Do all those "little bites" here and there really matter? What's a couple crackers here or a few bites of that brownie over there? Well let me tell you a little story to put it in perspective...
Sally wakes up and makes herself a hearty and healthy breakfast of 9 tablespoons of egg whites 75 calories. She also had 2 slices of turkey bacon at 60 calories. She also ate a clementine that was 35 calories.
Her kids woke up and wanted breakfast, so being the good mom she is, she made them chocolate chip pancakes, with regular bacon, and of course, she had to eat one of those pancakes because it couldn't go to waste, so that was another 170 calories.
It's mid morning now, and Sally was in need of a snack. She made a whey protein shake with almond milk, 140 calories, ate a handful of almonds, 70 calories.
But then the kids needed a snack too she broke out the goldfish and ate a handful as she poured them into the bowls for the kids, 70 calories.
By lunch Sally was pretty hungry so she ate 2 cups of romaine lettuce, 15 calories, 2 oz of a tomoato, 20 calories, feta cheese, 99 calories, 3 oz of chicken, 140 calories, balsamic vinegar, 15 calories, olive oil, 70 calories.
But of course the kids need lunch now, and they don't like salad..so pizza rolls it is! Still feeling a bit hungry you snag 3 of the pizza rolls giving you 110 calories.
Shew, is it nap time yet? Thank goodness!
But now naptime is over and these kids need some food!
So, being the good mother she is, Sally fixed herself and her kids a snack. Peanut butter and apples! 2 tablespoons of peanut butter and a regular sized apple 260 calories.
FINALLY dad is home and it is time for dinner! He was in the Italian mood, so pasta and garlic bread it is! Sally ate a good breakfast and lunch, so it's ok to splurge at dinner right? That homemade sauce is just soooo good. Sally only ate one cup of pasta so that gave her just 310 calories. But oh we cannot forget that addicting garlic bread! One slice as it comes out of the oven, one with dinner, and the half that little Johnny didn't finish. 345 calories.
And as always, the kids want dessert. But Sally didn't make anything fancy so she got out the oreos and gave the kids each 2 cookies. And grabbed herself two cookies because, let's face it, you've ate great all day what's two oreo cookies?! 140 calories.
Now it's bedtime and you're a bit hungry after that starchy meal, so Sally grabs a banana, 70 calories. And finally goes to bed.
Sally's total daily caloric intake should be around 1200-1300. Her actual intake was 2,044!!! Thats 844 OVER her goal!
Let's just say Sally worked out for 1 hour, and burned about 586 calories. Since that is what I burn in an hour based on my weight and height. She's still at 1458. That's still 258 calories OVER her daily goal.
If you aren't writing down EVERYTHING you intake, you will always wonder why you cannot get to your goals. You have to hold yourself accountable. YES these little bites do matter! A handful here and couple pizza rolls there, DO MATTER! Especially for those who cannot workout more than lightweight activities.
Take the time to figure out what you're taking in, and instead of taking those little bites, sip on WATER! It will help keep you fuller and away from those little devil bites.
If you're overweight, your primary care physician will help assess the role your weight plays in your knee pain and recommend a plan of treatment accordingly. Most likely, a plan for weight loss will be part of your treatment. Many knee problems can be avoided by maintaining a healthy weight.
Carrying extra weight is directly related to knee pain. A 2008 review article in the journal Obesity found that obesity (defined as having a body mass index of 30 or above) leads to pain, limits activity, and increases the risk of needing a total knee replacement. In 2003, Obesity Research published a study of 5,700 Americans over age 60. It showed that the more obese a person was, the more likely he or she was to experience knee pain. About 56% of severely obese people had significant knee pain, compared with 15% of people who were not overweight.
Such findings are not surprising when you consider that with each step on level ground, you put one to one-and-a-half times your body weight on each knee. So a 200-pound person can put 300 pounds of pressure on each knee with each step. The burden is even higher when you go up and down stairs (two or three times as much weight) or squat (four or five times). So if you're 50 pounds overweight, the simple act of going downstairs and squatting to move clothes from the washer to the dryer puts hundreds of extra pounds of force on your knees.
Carrying extra weight is directly related to knee pain. A 2008 review article in the journal Obesity found that obesity (defined as having a body mass index of 30 or above) leads to pain, limits activity, and increases the risk of needing a total knee replacement. In 2003, Obesity Research published a study of 5,700 Americans over age 60. It showed that the more obese a person was, the more likely he or she was to experience knee pain. About 56% of severely obese people had significant knee pain, compared with 15% of people who were not overweight.
Such findings are not surprising when you consider that with each step on level ground, you put one to one-and-a-half times your body weight on each knee. So a 200-pound person can put 300 pounds of pressure on each knee with each step. The burden is even higher when you go up and down stairs (two or three times as much weight) or squat (four or five times). So if you're 50 pounds overweight, the simple act of going downstairs and squatting to move clothes from the washer to the dryer puts hundreds of extra pounds of force on your knees.
