Archived Ask a Dietitian 4/24/14 - 10/21/14 Topic

Dietitian 09/20/14 replied to U6019057
Hi U6019057, GL (Glycemic Load) is a cool concept that can be a helpful tool to pick healthier carb choices. I prefer it to just using GI (Glycemic Index). But there is no way near enough data to assign GL scores to the huge MND food database. To read more about GL for those of you who don't know what it is: http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/carbohydrates-and-the-glycemic-load/

And this is a good website for GI (Glycemic Index): http://www.glycemicindex.com/testing_research.php

Best,
Kathy Isacks, MPS, RD, CDE

Zivilev 09/20/14 replied to Dietitian
Hi, I am a 39 female with a current weight of 74.2kg. The starting weight is 75. My ultimate weight is 60. The MND suggests me to eat 1688 kcal a day. I also try to drink 5-7 glasses of water.
I have been tracking my weight loss with MND for 3 weeks now. Twice a week i do 1 hour exercises. We do a lot of body toning and stretching exercises. Fof it i am wearing Hot shapers. I do not fedl any looser aparell yet, but i believe i will take measures today.
I have received a challenge to loose 3 kg in a months. Would you please advise me how as i see very slow weight loss with a given 1688 kcal. I was thinking of 1 fasting day/week or earing under 1688 kcal.
Thanks!

Cathi 09/21/14
how does MND set or determine the required protein a day? at 162 lbs (based on some article i read) it should be .36/lb so then mine should only be 58 g a day but the plan states recommended is 71 g? thanks.

U6030991 09/21/14
Hi Kathy, I have been using MND for almost a week and have questions about the nutrient database being used. I quickly learned not to use foods with a (contributed) notation after the food as many of the nutrients are incorrect. As a recently retired RD, I am quite happy to use USDA NDB 27 as a reference to add custom foods and know that they are correct. My questions.
1. Is it possible to designate a database from which to select foods or is there a way to limit the search in some way to select only USDA and mfr values?
2. I also have noted that the values in the columns are not always calculated correctly, i.e., I added a custom food for Domino's Cheese Ultimate Deep Dish Pizza with USDA NDB #21278. For a 100 gram serving, the sodium column lists 47 mg Na, whereas the actual value and the food label value shows 615 mg Na. I'm having a hard time understanding this--is there some translation/correlation I'm missing.
Thank you for your help.
Marjorie Busby, MPH, RD

Dietitian 09/22/14 replied to Zivilev
Hi U5109030, your calories target might be too high if you both logging exercise and have set your overall activity level above sedentary. Most of us should use the sedentary activity level (includes activities of daily living, including incidental walking up to about a mile). And only log net minutes of actual move time when you exercise. That will help avoid the problem of overestimating your total energy expenditure.

To get the bottom line with calories for the day, accounting for exercise, you read the Daily Energy Balance (or Daily Analysis).

Please read this article (available via Library in apps) and let me know if you have more questions: http://www.mynetdiary.com/customizing-calorie-goals.html

Best,
Kathy Isacks, MPS, RD, CDE

Dietitian 09/22/14 replied to Cathi
Hi Cathi, since MyNetDiary provides macronutrient default goals, they went with goals based upon %kcal. That is, MND uses the midpoint of the DRI's AMDR(acceptable macronutrient distribution) range. 21% total kcal from protein (MND default goal) usually exceeds the RDA. There is research that supports a higher protein intake to help with satiety after meals when calories are reduced. But any one with a medical condition that warrants protein restriction should follow their protein goals instead of MND's default goal.

Here's an article on protein: http://www.mynetdiary.com/protein-foods-in-diet.html

If you prefer to set your protein at the RDA, you can customize your nutrient goals if you use a paid app or if you have the Maximum membership. To learn more about customizing goals, read this article (also accessible via Library in apps): http://www.mynetdiary.com/customizing-nutrient-goals.html

Just a note - occasionally people with an already low body weight will try to lose 2 lbs/wk - the target calories might be set low enough that 21% kcal results in a protein goal below the RDA. I have requested that an alert be put in place so that folks know to adjust their kcal goal and/or protein goal higher to deal with that.

FYI, in medical/surgical wt loss, we typically recommend no less than 60 grams protein avg. But up to 90-100 g protein works well for many (that is protein from all sources, not just from traditional protein foods).

Let me know if you have more questions.

Best,
Kathy Isacks, MPS, RD, CDE

Dietitian 09/22/14 replied to U6030991
Hi Marjorie, welcome fellow RD to MyNetDiary! I do have some tips for MND use. Go into your SETTINGS and:
1. Turn off viewing food items entered by others (which I recommend), go into your Settings and toggle off "Find Contributed" foods. You can do this on the web or in your app. Also, take advantage of PhotoFood Service - it is a fast and easy way to enter foods from barcode scanning.

2. While you are still in SETTINGS, toggle on "Sodium in MG." I don't really know why the default is set for % - I have asked for the default to be MG.

3. MND database already includes the entire current USDA database - but be careful to search for the item of interest carefully. Because there are so many foods in the database, it helps to search the food for the first time with the first 3 characters of each word in a long food name to limit the search to a manageable list. I explain more about food items in this blog post:
http://www.mynetdiary.com/tips-and-tricks-for-entering-and-correcting-foods-in-mynetdiary.html

And this one is helpful for recipes: http://www.mynetdiary.com/tips-for-entering-your-recipes-into-mynetdiary-like-a.html

FYI - links work from web forum but I think you might still have to paste and copy if you are using an app to view forum.

Also, MND uses IOM/DRI energy equations and this article is a great cheat sheet on how to enter settings (a little different than MyFitnessPal, etc): http://www.mynetdiary.com/customizing-calorie-goals.html

Please let me know if I can provide more assistance or guidance. There is a lot that MND can do but it isn't always obvious how to do it.

Best,
Kathy Isacks, MPS, RD, CDE

U6030991 09/22/14 replied to Dietitian
Thanks much Kathy, this is great information and very helpful. I really do like this app.

U6041338 09/23/14 replied to U6030991
Hi
I'm new to this but how do I plan a meal without eggs as I'm allergic to dairy products.
Past diets have not worked for me due to this allergy.
Please help as I am desperate to lose the extra pounds.
Also my medication may be why I cannot lose weight.
I'm on 3600mg gabapentin
90mg morphine
20mg ampatripaline
Help me find a diet to suit my requirements
Many thanks

Dietitian 09/23/14 replied to U6041338
Hi U6041338, are you allergic to milk and eggs or only eggs? There are many foods that do not contain eggs and food labels now include food allergen declarations.

Tracking is ideal for folks with increased risk of weight gain due to medications. You can tweak meals so that you meet your caloric targets for weight loss.

A basic meal planner (that does not require egg intake) is the simple Plate Method:
1/2 plate non-starchy veggies
1/4 plate lean protein (or you could aim for 20 grams protein per meal - about 3 oz cooked meat/fish/seafood/poultry).
1/4 plate whole grain or starchy veggies (unprocessed/minimally processed to keep fiber high and added junk low).
+ 1 small piece fresh fruit
+ 1 cup milk, yogurt, or milk substitute (if you are allergic to milk protein, you can sub with soy milk, soy yogurt for protein & calcium intake)

But there are lots of articles at MyNetDiary to read for ideas too. You can access them with these links, or use Library tab if you are reading this from an app:

http://www.mynetdiary.com/diet-and-weight-loss-resources.html

Best,
Kathy Isacks, MPS, RD, CDE

Archived Ask a Dietitian 4/24/14 - 10/21/14