• 1 pound of body weight is equivalent to 3500 calories
• 1 gram of carbohydrates = 4 calories
• 1 gram of protein = 4 calories
• 1 gram of fat = 9 calories
• 1 gram of alcohol = 7 calories
• 1 pound per week is the recommended rate of weight loss.

In order to lose one pound of weight per week, a calorie deficit of 3500 calories or 500 calories per day is needed. One pound per week can be lost by increasing calorie expenditure, by reducing calorie intake, or (best) by a combination of both.

To lose one pound per week increase your metabolism by doing the following: 

• Eat a nutritious breakfast every day; this increases your metabolism and burns 100 calories  
• Eat two extra pieces of fruit as a snack per day; have greater vitality, and burn 100 calories
• Drink an additional 500 ml of purified water per day; in addition to the benefits of water, burn 90 extra calories
• Eat one serving of deep sea fish per week; this increases heart and cellular health - and burns 65 calories every day
• 20 minutes strength training once or twice a week; add 1kg of muscle and burn 100 calories daily
• Walk an extra 2000 steps (about 20 minutes) per day; increase the health of your heart and lungs and burn 100 calories

Incorporating these metabolism boosting suggestions will burn a grand total of 202,575 extra calories per year!

Increasing physical activity = increased calories burned

• Moderate activity burns 3.5 to 7 calories per minute
• Vigorous activity burns more than 7 calories per minute

It's as easy as riding a bike:

Moderate: Walking at a brisk pace of 5-7 kmh on a level surface inside or outside, such as walking to class, work, walking the dog, walking for pleasure, bicycling 8-14 kmh on level terrain with few hills, roller or in-line skating at a leisurely pace.                  

Vigorous: Race walking and aerobic walking 8 kmh or faster, jogging or running, backpacking, bicycling more than 15 kmh, roller or in-line skating at a brisk pace.

Vitamin myth and reality

• Myth - Taking vitamins and mineral supplements will provide more energy
• Reality - Not one of the 14 vitamins has been shown to supply energy. Their role is to release the energy from the food
• Reality - Taking excess amounts, or mega doses, will not result in increased energy

Water - How much should you be drinking? 

Every day water is lost - through sweating, exhaling, urinating and bowel movements. For an optimally functioning body replace this water by consuming beverages and foods that contain water.  If exercising or engaging in any activity that creates perspiration, drink extra water to compensate for that fluid loss. Additional water in hot or humid weather is also needed to help lower body temperature and to replace what was lost through sweating.

Here's a simple formula for working out the minimum amount of water required:

Take your weight in kilograms and multiply it by 33 then divide by 1000

For example, if you weighed 65 kilograms your minimum intake will be 65 kg x 33 ÷ 1000 = 2.1 liters

Watch out for the labeling - "Fat Free", "Diet" & "Sugar Free"

North Americans are fatter and un-healthier than ever. Why? When we remove fat from a product we take out the most important element - taste! Taste needs to be replaced and the most common ingredient to replace it with is sugar. Take for example a "Fat Free" salad dressing. Have a look at the ingredients and see what the first ingredient listed is. You will be amazed to see that in the majority of cases it is sugar.

Then there are the products that have had the sugar replaced - it's advertised as "Diet" or "Sugar Free", however, the problem is in many cases the product has been artificially sweetened with substances that are poisonous to the human body. Aspartame and phenylalanine are a couple of them. Here is what has been said about these two substances:

"Aspartame sugar substitutes cause worrying symptoms from memory loss to brain tumors"

"Excessive levels of phenylalanine in the brain can cause the levels of serotonin in the brain to decrease, leading to emotional disorders such as depression"

Nutrition - What should I be eating and how often?

Did you know that people who eat 6 or more times per day have more energy, are healthier and are leaner? It may be hard to believe but it is very true. It is all about metabolism. The faster your metabolism the better you will feel, function and look. Snacking in between meals with quality snacks keeps your metabolism ticking over.

Here's a list of snacks you can enjoy to keep that metabolism running:

• Fresh fruits (ideally organic)
• Nuts and seeds - almonds, macadamias, walnuts, pumpkin and sunflower seeds (avoid roasted and salted nuts)
• Yogurt's - natural or naturally sweetened
• Crackers with natural toppings such as avocado, tomato, cottage cheese, or tuna
• Smoothies and juices - go for natural fresh ingredients (avoid sugars, syrups, ice creams and frozen yogurt)
• Vegetable bits and dips - carrots, celery, peppers and home made hummus

A balanced daily diet of 12-15% proteins, 20-30% fats and 55-65% carbohydrates is the best recommendation for meeting normal nutritional needs. A balanced diet typically provides an abundance of vitamins and minerals.