How to calculate your nutritional needs like a dietitian would!

Ok so just for fun (because dietitians find this fun)- lets learn how to calculate your nutritional requirements just like a dietitian would!

So theres a basic formula I use in clinic called the Mifflin-St. Jeor equation. To be honest with you, I have no clue how to pronounce that but I swear I didnt just make it up haha! There are a few steps involved- lets simplify it here in 5 steps....

five steps to calculating caloric needs (the in-depth way).

1) you need to know gender, age, height, weight, and activity level
2) you need to convert the weight and ht to kg and cm....multuply ht in inches by 2.54 to get it in cm and then divide weight in lbs by 2.2 to get it in kg. easy peasy. Pause what your doing, do the conversions, and write down those numbers before moving on....

ready?......

ok.....

3) now we calculate the resting metabolic rate- which is the bare minimum calories our bodies need to survive just for our heart to pump and our breathing etc...as in if you laid in bed and did NOTHING, ever, thats how much you need to survive....this is the hard part- the formula looks big and scary but its not. Its just simple math

here it is (FYI this is for adults not children OR the elderly....they get calculated differently)

for a MALE use THIS....
10 X WT (KG) + 6.25 X HT (CM)- 5 X AGE (YEARS) + 5

for a FEMALE use THIS....
10 X WT (KG) + 6.25 X HT (CM)- 5 X AGE (YEARS) - 161

Lets do an example.

Jane smith (just made her up) is a lightly active, 30 year old mom of 2 who works out 30 min a day,  is 5'4", and weighs 160 lbs. She would like to lose some weight.

first....CONVERSIONS...5'4"=64" x 2.54= 162.56cm     160lbs/2.2= 72.7 kg

So all converted, Jane smith  is 162.56 cm and 72.7 kg. Now we can calculate RMR for her.
because she is a female, we will use the female equation-

10 X WT (KG) + 6.25 X HT (CM)- 5 X AGE (YEARS) - 161
10 x 72.7kg + 6.25 x 162.56cm - 5 x 30 - 161
727+1016-150-161=   1432 kcal

So Jane Smiths resting metabolic rate is 1432 kcal (FYI most people just call them calories- us dietitians call them their real name- which is kilo calories- aka- kcal)

BUT thats just how much she needs to survive without moving! shes a mom of 2 AND she works out 30 min a day so she needs more than that!

4)  insert ACTIVITY FACTOR.

I feel that this is where most people go wrong. They like to think they are more active than they really are. So based on the table- some might think- Jane is very active! she has two kids, and she puts her all into her exercise most days of the week! WRONG. I forget the exact definitions, my reference DRI book is at work (love that thing!), but from the top of my head, lightly active if I recall is the equivalence of walking briskly/ jogging a few miles a day and moderately active is equivalent to like 5-8 miles up to extremely active being like Olympic competitors. I would classify Jane as lightly-moderately active based on her physical activity level and I would use maybe 1.4 as a good activity factor to multiply her RMR by. This part is a little subjective but, remember, this whole thing is just an estimate. The only way to know the EXACT numbers is through indirect calorimetry but lets be real here...I've NEVER used that in my 5 years as an RD. We just don't have access to that. So this is the best we can do.

So we know her RMR is 1432, so lets do the math:
1432 x 1.4 =  2004.8 kcal.

DONE!

no. not yet.

Thats how much she needs to MAINTAIN her current weight. But if we recall, she wants to lose some weight! moving on to the last step...

5) to adjust the needs for goals you can either add or subtract 500-100 kcal  per day based on whether the individual wants to lose weight or gain weight! so for Jane, she wants to lose... I think we could safely subtract 600 kcal from her daily requirement for weight loss goals

that would give her a final caloric requirement to meet her goals of ~1400 kcal/ day


now you can take it a step further and calculate her MACRO nutrient requirements!

macronutrients are the big nutrients- the carbs, protein, and fat vs the micronutrients which are the vitamins and minerals. Its just dietitian talk.

So heres a basic guide- for weight loss, I like to use 40% carbs, 30% protein, and 30% fat.

1g carb= 4 kcal
1 g protein = 4 kcal
and 1g fat = 9 kcal

so if we have 1400 kcal, we can multiply that by .4 to give us the total calories from carbs that she needs. that is 560 kcal from carbohydrates. We know that each gram of carbohydrate is 4 kcal so wed divide 560 by 4 and thatd give us our total grams = 140 grams a day. Try to make at least 25 grams of that from fiber for women and 30 grams fiber for men.

For protein- same thing! 1400 x .3 (for the 30% calories from protein), = 420 kcal divided by 4 kcal per gram of protein = 105 g protein per day.

and last but not least- fat! 1400 x .3= 420 kcal divided by 9 kcal/ gram of fat = ~47 g fat/ day.

and that my friends is how it is done lol! complicated as it looks, its really an easy plug n chug calculation.


Now im going to get some rest bc someone kept me up all night (I wont say names but it starts with the letter J and ends with an "acob" and hes a busy little toddler.....oops I said too much...)

happy calorie calculating ya'll!

Putting food in its place.

I wasn't planning on blogging today, and definitely not about this. However, I feel compelled to sit down right now and talk to you (whoever you are), about putting food in it's place!


So we live in a society that looks for instant gratification in just about everything in life. I'm not about to get into anything today though, other than food. We look to food when we are tired, when we are happy, when we are sad, when its been a great day, when its been a horrible day, when we are stressed, as a reason to socialize, as a reason to procrastinate, and so on and so forth. We are ALL emotional eaters in my opinion, some to a higher degree than others. If you think about it, any time you eat when you are not truly physically hungry, your an emotional eater. Some may beg to differ, usually those who are in denial that they too, are emotional eaters.

Our world looks at food as a source of happiness though. And don't get me wrong, good food DOES make me happy. But what happens is it becomes our sole focus. We get so fixated on food, food, food. And I can see how- it is something we need all throughout the day. However, we lose focus on what our body actually needs food for. How often do you think, "what does my body ACTUALLY need right now? are my bones crying out for more calcium and vitamin D? Are my kidneys screaming for more water? Are my blood cells searching for more iron? Are my eyes looking for a little extra vitamin A?"...most people don't. Most people think- its time to eat, what sounds good....what will taste good to me...what will bring me happiness RIGHT NOW, and we lose sight on the good ol' fashion thought of food as fuel for our bodies. We don't often think, "Hum, what will give me energy and not make me feel heavy, bloated and tired later". Instead we think in terms of that instant gratification. That happiness that that bowl of ice cream brings, or that bite of cupcake, or that bowl of pasta.

I am  a firm believer in living each day to its fullest, and when I saw this image, it saddened my heart. "Add life to your days, not days to your life" with pictures of frosted cupcakes lingering at the bottom. I have literally had morbid obese patients tell me that they were going to eat the foods they wanted no matter what. If it meant that they would die tomorrow, they were still going to eat that food, and nobody can stop them. They tell me that food brings them their happiness and that happiness was worth more than life itself.

Are you starting to see my problem with this??? Our society is kind of stuck in this mindset of "I deserve to feel happy and this is what makes me happy". Therefore, they eat whatever they want. What we lack at this point is BALANCE. I do not expect everyone to have perfect diets ALL of the time. In fact, no one does. And if they tell you they do, they are lying. Lord knows that I have my fair share of cravings and giving in to my cravings and emotional eating. But we try to keep a balance in our household. Have you ever heard of the 80/20 rule? Essentially- we eat clean, healthy, nourishing food, 80% of the time. Sometimes more. Sometimes less.

But the point is we are not aiming to be perfect. We are aiming to be BALANCED. And not just with our food! Our happiness should also come from social interactions, our relationships, family, friends, the great outdoors, etc, etc.  We need to balance our exercise, our self- care, our relationships, and our time to just name a few. We should seek something deeper to manage our emotions other than reaching for something in the fridge. We need to shift our focus and learn to put food in its place- which is to nourish our bodies!

I LOVE food, and I do not want to give anyone the wrong idea, however, food has its place in our household. We eat the same things pretty much every day. A perfect balance of vegetables, fruits, proteins, complex carbs and fats. But we still have our date night once a week. That one night where anything goes pretty much! We keep it mindful and we enjoy our food but it is the one night a week that we are eating for pleasure and entertainment. Don't get me wrong, we enjoy the foods we eat during the week days too, but those meals and snacks are planned with the intention of nourishing our bodies. And guess what- we are all happy, healthy, and fed! We now realize that yes, food brings pleasure, but that pleasure, if over used, is fleeting, and inevitably leads to feelings of remorse and decreased feeling of self worth. Rather, we choose to exercise routinely, live by the 80/20 rule, and focus our attention on the other areas and aspects of our life that need attention. My happiness no longer comes from food. It comes from that feeling of accoplishment when I fit into my pre-baby pants or when I can do 5 more push-ups than I did the last time. My happiness comes from spending time with my family, and from helping others meet their goals too.

We are so blessed to be living in a land of plenty but that blessing is being overused and abused by so many and balance is completely lost. We have spiraled into this new addiction and bad habits/ routines revolving around food for comfort and pleasure and keep justifying it in our heads that its ok because happiness is worth more to me than life and this makes me happy, not admitting that inside, we are not happy at all, and I firmly believe that even the most strong willed individuals who are adamant that they will not ever change the way they eat, are either in complete denial of what their life has become or secretly screaming out inside for help but too overwhelmed to even know where to start.


If you are one who needs help putting food in its place, changing your eating habits, learning how to put together a healthy diet and put it into practice daily, then I want to personally invite you to join me in a 30 day diet overhaul challenge. This challenge is for anyone who wants help with their diet. Whether you don't know where to start or are just looking to change up a few bad habits. This group is being led by 4 registered dietitians who will help you DAILY. We will GIVE you a nutrition plan and TEACH you how to put food in its place and begin eating to nourish your body and reach your goals.




If you would like to be considered for one of the five open spots in this group, or maybe just have some questions about it, fill out the application below and I will get back to you within 24 hours.

Fill out my online form.

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PiYo is coming! PiYo is coming! Wait...WHAT'S PIYO?!?!

ITS RELEASING TOMORROW!!!! 

It's being released a few days EARLY! I'm so pumped to try this new program...
so... WHAT IN THE WORLD IS PIYO?!?!

It's beachbodys newest program by CHALEAN Johnson ! It's a combo of Pilates and yoga, cranked up a notch to get killer results of lean definition, firm booty, and tight abs in 60 days. Because its based on a fusion of yoga and pilates, you really work each and every single muscle to stabalize, stretch, andstrengthen every  inch of your body. The workouts are 25-45 minutes and completely low impact so suitable for, well, EVERYONE!!! Don't be fooled- just bc it's low impact doesn't make it easy... It is still a high intensity program that delivers RESULTS. Just without jumping, without weights, and without joint strain. 

This program is being released through coaches FIRST- so if you want to try this new program, send me a message at bdaustin7@gmail.com, and ill get you the details! Ill be holding an exclusive test group in July, so join me!!! Ahhh SOOOO STINKING EXCITED!!!!!!

Toddler menu planning!

I've been working on menu planning this morning but not for me- for my toddler! I'm always worried if my son is getting enough, or too much of any particular nutrient, so the dietitian in me set on a quest to determine the nutrient needs and properly balanced menu for a toddler age 12-36 months- and decided to share my info, all from the Academy of Nutrition pediatric Nutriton assessment handbook, to help other mommas menu plan for their toddlers as well! 

Here's a summary of how much of each food our little munchkins need each day for healthy growth and development: 

Dairy -4-5 servings

          (milk-4oz, cheese- 1/2 oz, yogurt 4oz , cottage cheese 1/4 cup)

Carbs- 6 servings 

          (Cereal -1/3-1/2 cup, pasta- 1/4-1/3 cup, rice- 1/4-1/3 cup, bread- 1/4-1/2 slice,  crackers-2)

Fruits (including juice but no more than 4-6 oz/day)- 2-3 servings

          (1/3 cup canned or fresh- chopped)

Veggies- 2-3 servings 

          (1/4 cup= 1 serving)

Protein- 2 servings

          (Meat/fish-2-3 tbs, egg-1, beans- 1/4 cup)

So what does that actually look like in a day:

Here's just a sample day from our menu: 

Breakfast- 1 egg, 4oz whole milk yogurt, 1/2 slice whole wheat bread

Snack- organic granola bar 

Lunch- 1/3 cup organic whole wheat macaroni mixed with 1/4 cup steamed mixed veggies, and a fruit cup

Snack- 2 crackers, 1/3 cup strawberry slices 

Dinner- 1/4 cup black beans, 1/4 cup quinoa, 1/4 cup diced steamed zucchini 

Snack (Jacob likes to have cereal after dinner!) 1/3 cup plain Cheerios 

We also offer whole milk in his straw cup all through out the day along with water and he still nurses 2-3 times a day. 

Hope this helps you moms of toddlers plan out the menus and meals! 

Happy planning :-) 

How to weight-proof your home!

Lets weight proof our home!!!

Youve heard me mention this before, the importance of weight proofing your home, but what does that really mean exectaly? It means setting you up for success on your diet plan by making sure your kitchen is set up to prepare healthy meals and snacks at a moments notice! It involves organizing, getting rid of the junk, and making sure you have the right tools in place and ready to rock n' roll! Lets gets started....

Lets start with kitchen tools...
Make sure you have the right tools to prepare and measure your food and then keep them handy where you can easily access them! Heres a list of the very basics I keep in my kitchen at all times!

• Paring knife
• Vegetable peeler
• Measuring cup
• Food Scale
• Snack size plastic bags/ 1 oz plastic containers
• Plastic 1 cup size reusable containers and 1/2 cup reusable containers

Warning: as my coach says....  Open bags can lead to saddlebags.  

You know that moment when you reach your hand in a bag to grab one quick bite....and then you repeat, you know- just once more....and well...whats once more going to hurt...next thing we know, we've had 2-3 portions more than we need! Yikes! To avoid this- make a rule for yourself that you NEVER eat out of a bag! And then take it a step further and repackage bulk snacks like almonds, into their appropriate portion! (12 almonds is a portion, by the way!) I always try to do this AS SOON as I get home from the grocery store so that way there is no excuse later.

Another HUGE step to weight proofing your home is to rid your home of anything NOT part of your diet! toss it out or donate it to your local food pantry. If its not there, you can't eat it. And no excuses that "you only keep the cheetos and soda pop in the house for the kids"....NOPE! that excuse does NOT fly with this dietitian! whats healthy for you is also healthy for the rest of your family, so have a talk with everyone and say hey- guess what- were ALL getting healthy, and nobody will starve...promise. But soda, chips, cookies etc have NO place in your home!!!

ORGANIZE YOUR CABINETS! 
Did you know that grocery stores are organized VERY strategically down the isles? Next time your grocery shopping, pay attention! I teach a nutrition for weight loss class and when we do our grocery store tour, it NEVER fails! The shelves are organized in a way in which the name brand foods are right at eye level and often the not-so-healthy ones, the sugary coated versions with cartoon characters are lower to the bottom (eye level for kids), and the plain healthier versions are at the very top shelf. When we went with our last group through the grocery store, the perfect example was the snack isle- the cracker jacks were on the bottom- the individual higher priced nuts with dried fruit were at eye level and the top shelf was where we found the plain unsalted raw almonds.

So lets flip this around in our home! Take those healthy foods that you have prepped and put them RIGHT at eye level in your cabinets and fridge. This will help you to make better food choices when your at home! The more fresh and healthy ingredients and snacks you have visible in the fridge, the more likely you are to grab those first!

Keeping quick protein sources on hand is just as important, especially when you are working at building lean muscle!

When you are building muscle, hard-cooked egg whites are a great source of lean protein, and they're easy to prep so they're ready to go!  Boil a dozen eggs on Sunday night (we actually do them in the oven to save time- 325 F for 30 min and DONE) , then peel and place them in a large storage bag.  Now, all you have to do is remove the yolk, dice up your egg whites, dump some salsa in there and BAM!  Or you can just eat your egg whites on the go whole!

Other fast protein sources to be stored at eye level include prepackaged tuna packets.  Though they store well in the pantry, I keep them in the refrigerator.  Who wants a warm tuna sandwich?

Now when you find yourself staring mindlessly into your fridge, you'll see the stuff you should be eating!  It's washed, cut, enticing and ready to go!!

Now lets head the the pantry!
Most of the good stuff gets stored in the pantry, and by good stuff, I mean terribly unhealthy stuff, like chips, surgary cereals, candies, etc etc etc. I say- ditch them. If you cant ditch them for whatever reason (maybe you live with others and they arent yours to be ditching), then put them in the very very top where you wont see them- even better, designate a shelf specifically for that stuff in a cabinet which you will not open. And even a step further- make a note on the inside of that cabinet with a motivational reminder of why you don't eat that stuff! 

Then, load up the other shelves at eye level with the healthy stuff...
So here is what you can find on my shelves:

• Brown Rice 
• Unsalted Raw Almonds, Cashews, Peanuts
• Oldfasion rolled Oats
• Protein Powder
• Shakeology
• Canned Low Sodium black beans
• Canned low sodium diced tomatos
• quinoa
• High quality protein bars

Will you be able to find cake mix and cookies in my house?  NOPE. because if I know it is there, I will eat it. Bottom line.

Lastly, put things where people know to look for them.  I basically stock the same stuff all the time.  I maintain a list and check off what i need.  But there is no mystery.  No one is opening the pantry and expecting a sudden influx of cookies or chips.  Boring?  YES!!!!  Intentionally!!!  You see, if you never knew what you might get when you opened the pantry, you'd go there first!!!  I don't want my family to eat from the pantry.  The pantry is where emergency foods live.  Let's face it, with few exceptions, just about everything in your pantry is processed!  The healthy stuff is in the fridge!!!

So there you have it! all the info to properly and effectively weight proof your home!

Here is a quick start list: 

1. Remove high fat, high sugar temptations- outa sight, outa mind! 
2. Stock up on small plastic food bags, snack containers, and clear plastic fruit bowls for display.
3. Arrange prep tools in an easy to reach place.  The fewer steps, the better!
4. Spring clean your fridge, make room for the fresh stuff.
5. Divide snacks into individual servings and arrange in the front and center of the pantry!

As always, feel free to message me if you have any questions! Till next time! 

Self-discipline is overrated.

Yep, thats right, you read that correctly. Self-discipline is overrated. I DO NOT rely on self discipline when it comes to my diet and exercise. If I did, I would be in big trouble. Instead, I rely HEAVILY on defined routines and systems!!!!!

Creating systems and routines when it comes to my diet and exercise WORKS, my will power on the other hand, that's a different story! When I set clearly defined routines and execute them, I don't need to rely on my very limited will power. Now, don't get me wrong- it still takes will power to execute what I have planned, but not nearly as much as going willy nilly about my days and weeks just kinda hoping everything will go as it should without a plan.

Many people I work with have told me- "I am just not one to plan- I don't do well with set routines...." ....WRONG. I strongly believe that everyone needs to get into a rhythm that works for them. That rhythm and routine needs to be something that they are able to duplicate day in and day out. Meaning on the good days, and on the bad days. On the days they are feeling motivated and on the, well, lazy days for lack of better words. I know from my own experience.

One thing that leads many people to failure with their diet and fitness plans is when life happens. You know, you have car trouble, troubles at work, kids are misbehaving, someone gets sick- when life throws you for a loop. The first response internally is to revert back to old habits and routines. That's why it is so vital to not just rid yourself of old habits- but CREATE new ones that can be SUSTAINED through the ups and downs of life!

So what this looks like for me in my life, diet, and fitness is following the same diet plan with only minor tweaks daily. Our weekly menu (for the most part) is almost ALWAYS the same: monday is meatloaf, tuesday is fish tacos, wednesday is baked chicken, thursday is salmon, friday is date night, saturday is chilli and sunday is crock pot chicken. repeat. repeat. repeat.  Occasionally, if I know that its going to be a hectic week, Ill do all one thing- for instance, this week is chicken, chicken and more chicken. I have done all salmon in the past too. spinach and salmon, spinach and salmon. Until things calm down and I can focus on the meals again. Keeping this same pattern for dinners is a SANITY saver and helps to keep me and my family on track. When you focus on eating to fuel your body vs entertainment and enjoyment, meal planning and prepping takes on a whole different level.

And on the same note, our breakfast, lunch and snacks hardly ever change as well. It keeps us in a rhythm and routine that WORKS.

One thing I will be focusing my attention on this month is building the habit of waking up at 5 am to do my workout. I am a work in progress :-) Lately I have been doing my workouts whenever my son lets me which means it could be in the afternoon, mornings, or late evenings. It gets done, but I don't like that feeling of not knowing when. Yes, I am a creature of habit.

So, folks- lets take personal responsibility for our own lives, create our own sustainable routines, kick excuses to the curb, and stop giving ourselves the option to do something we have already set our minds not to do. Lets create our own success stories!!!!

Would you make a good coach?

So you guys know that I am a beach body coach....I started initially just to get my discount on shakeology because lets be real, who doesn't want to save an extra 25% each month?! Well, as my passion for products that WORK grew, I started actively coaching to help change lives. And guess what, not only is it working, but I am getting paid while I am at it! Yep- all from home. I honestly didn't think I would make money at all doing this, but figured that if I can help at least 1 person, then it is worth my time investment! But guess what! no joke- within my first month of helping people reach their health and fitness goals, I earned enough to pay my student loan payments for the month as well as our groceries. Now for some that may seem very insignificant, but for me, that is a tremendous blessing. Plus it is something I LOVE! 

If you or anyone you know wants to know more about what it means to be a beachbody coach and find out if its the real deal, then I strongly urge you to listen in to this free call that will be held TOMORROW at 6pm PST or 9 pm ET. just click on this link and all you have to do is LISTEN. That's it. 

Imagine what your life would be like if you could get paid to get in shape, help others get in shape, and stay home with your kids? Or make an extra payment on your student loans to pay them down faster? Or to go on a family vacation? I want you to think for a second what it would feel like to have someone proudly message you that because of YOU, they have reached their goals! That because YOU believed in them, motivated them, encouraged them, and guided them, that they now believe in themselves. I am telling you, it is the greatest feeling. Coaching has been a huge blessing to me and my family. 

Check it out and tell me what you think! message me if you have any questions! bbaeznutrition@gmail.com