Yummy, yummy to my dessert tummy!

Yummy, yummy to my dessert tummy!

We all have a sweet tooth of some kind for some type of dessert.  You may not be a cake eater, but you might like pies, cookies, cupcakes, ice cream, brownies, candy, or some other type of sweet indulgence.  I often hear people say they have cut sugar from their diet and my first question is why?!  The most common response is to lose weight for a specific event or occasion (i.e. wedding, swimsuit season, class reunion, etc).  It really doesn’t make much sense to me because you lose the weight for the event or occasion and then gain it right back so it isn’t done to maintain a healthy weight and sustain it over time.  Removing sugar from your diet as a “cleanse” or way to lose weight is almost like a punishment to yourself (and possibly others) because your mood changes, you crave sugar, and once the period of time, event, or occasion ends you tend to overindulge yourself with sugar until you feel sick and sometimes even guilty.

What’s my point or better yet what’s my solution?  Build dessert into your meal and calorie count for the day.  For example, if you know you will be eating dessert after dinner, base your total calories and portions for that meal prior to dessert.  If you usually eat 650 calories at dinner, but know that you will be eating dessert cut your calories at dinner to 400 and then allow yourself a 250 calorie dessert.  This helps reduce your portions prior to dessert so that you don’t over consume by adding an additional 250 calories to your typical 650 calorie dinner.  If you don’t cut calories and portion out your meal to consider dessert, think about how many calories you would eat if you have your usual 650 calorie dinner and decide to add on a 250 calorie dessert.  You would have a total of 900 calories for one meal, which is almost half of what a woman’s total daily caloric intake should be!

My final point?  Be cognizant of how many calories you are putting in your mouth, be well informed about how many calories you SHOULD be eating based on your gender and age, and lastly remember that portion control is just as important as what you choose to put in your mouth!  So eat nutritious and eat within boundaries!  Below is a general calorie count for men and women based on age and activity level.  Please realize it is a little bit different for every person based on their fitness level, health and medical history, etc.  Also, remember that as we age our metabolism tends to slow down decreasing the amount of success we see in burning calories when we workout.  In other words, as you age it may take more effort and a longer workout to burn the number of calories you once burned at a younger age.  Don’t feel discouraged though, no matter what, if you are working out you are definitely doing your mind and body a favor and making me proud (because you are helping me change the dynamics and statistics in America which will take time to do)!  Oh, and just so you got the moral out of the story:  Don’t cut out sugar, enjoy a dessert on occasion, key words being on occasion!  You will feel better, do much better, and see more success if you maintain your diet by eating in moderation rather than cutting food groups.  That saying “everything in moderation” that you are always told and hear is actually true! 😉

GENDER CALORIES (Moderately Active) CALORIES (Active)
FEMALES 

19-30 years old

31-50 years old

51+ years old

 

2,000 -2,200

1,800-2,000

1,600-1,800

 

2,400

2,200

2,000-2,200

MALES 

19-30 years old

31-50 years old

51+ years old

 

2,400-2,600

2,200-2,400

2,000-2,200

 

2,800

2,600-2,800

2,400-2,600

(Courtesy of http://www.choosemyplate.gov)

~jj

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