am worth spending time, effort and money on my health. It was a “light bulb” moment. I realized that I had been short-changing myself and for no good reason. Case in point: I had wanted to add a protein shake as my morning meal for a long time, but never had. Why? I told myself it took too much time and I was always in a rush in the morning (I had an hour commute). That morning I saw how ridiculous that viewpoint was! Making a protein shake takes about 3 minutes and I could take it with me in the car. Lack of time was not an excuse and even if I had to get up earlier or leave later, I was worth the time and effort!

As my mindset began to change, I wanted to take control of my diet. I didn’t want to go on a diet, I wanted to change the way I ate.  I happen to like to cook and it was natural for me to decide to control my diet through taking on a large part of our household cooking. I also enjoy good-tasting meals so I was determined to learn to create healthy meals that did not sacrifice flavor and fun. Little by little, I discovered how easy it can be – if you know a few secrets and techniques. 

I based my meals on a few principles:

• Know what you are eating
• Use quality ingredients, not packaged “stuff” that contains artificial this and refined that
• Eating well can and should taste great
• Use organic ingredients where practical
• Good food can be quick to fix
• Simple changes can make a great difference

These are the principles, along with others, that will be covered in “The Healthy Gourmet”. I don’t want to create a diet cookbook. I want to help the readers learn to create meals that can promote better health. These principles are meant to be a lifelong habit, not a fad diet. I’ve tried diets. I hate them. Learning how to prepare healthy meals that everyone can enjoy is something I can sink my teeth into (pun intended).

Tomorrow, a year from our trip to the Bahamas, we leave for Cancun (my wife earned another trip from Arbonne). This year, I am looking forward to putting on my swimsuit and strolling through the resort. I’m 25 pounds lighter and have a waist that is about 6 belt loops slimmer. I’m not at my ultimate goal, but I’ve exceeded my original goal for this year. I did it without going on a diet. I did it while enjoying great-tasting meals. I want others to experience the type of life-change I have experienced. That’s the why of “The Healthy Gourmet”.

Waterfire

This was truly a moving experience with thousands of people applauding and cheering as the survivors marched along the brick-pave pathways. My wife has been supporting the Gloria Gemma organization for a while now and now I can see why. Over the last few years they have made a significant impact on the community by raising awareness about breast cancer and by raising funds to support research. In addition, they provide direct support for survivors of this horrible disease.

You can learn more about Waterfire and the Gloria Gemma Breast Cancer Resource Foundation here: http://www.gloriagemma.org/

You can learn more about my wife Victoria Ranck and her business here: http://vranck.myarbonne.com/

From the Gloria Gemma Breast Cancer Resource Foundation website:
“The Gloria Gemma Breast Cancer Resource Foundation was established in 2004 in memory of our mom and in honor of her courageous fight against breast cancer. Our mission is to raise breast cancer awareness, increase breast health education, and generate funding for critical breast health programs that are in desperate need of being brought to fruition. Our promise is that 100% of the net proceeds will remain right here in our local community.”

Sauteed Sea Scallops with Garlic and Rosemary

Serve with chilled white wine. A good choice is Pindar Winter White. Pairs well with brown rice and a green vegetable such as roasted asparagus.

Servings: 2

Cooking Times

Preparation Time: 15 minutes

Cooking Time: 8 minutes

Total Time: 23 minutes

Nutrition Facts

Tips

Do not overcook the scallops. They are done when opaque. You may need to lengthen cooking time a little on second side because of adding the wine.

Sea scallops are sweet and succulent. They are best if fresh-caught. Here in Connecticut many prefer bay scallops. Bay scallops are much smaller than sea scallops and tend to be a little sweeter. Because they are small, it is important not to overcook them.

I’ve just created this blog this evening and will likely be making sweeping changes to the layout and design over the next few weeks, so please bear with me. I welcome comments on the layout and of course on my posts. I hope you will find them helpful and interesting. You no doubt have noticed my first post is recipe for sauteed scallops. This is a very simple recipe and one of our household favorites. Enjoy!

Happy cooking!