Eco Chic Lifestyle Change Week 5: Final Weekly Review & Overall Project Reflection

My SMART goal is: I will eat 1 serving (3oz) of unprocessed meat a day.

I am STILL reaching my goal but it has been a tough road for me. This week has been super crazy busy and I struggle with taking the time to prepare lunch and dinner. I only seem to struggle with lunch and dinner because I have eggs or oatmeal for breakfast (boring I know but I love it). Cutting back to only 1 serving of meat a day hasn't been too challenging for me, besides when I get fast food. I thought I would struggle more on this but I haven't been out to eat much this week, due to more time spent at home doing homework. I did however, make a subway run one night. Mind you, I had already consumed my 1 serving for the day during lunch. Keeping this goal in mind helped me make my decision to have a veggie sub. At first I thought this wouldn't be enough to keep me full all night, but when paired with a nice juicy apple and a big glass of milk I was able to keep my snacking at bay. This was a huge success because I always get the chicken breast or club and it was kind of fun to try the veggie sub.

So my original goal was the same: I will eat 1 serving (3oz) of unprocessed meat a day. I only modified this one week for the Thanksgiving Holiday. I was able to meet my goal almost every week and I am very very proud of myself. Coming from a meat and potatoes kind of family, this goal was challenging while I was home for the holidays. I learned that no matter where you are, it is your choice what you put into your mouth. It may take a little extra time and planning but you can always modify your food options. Simply ordering a veggie dish or something without meat is easy enough at any restaurant you eat at (and it'll more than likely save you money too!) Another big challenge was time. I found that when I was more rushed, I didn't have the time to think about my choices. So, I devised plans to wake up early or to prepare my dishes the night before to save on the "rush" feeling.

I do think I will try to keep this SMART goal alive in my life. I think it is important not only to me but to my environment to cut back my consumption of meat. Consuming processed foods are detrimental to our environment. They cause environmental problems like air and water pollution from manure, overuse of fertilizer, cattle belching and the unnecessary use of land to produce feed grains and soil erosion. By consuming less processed meat (deli turkey) I will not only reduce my sodium intake but I will also be one step closer to reducing my carbon footprint.

All in all, I thought this was a great experience and I loved that it challenged me to go out of my comfort zone. I would recommend incorporating an "Eco-Chic challenge" to anyone. It is a great way to push yourself to become more environmentally friendly while offering great motivation. My goal now is to keep my goal going, and possibly add more along the way! Thanks for following me and offering me helpful tips in this challenge! =)

Blogged for the Eco-Chic Lifestyle Change Week 5 hosted by Amy@Amy in the Rain

Advocacy Project:Letter and Fact Sheet

Part One: Letter to Elected Official

December 6, 2010
Senator Amy Klobuchar
U.S. Senate
302 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510

Dear Senator Klobuchar,

I am writing to encourage you to vote YES to the H.R. 3468 bill: Promoting Health and Preventing Chronic Disease through Prevention and Wellness Programs for Employees, Communities and Individuals Act of 2009. Obesity has become a rising crisis in our country and has risen 60% in the past 20 years according to the CDC. An even more shocking statistic is that the rates among children in the U.S have tripled in the past 30 years.

Obesity is not only linked with a plethora of health problems such as, heart disease, high blood pressure, stroke and type 2 diabetes, but also financial problems. In the year 2000, the estimated cost of obesity was $117 billion in the United States. In the workplace obesity is linked to the loss of productivity and working days due to the health problems of the employees associated with their weight. Obesity also exceeds health-care costs associated with smoking and problems drinking and accounts for 6-12% of national health care expenditures. In addition, the annual hospital costs for treating obesity-related diseases in children rose to $127 million.

Governmental action and community contribution is key in promoting a healthy lifestyle and reducing the obesity rates in our youth. The proposed bill, H.R. 3468, will bring about opportunities that teach the dietary guidelines, how to read food labels and identify patterns that can help educators tailor programs to manage weight and reduce threats of chronic illness. It would also ensure the implementation of policies and programs that emphasize healthy actions in youth. By offering health promotion and awareness services, together we can educate our society about the problems associated with obesity.

I appreciated the time you have given to hear my concern. Please agree to support this proposed bill to make an impact in the lives of the citizens you promised to serve. I have a firm belief that passing this bill will ensure the proper promotion of health and reduction of chronic disease associated with diet and weight in our suffering citizens.

Thank you for taking the time to read about the importance of voting YES to H.R. 3468.

Sincerely,


Katie Gruber
(contact information)

Part 2: Obesity Fact Sheet

What is obesity?

Obesity is defined as having a greater weight than the recommended number based on your height. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), “Overweight and obesity is having abnormal or excessive fat accumulation that may impair health.” They also classify obesity as having a BMI (Body Mass Index) as 30 or higher. BMI is designed to classify the standard of weight vs. height in the average adult.

Facts on Obesity

The WHO indicates that roughly 1.6 billion adults, ages 15 and older, were overweight. In addition, at least 400 million adults globally were categorized as being obese. “The WHO projects that by the year 2015, approximately 2.3 billion adults will be overweight and more than 700 million will be obese.” In 2005, the number of overweight children under 5 years of age was a minimum of 20 million.

What is the cause of obesity?

The WHO demes the main cause of obesity as an energy imbalance between the amount of calories being consumed and the amount of calories being used up. Several factors are believed to be connected to the increase of obesity. These include a shift in diet towards higher intake of foods that are high in fat and sugar and low in nutrients and lower physical activity levels due to the increase in inactive demands from work and transportation options.

What are the consequences?

Serious consequences come from obesity. The more overweight one is the higher their risk for developing certain chronic diseases is. These would include cardiovascular disease, which is the world’s number one cause of death adding up to 17 million deaths every year; diabetes, the next epidemic predicted to increase by 50% worldwide in the next 10 years; Musculoskeletal disorders; and some cancers such as endometrial, breast and colon.

How can you prevent obesity?

• Reduce the amount of time spent sitting and watching television.
• Add at least ½ hour of physical activity to your daily routine.
• Consume foods that are low in fat, calories and added sugars and replace them with high fiber, protein and nutritional foods.
• Promote healthy eating habits by consuming at least 5 servings of fruits and vegetables a day, while using proper portion sizes.
• Maintain a proper balance between the calories consumed and the calories expended each day.
• Create more chances for physical activities among your workplace and the surrounding communities.

Obesity IS a problem in our society.

Find out how you can become involved to stop this epidemic.

Contact Fit City Duluth (218) 722-3787 or at info@fitcityduluth.com

Information provided by the World Health Organization and the Center of Disease Control