1 in 2 is the number of women over the age of 50 who will break a bone because of poor bone health. i.e if you’re a woman and you are reading this, there’s a 50% of chance of this happening to you. The figures for men aren’t much different at one in five. I mention this because bone health isn’t something many of us think about all that much. We’re often too busy concentrating on how to ward off those diseases that feel like they must be the biggest risks to our health and quality of life. Heart disease, cancer, diabetes, those kinds of worries.
The good news
- Around 80% of your risk of having a fracture due to osteoporosis is genetic and you can't do much about it. But the other 20% is yours to play with through diet, weight bearing exercise, and watching what you smoke and drink.
- Osteoporosis is very treatable and because of this the fractures it causes are very preventable, provided that the problem is discovered in time.
- Screening for osteoporosis is on the up and there are some really user-friendly new treatments in the pipeline for those who need them.
- Contrary to what some of the newspapers say, osteoporosis doesn’t kill you.
Thanks to the National osteoporosis society for their figures.
Comment on Is osteoporosis on your radar?
I've been taking a bit of a blogging break. Hanging out with my chooks, planning this year's vegetable plot, making cupcakes (I know, who'd have thought?) and doing a lot of learning at work.A break has been nice but I've missed you all and I've got lots of recipes, links and photos saved up and waiting to be shared. Hope you are all happy and well?
Comment on Well hello there!
There’s a school of thought in nutrition that say’s that it’s christmas that’s ruining our waistlines. Most of don’t gain nearly as much as we think we have over the festive season (on average about a pound) but the problem is that most of us don’t lose that pound in the early months of the new year. When you think how many Christmases most of us have had (some more than others), you can see how this can start to add up to weighty problem.
Returning to how you were eating on a normal day pre-holiday is a great start but is likely to lead to you staying steady at your new weight rather than losing. The good news is if you put your mind to it, that post-christmas pound can actually be dealt with pretty swiftly. This is my favourite five step plan for losing that christmas food-baby.
1. Assess the damage
Once you’ve had a couple of days eating normally, weigh yourself so that you know what you’re dealing with. A pound is about half a kilo.
2. The Maths Part
For every pound of fat you’ve put on, you need to create a deficit of 3500kcal. This is not a trifling amount but it is achievable, especially if you combine eating less calories with being more active. To lose a 1lb in a week takes a deficit of 3500 kcal in that week, or to put it another way, 500 kcal every day. Here’s a ready reckoner for how long it will take to lose your festive foodbaby:
Think back to what you were eating before the holiday season or some other time when your weight was steady. What did typical day’s eating look like then? Think about what you had for breakfast, and what kind of foods you ate for snacks. This is your baseline intake that you need to make a 500 kcal deficit from (not the amount you were eating over the holidays).
4. Make a plan
Get a notepad and make a list of changes you can make that can add up to 500 kcal per day. You might need to do a bit of label reading. Here are a few ideas to get you started:
Returning to how you were eating on a normal day pre-holiday is a great start but is likely to lead to you staying steady at your new weight rather than losing. The good news is if you put your mind to it, that post-christmas pound can actually be dealt with pretty swiftly. This is my favourite five step plan for losing that christmas food-baby.
1. Assess the damage
Once you’ve had a couple of days eating normally, weigh yourself so that you know what you’re dealing with. A pound is about half a kilo.
2. The Maths Part
For every pound of fat you’ve put on, you need to create a deficit of 3500kcal. This is not a trifling amount but it is achievable, especially if you combine eating less calories with being more active. To lose a 1lb in a week takes a deficit of 3500 kcal in that week, or to put it another way, 500 kcal every day. Here’s a ready reckoner for how long it will take to lose your festive foodbaby:
to lose 1 pound (0.5kg) = 500kcal per day less for 1 week3. Cast your mind back
to lose 1 pound (0.5kg) = 250kcal per day less for 2 weeks
to lose 2 pounds (1kg) = 500kcal per day less for 2 weeks
to lose 2 pounds (1kg) = 250kcal per day less for 4 weeks
Think back to what you were eating before the holiday season or some other time when your weight was steady. What did typical day’s eating look like then? Think about what you had for breakfast, and what kind of foods you ate for snacks. This is your baseline intake that you need to make a 500 kcal deficit from (not the amount you were eating over the holidays).
4. Make a plan
Get a notepad and make a list of changes you can make that can add up to 500 kcal per day. You might need to do a bit of label reading. Here are a few ideas to get you started:
Comment on or continue reading A very realistic plan to lose a pound (or how to banish your Christmas 'food baby' in 5 steps)
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