Don't weight to lose the pounds

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Christine Clark
  • 19th Airlift Wing Public Affairs
LITTLE ROCK AIR FORCE BASE, Ark. --  Eating right is harder for some people than others. If Airmen want to slim down their waist lines for their physical training test, eating right is a big contributor. Airmen are going to want to eat from three main food groups; vegetables, protein and dairy. That means they should completely stay away from processed foods.

"The majority of your carbohydrates should come from vegetables and dairy products," said Jeffery Vaughn, 19th Aeromedical Squadron fitness program manager. "Bottom line is, stay away from processed foods. Eliminate things like cookies, cake, potato chips and fast food if you want to lose weight."

But eliminating processed food doesn't mean skimping on calories. Airmen may think cutting calories in half will help them lose weight faster; the fact is it won't because if they aren't eating the amount they need they will eventually go back to their old ways and gain weight again.

Many Airmen take supplements to help with their calorie count.

"The main thing about using protein supplements is you want to use one that is as low in sugar as you can possibly get," said Mr. Vaughn. "If it is greater than 20 grams of sugar you are going to want to stay away from it. That is too much sugar and it isn't going to help your weight loss."

Another key part of losing weight is exercising consistently. "If you have extra fat, you want to burn it by aerobic exercising," Mr. Vaughn said.

Lifting weights is also a key component to losing weight.

"Lifting weight will build muscles and muscles drive metabolism. Muscle mass works with your metabolism," said Mr. Vaughn. "The more muscle mass you have the higher your metabolism is going to be. In the end you will slim down your waist and feel healthier."

After eating right for waist measurement, Airmen don't always know what to eat before their workout portion of their PT test. Some Airmen think eating before a workout could hurt their performance.

"The type of food that is basically going to break down quickly so you aren't going to have any type stomach issues," said Mr. Vaughn. "Fruits will break down quickly and give you the carbohydrates you need. So eat a piece of fruit, oatmeal or something whole grain or an eight fluid ounces of Gatorade prior to a PT test."

Then, following an Airman's intense PT test, they're going to want to eat.

"After you exercise, you have a 60 minute window to make sure you eat a carbohydrate, protein mix, which will help prepare your body to get ready to go for the next day," said Mr. Vaughn.

The cycle keeps continuing, eating right and exercising daily.