Photo By Monica Guthrie | Capt. David Guida, special projects officer, Headquarter and Headquarters Company,...... read more read more
Pfc. Monica K. Smith
3rd Combat Aviation Brigade
CAMP STRIKER, Iraq – Hungry? Take your pick from an Otis Spunkmeyer muffin, a blueberry Pop-Tart with icing, a strawberry Pop-Tart without icing, honey buns, cookies or all the food you can eat in the dining facility.
Many Soldiers find their goals to lose weight and get into shape are harder to achieve than expected due to working long hours and the smorgasbord of delicious fattening snacks available to them. Still, some Soldiers have found a formula that works well with their body to be healthier.
Capt. David Guida, special projects officer, Headquarter and Headquarters Company, 603rd Aviation Support Battalion, lost 61 pounds during the Combat Aviation Brigade's current deployment to Iraq.
The morning Guida deployed, he weighed 257 pounds. In Kuwait and the first month in Iraq, Guida gained eight pounds by eating deserts every day, occasionally twice a day, and eating the large portions served by the food service staff. Guida says he was raised to "clean his plate" and that philosophy combined with large portions contributed to weight gain. When Guida decided to start losing weight he weighed 265 pounds.
"I have always been a "big" guy, and I have always done PT, but I was getting much too big and needed to change," Guida said.
Lt. Col. Beverly Patton, PhD, RD, Multi-National Corps - Iraq dietetics specialty consultant and chief dietitian, 31st Combat Support Hospital, says the principles of weight management correspond with the rules of physics: to maintain your weight you must balance the amount of energy being put into the body with the amount of energy used by the body.
"I suggest one hour to one and a half hours a day with at least one day off per week to prevent overuse injuries," Patton said. "The exercise should be a combination of aerobic and strength training. Aerobic exercise (such as) running, cycling, walking, elliptical machines and swimming are more effective at reducing fat than strength training. But, overall fitness includes strength training."
Guida began to increase his amount of physical activity with simple changes in his lifestyle such as walking quickly to and from the dining facility and playing volleyball at night instead of watching television. He included running to and from the volleyball court, and as he arrived to the court faster Guida increased the distance by running longer routes. In addition, Guida made changes to his diet.
He began his days by eating a breakfast of sausage, eggs and a biscuit. For lunch and dinner he would eat a wrap from the sandwich bar with a small scoop of tuna or one piece of roast beef, lettuce and a few black olives. If he was very hungry or craving desert, Guida would have a bowl of soup and for snacks he would eat soup. However, Guida did have one meal he could look forward to.
"I gave myself one meal a week where I could "throw caution into the wind" so to speak," Guida said. "For me it was Friday night's steak and shrimp."
Patton says she is a firm believer in eating the largest meal of the day early and then eating progressively less each meal as the day progresses.
"Eat a big breakfast, a medium-sized lunch and a small dinner," Patton said. "Avoid after-dinner snacking, too."
As a guide, Patton advises Soldiers to select food from the main line and not the short-order line. She also reminds Soldiers the 'usual' portion is often a double portion and recommends asking for smaller portions and using the divided plate as a guide for food selection: the large part for the entrée and starch and the smaller parts for vegetables and fruit. Patton also cautions Soldiers to look for low-calorie beverages such as water, skimmed milk and sugar-free diet sports drinks and diet sodas.
Patton and Capt. Melissa Ogle, DPT, Chief of Physical Therapy, 31st Combat Support Hospital both say diet or exercise alone will not be effective for losing weight and staying healthy. Soldiers must incorporate diet and exercise together.
"You have to burn more calories than you are taking in," Ogle said. "Make the gym part of your daily routine. Incorporate activities you enjoy."
Information Box:
General tips for Soldiers who work in an office:
-Take walking/running/exercise breaks often
-Take stretching breaks
-Keep food (other than healthy snacks) out of the office
-You can keep small weights or therabands (resistant exercise systems) in your
office for upper/lower body workouts
-If you drive, do not take the first parking space you come to; you can easily get
increased amounts of walking in throughout the day
| Date Taken: | 12.17.2007 |
| Date Posted: | 12.17.2007 15:18 |
| Story ID: | 14760 |
| Location: | BAGHDAD, IQ |
| Web Views: | 269 |
| Downloads: | 133 |
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