Healthy Bowel Movements

With the increasing incidence of colon cancer, it is necessary for anyone worried about the health of their colon to know what is a healthy bowel movement. For many people, they judge a healthy bowel movement as one in which they have made for that day.
Even though it might seem peculiar or embarrassing to talk about bowel movements, they are important. For a long time it has been believed that the digestive system played a major role in the health of the person.
Therefore, whatever the person chooses to eat, would affect his or her digestion leading to some form of gastrointestinal illness - the surprising fact is that most people only have 1-3 bowel movements PER WEEK and consider this to be 'normal'. Yes, this might be normal for some, but it is not healthy.
Each time we eat, we should be poopin' out the previous meals we consumed. We should be pooping 3 times per day, and if we are not we probably have fecal matter that is 'stuck in our gut' and feeding back toxins to our system that we should be eliminating.
Therefore, it is simply not enough to consider that one bowel movement a day is a sign of a healthy bowel. Instead it is necessary to look at the frequency, color, odor, or the consistency associated with the stool.
The frequency of the stool is necessary to take note of especially is there is a concern that you might be constipated. Bowel movements can be as little as one a day to as many as three bowel movements depending on how “regular” the person might be. An increased frequency is not seen as a healthy bowel movement.
Another area to look at when considering bowel movements is the odor. If the odor accompanying your stool is plenty or has a very bad smell, then this is not the sign of a healthy bowel movement. A healthy bowel movement would not be covered by excess gas, and would not make the person embarrassed.
The color of the stool should also be thought about when discussing a healthy bowel movement. Usually stool is brown in color, if this color changes and becomes to pale, or too dark in color, then this is an indication that something is going on in the intestine.
The consistency is also important as if the stool is too soft or too hard, this will not be a sign of a healthy bowel movement. Instead a stool that is not to hard is key to removing wastes from the intestine, and should be considered a healthy bowel movement.

Back to the Basics

At it's most basic, losing weight is about burning more calories than you eat. That seems simple enough, but if were really that simple, none of us would have a weight problem. Too often people take drastic measures to see results -- diets, pills or those weird fitness gadgets on infomercials that promise instant success. Maybe you lose weight but what happens when you go off that diet or stop that crazy workout program? You gain it all back and more. The real secret to weight loss is to make small, lasting changes. The key is to forget about instant results and settle in for the long run.

To lose one pound of fat, you must burn approximately 3500 calories over and above what you already burn doing daily activities. That sounds like a lot of calories and you certainly wouldn't want to try to burn 3500 calories in one day. However, by taking it step-by-step, you can determine just what you need to do each day to burn or cut out those extra calories. Below is a step by step process for getting started.

Calculate your BMR (basal metabolic rate). Your BMR is the amount of calories your body needs to maintain basic bodily functions like breathing and digestion. This is the minimum number of calories you need to eat each day. Keep in mind that no calculator will be 100% accurate, so you may need to adjust these numbers as you learn more about your own metabolism

1. Calculate your activity level. For a week or so, keep an activity journal and use a calorie calculator to figure out how many calories you burn while sitting, standing, exercising, lifting weights, etc. throughout the day. 
   
2. Keep track of how many calories you eat. For at least a week, enter and track your calories online (e.g., with Calorie Count) or use a food journal to write down what you eat and drink each day. Be as accurate as possible, measuring when you need to or looking up nutritional information for restaurants, if you eat out. After a week, add your totals for each day and average them out to get a general idea of how many calories you eat each day.
3. Add it up. Take your BMR number and add your activity calories. Then subtract your food calories from that total. If you're eating more than your BMR + your activity calories, you're at risk for gaining weight.

Example:
Suzie BMR is 1400 calories and she burns 900 calories with regular exercise, walking around and doing household chores. To maintain her weight, she should be eating 2300 calories (1400 + 900= 2300). However, after keeping a food journal, Mary finds that she's eating 2550 calories every day. By eating 250 more calories than her body needs, Mary will gain about a pound every 2-3 weeks.

PORTION CONTROL

What are the Proper Portion Sizes 

Many of us tend to underestimate the amount of food we eat and tend to overestimate the recommended portion sizes for many foods. Remember that your stomach is about the size of your fist. Don't expect to stuff 10 times that amount of food into it without negative consequences. Something many people don't realize is that your stomach will stretch when you're used to eating a lot. If you only eat small amounts of food at a time, your stomach won't ever stretch out like it does when you gorge yourself on a big meal, and then, with a smaller stomach, it won't take as much to make you feel full. You can do this by only taking small, right-sized portions of food onto your plate, and when you're done with that, sit back and feel whether or not you're still hungry. Give yourself 10 to 20 minutes. If you really are still hungry after that time has passed, take a tiny bit more; however, if you give your body time to signal your brain, you'll find that you're usually not still truly hungry.

For example, try pouring out your usual portion of pasta and measure it! Then, compare it to the label portion size. Chances are, you're eating two, three, four or more times the amount on the label.

If you are confused when reading a food label, try relating the portion size of a serving to everyday items. It is an easy way to visualize what a true portion size looks like.

• Woman's fist or baseball -- a serving of vegetables or fruit is about the size of your fist
• A rounded handful -- about one half cup cooked or raw veggies or cut fruit, a piece of fruit, or ½ cup of cooked rice or pasta – this is a good measure for a snack serving, such as chips or pretzels
• Deck of cards -- a serving of meat, fish or poultry or the palm of your hand (don't count your fingers!) – for example, one chicken breast, ¼ pound hamburger patty or a medium pork chop
• Golf ball or large egg -- one quarter cup of dried fruit or nuts
• Tennis ball -- about one half cup of ice cream
• Computer mouse -- about the size of a small baked potato
• Compact disc -- about the size of one serving of pancake or small waffle
• Thumb tip -- about one teaspoon of peanut butter
• Check book -- a serving of fish (approximately 3 oz.)
• Eyeball it! Take a look at the recommended serving sizes on the new USDA MyPyramid Food Guidance System. Get out a measuring cup or a food scale and practice measuring some of your favorite foods onto a plate, so that you can see how much (or how little!) a ½ cup or 3-ounce serving is. This will help you "eyeball" a reasonable serving!

When you're eating a meal, stop when you're satisfied, not when you're full. Don't you hate when you feel as if your stomach is full? This is a sign that you have made a mistake in the way you just ate. After you're done eating, your stomach should not feel empty, but also not completely full. Acquire the habit of eating slowly so you can stop when you are satisfied, not full; the brain needs about 20 minutes to get the "Not hungry anymore" signal.

Eat slowly. Chew your food until it has turned to mush. This means at least 4-5 chews per bite of food. And no, you can't just take bigger bites so that this is a reasonable amount of chews; take small bites also. Remember that it takes about 15-20 minutes for your satisfied-feeling to get to your brain even if your stomach is bloated and regardless of how much you eat. You could eat 10 plates full of food, and as long as you did it within a few minutes, you still wouldn't feel satisfied. Likewise, you can eat just a smaller portion and feel satisfied if you give your system time for the digestive and hormonal processes to take place so the signal gets to the hypothalamus in your brain. Eating slowly helps to keep the amount of food you're eating small until you feel the satisfied feelings. It also prevents you from gorging yourself, and gives you more time to accurately reflect on whether your stomach feels full yet or not. It takes about a whole 15-20 minutes for your stomach to send the message to the brain that you are full, so you could be eating 15 minutes more than your body wants. Eating slowly prevents overeating and will get you satisfied with less calories without feeling hungry or deprived.

Change from eating whenever you can and exercising only when you must' to 'eating only when you must and exercising whenever you can.' Most people like eating, and don't like exercising. The result is that they eat every chance they get and exercise only when they have to. You must change your thinking around, to exercising being the necessity and eating being the luxury, and work towards developing a lifestyle that reflects this. However, avoid taking on eating as a chore. Enjoy it and savor every bite. This will help you eat slowly.

Drink lots of water every day. This is very important. You may think you are hungry when, in fact, you are really just thirsty. It also makes your liver and kidney a lot happier. Try adding a slice of lemon, lime, or orange to your water for a great taste; cucumber slices for an even crispier taste!

My Blog will answer questions that we All Have in regards to losing weight the Right Way and keeping it off or the "Fast Way" and gaining it all back and more...Myths/Pros/Cons about Crash diets. Good vs Bad Carbs. The Value of WATER. Great Workout Tips. How Changing your diet can Change your Life and any questions that you may have.

My First Topic = WHY is WATER IMPORTANT

Your body is estimated to be about 60 to 70 percent water. Blood is mostly water, and your muscles, lungs, and brain all contain a lot of water. You need water to regulate body temperature and to provide the means for nutrients to travel to your organs and tissues. Water also transports oxygen to your cells, removes waste, and protects your joints and organs.

Depleting your body of water will create a loss of weight, but it is ONLY water weight. Of course the exercise you are doing to sweat is helpful BUT losing too much water too fast can KILL you. This weight will come back as soon as you drink or eat again.

Sweat is not only water, but salt and electrolytes. These compounds help regulate nerve and muscular function. Without them entire systems start to break down and this can be fatal. Also, once you stop sweating, there is no mechanism in your body to regulate body temperature and you could overheat and die from heat stroke.

So Many ask how much water should one drink...You can calculate the daily amount of water needed by taking your weight in pounds and dividing that number in half. That give you the number of ounces you may want to drink each day. For example, if you weigh 160 pounds, you might want to drink at least 80 ounces of water or other fluids per day.
If you exercise, you should drink another eight ounce glass of water for every 20 minutes you are active. If you drink alcohol, you should drink at least an equal amount of water. When you are traveling on an airplane, it may be good to drink eight ounces of water for every hour you are on board the plane. If you live in an arid climate, you should add another two servings per day. As you can see, your daily need for water can can change from day to day.

• This water calculator can help you determine how much water you need to drink each day.

At least twenty percent of the water you need will come from the foods you eat. The rest will come from the beverages you drink. Water is probably the best choice; sweetened soft drinks and sodas have added sugar that adds extra calories. Sports drinks contain electrolytes and may be beneficial; just look out for added sugar and calories that you may not want. Fruit and vegetable juice are good because they have vitamins and nutrients (read labels, however -- vegetable juices may be high in sodium).
Caffeinated beverages like tea and coffee count too, but too much caffeine can make you feel jittery.

The true way to burn fat and lose weight for the long term is to actually drink water plus exercise:

• Fat loss = water + oxygen (from cardio vascular exercise)