Más Bakersfield

Achieving your weight loss resolution

New Year’s resolutions — we make them and break them.

But some of us are actually determined to stick to our promises, which is the case with Jessica Alvarado.

Alvarado made one of the most common New Year’s resolutions. She wants to lose weight, 30 pounds by June, to be exact.

“I have tried to lose weight before by unhealthy means, such as not eating,” she said. “But I have never tried doing it the right way. This time I am combining a good diet with exercise.”

That’s a good way to go, said both Laura Pinyan, director of Dietary Services for the Pacific Health Education Center, and Omar Capellino, certified personal trainer.

Alvarado, an adult special education teacher for the Kern High School District, said her students are her biggest motivation because they are involved in a “biggest loser” weight loss competition.

“I can’t ask them to do something without being able to do it myself,” Alvarado said. “I get weighed in in front of the students and fellow staff members.”

Alvarado’s weight loss plan includes cutting out fast food and sweets, walking three times a week, going to the gym and lots of prayer and good choices.

“Sweets are a major part of my diet, more  than fried foods,” she said. “I think i might be having sugar withdrawals. Not having sugars has been difficult.”

Pinyan said that one of the best things to do when changing your diet is to look at the whole picture.

“People need to look at having a healthy diet instead of a diet with empty calories,” Pinyan said.

Empty calories are found in meats that are mostly fat, such as bacon, sausage and
hamburger.

“People often get discouraged and stop too soon because they get on radical diets,” Pinyan said. “It is better to make modest lifestyle changes that they can live with that help them be healthier.”

As far as exercise goes, Capellino recommends mixing weight training with cardio
workouts.

“Don’t quit if you don’t get results in two weeks,” Capellino said. “It takes nutrition and exercise to make things happen. You could go low-carb and get results, but that is unhealthy. What people should strive for is a lifestyle change that they can live with for the rest of their lives.”

Nutrition tips

Breakfast:
Focus on eating whole grains, low-fat milk, fruit and low-fat yogurt.

Lunch:
More salads and vegetables.
Eat lean meats but don’t increase your meat intake.
You don’t always have to have meat. Beans, yogurt and skim milk also have protein.
Drink water, skim milk or one small glass of juice.
Make lunch your one big meal for the day.

Snack:
Bring something from home. Think of fruit, peanut butter or yogurt.

Dinner:
Eat a light dinner if you had a big lunch.


Sample meal plan:

Breakfast:
Arroz con Leche
Use brown rice, low-fat milk and the sweetener, Splenda.

Lunch: Mexican restaurant
Go easy on the cheese and let this meal be your main meal of the day.  Avoid too many carbs and focus on foods that have large servings of beans, but not with lard.

Dinner: Cooking at home
Use whole grain tortillas and think of meat as an accessory rather than a huge serving. Use beans as the larger amount of the meal and think of moderate portions of cheese and sour cream. Include vegetables in your meal.

— Information contributed by Laura Pinyan, director of dietary services at the Pacific Health Education Center



Exercise tips

• Be consistent with your workout.
• Workout three to five days for about one hour a day.
• Try mixing about 30 minutes of cardio with 40 minutes of resistance training.
• If you find the gym boring, try jogging or bike riding.
• Get a partner to motivate you to make your workout sessions.
• Alternate your muscle groups daily.

At work
• Use the stairs instead of the elevator.
• Park further away and walk to the office.
• If you have a sit-down job, think about taking a few laps around the
   office throughout the day.

— Information contributed by Omar Capellino, certified personal  
trainer